We actually had to split this session in two… it was raining on the day of their first session, but I just couldn’t stand the thought of not getting shots of these two in their adorable matching dresses out in a field. So back up to Fargo they had to come!

***************

A few things to note:

All fall workshops are now FULL (first one coming up this weekend!), but we do have a waiting list started in case any attendees need to sell their spots. If you’d like to be on the e-mail list to be alerted when more workshops are scheduled for 2011, just let us know.

The first round of voting for The Forum’s Pet Calendar contest  is going on right now! Even if you have not entered a pet, you can go online and vote for the one you want to win a spot on the 2011 calendar. Each vote costs $.25 and proceeds will go toward purchasing newspapers for area classrooms as well as funding the needs of the FM Humane Society. The top 50 pets with the most votes will move on to round two. Some of my favorites right now are Lucy5, Dozer, Betty, George, Summit, Nevaeh, Buddy2, and Mario. My pups, Emme and Mya still sit with zero votes each, so I may have to send them a few sympathy votes to make them feel good. Who are your favorites?

Also, I need to thank everyone for their kind words about the recent article in the Forum’s business section. It was so neat to be featured and we loved seeing the FM photography scene highlighted and recognized. You can read the article by clicking here.

Happy Tuesday!

~Ria

How can you NOT be happy looking at that little cherub face? I think it has a permanent smile…

And big sister Ella is still as beautiful as ever.

Yep, “happy” pretty much sums it up.

Love this family, loved their simple and colorful clothing choices, love these photos. love. love. love.

Finally the rain won out. Pierce was just as sad as I was to have to be done with the photoshoot. (Totally kidding… he was ready to be DONE!)

Yep… I’m pretty sure fun was had by all. Maybe even mom and dad?

They got a HUGE canvas of this image for their living room… it was gorgeous.

Allie is the sweetest big sister ever… loved their matching pettis!

Isn’t she just the sweetest little peanut? At the time of the session she was still being fed by a tube because she refuses to drink a bottle or eat (I kept whispering to her during the session that she didn’t know what she was missing!) So here’s hoping that Mariah will soon discover how yummy food really can be, will start eating all on her own and grow up big and strong!

*****

The October photographerMAMA workshop is now full. This will be the last workshop for 2010, but if you would like to be on the list to receive an e-mail when the next workshops are scheduled, just let us know!

BTW… are you getting excited for the big announcement? We sure are!

Isn’t my new little sofa just the cutest?

Time to head outside…

A ton of money was raised at the silent auction held at the Hub on Friday night. Matt’s new Wild jersey, along with a suite for a Wild game went for $20,000! I did my part for the cause by taking THIS hot item off their hands…. I love me some Joe Mauer!

My daughter Katelyn and our cousin Keagan at the kids’ picnic on Saturday…

Matt and his brothers helping out with the “sponge game”…

Can’t wait for next year!

Where are you going?

These were the winning submissions; Kailey, Saathvik, and Avery. You can read a little bio about each of these darling kiddos in the magazine!

All of the styling and clothing was provided by Kris at Pout Baby Boutique…

It was a fun-filled baby-photographin’ day!

Happy Monday all!

~Ria

How old are you?

See what I mean? SERIOUSLY cute.

How cute is this little outfit?

These two were full of energy and spunk!

Have a great weekend everyone!

- Casie & Lindsey

Love love love his mini-boden sweater…

And sweet little Rosie with her pigtails and cute outfit just made me want to take her on a picnic!

This is Jack. He is one of the coolest kids you will ever meet.

Jack is also living with SMA [Spinal Muscular Atrophy]. Now this doesn’t happen very often, but I have given Jack control of the blog today to tell you about something very exciting happening this weekend.

“Hi Everyone!  It’s time to get ready for the ‘Jack Attack on SMA Round 6′.    This year the walk will take place on Saturday, June 12th at Lindenwood Park in Fargo.  Registration starts at 9:00am and the walk begins at 10:00am.  If you would like to donate to me and help my friends and me fight SMA my webpage is now ready.  Just click HERE.  Please feel free to email my page on to your friends and family too. Or if you want to come and walk with me you can now register online and then make your own personal fundraising webpage too!  Even if you can’t make the walk you can still make you own fundraising webpage to send to friends and family.  All the money you raise will go directly towards the Jack Attack and finding a treatment or cure for SMA.  And that would definitley mean a lot to me.  Thanks for helping me out and hope to see you at the walk. TOGETHER WE WILL KNOCKOUT SMA!
Thanks So Much!”
Jack

What a kid that Jack is… thanks for sharing that info with us!

~Ria

Mom got a big wall portrait of this one because it so perfectly captures each of them.

The individual photos went much better… take a peek!

Big contest to be announced on the blog tomorrow so make sure to check back!

~Ria

I just had to take a snap of these most delicious orange shoes from Pout. Did you know they have ONLINE shopping now????

