I feel so privileged to introduce you to Alex and Allison. These two celebrated their 4 month milestone with us. You see we were supposed to do a NEWBORN session with these two, however, the good Lord had other plans for them.

Allison at about two weeks contracted a very serious case of RSV and spent three weeks at Children's Hospital where she had to be placed on a ventilator and feeding tube, plus battle pneumonia and sepsis. Her home care is still on going. But by the grace of God, she is home and healing.

Alex has his own battle. During the routine hearing screening after birth, Alex showed no signs of being able to hear. On December 1st, he went through an Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test, which also concluded that he has a congenital hearing loss. He will need to be fitted for many many hearing aides, speech therapists, etc. He has also had to deal with lip and tongue ties. Plus he is also still battling Torticollis that requires regular physical therapy and chiropractic care.

Through this all, God has given these two the most genuine hearts and HAPPY dispositions. Their older sister LOVES them and calls them HER babies, she's 2. ;)

If you would like to learn more about their battle and donate to their family to help with some pretty massive on-going medical bills, ANYTHING would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/booen-family-benefit?member=16237335&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

Hey all!
 
Today I'd like you to meet Brynlee (Bryn for short), the adorable daughter of Amanda and Rick. This little princess has been on Earth for almost a year already, yes I am a little behind on blogging, but this didn't stop her from being such a naturally beautiful baby. I absolutely had to take advantage of those good looks during this session.
 
Seriously -- her creamy skin tone, smooth complexion and natural glow make Brynlee a serious contender for pretty much any “cute baby contest” in the country! She still has that beautiful creamy skin tone too. You've seen her model our Christmas Minis not to long ago. ;)
 

 

Because I wanted to highlight baby Brynlee's good looks, I chose to keep props and background noise to a minimum. I did use the pink pearl layers from Hello Little Props to help enhance the natural beauty she already has, though!

As we went through the session and Amanda and I were chatting away, I was beyond blessed to find out our sweet little Bryn is a Rainbow Baby. A Rainbow Baby who is born after miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, gives us something beautiful after a scary and dark experience. The term rainbow baby may not be familiar to people who haven't experienced a loss. But to those who have, it has a very deep and life-changing significance. Although many people do not like to talk about their loss as it is something that is deeply personal, I am always here to have a shoulder and to lend an ear. I asked Amanda if we could do one set up to represent that Bryn was their miracle after their storm, Bryn was truly ready to be a fantastic example of what it means to be a light at the end of a dark tunnel.

One of Amanda's favorite parts of our session together was watching me work away. "I loved all the poses that you placed her in, and saw how passionate you were about your work. You informed me of every step of the way and what was going to happen.". Part of our job as newborn photographers is letting the parents know about the process. I like to not only have the parents next to me, for safety, but so they can see how things are done safely. Legs are at a certain angle, head isn't too far back or forward, communication when I will be taking baby and where I will be placing baby.

Amanda says that her experience exceeded her expectations! "I wasn't sure what to expect but I was extremely satisfied. I was nervous to get this done as I was not sure what to expect, but was very surprised as to how calming the environment was and how well my baby did.". She did well indeed!

Thank you so much C family for allowing me to capture such an incredible time in your lives!

 

Doo doo doo doooo! Introducing...  BABY HADLEY!
 
I'm still flying high from one of the most amazing shoots I've had, even though it's been 5 months since our session that just shows how great our session was.  The pretty little lady in front of the lens is the daughter of Kelsey and Ben.
 

 

Speaking of which, Kelsey was so much fun to get to know. I could have talked with her all day! I can tell that Kelsey is so in love with little Miss Hadley!
 
As for baby Hadley, she was a little angel and slept peacefully through the majority of our two-hour session. I'm not gonna lie. when she showed up sleepy and being 16 days new, I thought the session might have turned out a little tricky, but Kelsey was cool, calm and let me use my sleepy baby vibes and self soothing techniques to keep Hadley sleepy for most of the session so we could knock out some pretty awesome shots for mom and dad.

Mom's favorite part of our session was seeing all the different ways sweet Hadley was being wrapped and positioned. She didn't even need to look at the photos to know they would turn out.

Time for a little aww moment: “Wow, this is weird. This is really happening. She's so beautiful,” says Kelsey.  So sweet! 

