Portraits — Minneapolis Wedding, Event and Portrait Photography by Austin Images

Kathryn::Children’s Portraiture

October 30, 2011 By Susan Leave a Comment

Hmmmm…what I love most about photographing kids? Good question. What I love most about photographing children is the opportunity to get together with them year after year on or around their birthday to see and capture their growth both physically and to see who they are becoming as a person. I have had the pleasure of capturing Kathryn for 10 years now and she never ceases to amaze me. She’s 11 now….. WOW! What a joy she is. So grown up, full of both confidence and humility.

We try to do something different each year to mark her birthday milestone and this year I asked a friend (Jenny Phillips of The Country Camera) if I could borrow her property out in Medina and we set the date. While Kathryn actually turned 11 back in May, we went ahead and let summer happen then grabbed a great autumn day and let Kathryn…be Kathryn….

Then we added her cavachon, Sam….

Filed Under: Children, Featured Content, Portraits Tagged With: Children, Children's Head Shots, Children's Photography, Childrens Modeling Portraits, Childrens Portraits, Metro Area Childrens Photographer

August 8, 2011 By Susan Leave a Comment

Austin Images Photography launches a new division: Whiskerdo~Capturing pets…being themselves! Please take a moment to head over and see what we’ve been up to! Here’s a sneak peek!

Filed Under: Featured Content, Pets, Portraits Tagged With: Pet Photography, whiskerdo

gemma~21

June 9, 2011 By Susan Leave a Comment

My niece, Gemma, turned 21 on Monday. Rather than mixing it up and gifting her with a bottle of wine or fun flavored vodka for this momentous occasion, I opted to stick with my time honored tradition of a lively portrait session….no hangovers here! I think this makes 8 years running now. Gemma works at Taglio (pronounced Tah’ lee oh) in Excelsior so I sort of got bumped out of the hair portion of the gift but they really have fun with her hair so we just spend more time shooting! This year, I called upon a friend and fellow photographer, Jenny Phillips out at The Country Camera in Medina, MN. She hosted a TCPPA summer picnic on her property last year and I walked around in awe. A lovely farm on 200 acres..close enough yet far enough out to give you that “wide open spaces” feel. Gemma said, “Well, I’m not really a country girl.” And when we wrapped..she was impressed! I love you, Gemma. Here are a few of my faves….

Filed Under: Family, Family, Featured Content, Personal, Portraits, Seniors Tagged With: Fun Portraits, Portrait Photography, Relaxed Portraits

Being Amanda.

November 8, 2010 By Susan Leave a Comment

The youngest of 3 means, quite clearly, you rarely get to do things first in the family. It’s either been done, being done or no one gets to do it. But don’t tell that to Amanda, she’s a trail blazer and doesn’t normally let things stand in her way. You see, being 3rd also means that the bar has been lowered by each previous child making things, sometimes, more attainable. Now, I’m no parent but I occasionally get the opportunity to “fill in” and my style, well…let’s just say…it’s pretty loose. I even get the “green light” from time to time with some of my nieces and nephews because…well, people trust me…and by people, I mean…my siblings. They trust that I will use my better judgment and not get carried away, make a scene or lose my mind. Yesterday was no exception. It was Amanda’s turn to redeem her (October 22nd) birthday gift from aunt Sue….a new “do” and a photo session.

I’m pretty certain that most 10 year old girls (outside of “toddlers and tiaras”!) don’t get to have highlights put in there hair and then toss on a little mascara and head out to a location and have their own private photo shoot compete with props. Yippee for Amanda cuz that’s just what we did yesterday. Due to the fact that Amanda has 2 older (girl) cousins and an older sister that have received this gift in the past she has a tendency to want to emulate their sessions and often likes to get a little serious. But we have fun too, don’t get me wrong.

We got a late start yesterday and with daylight savings time ending I’d forgotten to plan on the sun setting earlier but we got it done! Being 10 also means that high on her list was getting to a family function on time for cake that afternoon and it set the pace for the shoot! Amanda wanted to hit the same location that her cousin, Jess, hit on Saturday for her shoot so once the hair was perfect we hopped in the car and headed back out to the University of Minnesota’s Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

I love her. Here’s a few of my faves from the day….can’t believe she’s 10 already!

