Joy Lengyel Photography Blog

Meet Baby Eleanor | Minneapolis Newborn Photography

joy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:04:04 +0000

Amy & Nate | Cross Lake, MN Wedding Photographer

joy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:47:02 +0000

Happy New Year! The past year kept me busy with weddings and family sessions and photographing sweet little newborns (thank YOU for all of that!), much of which I never got around to sharing (*slaps myself on the wrist*). One of my business goals for 2012 is to more consistently share what I’m working on, whether it be here on my blog, or on my Facebook page. The winter time is generally a bit quieter for us photographers (especially wedding photographers!), so I’ll start by sharing some of my favorites that I haven’t yet gotten to share.

Without further ado, meet Amy and Nate! (Be prepared – it’s a LONG one!)

Amy and Nate were married this past June in Cross Lake, MN. Can I tell you how much I enjoyed working with these two? They had two priorities on their wedding day: sharing the love, and having FUN, come what may. Case in point: never before have I been asked for a “booty pinch” photo of the bride and groom. LOVE it. It’s so easy to get stressed out about all of the little details on your wedding day, but these two had the perfect attitude – just relax and have fun! The day was meant for celebrating, all worries to be check at the door. And their devotion to family is beautiful — the day was not just about two people coming together to start a life together, it was about a whole new family starting a life together, with Amy’s older daughters beautifully included in the ceremony.

The day started and finished at Whitefish Lodge & Suites, with it’s cozy north woods feel. I don’t think I’ll soon forget Amy and Nate’s first glance, as something truly magical happened at that specific moment. They had agreed to meet at a pergola standing near a very small pond. Per usual, I checked out the spot before hand to get an idea of what I was working with — I’d stopped by maybe 20 minutes before. When Nate and I went back out to wait for Amy, there were suddenly hundreds of amazing dragonflies flying about the area that hadn’t been there just moments before. (And you’ll notice some of the dragonflies buzzing about in the first few photos below!) It was beautiful… perhaps a sign from above, and a sign of the amazing things to come, not only on their wedding day, but in their new life together.

Cheers to you, Amy & Nate, and THANK YOU again for letting me be a part of your day!

Special thanks to Megan Gronlund for road tripping to Cross Lake and shooting this wedding with me!

Melody & Bryan | Minneapolis Wedding Photographer

joy — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:54:37 +0000

As the wedding season is wrapping up, it’s about time to start blogging some more of the fabulous weddings I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing and shooting this year! Meet Melody and Bryan. These two met at the beginning of freshman year at Bethel University, started dating two months later, and as Melody said when I first met with them, they “knew right away that it was something special.” We started the big day with Melody and Bryan’s first glance on the iconic Stone Arch Bridge — the forecast predicted rain for their wedding day, but the weather gods were on our side and decided to keep us dry! The big event took place at the Historic Minneapolis City Hall — can you say “grand”? Gorgeous venue for exchanging vows, and for witnessing the love not only between Melody and Bryan, but amongst both of their families.

It was such a pleasure working with you guys, M+B! I hope to hear great things about what the future brings for you guys!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Historic Minneapolis City Hall
Bride’s Dress: The Wedding Shoppe
Bridesmaids: David’s Bridal
Groom and groomsmen suits: The Wedding Shoppe
Flowers: Studio B Floral
Hair: Allure Salon and Spa
Make-up: Allure Salon and Spa
Cake: Buttercream
Musician: John Cleve Richardson
Catering: Chowgirls Killer Catering

* Special THANKS to Erin Benner for shooting with me that day – the girl rocks my socks!!

2011 Holiday Card Designs!

joy — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:20:30 +0000

Check ‘em out, friends — this years holiday card designs are put together! All cards are double-sided, and in addition to six 5×7 designs, I’m now offering two fun 5×5 die cut designs! Cards can be designed using your favorite photos from one of our sessions this year, and if you haven’t had a recent session, there’s still time to schedule one! The deadline for holiday sessions is November 13th, and the deadline for card orders is December 1st. Contact me today for more info on card pricing and to place your order!

(p.s. Check out the beautiful families from a handful of my most recent sessions! Haven’t had time to blog them all yet — aren’t they great??)