I asked mom to give some advice to someone looking at doing a newborn session. Kelsey says "DO IT! They change so much every day, and you'll want to remember what they looked like at that time, so brand new. Let the photographer do their thing. They do it for a living and wouldn't put your baby in any danger, but of course read reviews and look at their style of photography to ensure it's what you are looking for." Kelsey gives GREAT ADVICE. One HUGE thing when choosing a newborn photographer is making sure that the photographer not only has the style that you like but also has the proper training to make sure that your little one is safe.

Okay, no more talking. Check out little Hadley for yourself!
 

Here at Michelle Towne Photography LLC, we have so many things to be thankful for. One of those things is our clients. Our clients made 2019 an AMAZING year, one of the best yet. ♥️

We feel so absolutely blessed that you allow us to capture so many special moments in your lives, your new baby, a special bond between your little one and a special family member, a 60th wedding anniversary, first birthdays, so many wonderful things. 

We are looking forward to providing you with some more unique opportunities here in 2020! 
​
Since we are now in a new year, we have decided to welcome something new and very special to Michelle Towne Photography LLC...

Since we are in a brand new year and a new decade, we made the decision to welcome TWO FAMILIES to Michelle Towne Photography LLC’s Family Representative  Program. 

Each family has something truly special to offer. You will see each family a few times throughout the year and watch how they grow and change. 

We are so excited to welcome the Eid and Arneson families to Michelle Towne Photography! 

Another year is almost gone. Another decade almost finished. Michelle Towne Photography LLC. has been through a lot of growth and changes throughout the last 10 years, this last year especially. We have made a commitment to our clients to continue to learn and expand our craft and provide the best quality service and products we can.

As we wind down this decade of serving the Central MN area, we again would like to thank all of our clients both past and present for your support. Take a peek at just a snippet of this years sessions. So much love!

We now say a sad goodbye to the 2019 Family Representatives. You have seen their faces many times over the last year and have watched their family grow and change.

Thank you so much Ihrke Family for a wonderful year full of memories captured! We hope that you cherish the year of sessions with us and hope to see you in the near future.

From Michelle Towne Photography LLC, we wish you the best in the new year and may you continue to find the joy in the little things.

It's that time of year again where Michelle Towne Photography is looking for their next family to become their 2020 Family Representatives.

What do we get?

The chosen family will receive 4 FREE SESSIONS throughout the year and print credits based on referrals that the family sends to us. Interested? Keep reading!

What are the requirements?

You have to complete the 4 sessions within the calendar year (January- December 2020) Best way to accomplish this is to do one session for each season. Family will sign a year contract with Michelle Towne Photography. Family must be active on social media and share posted material from Michelle Towne Photography's Facebook page/ blog, this includes and specials and events that Michelle posts. You must support Michelle Towne Photography by referring people to us who are looking for sessions (family, newborn, seniors etc). Family is here to help promote Michelle Towne Photography because they love our work and want others to enjoy our work as well.

That's it. Word of Mouth is the most powerful way to make your support known and your friends and family rely on you to give them that word.

How do we sign up?

There is no 'sign up'. We ask that you send us an email stating WHY you would love to be a family who represents Michelle Towne Photography and HOW you would help promote our business along with a photo of your family, by December 15th, 2019.

The process...

How do you choose the family?

All of the letters that are sent to Michelle Towne Photography will be reviewed by an impartial person. Upon review of the letters, said person will email Michelle with their choice who they think would best suit Michelle Towne Photography and our values. The family will be notified by December 30th, 2019.

Where do we send our letter?

Please email Michelle at [email protected] by midnight December 15th, 2019.

Thank you and we hope that you have a very blessed holiday season!

Photo lovers, today I have the distinct pleasure of introducing you to baby Kalvin, who's officially 10 days new!
 

 

I think we can all agree: His chunkiness (is that really a word?) should earn him a spot on the cover of every baby magazine in the nation! Seriously, I'm practically melting from cuteness overload! Just look at those arm rolls at 10 days!
 
Anyway, as you can see from the pictures below, Kalvin and I had one of the best sessions together. His mom, Tiffany, nursed him as much as she could before they left the house and had him ready in just a sleeper for an easy transition from car seat to session start. Her preparation efforts allowed us to have an especially awesome shoot together.
 
