Life and Action Photography

Life and Action Photography Creative photography that tells a story. My favorite captures are the ones unplanned.

Emma has a love for the royal family like no other. I’m pretty sure Buckingham Palace is where her family photos are act...
09/03/2026

Emma has a love for the royal family like no other. I’m pretty sure Buckingham Palace is where her family photos are actually supposed to be taken.
Last year we tried to find the royalty vibe. This year we went with Taylor’s heritage. The kids may lean a little more toward farm life because once they saw the cows, that’s all they wanted. Although Emma would have rather been near a palace, she did decide Princess Kate would probably be milking cows in her family pictures. Emma is not Kate.
Also, I can’t get enough of those curls and I may be out of a job soon. Little man had the camera in his hands almost the entire time and took pictures of EVERYTHING. Luckily, we were able to print a few for some crumpled little keepsakes.
I will never tire of taking pictures of this sweet family. They are truly some of my favorites.
And one of these days, Emma, we’ll get a castle in the background.

The past few days I’ve been pretty deep into an event for my 9–5. And while I love my job, I also love this...After a li...
08/30/2026

The past few days I’ve been pretty deep into an event for my 9–5. And while I love my job, I also love this...
After a little break from shooting, I was itching to be behind the camera again. Maybe a little tired but then I showed up to this sweet little dude and his family. From the get-go, he was ready to shine.
I warned Mom and Dad their gallery may be a little short on family photos because this guy was LOVING the camera. Plus, it’s been a while since my pockets have been full of toddler gifts and he was more than happy to fill them.
Almost exactly a year ago, we were taking their photos on a perfect fall morning. Fast forward 12 months a beautiful fall evening, and he’s running fearlessly into the water, climbing the slide, and pretty much daring us to keep up.
No fear. All smiles. Adventurous. And when he’s on a mission, good luck distracting him.
By the end of the night, I was reminded just how lucky I am. I got to spend my day alongside some pretty great coworkers and a supportive community, and my evening chasing around this little guy and catching up with the sweetest family.
I’ll take this kind of tired any day.

This kid has two faces: mischief and smolder. Evan had to get up early for pictures and senior pics. were not high on hi...
08/26/2026

This kid has two faces: mischief and smolder.
Evan had to get up early for pictures and senior pics. were not high on his list of things to do. Actually, I’m not even sure they were on the list. But like most boys they do it for their moms. In this case it was Mom, sisters, and the promise of Sandy’s Donuts.
Though, he almost lost the donuts when he kept trying to scare his mom and me with his shenanigans on top of the building. At least we got a few smiles. He does give those out. You just know when you get one it’s well-earned.
Evan is quiet, but there’s a little feisty in there. He wants to be a physical therapist and I actually think that combination will make him pretty good at it. He’ll be able to push when needed and be a quiet, supportive presence when that’s what someone needs.
I am going to warn his future patients though, he is a tough crowd with the jokes.
And if the physical therapy thing doesn’t work out, I’m pretty sure those eyes could land him a backup career. I mean...wow.
I’ve got to say, for a kid who really didn’t want to do pictures, he knocked it out of the park. Outfit changes and he did what he was told. Mostly.
I had to text his mom afterward to make sure he got his donuts. In the end, he deserved at least two.
Stay tuned for a little football fun shoot. Can you guess? He doesn’t want to do that either.

MacKenna and Alex were all smiles on their wedding day. And I mean all smiles. Looking through the photos Sid and I took...
08/23/2026

MacKenna and Alex were all smiles on their wedding day. And I mean all smiles. Looking through the photos Sid and I took, unless I specifically directed them otherwise, they were smiling.
When MacKenna first asked me to photograph their wedding the plan was to get married out in a pasture that means a lot to her, a beautiful place filled with memories and many miles spent riding horses with her grandpa.
Plans shifted and although the wedding didn’t happen there we still went out for pictures. I think it worked out even better. We had time to slow down, take it all in, and MacKenna and Alex were able to share their private vows in a place that holds so much meaning.
Later that afternoon, they officially said “I do” at the bottom of the ski hill during an intimate ceremony. Their flower girl led the way and took her job VERY seriously, carefully placing every single flower on the ground.
Afterward, the ski lodge was definitely the place to be especially because it had air conditioning. It quickly filled with family and friends ready to celebrate the newlyweds.
This is always one of my favorite parts of a wedding day. The formal pictures are done, everyone relaxes and I get to capture the moments happening when no one is paying attention. One of my favorites is Alex watching MacKenna dance with her dad. Although Grandma and her moves on the dance floor are pretty hard to top.
MacKenna and Alex have built a new house and now they’re married. What an exciting stage of life…building a home, starting a marriage, and figuring it all out together.
And if their wedding day was any indication, I have a feeling they’re going to spend a whole lot of those years smiling.