Then we ventured out to the sidewalk in front of the studio to take “puppy” for a walk.

And it was such a gorgeous morning that we decided to do a little location shooting as well.

During this session I had that “goosebump” moment. Other photogs will know what I’m talking about. It’s that time when everything just seems to be working together and falling into place. The weather is glorious, the wardrobe is killer, the light is exquisite, AND the child is cooperating. I had that moment while I was shooting these…

Have a great Memorial weekend everyone! We will be back in the studio on Tuesday. (**Don’t forget that registration for the workshops opens on Tuesday morning, and we will also be opening our fall calendar for bookings on Tuesday.**)

~Ria

Since Liv was not at all interested in wearing the cute birthday hat that her mom made her, she got quite a kick out of the dolly wearing it. Casie is a total crafty chick and I’m pretty sure she has a tutorial planned for the blog to show you how she made it!

Gettin’ braids in her hair…

Ughhhhh…… can’t get enough of those balloons. So cute!

I think their mama should win some kind of saint award for traveling internationally with two young children… all alone. Seriously, I don’t think I could do it. Carseats, strollers, bags, tired kids. Ugh. She joked at our session that when she got back to Turkey she was going to hand the kids to her husband and say “see ya honey, I’m going to Istanbul for a couple days.” I couldn’t help giggling thinking… now there is something you don’t hear everyday. Maybe I’m heading to the Albertville, or the Mall of America. But Istanbul? Not so much.

Thanks for coming back to visit me Ellerich and Kiera. I’m excited for your move to the states this summer… now your trip to Fargo won’t be quite so long!

~Ria

Since her name is Olivia, her mom found her this adorable outfit from the “Olivia the Pig”  book series on Etsy. How perfect!

This session was on one of those very beautiful spring days we had a couple weeks ago. I sure hope THAT weather comes back soon!

Thanks for the awesome morning Olivia… I’m so glad that you had fun!

Her baby brother was in for his one-year photos the same day… stay tuned for his post tomorrow!

~Ria

Have a good weekend everyone… try to stay dry!

~Linds

I especially love my heavy use of the “soft focus” application. (No Photoshop program for me yet… this was all Picasa editing baby.) We all start somewhere right?

Enough of that. Let’s just fast forward to present day and enjoy the sweetness of this boy.

Ummm.. hello little GQ.

His big sister came up to the studio to be in a couple sibling shots with him, but of course I couldn’t let her leave without a few of just her. I adore this girl.

~Ria

~Lindsey

Or, it could be that he got to come up to the loft and hang out with me for a little while… [not likely!]

But I’m gonna guess he was so happy because his mama was home on leave from Kosovo for two weeks!

It was such a pleasure to get to meet this mama and snap a few shots of him and her together. Can’t wait to do family shots when she is home for good this summer!

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A few housekeeping items to take care of…

1.) The mini-sessions for Saturday, May 8th are full.

2.) The April photographerMAMA class is now full. There are still spots remaining for the May 14-15 workshop.

3.) I am looking for anyone who may own Photoshop CS3 that still has an activation left on their copy but does not need it. (It’s possible that this is completely illegal… please do not alert the authorities.) We have added another computer up at the studio, but apparently we have used up all of our activations on our CS3 copy. (I know, I know.. I should just update to CS4, or even CS5 coming out in April. I just have such a hard time with change and learning to do things a new way.)

4.) I wanted to show off the 24×24 square canvas that the mama of these beautiful girls ordered… it arrived at the studio last week and I gasped when Michelle showed it to me. Can’t wait for Theresa to see it!

That’s it! Have a great day everyone and enjoy our ’summer-like’ weather!

~Ria

She tried to pretend that she was really shy.

But since I have photographed her a bunch of times before,

I knew better.

And I knew that all those funny faces and smiles were hiding in there somewhere!

 I AM thankful that I still have the opportunity to keep up with these little people that filled my days just a few short years ago. And guess what… “Big D” had somebody new to introduce me to;  his adorably squishy, rolly-polly, and super squeezable baby sister!

 Oh dear. I don’t know if I can handle the cuteness.

Photos of the two of them together were a little bit of a challenge… but that is sorta what you get with kids this age. I like the ‘real life’ looking images better anyway!

Thanks for coming back every year to see me “D”, but don’t grow anymore okay?

And here is 4-yr-old “J”… we spent most of his session just playing! He had tons of energy and was excited about EVERYTHING… especially driving the bike right into the block tower we built. What a smile!

I have heard that little “J” experienced the loss of someone very close to him last week… my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time!

My heart just melts looking at these images… How much do you LOVE that little curl hanging on her forehead?

The amount of PINK in this house just doubled!

And I love this last image so much it has already been blown up for the studio! Thanks “H” family for sharing your new little peanut with me… she is a total doll and I am in love with her!

I also need to send out a quick birthday wish to my grandma… she is 80 today! Yes.. that is baby me she is holding!

