We are proud to announce we had 9 winners in the National portion of the Adorable Children and Pawsitively Adorable contests. The National portion of the contest took place at the lab and was judged by a panel of judges based on quality, appearance, charm, expression, and personality.
In the National Pawsitively Adorable contest…
We had First Place for Me & My Human. They won a $100 Visa gift card.
We had Second Place for Newborns. They won a $75 Visa Gift Card.
We had a Third Place for Dogs. They won a $50 Visa Gift Card.
We had an Honorable Mention for dogs. Super exciting as this is my dog, Maverick. We won a $25 Visa Gift Card.
We had an Honorable Mention in Buddies. They won a $25 Visa Gift Card.
In the National Adorable Children contest…..
We had a Second Place for Bloopers. They won a $75 Visa Gift Card.
We had a Third Place for Bloopers. They won a $50 Visa Gift Card.
We had a Third Place for 13 Months- 2 Years. They won a $50 Visa Gift Card.
We had an Honorable Mention for 9-12 Years. They won a $25 Visa Gift Card.
The lab where these took place is having some website issues, but as soon as we can see the other winners, I will post them here, too. Congratulations, everyone! Thanks for participating and voting! =)
And since we did not do the local portion of the Pawsitively Adorable as it was mostly my assistant’s dogs and family pets, and I had not posted the Pawsitively Adorable images, these are the other images we submitted. So they each received a 16×20 print from their session.
??Celebrating 20 Years as a SE MN Portrait Photographer??
I guess I shouldn’t let February get away without celebrating our 20th-year anniversary in business as a portrait photographer in Southeast Minnesota! It has been an incredible 20 years capturing cherished memories of families, seniors, sports teams, newborns, couples, and pets through the years.
Journey of Photography by Kari
My journey in photography began with capturing sports action photos for my cousins to use in their scrapbooks. Soon, friends who were getting engaged and having babies started asking me to document these special moments, which led me to begin photographing portraits. These clicks of the camera turned into a business.
I started with digital photography with a Canon 5D, focusing on natural light outdoor sessions and using our quonset shed on the farm, as well as our living room, as my studio when I started incorporating backdrops and lighting into indoor sessions. Then, in 2010, I rented a building in Spring Valley, MN, for my studio, and I have been there ever since.
Over the years, photography has evolved, and I’ve been dedicated to growing with it. I’ve embraced new technology and dabbled with trends while maintaining my timeless signature style. One of the greatest joys in my career has been photographing people multiple times throughout their life. I have been able to capture people at their newborn sessions and then again at their senior portraits. I have even done photos of seniors, then their newborns, and this summer I will have done my cousin’s senior portraits, his son’s newborn photos, and then will do his senior session. Crazy! It’s always so fun to see how they have grown and changed over the years.
Thank You for 20 Amazing Years!
Reaching this milestone wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my clients, family, and the Southeast Minnesota community. Most importantly, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all of my assistants—both past and present—who have been my arms and legs throughout this journey. I could not do this without them. Their dedication, creativity, and willingness to help in every aspect of the business have allowed me to continue doing what I love. From setting up lighting, adjusting poses, capturing the perfect angle, creating props, cleaning the studio to doing bookwork, my assistants have been instrumental in every step of the process, and I am forever grateful for their support.
If you’ve visited the studio and seen the photos lining the walls, you know I couldn’t limit myself to just a few client photos or images with my assistants over the years to share, so I put together a collage featuring my cousins, Connor and Courtney, along with two of our dogs instead. Although every family member has served as a model or assistant at one time or another, Connor, Courtney, and our dogs have likely spent the most time both in front of and behind my camera. Their photos have documented not only my growth as a photographer but also how photography captures change over time. My family’s patience, love, and support on this journey mean the world to me.
Thank you for allowing Photography by Kari to be part of your lives, whether by trusting me to capture your most precious memories or simply following our page to enjoy the photos. I am excited for what the future holds and look forward to continuing to provide beautiful, heartfelt portraits for many more years to come.
Celebrating Back-to-Back State Champions: Stewartville High School Football
It’s hard to believe it’s already been just over a week since the Stewartville High School football team clinched the Minnesota Class 3A Prep Bowl State Championship for the second year in a row and the excitement still lingers!
Capturing the Moments That Matter
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take pre-game photos of my cousin Collin this year—I caught a cold after my first weekend of Christmas Minis and didn’t want to risk him getting sick before the big game. However, this week, we finally had the chance to capture his portraits. These photos were a long time coming, as we weren’t able to take any last year after the state championship as I landed in the hospital for a few days after surgery and Collin needed to hand in his uniform.
We’ve been eagerly looking forward to taking these photos—not just for Collin but also for my uncle, who proudly displays photos of his family in his shop. Now, he can hang banners of both his grandsons, who have each been part of state championship teams. Collin and his cousin Connor, who was on Chatfield’s 2021 championship team, have made the family incredibly proud. For Collin’s banner, we created a design to complement the one I made for Connor after the Chatfield Gophers’ big win. It’s been an honor to help preserve these memories for our family and celebrate the hard work and achievements of both Collin and Connor!
