Darielle and Isaac are the kind of people that you fall helplessly in love with the second you meet them. They are warm and kind, laid back, incredibly funny, and they exude happiness and joy. Their wedding day was an absolute reflection of the love that radiates from within them and lives in everything around them, and I was honored to tell their story. Here is a preview of the first part of their wedding day – Darielle getting ready, her and Isaac’s first look, and some amazing portraits under a bridge in downtown Saint Paul. A few still images of their monumental love. Darielle + Isaac from athena pelton on Vimeo. Music “Bella” by Angus + Julia Stone. Download it here....
life is a fleeting, miraculous wonder | a birth story
When Cortney and Trent asked if I would be able to document the impending birth of their baby – I jumped and squealed at the opportunity. I absolutely adore birth photography – and moreso, I’m am a photographer because I am wholeheartedly addicted to the amazing experience that is making images and telling stories for people. The only catch, I explained, was that I had a wedding on April 6th, and that would be the only day I’d be unavailable to be on call. Cortney and Trent more than understood and, with a hand placed on her growing abdomen, Cortney solemnly swore that her baby would stay incubated safely in her womb until after April 6th. Shortly after midnight on April 7th, minutes after her oath had expired, Cortney texted to let me know that her water had broke and they were headed to the hospital. A few hours later,...
casting call | the beauty collective
Today is one of those days when it seems like winter will never end. I’m starting to worry that the wind will never again be filled with the sound of birds or the delicate scent of wildflowers and that we’ll never see the beauty that is a Midwest Summer. But instead of throwing my hands up in defeat, and accepting the seeming permanence of the ugly landscape, I’m channeling a different kind of beauty. The kind that is the absolute essence of every woman. Raw. Real. Powerful. Exquisite. Today, as the threat of snow lingers in the cold spring air, I’m remembering the past two Beauty Collectives. I’m reminiscing about the amazing women who opened themselves up, not only to my camera, but to themselves, and I’m missing every single one of their faces and every last ounce of their hearts. Which means …….. it’s time for another Collective! I’m doing things...
great stories give life to greater stories | the don’t give up project
“A good storyteller speaks something into nothing. Where there is an absence of story, or perhaps a bad story, a good storyteller walks in and changes reality. A good storyteller doesn’t just tell a better story, though. He invites other people into the story with him, giving them a better story, too.” ~Donald Miller | A Million Miles in a Thousand Years I read Donald Miller’s book months ago, and the moment I put it down I began composing a blog post about it in my head. But this page sat blank. Empty. Story less. I didn’t know how I was ever going to put into words exactly how the book changed my life – exactly what it meant to me. What it still means. I still don’t know how to put it into words other than to ask you to read it for yourself. Because some things can’t be...
