Maybe it’s the sunshine, or the fact that I’ve been spending all my spare time knee-deep in garden dirt, but I’ve just been feeling pretty darn good lately. Not in a big, over-the-top way. More like a quiet, steady kind of good. Work feels right. Life feels pretty solid. Nothing fancy, just that nice sense of being where I’m supposed to be.

April has been full of events: conferences, fundraisers, and celebrations. A few years ago, walking into one of these rooms meant scanning the crowd for a familiar face, and often finding none. Now, I walk in and I know people. Not just as clients, but as humans. People I’ve gotten to photograph year after year. People who are doing amazing work in our community. People I truly think are awesome humans doing awesome things.

There’s a kind of trust that builds over time in this work, and to me, it’s everything. Being a photographer, especially a people photographer, isn’t just about having the right lens or camera. It’s about walking into a room and being allowed to witness real moments. Laughter, connection, pride, joy. Those are the things I look for, and I don’t take for granted that I get to be there when they happen.

This month reminded me of my early days as a wedding photographer… the good parts, anyway. Happy people in their element. Conversations with depth. Energy in the room. But now, without the pressure and drama of a wedding timeline, I can move more freely, trusting my instincts. And after years of doing this, I’ve learned something big: I don’t need a detailed shot list to do great work. I just need to pay attention.

That lesson didn’t come easily. My late 30s and early 40s were full of questions. Who am I trying to be as a photographer? What kind of work do I want to do? For a long time, I thought I had to be polished and perfect. Someone who always nailed the shot. Someone who looked the part.

But that’s not me.

I’m curious. A little awkward. Goofy in the right settings. I like to wing it. And the more I lean into that, just showing up as myself, the better I connect with people. The more present I am. And the more fun I have.

That shift has made my work better, too. I no longer spend all my brainspace worrying what people think of me. I focus on the job in front of me. I tune in. I capture what’s real. And that has made all the difference.

To my fellow creatives: If you’re in a stuck place right now, I see you. I’ve been there. What’s helped me the most isn’t achieving more or working harder. It’s learning how to be content with where I am, while still staying open to what’s next. Being content doesn’t mean I’ve stopped growing. It just means I’m finally giving myself space to grow from a grounded place.

And to my clients, past and future: Thank you for being part of this journey. I’m fueled by the people I get to work with. Your trust, your stories, your spirit. I’m so lucky to do this work, and I’m excited for what’s to come.

Here’s to more good people, more genuine moments, and a spring full of connection.

A season to grow and dig and haul

April was full. A good kind of full.

On the business side: events, headshots, and a bunch of work with businesses. A lot of running, smiling, and data dumping.

On the home front: I’ve been pouring all my spare time and energy into a big garden overhaul. I caught that classic burst of spring energy and decided it was the perfect time to rip out all my cedar beds and replace them with shiny new galvanized steel ones, which meant hauling a lot of dirt out of the old boxes and right back into the new ones. They’re so lovely. So pretty. So clean. Maybe a little banged up now that I’ve run the wheelbarrow into them a few times, but whatever. My plant babies are thriving under grow lights in the basement and are just about ready for the big move outside. I’ll wait until after Mother’s Day to plant, like any good upper Midwest kid.

Stuff I can’t Stop Thinking About

Uitwaaien

Prairie pals, it’s time to embrace the wind. I recently discovered that the Dutch have a whole word—uitwaaien—for the act of going outside to let the wind clear your head. Yes, they actually make it a point to get assaulted by the wind in order to clear their minds, get a little exercise, and simply air out. I’ve spent so much of my time living in Fargo-Moorhead shaking my fist at the wind, but you know what? I think it’s time to think of it differently. Less of a nuisance, more of a type of therapy.

White Lotus

It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a fiction-based TV show, mostly because I spend all my spare TV-watching time consuming mass amounts of reality garbage while simultaneously doing something else. But after a few good friends couldn’t stop gushing about the third season of White Lotus, I decided, why not give it a watch? Eight days later, I had all three seasons under my belt and a whole lot of opinions. In short, I love this style of storytelling. Most of the characters are despicable. The sound design in Seasons 1 and 2 is insanely good. Season 2 is my favorite. Jennifer Coolidge is a precious duckling, and she must be protected.

90s Crunchy-Mom Aesthetic

I’m not sure this is even a trend at the moment, but I’ve decided it’s going to be my spring-summer aesthetic for 2025. Bring on the linen, the muted, crazy-pattern button-up shirts, and everything easy, breezy, and ridiculously comfortable. I may even have to invest in a pair of Birks to round out the look.

April’s Plant of the Month: Martha

Martha has a quiet confidence. She’s perfectly content up on the top shelf, making do with very indirect light. She doesn’t mind waiting a long time between drinks and never complains in the winter. Dependable, cute, and steadfast, Martha’s just doing her thing and that’s why she’s the best.

10 Snaps from April

1: A fun, casual duo at the Hope Blooms' Petals for a Purpose event. 2: Suave Nico. 3: Recent work for Magnifi Financial. 4: Snap! Session with Erin. 5: A candid moment at the DMF Little Black Dress & Tie event. 6: Custom stock photography for MLGC. 7: Conversation candid at the Well Told event. 8: Snap! Session with Abigail. 9: Team-building activity at the Timberland Partners Leadership Conference. 10: Jane Vangsness Frisch accepting an award at the YWCA Women of the Year event.