Filed Under: Children, Family, Featured Content, Personal, Portraits

She chose red. Really red!

November 7, 2010 By Susan Leave a Comment

After much consideration, Jessie decided to go red. It’s fun, playful, vibrant and best of all…it suits her. We’ve tried all kinds of reds…highlights, solid, red-brown, brown-red but yesterday we mixed up an electric copper-red…Framesi (frah-mee’si ) makes a color line called FRAMCOLOR 2001 and this, my red headed friends, is level 6TRP…with some super bright highlights (Schwarzkopf Bleach). This was fun! Getting your hair done is a definite mood changer and propelled the photo shoot! Thanks Jess. I love you.

Filed Under: Family, Featured Content, Personal, Portraits, Seniors Tagged With: Arboretum, Outdoor Portrait Sessions, Portraits, senior portraits, University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Jessica~

November 6, 2010 By Susan Leave a Comment

Today, my niece is coming over to redeem her birthday present…Fresh, new color & cut and an environmental photo session. It’s just something that I do each year for my niece’s birthdays. I like to call it the gift of time…I get some face-time with them and they, in turn, get to look and be FABulous for the day (and have some photos to prove it!). I love the fact that I have a licensed salon space in my home and can concoct ANYthing for anyONE! Truth be told I think it’s more fun for me!

Here are some shots I’ve gotten of Jessica over the past 5 years..WOW!

What color will she go today????

Filed Under: Featured Content, Portraits Tagged With: Make Overs, Portraits, University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Kathryn turns 9….and a 1/2!

October 5, 2010 By Susan Leave a Comment

Kathryn is 9 (and a 1/2!) but don’t let that fool you…she’s wise beyond her years. A very gentle, old soul and best of all…she calls me “Aunt Sue”. I’ve known her parents for many, many years and Kathryn was a joyful addition to the love that they already possessed. I’ve captured Kathryn each year on or around her, spring, birthday but this year after enduring the devastating loss of my mother I missed the opportunity. We gathered, just a few weeks ago, to mark her 9th birthday! She is an amazing child. I love her.

Portraits don’t have to be stuffy, stiff or boring…are YOU? Of course not. Don’t let someone capture you when you aren’t…well….you. Portraits should be fun, relaxed and most importantly, real. I love the notion of having my portraits “speak” to people…make people grin, laugh…even evoke the occasional tear. Here’s more of Kathryn…

Her lovely dog, Sam…Sam is a Cavachon.

Kathryn loves to accessorize!

Filed Under: Children, Family, Featured Content, Portraits Tagged With: Black & White Portraits, Candid, Children, Creative Portraits, Family Portraits, Fun, Kids Portraits, Portraits, Relaxed, Timeless

Braeden.

September 6, 2010 By Susan Leave a Comment

Braeden is one of those handsome young men that while he’s set his sights beyond graduation next spring he’s just not that into the whole “Senior Portrait” thing. Well, problem solved. This year I expanded my collections of traditional Portrait Sessions to include an “Express”. The Express is just that, an abbreviated session that allows me to capture really great images in 30 minutes. Now, this does come with a few options but several changes of clothing and locations are not part of the program as that simply eats into the allotted 30 minutes pretty rapidly. So, come prepared to work diligently and what you will get in return is 8 lightly edited 4×6 proofs and 1, digital file of your choice. Your, unedited, session will be online within a day for you to select from and will only set you back $150.00. You, of course, are welcome to order additional prints and wallets through the site or directly through me. Isn’t it nice to know that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get what you want? If the Express is something you haven’t yet considered, contact me to discuss and schedule your Express now.

This offer is limited to High School Seniors.

