Family Holiday Pictures: A Brett Dorrian Tradition

Every year we have the pleasure of working with some of our favorite past clients (and a few new clients, too) during our annual Holiday Picture Special! We love creating a mixture of holiday-inspired vignettes and clean background options in order to capture perfect Christmas card pictures, along with a few individuals of the kids because they just grow so fast.
 

 
 

It’s become a tradition that my mom, Maggie, makes her famous cookies and candies for the families that come in. Everyone gets a special tin to take home, filled with homemade goodies wrapped in wax paper – very old fashioned. It’s such a treat to have a few Christmas cookies in November before you’re inundated with them closer to the holidays!  
 

 
 

I shoot these photos personally, and some clients choose to add on makeup and hairstyling to their shoot with me as well. It’s nice for our past brides and other clients to get to work with us again. 

I will also give myself the credit of being the toddler whisperer! Ha! There is something really magical about the way I am able to get kids to work with me comfortably and quickly, which every parent appreciates. It takes a lot to prep for family photos and we know it’s important to get great shots while the kids are still cooperating. The promise of cookies at the end of the shoot always helps!
 

 
 

The annual special is coming up November 11th-13th and November 18th-20th. We decided to run it for two weekends instead of one this year since it’s always been so popular. There are a few spots left if you’re looking for a solution for your upcoming holiday cards.

 
 

Cheers! xxoo 

East River Road Fall Family Shoot

The Kutzera family comes to the city every year to get their family photos taken with us. They lucked out with one of the most beautiful fall days when they had this session done. We started at the studio and then ventured to the East River Road behind St. Thomas University in St. Paul.

 
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The fall colors were just phenomenal and the kids had a great time playing outside, which allowed me to capture their personalities. It’s always a good idea to keep moving when you’ve got three kids in your session because it keeps their energy and interest up. We love doing family photography! 

 
 

A Sweet Fall Baby Announcement Shoot in St. Paul

The Smiths prepared their cute props so that they could use a photo from their session to announce their pregnancy. It was important to capture all the sweetness fall has to offer for this special maternity session.

 
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We met at the studio to do full makeup and hair (we love when we get to style and shooting sessions for our clients) before we went over to the East River Road in St. Paul behind St. Thomas University. The grove of bright red trees near the bike trail is just stunning in the fall! It’s important with any fall shoot to do some scouting a few days before your photography session since the colors change dramatically so quickly.

 
 

We had the pleasure of doing hair and makeup at their wedding, so it was very sweet to be able to circle back and be there for their next very big life event – having their first child.