Wow, what a fun way to start off this week.  We got notified from the fabulous Summer, from Grey Likes Weddings, that Laura and Brett's engagement session is featured on her blog.  This blog is a great resource for wedding trends, inspiration, and all things "grey likes"!  Considering she is on the west coast, we were very honored as Minneapolis wedding photographers to be featured!  Be sure to go check out a few of the highlights she posted here!

Talk about a VIEW!  Calley and Derek decided that they wanted to do their session at Calley's parent's new home on the bluffs overlooking the St. Croix River in Hudson.  When we pulled up, our jaw just about dropped!  What an unbelievable view they have, and the home was equally gorgeous.  They have one of the rocks on the front of the house engraved with "Journeys End", and we can see why. 

We ended up picking the perfect time of day to get some great shots of Calley and Derek.  Mother Nature gave us some beautiful late sun and topped it off with an amazing sunset.  After getting these two loosened up a bit, we decided that some signature Staja jumping shots were in order.   My oh my, did they get some air!  After watching the sun dip below the horizon, we finished things off watching and laughing at little Jessie doing what puppies do, and getting a chance to talk with Calley's parents for a while.  Thank you guys for a great time and taking the jumping shot to new heights!



Not to bad of a view huh!

What a fun engagement session we had with Emily and Tyler.  They asked if we could do the session at Tyler's parents place in Le Sueur.  The home has been in Tyler's family for multiple generations.  It is one of those gorgeous country farmhouses that has been kept up while still keeping a lot of it's historical character.  Tyler's mom keeps the gardens and house in unbelievable shape.  It was a site to see! 

While getting some fun shots around the place, we really started to see how great of a relationship that these two have.  That only became more evident as Emily pulled together a great chicken salad for all of us for dinner after the shoot.  While eating, we learned that Tyler will be leaving for Iraq shortly after their wedding next year.  He serves in the National Guard and is scheduled for an upcoming tour.  What a strong bond these two must have to face that right after their wedding.  In closing thank you both for such a good time and for making us a lovely dinner after the session!  We have only had that salad about 5 times since :)



Here is a picture of the house, doesn't it just look like a piece of history preserved!

What can we say about Rochelle & Jeremy, except that they are totally a Staja Studios kind of client!  We hit it off right away during their engagement session and had an absolute great time.  We started off near Lake Calhoun for a touch of the lake and natural surroundings.  We were blessed with perfect weather and some beautiful evening light.  After that, we made our way up to Calhoun Square in Uptown Minneapolis to finish.  We wanted to use the city streets and window lights for a seductive finish to the session.  Clearly, they didn't struggle in that department!  Rochelle and Jeremy are SO in love!!  After all the photo fun was over, we headed to Old Chicago for some appetizers and good conversation.  Thank you guys for putting your all into it!  We are excited to spend your big day with you next year.

 

  

Tonia and Matt had a two part engagement session, as they wanted a variety of images.  Stacey and I did the first one the night before I left for Tanzania.  We started out around the Guthrie and then moved onward to the the St. Anthony Main / Stone Arch Bridge area.  Afterward, they decided they wanted to capture a few images from where they started off together in the North Loop District of Minneapolis. 

For that session, we let Chelsea run the show, and I came along for support.  During the course of this shoot, we learned that Tonia and Matt have a little bit of a competitive streak.  Tonia played basketball for three national championship teams with University of North Dakota.  Matt on the other hand played football for South Dakota State.  Needless to say when I challenged them to have a head to head race, their competitive juices became blatantly clear!  As you can see below, Matt let his inner Usain Bolt come out and struck a winning pose!  Stacey and I are both looking forward to their destination wedding in Mexico!