Kalvin slept most of the way through the two hour session. And when he wasn't sleeping, Kalvin was  calm and relaxed. He couldn’t have been any better.
 
“I was definitely nervous. I wasn't sure how comfortable I would be with the whole experience because it was still so soon after his birth, but it was clear he was in good hands, and Michelle made sure I was close to him the whole time. He was so happy with Michelle- he never cried!,” says Tiffany. Part of our newborn safety in sessions it to make sure that someone is ALWAYS next to baby in case I need to get up or I need an additional pair of hands. I love giving mom's or dad's a close up view of what I do as a newborn photographer as well.
 
Because the shoot went so well, I asked Tiffany if she would share one helpful piece of advice with other mothers planning a newborn session. Her biggest piece of advice is: “Find someone with experience and training working with newborns. It will ease any anxiety you have, especially because you are so "mama bear" in those first few weeks; it's hard trusting anyone with your baby.”

Tiffany's anxiety was eased. We provide a relaxing baby led sessions. Part of our training is reading cues and understanding newborns. Not only do we do baby led sessions, but our poses are ALL TRANSITIONAL meaning all of our poses are slow fluid movements from one position to the next reducing the stress on baby and parents.
 
I can’t wait to see how baby Kalvin grows and changes in the upcoming months! I get to shoot his adorable face every few months with my milestone package - www.michelletownephotography.com/children.html! Aren't I lucky?
 
Without further adieu, Mr. Kalvin

Doo doo doo doooo! Introducing...  BABY NOLAN!
 
I'm still flying high from one of the most amazing shoots.  The handsome little guy in front of the lens is the son of Lauren and DJ.
 

 

Speaking of which, Lauren was so much fun to get to know. I could have talked with her all day!
 
As for baby Nolan, he was a little angel and slept peacefully through the entirety of our two-hour session. Nolan rocked it! Doesn't he have the sweetest little smirk?
 
Time for a little aww moment: “Holy Hair! All three of my children had a head full of dark hair",  says Lauren. I felt the same way about my oldest child! Maybe what they say about heartburn and a full head of hair is true? ;)

Lauren says the favorite part of our session together was "the communication." "Michelle explained every move she made with our baby making me feel comfortable with what she was doing any why." All of our newborn sessions are baby led and transitional posing is done safely allowing baby to be most comfortable.

Lauren says that her experience was "AMAZING." She never once felt uncomfortable and the photos are beautiful.

One thing that mom recommends when looking for a newborn photographer is "Go with someone who has the kind of experience that Michelle does." What to know more about our experience? We would gladly talk with you about our newborn safety training and education.
 
Okay, no more talking (or would that be typing?). Check out little Nolan for yourself!
 

Hi ladies and gentlemen!
 
We've got some serious reason to celebrate! Megan and Ben officially had a little princess. At the time of Megan’s session she was 31 weeks. This was the perfect time to do a maternity session. 
 
I had the privilege of photographing Megan and Ben in February and even though it was cold outside, Megan was just as beautiful as can be. Her pregnancy went  pretty well and didn't have any complaints. She is already starting to think about her next pregnancy! ;)

Megan chose to wear a gown that I have in the maternity client closet for the first shots of her session. Megan states that the gowns I have "were way better than any that I found online so use what she has and don't spend the extra money".

She also give the hint to others about being prepared. "Bring lots of outfits. I thought that I was bringing too much, but Michelle wasn't surprised at all by how many different outfits I had. She spent the time to get the different shots I wanted with each one."
 

Dad agrees she's a beauty, too – naturally!
 
“After the session, on our drive home, Ben expressed that he thinks all of my pictures are going to turn out super good. He used the phrase "you could be a pregnancy model" and that made me feel super beautiful” says Megan. She is such a lucky woman! Every single man should make a woman feel that way!

Megan says that her experience during the session was "Amazing". "Michelle made momma to be feel so beautiful and she made my husband and I so comfortable, talking to us about everyday life while coaching us on how we need to position our bodies for the best shot."
 
As you can see from the pictures below, Megan was the perfect soon-to-be mom. Any photographer would be lucky to photograph her. And that baby bump couldn't get any cuter!
 
See what I'm talking about below!

