Jen George : Holistic Health Counselor & Shiatsu Therapist

Jen is one of those people who you meet and just want to be friends with. She is a Holistic Health Counselor and Shiatsu Therapist in Dubuque, Iowa. She needed images for her new website, so we started brainstorming ideas together a few months back. She really wanted the images to reflect community, health and spirituality and give potential clients insight into who she is and what she does. We decided to go to the Lyndale Farmers Market, one of my absolute favorite places in Minneapolis. Our motto for the day became "what would martha stewart do" because the shoot felt SO Martha and I dream of shooting a feature for her magazine someday. The farmers market is a perfect location for lifestyle portraits because you can't help but experience everything around you and just dive right in, which makes for wonderfully natural photos. For the second part of the shoot, we went to my studio to photograph her doing shiatsu. The entire day felt like a beautiful collaboration between all of us involved-what more could you ask for?! 

Sarah

Sarah lives in India with her partner who is from Minnesota. I met her through some mutual friends and we all ended up going on this amazing camping trip just before the new year. Sarah brought home packets of henna and gorgeous scrarves for everyone to have. After a night of games, dinner, a hot tub, and great conversation we woke up to Sarah making the most incredible breakfast for everyone. Afterwards, a friend started using the henna on Sarah's hand and when she finished, I asked if she would come outside with me for a minute so I could take a few pictures. I love that she was still in her pajamas. 

Jesse & Julie : Chakra Khan

Jesse and Julie are co-owners of Chakra Khan Massage and Asian Bodywork in Minneapolis. Julie practices shiatsu, thai yoga bodywork, cupping and reiki and Jesse practices swedish massage, deep tissue, rehabilitative, heated stone, and pre and post-natal work. Jesse is also the NEW assistant manager of the Mill City Farmer's Market! Julie works at Blooma in Edina as the Office Manager Goddess as well. They came to the studio to get some new photos for their website and newsletter and we had fun just being silly. If you're looking for a great bodyworker in the Cities, call these ladies! They are the best!

Dan

Dan is an old friend of mine who I got to see last weekend while he was in town for The Wizard of Oz. He is the Production Stage Manager and travels all of the country doing theatre work. We did some portraits for him downtown where he was staying and then had some coffee and caught up on the last few years of our lives. It was such a great morning. 

YogaFresh!

I'm so inspired by and drawn to people who are athletic and who challenge their bodies in ways that make them more balanced, more confident, more interesting and more engaged with life. Yoga does exactly that. I have been a newbie yogi for some years now, dropping into a class here and there when I can. Jen Wyman, owner of YogaFresh in Woodbury, contacted me about photographing her studio and staff in exchange for classes and I immediately said yes. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to accomplish one of my goals for 2010-deepening my yoga practice. I have seen it change people and have always wondered what I would feel like if I were consistently practicing. Like anything new, it can take a leap of faith to jump in and be completely open to learning. Thanks to Jen for a great photo shoot and the inspiration to bring yoga more deeply into my life!