So… you have a spring session coming up and don’t have a clue what the kids SHOULD wear? Well, lucky for you, I’ve also put together a collection of clothing “DO’s”. These items can be found at places like mini-boden, gap kids, crewcuts, old navy, and etsy.com.

And this dress… ahhhhh this lovely sunny perfectly yellow dress! I have fallen head-over-heals in love with this dress.

How much do I love this dress? How much am I dying to photograph a little girl on a glowy summer evening wearing this very dress? I love it so much that I am going to offer a FREE children’s session to the first person that gives me proof that they have purchased this dress (and have a child to go along with it) and wish to have said child photographed in said dress. Yep. I LOVE that dress.

You can find it at crewcuts, J.Crew’s kids clothing line, or just click here and order away!

Anyone remember the photo last winter of the little baby with the red hat and red tutu with the big pouty lips? Yep… this is her. Love this girly.

And sweet one year old “B”… she had the most adorable combination of brown hair and blue eyes. I just love it!

The front and back of one of my favorite Christmas cards this year…

And baby “C” is getting so big. Seriously one of the most adorable little boys you will ever meet.

I did a session with “J’s” little sister this summer, but he was turning four in November and it was his turn for a session. Doncha just love the color of his eyes?

And sweet baby “S”… she came in for her 6 month photos, but wasn’t feeling good so we rescheduled. Mom took her to the doctor and she had a double ear infection… Ouch! When she came back she was feeling a little better, but still wasn’t too fond of me and the whole picture thing. I think we scarred her the first time by trying to take her photo while she was feeling so miserable! Poor little girl…

And these two had quite a tough fall battling bouts of H1N1, pneumonia, fevers and colds. Luckily they were finally feeling better so we could squeeze a session in before the REALLY cold weather set in!

Phew…. that was a lot of photos!

Just one more… a quick sneak peek of our trip. I LOVE the light in this image… and I also love that my girls who fight constantly at home got along [mostly] on this trip!

I would like to introduce you to Regina. She is approximately five years old (isn’t it sad that they don’t have a record of birthdays in Africa? Most times when you ask a child how old they are, they have no idea what you are talking about.) If anyone is interested in sponsoring Regina, please e-mail me  at info@rialeephotography.com and I will give you all of the details.

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It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any of my work, and I’ve got lots to share! Here are some more images of those sweet boys I first showed you a couple of weeks ago. I just love these brothers.

Have a great day all!

Ria

This sweet little girl and I had such a fun time looking through my closet and dressing her up for her photos.  Isn’t that scarf just the cutest? I got it at none other than Target!

Here comes the random stuff…

For any of my readers that were born in the mid-70’s… you have to check out this post by Patina White. (Her name is really Beth, not Patina White, but I like calling her that anyway.) I just giggled and had such fond memories while reading it. And I can’t believe she hung onto all of those things… what I wouldn’t give to still have my first Le Clic!

Second… for any of you that get into “contest type” things, WDAY is currently running their BEST IN THE REGION contest. And guess what? They have a ‘Best Photography Studio’ category and I guess, well, if you are into that sorta thing you could vote for me if you wanted to. [I could never run for office.]

Here is the link to all of the categories: http://www.wday.com/pages/bestoftheregion. The photography category is under “Service”. Okay there. Vote for me. Rah rah sis boom bah.

And finally… stay tuned for a rialee photography “special” coming in the next couple of weeks!

The oldest sister in this group has such a tender, care-taker spirit. I think it really shows in this photo…

And I just LOVE the personality of sweet “J”… she is a spitfire!

And little brother “O” is… well… TWO.

And very adventurous and curious, and ALSO….who wants to get their picture taken when there is a park just up the hill anyway?

This year, as always, I am so so very thankful to all of my wonderful clients who continue to trust me to capture their lives in photos. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

~Ria

sorry Jack… just had to post it.

Little “G” is already 3.

This fall…

Isn’t it just crazy what a difference a year makes? For their session this year, I met these four boys and their mom and dad (who is my cousin!) at their gorgeous home tucked way back on some of the most beautiful property I’ve ever seen. It would be any little boy’s dream to live here. They have lots of room to run and play, woods with many creatures to discover, [they even have a camera mounted on a tree so they can see all the different animals that wander by... kinda cool, but maybe a little creepy when you know exactly what's out there.] They even have their own dirt track in the back yard for racing.  Even the littlest boys get in on the fun!

A funny story about the little gray kitten from the collage above. It was a stray, and when we started the shoot the boys noticed it watching us from the edge of the woods. It kept getting closer and closer to us, and everytime we moved to a new location it followed us. So, of course when we were almost done shooting, their dad went in the house and brought the little kitten some milk. His wife just had to roll her eyes (hey, it’s better than a squirrel or fawn, right Heather?). I wonder if little gray kitty has stuck around?