It's hard to believe that this was my third session photographing the very sweet baby Lola Mae. I still remember just how tiny she was when I photographed her during her newborn session.
 

I sincerely cannot put into words just how much I looked forward to photographing this young lady over the last year. Every session, she had changed so much, and the same is true now that Lola is a whole 12-months old (when we did her session)!
 
Crazy how fast they grow up, huh?
 
“Pick outfits and props that make sense to your real life. To many people try to stage their kids and family to look like people they are not.” says Lauren. She also says "We just went through the closet. I’m not big on spending a ton of money on picture clothes, I’d rather have them look how they always do wearing regular clothes". I'm glad to hear she understands that keeping things real and not to "keep up with the Jones'" is the best option because let's face it sometimes kiddos (hubby's included) don't want to cooperate. ;)
 
Lauren says "Less is more! And food if you have a kid like Lola who never stops eating." HAHAHAHA! I always keep a stock of fruit puffs in the studio to keep the kiddos occupied and in one spot for a short amount of time- you know for those movers.

With Lola's Cake Smash session, food was an inevitable part and she didn't disappoint. That's where her smile came out.


 

 
 

 
 

P.S. Want to learn more about my milestone packages? Check out all the details here www.michelletownephotography.com/children.html

Photo lovers,

Today I have the distinct privilege of introducing you to baby Maverick, who was almost 2 weeks new at his session!

I think we can all agree: his little grin should earn him a spot on the cover of every baby magazine in the nation! Seriously, I'm practically melting from cuteness overload!
 
Anyway, as you can see from the pictures below, Maverick and I had one of the best sessions together. His mom, Amanda, gave him a bath, put on pj's and fed him before leaving for his shoot. Her preparation efforts allowed us to have an especially awesome shoot together.

While I hear about specific things others do for preparing for shoots, I have found that if you follow a SIMPLE NORMAL ROUTINE and not over stimulate your newborn prior to your session, they run a lot smoother. We also tend to book newborn sessions in the morning, so they are not over tired from a full day of activity.
 
Maverick slept all the way through the 2 hour session. And when he wasn't sleeping. He couldn’t have been any better.
 
“It was an overall a great experience. It was a very comfortable and relaxed session. She explained the different things she was doing and even had movies to keep my older kids occupied! The only thing I was worried about is my newborn crying the whole time and not sleeping, but Michelle did a very well job keeping him calm and sleeping,” says Amanda about her experience having her newborn photographed by Michelle Towne Photography LLC.
 
Because the shoot went so well, I asked Amanda if she would share one helpful piece of advice with other mothers planning a newborn session (See – I've got your back, moms around the world). Her biggest piece of advice is: “Do as they ask. I believe giving him a bath and feeding him helped out a lot.” See, when we book your newborn session, I send tips to help run things smoothly. These are things that I have learned and have been taught at trainings over the last 9 years.
 
Without further adieu, Mr. Maverick

Welcome back!
 
The mission of this blog post is to show off the charming and fetching A.J. I actually photographed AJ 7 months ago for his newborn session. Check out a couple photos, he's such a handsome little man!

Can you believe how big this little fella has gotten since then? I had to blink a few times to make sure I was seeing things clearly! He is already sitting independently, babbling, rolling and playing games. It's amazing how fast they grow! That's a lot of change for such a short period!
 
AJ is the perfect example of simplicity is the best way to go for sitter sessions and his mom agreed. Dressing in layers is the easiest for littles of this size. They have a short attention span and will only allow you to dress and undress them so many times. It worked really well for mom to dress him in a onesie with jeans and a button down shirt. Start with the button down and jeans then remove as we go. Really does work the best.
 
Our vibe of the session “Simple, getting all of AJ and his personality),” says Rachel. I definitely think we captured that vibe. What do you think? I'm pretty sure we pulled out his personality, the tongue even made an appearance. ;)

P.S. Want to learn more about my milestone packages? Check out all the details here.
 

So we meet again, dear blog readers it's been awhile.
 
The topic of discussion for today is none other than the Curtis children, a marvelous clan from Clearwater. If the names or faces look familiar to you, it's because I've photographed this family before.

I was so overjoyed when I got a message from Kristi saying she wanted to book a cake smash/ birthday session for their newest little one . I remember when Kristi booked me to take their last cake smash for Z. at the studio.  I was happy to know that they enjoyed me as much as I enjoyed them!
 
