Wendy Woods Photography

Michelle and Ryan's Wedding

It occurred to me this morning that i have had so much fun working with Michelle and Ryan's wedding photography that I forgot to write about them on my blog. So here goes! Michelle Morgan and Ryan Nelsen flew in from their home in Charlestown, Massachusetts for their wedding on May 9. Ryan is a videographer and Michelle is a senior publicist for Harvard Business Press whose parents live here in Bloomington.  They like the photojournalistic style of photography but we managed to bring in a few artistic portraits using the unusual decor of the club. Their location was the newly revamped Calhoun Beach Club in Minneapolis (and what a spectacular job they have done!). The entire color scheme is now white and more reminiscent of a sun-drenched beach house theme. The spacious rooms including a really beautiful new bride's dressing room are so much better for photography. Their ceremony was held on the outdoor terrace and Judge John Cass was the officiant, who is also from the Boston area. D'Amico Catering still presents amazing food. A great time. Great couple. Click on any image to open larger and please leave a comment!

France 2009

Nick and I were in France April 20-30 for our 25th wedding anniversary trip. We took a Rick Steves tour in their strenous "through the back door" style and it was the best vacation of my life. A small group (27 people) we toured Paris, the Loire Valley, Brittany, Normandy and Giverny, where Claude Monet had his homes and garden. Our tourguide was Arnaud Servignat who I can't say enough good things about. He was the best, both very well informed and fun! We would take another tour with him in a heartbeat. Here is a little movie I made of our experience. We met so many wonderful people too, who I hope to keep as friends and see again on our next Rick Steves tour.

Nick and I on the Normandy "Utah Beach"

Chris and Russell

Chris Holland and Mike Russell Germain tied the knot on April 18 at the Five Event Center in Minneapolis. Chris is a cartoonist as well as a proctor at the University of Minnesota, and Mike owns his own painting service. They met when they were at a glass blowing class at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. They chose tropical touches for the event, along with some sassy touches, like red patent leather shoes and fishnet stockings in keeping with their modern nontraditional theme. Really fun people and such a pleasure to work with. The Five Event Center is a fabulous little-known reception spot with the coolest retrofitting of a police precinct I have ever seen! Click on any image to open larger and please leave a message for Chris and Mike, or us!

The Allshouse Family

Several years ago we photographed Michelle and Ryan Allshouse's wedding in Stillwater, so it was a great surprise to  hear from them again, this time for a photography session with their 2 year old, Ty. So we scheduled a sunny but cool day last month to photograph the family in White Bear Lake at their home and a nearby wildlife preserve, Tamarack Nature Center. Here are some of the views we captured of this little fellow and his parents. Click on any image to open larger.