Thanks so much for the fun afternoon Miller family! I want to come back again very soon, but this time I’m going to bring my boys with so they can “shoot” something in your woods!

The shabby old building…

The grove of trees…

The sun setting over the evergreens…

The old tractor…

And the way “J” kissed his little sister…

Loved it all. Thank you Thompson family for inviting me out and showing me around! It was a photographer’s dream.

Or possibly, it could be that the Patina White studio event is this weekend!                      

   ***photos from the Patina White blog***                                                                                                                                                                                                           

I just LOVE going to this sale… my home is filled with many Patina White treasures. Beth Schaleben normally has an adorable little store at the Shady Hollow flea market near Detroit Lakes.

But once a year, she holds a “studio event” at her home studio tucked way back in the woods. I love Beth’s style – industrial, shabby and country all mixed together. I am not ashamed to admit that I am a total PatinaWhite copycat and wannabe.  My favorite part of her blog is called “a corner of my world” where she gives a short little photo tour of her uh-MAZ-ing home.

 This got me thinking that maybe during the slower months this winter I could do something like that on my blog … a little photo tour of my home. (See? total copycat.)

Anyway… the big studio event runs this Friday-Sunday, and also next weekend… and I am super excited to go and see what great finds will be there for me this year! I think I put enough links in this post that if you want to go too, you should be able to find out all the necessary info!

One more thing I’d like to note… this Sunday, November 8th, is Orphan Sunday. Watch this video and click here for more info.

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Have a great weekend everyone… get out and enjoy that nice weather while we have it!

I have wanted to do a shoot at this little ice cream shop ever since it opened… I had even planned to have our family photoshoot there this summer, but it was ALWAYS closed! Even when we arrived on the morning of this shoot, a big closed sign greeted us on the door. Disappointed, we decided to get out of the car and walk around and find some other places to shoot. By the time we got back to the car, an OPEN sign had magically appeared. It was our lucky day! And of course Lucy was thrilled with the idea of getting to eat ice cream for her photos. Here are a few of the other shots we got before the ice cream!

Lucy’s momma just happens to be the owner of the fabulous Pout Baby Boutique… and I would like you all to note that this chick had an emergency craniotomy in September. That’s right people… brain surgery… less than one month before these photos were taken. Amazing woman I tell you… but if you know her, you already knew that. Love ya Kris… we are so glad that you are okay!

Every kid that comes up to the studio just seems to love my BlaBla dolls. Lucy wanted to line them all up for a photo with her.. how cute! I mentioned to her mom how popular they are with the kids and that she should see if she could carry them at her store. I am so happy to report that these funky little sweater dolls will soon be available at Pout!

‘

Love this family shot too…

How adorable is she???

I have a HUGE crush on these hot-pink wellies… thinking about getting myself a pair!

When we got back to the studio after shooting outside, she said… “Ria… really… I just wanna rock!” So guess what we did… we cranked up a little Pink on my iPod and rocked out like crazy girls! What a fun sweet and adorable little girl! Love ya “P!”

Their mom just picked up her order at the loft this afternoon… she purchased these three photos in big square canvases for their living room. I absolutely love how they turned out!

I loved their style. And I also loved that their cool mom let them skip just a little bit of school to come in for a session. Not that I’m advocating skipping school or anything. But I mean… that’s a cool mom. Because what would YOU rather have, kids who know long division, or photos like THESE…?

Yup… thought so. Me too.

And check out little miss crewcuts. We did some photos of her alone since she just turned FIVE. Love it!

I love the look of these black and white urban-style shots from downtown Fargo. Their mom ordered a big canvas of the image on the bottom right and I can’t wait to see it!

It was actually “E’s” first day of school on this day too… good thing she still had enough spunk left over for our session!

Check out “E’s” rockin’ shoes in the photo below….

My favorite little model…

Our TEENAGERS…

And I had to include this one too because it makes me laugh… we like to pretend that our dogs are BFF’s too, except that Alex wants absolutely nothing to do with poor sweet little Emme.

Thank you daddy “K” for not thinking we were completely nuts, and going along with our idea. Because… seriously… does it get any cuter? Nuh-Uh.

And then all of a sudden… these sweet angelic children in white were… SUPERHEROES!

And I just have to share this last one because I was laughing so hard I nearly peed my pants while I was taking this photo. It was oldest brother “O’s” turn to get his photos taken by himself and I had asked him to put his hands in his pockets. And… because “monkey-see-monkey-do”, he had two little brothers right behind him trying to find their pockets and get in on his photo. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

But…. on the VERY last shot [not kidding] of the night… we got this!

Here are a few more of my favorite shots from our fun night…

Have I mentioned that I LOVE them????

And here she is this summer… two years old already. And still one of the most beautiful children I have ever met… and so easy to photography too!

And… this time she had a little someone to introduce me to! She brought along her brand new baby sister…

Guess What????