“Michelle has done all our children's 1- year sessions and E's 6 month session. Michelle has always been great with the kids. Her kindness and patience with them makes for a much more STRESS- FREE session” says Kristi. I'm so honored! It is always a goal of mine to provide tips to help parents not feel stressed PRIOR to the session by sending a prep guide. I also make sure that we work together at the time of booking to figure out the best time of day for your little ones. In most cases it's a morning session or after nap time.
 
From oldest to youngest, we have Eliiana, Zander and Maddox.
 
Elliana is a spunky, outgoing, loving big sister (mom says a mother hen) and has daddy wrapped around her finger. ;).

Zander is a shy kiddo until he has a photo shoot with Michelle. Suddenly he is all smiles and flirting with her. HAHAHAHA, love it! All boy through and through, especially his love for tractors and farming.

Maddox, the baby, loves his momma. AWE! <3! Mom says he's finally starting to warm up to dad. Apparently he instantly removes the smile from his face when he sees a camera (not sure what mom is talking about), except for, like his brother when he decides to flirt with me. ;) He loves his brother and sister and like a true little sibling wants to be right in the mix.

I expect these three to best buds growing up!
 
As expected, Mom and Dad did a wonderful job preparing them for our session, and apparently it's dad that doesn't like to get dress for photos. HA! So this time mom did the opposite and let dad pick what he wanted to wear and then built the rest around dad. I think that was a GREAT choice because it showed through the photos that dad was more comfortable in what he chose to wear. The outfits that they chose were nice, simple and timeless. Nothing to out there and will go well with an array of decor when hanging on the wall.
 
Because my last session with the Curtis's went so well, I knew it wouldn't be any different this time around. And I was right! Check it out for yourself:
 

 

Ready to book your session? Click here to start planning!

Ladies and gentlemen, today I have the distinct privilege of introducing you to baby Pyper, who was officially 4 weeks new at her session.
 

I think we can all agree: Her cheeks should earn her a spot on the cover of every baby magazine in the nation! Seriously, I'm practically melting from cuteness overload!
 
Anyway, as you can see from the pictures below, Pyper and I had one of the best sessions together. Her mom, Jessica, followed our prep guide and dressed her in simple jammies and was well fed prior to arrival. Her preparation efforts allowed us to have an especially awesome shoot together.
 
Pyper wasn't too sleepy for the first portion of our session, but as a true newborn photographer I won the battle and was able to get her to sleep. From that point she slept all the way through the rest of the session. And when she wasn't sleeping, Pyper was  calm,and relaxed.  She couldn’t have been any better.
 
“The images turned out great! I never felt nervous for the safety of my child. Michelle really focuses on safety.” says Jessica about her experience with Michelle Towne Photography.
 
Because the shoot went so well, I asked Jessica if she would share one helpful piece of advice with other mothers planning a newborn session (See – I've got your back, moms around the world). Her biggest piece of advice is: “Go when baby is fresh out of the womb. Our babe was 4 weeks which made some poses more challenging. Luckily, she was still pretty balled up from delivery.”

While Jessica gives solid advice (and yes poses are more easily achieved when baby's are newer), with our training we are still able to photograph your baby in some of the more traditional newborn poses. Check out some of sweet Pyper's photos.

Welcome back to the blog, dear readers!

Today I’m sharing a preview of the newborn session I had with Hayven (doesn't she have a beautiful name?!), who was welcomed into this big world on December 7th to Ashley and Darin. As you can imagine, Mom and Dad are equal parts exhausted and delirious with their sweet baby girl, and I feel so lucky to have been given the chance to be a (small!) part of their parenthood journey.
 

 

Going into the session, Ashley said she felt GREAT!

"Michelle has been doing this for years and is very knowledgeable about photographing newborns and how to handle them and has so much patience!! At the beginning of the session she walked me through what to expect, safety points and transitioning poses, which was super helpful as the mom!". All turned out brilliantly, as you can see from the images I was able to capture that day.
 
Mom's main piece of advice to making sure all goes off without a hitch?
 
“Choose a photographer that you trust. Have patience and be flexible” said Ashley. I totally agree with that advice!