Filed Under: Featured Content, Portraits, Seniors Tagged With: Affordable Portraits, Free Digital File, High School Senior Portraits, Senior Pictures, senior portraits

Pet Photography

August 11, 2010 By Susan Leave a Comment

So, we have this cat. He is a 2 & 1/2 year old Red Pointe Birman and his name is Boo. He is lovely. People tell us all of the time how beautiful he is. We love him and he means the world to us. When people ask me where we got him, I respond “My sister made him for me. Literally!” Anne already had a Birman (Sugar) and quickly had her spayed but when she realized that it was such a beautiful breed, she arranged to get a 2nd and bred her. Spice, Boo’s mom, had just one litter and gave birth to 4 kittens the day before I was to head off to Mexico with Gary and while I was only there to witness the birth of 2 or them (Boo being one) I later learned that 2 of the kittens, sadly, didn’t survive. Boo has a sister, Fergie, but her coloring is completely different from Boo (who is nearly all a creamy white) but they both have the gorgeous, signature blue eyes of the Birman.

You must know, and many of you already do, that this is not my first pet or my first loved feline. Brother/Sister litter-mates Hobie & Katie (Chocolate Pointe Ragdolls) were loving fixtures in our lives for 12 years and passed 11 weeks apart almost to the day 2 summers ago and we still miss them (see their story under the “IN MEMORIAM” tab on the home page) . About 3 months before they were put down, Boo came into our lives. Sure, we had to sort of “stow” him away in the office for a week or so and slowly introduce the little bugger to the “elders” but Boo swiftly became welcomed.

I remember very well Gary saying (once I brought Boo home) “So….when is he going back to your sister’s?” I retorted, with raised eyebrows…”Ahhh, he’s not?” Well I can’t imagine life without him and that didn’t take long. Gary and I both grieved so much when Hobie and Katie passed that Boo made for the perfect addition at the perfect time. I am forever grateful to my sister for allowing me to scoop that little fella up and take him home with me and I promise him everyday, by doing, that he will have a full life and be loved beyond measure as long as he is on this earth!

Okay, I know….the blog post is entitled “Pet Photography” not “How to replace a pet” or “How to manipulate your spouse into getting another animal” but I just happen to know, for a fact, that there are others like us, out there, who love your furry little family members and for countless folks, in the world, our pets are our children. What I want to offer to you is an opportunity to have your little darling photographed in a way in which you’ve maybe not ever considered. Sure, some folks wait for a family portrait session or Senior session to pluck up the family pet and hope he sits good for the camera OR you wait for the local pet stores to offer a “Have your pet’s photo taken with Santa” session and please don’t get me wrong those are great memories to have…I just want to spin things a bit and ask that you have me come to your home (or favorite park) and follow them in their surroundings and really capture their essence and soul. Fish, Birds, Reptiles are also encouraged and welcome. Do you have a horse or other farm dwelling lovelies? I would be honored to photograph them all. Please contact me so we can swap pet stories and preserve your beloved pets!

Here are some of my Cat-Hall of Famers! First up, Bob.

Here’s Alice!

and Yoshi!

Now I know that’s a lot of cats but know that not one of God’s creatures is too big or too small…I adore them all and cannot wait to meet yours. Thanks and talk to you soon.

Filed Under: Boo, Featured Content, Personal, Pets, Portraits Tagged With: Pet Photography, Pet Portraits

Black & White

June 16, 2010 By Susan 1 Comment

In a world brimming over with color I often wonder what it is about black and white images that seem to stop time. I recently found…and I wish I could remember who said it…a quote that went something like this….”In a color portrait you see the person, in a black and white portrait you see the soul.” Palpable, isn’t it?

Well…I’ve noticed, lately, that I seem to leave many of my images in color…I haven’t been converting many. I guess living in Minnesota with so many colorless months I’ve simply gravitated towards colored images. They’re happy. Color images smile.

So I asked myself…do you only want to capture time? OR, would you like to make an impact with those very same images and stop time? Hmmmm. I think it’s high time I select the latter. Now, I’m not saying that I’m leaping off the color wagon but perhaps I’ll dabble with sitting on the running board and drag my boots a bit. Here are some recent captures of mine…thanks for checking in…

Filed Under: Featured Content, Pets, Portraits, Weddings Tagged With: black & white photography, Headshots, pets, Portraits, Weddings