Now you can become a fan of Rialee Photography on Facebook. Check us out!

And her handsome big brothers… who may look like twins, but are really Irish Twins!

Just a couple of hours before sunset, when the light is all warm and has that “glow”….

This lovely family invited me to their home in the country for their photoshoot and were so kind and welcoming. And the light… well it was just perfect.

I love this next shot… perfectly captures busy family life. Puppy running in one direction, toddler running the other…

It was one of those sessions that just reaffirmed the purpose of my work… why I do what I do. You can read about their story here.

So here are “L” and “L” a year later… thanks for coming back to see me!

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A few other notes….

***I will be out of the studio Thursday-Friday and will not be returning until Monday afternoon. I will be so excited to share my experiences with you when I get back as I will be doing something that I know will be among one of the MAJOR highlights of my career!

***Thank you for all of the interest in the office manager position! I will be contacting those whom I’d like to interview next week.

***Since I posted about being booked for the rest of 2009, I’ve received many requests to book into next year. Just to let you know, we will begin scheduling for Jan-May 2010 on October 1st of this year, for June-August 2010 on February 1st, and September-November 2010 on June 1st.

What good sports they were when we wanted to take them outside … it was one of those freezing windy 50 degree days we had in July!

I love big sister’s expression in the photo on the right…. so sneaky!

“Sophie” the Giraffe is by far one of the most popular baby toys here at rialee photography… and in case you are wondering they are available at Pout!

Little “R” was the girl of 1,000 facial expressions during her session. Let me tell you… this girl has PERSONALITY!

When she spotted the huge letter R on the shelf in my office she literally gasped and said “Oh mama, LOOK!” So of course, I had to climb up on my desk and get it down so she could have a photo with it…

They had a super cool mama who sent me the sweetest e-mail after she received her gallery. I asked her if I could share it here on the blog, because her words do an excellent job expressing  why I do what I do…

Ria-

I just had a chance to go through my gallery, and I am literally speechless. I’m sure you’ve heard a thousand parents thank you for doing a wonderful job photographing their children — so I’m going to be 1,001.
You can’t imagine the gift you’ve given my husband and I of capturing our children the way we see them. You were able to bring out their personalities, and I’m so grateful that I’ll always have these photographs to remember them at this age.
I literally had tears in my eyes looking through the photos. I’ve looked at your blog and your website countless times at the great photos, but never imagined how beautiful my children would look popping up on my computer screen!
You have an incredible talent. Thank you for the photos.

Thank YOU Jessi, and ALL my clients for allowing me the opportunity to capture your children for you.