Design #1

Design #2

Design #3

Design #4

Design #5

Design #6

Design #7

Design #8

Meg & Brad – One Year! | Red Wing, MN Wedding Photographer

joy — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:12:43 +0000

One year ago today, Meg and Brad were married in a lovely outdoor ceremony on the shores of the Mississippi River, followed by a reception at the historic St. James Hotel in Redwing, MN — a gorgeous setting, for an even more beautiful couple! Congratulations, Meg and Brad! I really had so much fun working with you two — let me know if you’d like to grab a beer sometime!

Ceremony venue: Levee Park
Reception venue: St. James Hotel
Bride’s Dress: The Wedding Shoppe
Groom’s suit: Macy’s
Hair & Make-up: Stylize Hair Salon – Red Wing, MN
Cupcakes: Rivertown Cakes

Fall Mini Sessions | Hopkins Family Photographer

joy — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:07:38 +0000

* * * LOCATION UPDATE! Mini sessions will be held at the beautiful Staring Lake in Eden Prairie. Wooded trails, long grasses, willow trees, and, of course, the lake! * * *

Session times will be updated as bookings are made:

11:00am – BOOKED

11:30pm – BOOKED

12:00pm – BOOKED

12:30pm – BOOKED

LUNCH BREAK

2:00pm – BOOKED

2:30pm – BOOKED

3:00pm – BOOKED

3:30pm – BOOKED

4:00pm – BOOKED

OUT OF OFFICE | I’m on vacation!

joy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:48:04 +0000

I will be out of town from Thursday, June 30 – Tuesday, July 5. During this time, I will have limited access to phone and email. If there are any emergency situations that you may need to reach me for, I’ll make sure to get back to you ASAP. All other messages will be returned as quickly as possible once I return back to town next week.

Hope you have fun plans for the holiday weekend! Cheers!

Jessi & Tim | Minnetonka Wedding Photographer

joy — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:08:30 +0000

Jessi and Tim’s wedding kicked off the 2011 wedding season for me. What can I say about these two? Jessi and Tim were all smiles the entire day, and it was so obvious that these two are meant to be together. Seriously — nothing could wipe the smile off of either of their faces on this amazing day. And all of the forces that be came together during the planning of this wedding to make it as wonderful a day as possible. And can you believe that, before the wedding, a mere FOUR photos were in existence of the two of them together? They’re so cute together, that I just can’t fathom it!

So glad I got to be a part of your special day, Jessi and Tim! And SUPER glad that I was able to multiply that collection of photos nearly 50-fold!

The K Family | St. Louis Park Family Photographer

joy — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:05:26 +0000

The K Family and I went out to Westwood Hills Nature Center this week for a quick mini session, and what a gorgeous day it was — the first day of June, and it finally felt like summer was on its way! You may recognize the adorable girls from their session I did last August, when Clara was born — they just keep getting cuter!

Baby Kylie – First Day Photo | Edina Newborn Photographer

joy — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:14:46 +0000

Some of you know that I’ve been doing freelance work with First Day Photo since May 2010. Since then, I’ve photographed nearly 400 newborns, usually within the first day or two of life. These sessions are very different from the typical newborn sessions I offer within my own business — they’re short and sweet (ideally 15-20 minutes), and in most cases, we do them right in the Mom’s room. As you can imagine, there are several challenges to overcome under these circumstances — if you’ve ever been in a hospital room, you know that most aren’t very big and don’t leave a lot of room to move around; if you’re lucky, you’re in a room with good natural lighting; if you have kids of your own, you know that the only schedule that matters is baby’s schedule — they just might decide they’d rather eat or poop instead of chill nicely for a few photos; and finally, we’re not exactly at the top of the totem pole in the postpartum ward — there are doctors, pediatricians, nurses, lactation consultations, circumcisions, birth certificates, etc. etc. to compete with, all of which generally take precedence over baby’s photo session, rightfully so. Some sessions definitely go better than others (sometimes you just gotta work with a squirmy newborn giving you the stink eye!), and sometimes you have amazing session that couldn’t go better. Below is one of those.

Little Kylie’s parents gave me permission to share some of the photos from our session with you. Parents can’t really prepare as much for these sessions as they can at home when baby is even just a few days older, so when I get lucky enough to photograph a baby that’s by chance calm, sleepy, and with a full belly, it’s a pretty awesome day. And, let’s face it – most days are pretty good to begin with, getting to hang out with fresh little humans. It’s a pretty sweet gig.

And now, introducing Kylie, photos taken at just three days old. Enjoy!