Photography by Megan Sneak Peek Blog! » weddings. kids. families. life.

My last destination wedding of the year was in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota (specifically the ceremony in Spearfish and the reception in Deadwood) and of course it was so much fun!  There were so many great spots to shoot that it was SO hard to narrow them down.  Even the unique downtown spots of Deadwood provided some great textures and colors to play with, and with a willing bride and groom I was able to try lots of ideas!  Erin is also a photographer so it was fun to shoot someone with just as many great ideas!  Check her out at www.lifeinpicturephotography.com!

I was so excited to be asked to photograph yet another photographer’s family!  This time it was Jason and Amy of Gemar Photography, along with their darling little girl Ellia.  They came all the way from Minot to meet up at Lake Bronson State Park for an early spring session in the woods and on the beach.  Anyone who has heard me rave about sessions at this great little park near my hometown, here are a few samples of the area.  It was also fun to get Jason in action with his camera.  I know how hard it is as a photographer to get shots of yourself, so I was happy to take them for him!

It’s always a huge honor when another photographer asks me to capture their family, and this time was no exception!  Fabulous Minneapolis photographer Lisa Slotsve came all the way up to Grand Forks with her husband and kids, Ashton and Addison, to visit some family and meet up for a session downtown on a bright and breezy Saturday morning.  As soon as we met we totally ‘clicked’!  Lisa had so many great ideas– photographers definitely think alike!  I also LOVED their wardrobe choice, the blues and greens were a perfect example of how to dress for a session!

I was once again honored to photograph fellow photographer, Mandy Birdwell and her family!  (I saw them last fall, too!) We always have a blast together, and what could be more fun than doing a photo session with another photographer?  Mandy made it extremely easy on me and scoped out a gorgeous farmyard hidden right in the middle of the city, complete with barns, meadows, chickens, goats, and more!  Match that up with her adorable kids (and one on the way), some great clothing choices (I LOVED all the colors!) and you’ve got a pretty fabulous photo session.  Again, we talked shop most of the time and I could have stayed all day!

It’s rare that I get to see my photographs in their finished form, on display in a client’s home.  Even when I return to take their pictures again and glance up to see one of my photographs in a beautiful frame or collage, I’m too busy concentrating on taking pictures that I really don’t get much else than a glance.  Yet I’m always curious to see how so many people turn my photographs into art–something I don’t often get a chance to do myself.

Luckily, photographer Mandy Birdwell, who I had the pleasure of working with last fall, posted on her blog recently about what she did with my photographs.  With her permission, I am posting the pictures she took of MY pictures, which she had printed on beautiful canvas and arranged as a collage.

This all made me think of something I was actually considering for some time.  I’d like to occasionally do a “Photos into Art” post; showcasing how clients display my photographs.  I’m either going to remind myself to take a couple shots the next time I’m at a repeat client’s home, or request of YOU to send me some!  If you are a client who would like to submit a photo of something interesting you did with my pictures, please e-mail me at meganphoto@gmail.com and you could see your picture on my blog and, of course, receive something in return!  It truly is rewarding to see my images where they were always meant to be!

I had the pleasure of photographing the family of photographer Mandy Birdwell while I was in the Minneapolis area, and I had SO much fun!  It was so cool to take pictures for another photographer–I was definitely honored.  She and I totally clicked!  Her children, Jake and Jayden were absolutely adorable, and a photographer’s dream!  They seemed to be naturals in front of the camera.  Even when Jake had some tears, he was still as cute as can be. 

I’ll bet Mandy was happy to be IN some pictures for once!  I know how it is…when you’re behind the camera, you’re rarely in FRONT of it.   Here are some of my many, MANY favorites!