As a GOPHER fan, it pains me a little to put the Sioux photo on the blog… but he’s just so darn cute in that one!

~~~~~***~~~~~

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve gotten a bit behind on my editing since I’ve been busy this week getting everything ready for the next issue of OTMOM’s … so if you are waiting patiently for your gallery, it will be coming soon!

The baby of the family…

Big sis is such a good helper with little “C” who has cerebral palsy…What a little ham he was!

Older brother “J” had just celebrated his 4th birthday!

And gorgeous “H”… sure has model quality!

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A few housekeeping items ….

~~The studio will be closed on Fridays throughout the summer months. If you e-mail or leave a message Fri-Sun, we will get back to you on Monday!

~~The Photographer Mama workshop for September is now sold out. There are still spots for the October 9-10th workshop.

~~The Feed the Forgotten program reached it’s goal of raising over $20,000 to feed children in Uganda! That’s 7700 meals…Thank you for making a difference!

~~We are now offering low-res watermarked digital files for use on your personal blog or facebook. They will be $10 each with a limit of 5.

~~I am considering the possibility of hiring an assistant photographer at rialee photography. This by no means is a definite plan… I’m just exploring the idea. This person would assist me on some photoshoots, and would also have their own clients. The applicant would need to be VERY comfortable working with young children and families, have an outgoing and bubbly personality,  a creative photographic and design style, a strong work ethic, and be familiar shooting manually with a DSLR and editing in Photoshop. If you think this is a position for which you would be qualified, please e-mail us (info@rialeephotography.com) your resume and  five to seven low-res images from your portfolio. Obviously, these photos should showcase your work with children and not landscapes or flowers etc. I’m very excited about this possiblity and am hoping to find just the right person!

The boys… I don’t think dad and big brother could be any more proud!

We also had to get four-year-old pics done for “S”! He liked getting his photos taken so much more than last year… and I LOVED the clothes his mama chose. The t-shirt says “I’ll Change the World Someday”……….

Leave it to me to break out the candy without asking mom first. When I commented on how much they seemed to be enjoying their suckers she replied, “that’s cause they’ve never had one before!” GULP. She assured me that it was okay… but I still felt really bad!

We tried to get a shot of them walking down the sidewalk together, but “E” always left “K” in the dust!

And check out the sneaky action in this series… so, so cute… and so glad I caught it! [In case you can't tell, "E" is stealing the yellow sucker right from "K's" mouth, tasting it and giving it back.]

And… the countdown is on! Only FIVE more days until I leave for Africa. I fly out on the 28th. If you are willing to donate items for me to bring to the children, they will need to dropped off (I could also pick them up from you!) by Monday. Thank you to those of you who have already donated! I can’t wait to see the faces of these children when they see what we have brought them. The three main things we are trying to collect are toothbrushes & toothpaste, kids’ underwear of all sizes, and pencils & plastic sharpeners. So far we have over 300 toothbrushes and over 1000 pencils… but would love to have many more to share!

The amazing woman who is leading this trip has a wonderful post on her blog about various prayer requests we will need during our journey. She has traveled to Africa before and has thought of so many things that would never have entered my mind. I can’t even tell you how helpful and encouraging she has been to me as I have been preparing for this adventure… usually freaking out asking her millions of questions.  Thank you Brandi for calmly walking me through this process. I can’t wait to meet you in person! [And thank-you for adding to the prayer requests "PEACE for those traveling alone"... I know that one is for ME!]

I think I may have a new assistant!

LOVE, LOVE, puffy heart LOVE this one…

Meet “D’s” new puppy, appropriately named “Moose”.

***~~NOTES~~***

**The studio will be closed from Wednesday March 11th-Sunday March 15th. We will be returning calls and e-mails on Monday the 16th!

**I am now booked through May of 09 and have three openings left for June.

**We will begin scheduling appointments for September-November on June 1st, 2009.

Stay warm everyone!

And my favorite…

This was one of those rare sessions where I don’t think I ever fully won two-year-old “S” over. He started out shy… as most kids do. We fed him smarties and fruit snacks and raisins by the handful in the hopes that he would loosen up alittle.  By the end, I think he grew to tolerate me [and perhaps had a little bit of a tummy ache from all the treats] but I don’t think he ever really loved the whole photoshoot thing. I still love the shy, sassy, and pouty images though!

This is him saying… “I’m NOT going to sit on your orange chair no matter how cute you think it’ll be with my funky jacket.”

Here is the “tolerating” part….

I can just imagine what little tid-bits of advice she was sharing with baby “J”  in this photo…

Look at the new hat I just got on Etsy!

These were taken while we were just fooling around waiting for baby “L” to finish his snack… but I really love how they turned out!

Well… one of my favorite families came to see me again and their little newborn has grown up and  is now a busy one-year-old! Here is a sneak peek for you “O” family…

This one is especially for my girls at Pout….

You can find almost ALL of these products like the safe sippy and sophie the giraffe there. [and little "N"s mom also sells her fabulous products there too!]

funny

And not to be left out… “A” and “L” got some photos taken too.

I had a LOT of favorites from the day… but this one …

I just fell in LOVE with…

This was the look she gave me when I asked her if she wanted to put her furry hood up…. what do you think her answer was?

Dad was teasing him about having a “girlfriend” in this one…

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PS… have you noticed the new link at the top called “look here too”? Check it out! You’ll find info about workshops, my policies, and a cute little Glam Session slideshow.

“Okay… now show me your face with no smiles…”

Two seconds later….

She just couldn’t hold it in! You are a sweetheart “S”!

Check out his studly tie!

And her gorgeous curls…

14-month-old “W” had the darkest chocolate brown eyes!

This little guy was so sweet and soooooo shy! I finally got him to crack a smile on the last few shots of our session!

This little newborn was so tiny…. she wore her big sister’s American Girl doll’s skirt! Also, a funny little story about this shot~~~ We had just gotten her settled on her tummy (she had no diaper on under her teensy weensy skirt) and I was looking through by camera to set up the shot. All of a sudden I saw a little puddle start to form under her legs. Her mommy was so great though… she let me grab the shot and THEN we cleaned her up! What we won’t do to get a photo.

Love this little girl… a photo of her from her session last spring hangs in the gallery at the loft. She turned two in November so she came back with the cutest orange dress and boots! She was also PAINFULLY shy… her mama (who I also ADORE!) and I were a little worried for the first half-hour or so. But…. after a few rousing renditions of the theme song from Scooby Doo she loosened up! [You should have seen us dancing and singing like crazy people... it was quite a sight.]

Another sweet newborn…. this one had a two-year-old big brother! As I’ve said before, for sibling shots at that age you take what you can get. This little guy gave me exactly two seconds to snap exactly two shots!

I loved his curly hair and pouty lips!

Pheww….. that was a lot of photos. Still more to come!

My brother’s not so crazy about this one… but I love it! That is his favorite little animal “Joe, the Monkey”. He loves it so much that for quite a while he went around requesting that everyone call him “Joe”!

It was so good to see you all yesterday… love you guys!

I loved the outerwear his mommy brought along.. so we did quite a few outside!

When this little dude and his momma walked in, I couldn’t figure out where I recognized them from. It turnes out we took our dogs to the same puppy school this fall! Check out his killer red shoes…

And this heartbreaker certainly knew how to work the camera.. he had that “look” that you just can’t teach!

Could this little girl GET any cuter?

…sigh…. arn’t they just the most adorable children?

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On another note… there are a few things I need to mention!

First of all… this SATURDAY Pout Baby Boutique is having a big Christmas sale with holiday goodies and 15% off all day! So make sure to go check it out!

Second… today is the deadline for Christmas card approvals… so I will not be taking anymore design requests this year. (Unless of course you have not received your galleries yet… we will do everything we can to get you your cards before Christmas!) The ordering deadline for all other prints to be guaranteed Christmas delivery is on Wednesday the 17th!

And finally… I need to send a big huge thank-you to Alyssa Flaten from Mosaic Photography who so graciously borrowed me her camera so I could do a last-minute newborn session this week. My camera decided to go on the fritz during my last holiday session of the year so I had to send it in to the camera doctor this week! Yikes… lets hope it is fixed quickly and makes a safe return!

I love the snowflakes that show up on the top of this one…

This little girl wins the prize for being able to hold the most toys in her hands at once! Everytime we tried to take a few out of her hands she threw a fit… oh well!

His mom brought this cute little hat.. and a train just happened to be going by the studio during their session so we decided to go outside and watch!

Their mama was another one of those women who make it look so effortless to have four small children (all dressed up for pictures no less!) and arrive at the studio looking stunningly beautiful.

My favorite…

This little guy’s mama is going to be surprised with his photos for Christmas courtesy of Grandma! When he was in Fargo for a visit she snuck him up to the studio!

The last time I saw “B” he was a tiny little peanut.. Now he’s a big one-year-old and so handsome!

This little guy had the sweetest personality. So content and easy-going. I hear his daddy is a talented photographer, so I am honored that they chose me to capture some of his first “professional” photos!

Love that look….

These three brothers were truly “all-boy” and their agenda the morning of our shoot didn’t exactly include taking photos. So we had to pull out all the tricks and bribes that we parents and photographers use to convice them that photo sessions are fun!

I loved the out-takes from this session!

 When I told “N” how amazing his eyes were he replied “I know, my mommy tells me she wants my eyes all the time.”

Love these shirts from Chasing Fireflies!

This is my fabulous assistant Karina’s family!

It was peak fall color week…

Her auntie’s puppy even got to fly to Fargo from Arizona to be in a few of the photos with her!

oh man… i heart those boots!

It was a bit chilly out… so we did some up in the studio too!

They were so great to work with! (Except for little “J” who showed me just how much he liked me by throwing acorns and leaves at me)

It’s okay “J”…I liked you too!

Love love LOVE this one!

Yep… that’s right folks…those are REAL frogs!