Hard Work, Big Dreams, and Small-Town Pride
Being a sports photographer in Southeast Minnesota means I get to witness firsthand the passion and dedication these athletes pour into their sport. The Stewartville football team’s back-to-back state titles are a result of countless hours of practice, grit, and perseverance. As a sports photographer based in Stewartville, MN, I’ve had the privilege of capturing moments from some of the most hardworking and dedicated athletes in the region. Watching these teams achieve their goals is not only a joy for the players and coaches but also for the families, friends, and entire communities that rally behind them. These victories don’t just belong to the players—they’re shared by the entire community. It’s truly inspiring to see how sports bring people together to celebrate resilience, teamwork, and triumph.
The Value of Sports Photography
As a SE MN sports team photographer, moments like these remind me why I love what I do. Whether it’s team banners, individual portraits, or action shots on the field, sports photography captures the heart and spirit of the game. It freezes a moment in time, allowing players and their supporters to relive the pride and excitement of their achievements. Each photo is a reminder of the hard work, dedication, and memories made on and off the field.
To the Stewartville High School football team, congratulations on an incredible season and back-to-back state titles! You’ve made your community proud, created memories that will last a lifetime, and inspired the next generation of athletes.
Congratulations to the Stewartville Tigers!
To the Stewartville High School football team, congratulations on an incredible season and back-to-back state titles! You’ve made your community proud, created memories that will last a lifetime, and inspired the next generation of athletes.
For inquiries about sports photography in Stewartville, MN, or to book a session for your team, feel free to reach out. I specialize in capturing team banners, individual portraits, and game-day action shots throughout Southeast Minnesota. Let’s create something your team will treasure forever!
Capturing the Joy of Childhood: A 2-Year-Old’s Portrait Session in Spring Valley, MN!
Here are a few of our favorite photos from a recent portrait session with an adorable 2-year-old girl in our studio.
Dressed in a cute outfit from our studio closet, specially curated for our young clients, this little princess stole the show with her big brown eyes and the most beautiful curly hair we’ve ever seen!
As the session began, it started in typical 2-year-old fashion – she was a bit shy, often hiding her face whenever the camera came out. But we knew just the trick to bring out her natural joy and curiosity after our other tricks failed – a balloon! The balloon worked like a charm, bringing out her playful side and creating moments of pure joy and laughter bringing out the most beautiful smiles and expressions. We captured some great photos that truly reflect the innocence and wonder of childhood.
Moments like these remind us why we love what we do. Capturing the magic of childhood and freezing those precious moments in time is an absolute privilege. Thank you to this adorable 2-year-old and her family for letting us capture these photos.
This newborn portrait session was not just about capturing beautiful images but also about celebrating family bonds and cherished memories.
My cousin and her family visited our studio now as a family of four, with a proud big sister, Miss B, who was eager to welcome her baby brother into the world. The family chose to wear shades of blue, creating a cohesive and timeless look that added a special touch to the photos.
One of the most meaningful portraits of this session was the inclusion of a cherished family heirloom – Mom’s Dad’s guitar. This guitar holds immense sentimental value as Grandpa passed away, making it a precious memento of his legacy and the time his family enjoyed listening to him play his guitar. The guitar was also used in newborn photos of big sister Miss B four years ago, creating a beautiful connection between the two siblings and their family history.
Capturing these moments was not just about creating newborn portraits but also about preserving memories and honoring loved ones, creating images that will be treasured for generations to come.
Lastly, the newborn guitar image is a composite to keep Mr. H totally safe.
The Kingsland Athletic Booster Club 2024 Spring 10×20 banner photos are available and this year we added being able to purchase the individuals with different backgrounds. $10 of each team banner photo will go back to KABC.
We are using the same site used this fall and winter for orders. If you have a student on the team, you will/should have received an email from the coach/advisor with the link, access code, and 2 PDF files, one is a step-by-step on how to order and the other has a code for free shipping. I also added a video walkthrough if you are having trouble ordering.
The gallery will expire, on Sunday, May 12th, 2024.
These orders will also be shipped directly to you from the lab. These orders are sent automatically to the lab, we will not see them, so no changes can be made once an order has been placed. Please double-check your order and crop of photos before completing your order.Only order the team photos as 10×20’s, if you order as another size, it will cut the photo off as shown in the preview
before confirming, what you see on the confirmation screen is what you will get.
If you have any questions or did not get the email from the coach/advisor, please let me know.
If you are looking for a Team Posters for your sports team, be sure to reach out and let me know. We would love to photograph your team.
Photography by Kari specializes in custom portraiture of newborn, family, children sports team banners, dog, and high school seniors in Spring Valley, MN, and surrounding Southeast Minnesota areas.
Areas, including, but not limited to, Rochester, Preston, Chatfield, Stewartville, Grand Meadow, LeRoy, Ostrander, Kasson, Hayfield, Plainview, St. Charles and Pine Island.
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