~~~Hello Mr. GQ!

Their mom ordered a huge canvas of this one for their sun-room and it just came in this morning and looks amazing!

Little “J” wasn’t so sure of me at first, but after we showed him how cool acorn “nests” were he was totally game!

And for this little beauty… I see some GAP ad modeling in her future!

More to come….

And these two… you’d never know they were twins since they look so different! Just a little fyi… one of them is going to be the next Bill Gates. I’ve never seen a six-year-old get so excited about Windows Vista in all my life. He even helped me download the photos from their session!

And my favorite…

This little girl was pretty darn cute as well…she had the “no smile” look mastered!

Which brings me to the subject of offering workshops at rialee photography. It would cover both business and creative topics. By no means is this a for sure thing, but I would like to assess the amount of interest there may be for something like this. Another idea I’m playing with is to offer a workshop/class for moms who just want to learn to take better photos of their children. So, if you are interested in either of these options, would you shoot me an e-mail at info@rialeephotography.com and let me know?

Her older brother and sister jumped in for a few shots too…. here is one of my favs of the day…

“Umm….mom…what do we do when she is um…. laying on the ground?”

A few of him in the little corduroy sport coat his daddy had bought him…

Three adorable little boys, a farm setting and a gorgeous sunset…what more could a photographer want?

One of my ALL-TIME favorite photos….

Total boy ~-~ dirty fingernails and all!

And here they are this year. They’ve gotten so big!

 I kept teasing her that she was a “model” and she blushed but her smile just got bigger and bigger!

And I loved the two block trick!

Big brother “R” was my helper when “C” didn’t want to cooperate…which was most of the session! But I love the pic below…an exact snapshot if what it is like to get a one-year-old to sit for a photo! I think “R” was thinking…’I told you he wouldn’t sit still…’    

Four handsome boys…and finally a sweet baby girl!

 I’m pretty sure the name of this little chicken was BBQ!

Five kids and guess what…they’ve still got it!

I think he was making a wish on this bubble…

And my absolute favorite of the day…

I’ll be out of the studio the rest of the afternoon to spend it with my littlest birthday girl…she is 8 today!

Not only do I photograph children, but did you know I also do insects? “E” brought this little treasure along to the park because she really really wanted to show it to me. How could I not capture that? There is just something I LOVE about this image…

She IS the most amazing child to photograph (this is the same child that I got to stand with her hands in her pockets when she was 13 months old)…she listens and does exactly what I ask and looks directly into the lens and she only just turned TWO! Someone must have trained her at an early age!

Love you “E”!

And her big brother is as studly as ever…

And my favorite….

See what I mean?

And if you take a peek inside…you’ll find my ad. More of my “most favorite-est ever” shots.

***On another note, my e-mail has been flooded with people wanting to make summer appointments. I think I’ve gotten back to everyone, but if  you haven’t heard from me..PLEASE e-mail me again! Also, only a few spots remain for July so e-mail me soon if you MUST have one!

Now onto the photos! I have had SO many one-year-olds in recent weeks. This little girl definitely qualifies for “best hair”…I couldn’t believe she was only one because her little hair do made her look so much older!

During the session little “W” decided to show off a little and for the first time, went from sitting on the floor to standing up all by herself. We were all giggling and cheering her on because we were so proud of her…and she thought she was pretty hot stuff herself!

I love this “behind the scenes” shot…. photo shoots are FUN!

I don’t think “D” and “A” knew they would have this much fun at their photo shoot!

But we laughed and giggled almost the entire time…especially when we were trying to get them to walk down the middle of the street for this shot. They kept walking over to the side of the street so we had to explain to them that this was the ONE and ONLY time they could walk in the middle of the street!

Lots more to come so keep checking back!

And look at the different personalities captured in just one photo…The older sister is a caretaker, more cautionary and careful, the middle sister is bubbly and carefree and the baby brother is full of curiousity and wants to go go go. I was only with these kids for a couple of hours, but these are exactly the personalities I witnessed during their session! So glad I caught it…

Here are a few of their individuals…

And here is a priceless one of all of them with their lovely mama… I’m so glad she let me take these of her with her kiddos. It is so rare that us moms have photos of ourselves with our children because we are always the ones behind the camera! So… this shot is near and dear to my heart, because THIS is how she will remember these days…with one kid hanging on each hip and one on her lap. But, she couldn’t look happier!

I spotted this gorgeous vintage looking chair and really wanted to try some shots on it. Baby “I” cooperated so nicely!

I had to get a few shots of her adorable big brothers too… love this one.

And this one.

And this one just makes me smile.

He walked in and was shy…for about three and a half seconds! Then he proudly announced…”hey Ria, I’m not shy anymore!”

I always try to keep talking to the kids I’m photographing to keep their mind off of trying to “pose” for me. Right before I snapped this photo, “K” said…”Can we PLEASE stop talking and just take the pictures?”

…and this shot was at HIS request…showing off his guns. I also need to thank “K” and his mom for putting up with my chaotic unorganized life the day of their shoot~~ You guys are the best!

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And here is a photo from last fall that I came across the other day and fell in love with all over again. I am going to be working on a “sibling series” project so I am going through all of my sessions with siblings and choosing my favorite photos. I have such an emotional connection to so many of my images and this is definitely one of them! I loved those boys.

But…it does “perfectly” capture the relationship of these beautiful siblings. I love the way the baby brother is peeking out at me with this perfectly content and happy look on his face, knowing he is surrounded by pure and unconditional love.

Here are those beautiful kids!

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The BIG brother.

The LITTLE brother.

This is another favorite image from this session because I think it captures so well the amount of energy these two boys have!

And here is the little SISTER …who was so shy at first, but really lit up when she saw my pink fluffy petticoat!

Finally…the BABY brother, who I have to say was the most content, easy-going baby I’ve ever met! Such a sweetie!

More from this session later this week after I have a chance to go through all of them.

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AND…keep checking the blog for a big, huge, fantastic announcement coming very soon. It’s super cool and you’re going to be so excited!

And little boy “B” had quite the personality! With three older sisters at home and a twin sister, he is going to have to be able to hold his own and let me tell you…he is already practicing. He let us know when he didn’t want to do something…like wear that darn hat!

Since baby girl “B” was a TEENSY bit more cooperative, we got to do a few more of those sweet sleepy newborn shots with her.

A sweet one with mom.

Little “L” was a total girl, and fell in LOVE with my pink rain boots!  Her favorite part of the session was when she got to wear the boots outside for a few shots…she cried and cried when it was time to take them off. So CUTE!

…sigh…isn’t he just delicious??? I love all his hair!

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I will be out of town from this afternoon until Sunday. I will be returning calls and e-mails on Monday!

Well he is now a proud big brother who adores his baby sister…can you tell?

And here….is sweet baby “L”.

And I couldn’t resist posting this one…