I’m going to call this one the Adventure Package. We even had to change vehicles to get to one of our spots. When we met...
08/22/2026

I’m going to call this one the Adventure Package. We even had to change vehicles to get to one of our spots.
When we met a few weeks ago Lakyn brought her ideas and outfits to show me. She wanted outdoorsy and she wanted a picture with her cat. This shoot was very intentional. I always have a plan and a few ideas but for this one I had actually mapped out the times I wanted to be at each location to catch the sun. I knew she had cowboy boots and wanted a session surrounded by nature.
The cat was the wild card.
After some discussion we decided an outdoor adventure with the cat probably wasn’t in the cat’s best interest. That’s okay we still got the picture and the memory.
The next couple of hours flew by. Lakyn is so easy to be around. She has a contagious smile and is just genuinely sweet and kind. At the end of the night I was packing up my stuff quite a ways from my vehicle and without even being asked she came back to help me carry it. That tells you a little something about her.
Lakyn isn’t quite sure what she wants to do after high school and that’s okay she has plenty of time to figure it out. I did have to laugh when she told me, “I’m not really outdoorsy,” as she was tromping through waist-high weeds to get to a spot.
Girl. We literally went off-roading and walked through weeds taller than both of us. I think you might be a little outdoorsy.
Thank goodness she had the cowboy boots. Don’t ask me what I wore.
This session was a dream. Perfect weather, a patient and helpful mom, a whole lot of scenery, and the sweetest senior to adventure with.

Another short and sweet family session. I actually may start advertising them just like that. I don’t wear out my welcom...
08/20/2026

Another short and sweet family session. I actually may start advertising them just like that. I don’t wear out my welcome with anyone we get exactly what we need and still have time for a little fun. I lust love when the kids have ideas, too. The dog was definitely a must-have, along with some running and playing shots.
I even got booked again by one of the littles. Next time he wants his dirt bike with him holding his helmet off to the side.
Got it. See you soon.

Young Entrepreneur Vendor Show happening TODAY across from the Post Office!Don’t let the construction scare you away the...
08/18/2026

Young Entrepreneur Vendor Show happening TODAY across from the Post Office!
Don’t let the construction scare you away these kiddos have some pretty great items for sale and would love your support. Stop by, check out what they’ve created, and support some young entrepreneurs! A portion of all sales will be donated to local organizations or charities.

And sometimes all you need is a quick mini session before sending your oldest off to college. Nothing fancy here. Just e...
08/18/2026

And sometimes all you need is a quick mini session before sending your oldest off to college. Nothing fancy here. Just everyone together, an 11-year-old dog who is very loved, and a few pictures of this season before the next one starts.

These kids have the most beautiful place to grow up-soak up the summers, get dirty, explore, and make the kind of memori...
08/17/2026

These kids have the most beautiful place to grow up-soak up the summers, get dirty, explore, and make the kind of memories that are hard to beat.
We snuck in a few of the standard family photos, but mostly we played, fished, skipped rocks, Red Rover, and let the shoot lead us. One of my favorite moments was when one of the boys asked, “Can you take pictures of us playing whiffle ball?”
Absolutely.
I also got to watch Little Miss get brave in real time. First she proudly showed me a crawfish from the safety of a tote. Then big brother picked it up, and apparently that was all the encouragement she needed. A few minutes later, she was holding it herself.
At one point we spotted what we thought was a large bird maybe a pelican out on the water and thought it would make a great backdrop. Turns out it was just a guy in a boat.
My hope with these sessions? The kids have fun, Dad thinks, hey, this wasn’t so bad and Mom gets the pictures she wanted. Everybody wins.
And I get to hang with the sweetest kids and freeze a little piece of a summer they’ll hopefully always remember.

I have met my match. Ellery could work the camera all day long, and I could photograph her until the sun goes down. I th...
08/15/2026

I have met my match. Ellery could work the camera all day long, and I could photograph her until the sun goes down.
I think we may quit our day jobs and take this show on the road. Although Ellery is planning to become an occupational therapist, and I’m pretty sure the world needs her in that role a little more.
Ellery is one of those people who literally lights up a room when she walks in. She is poised and confident, stands tall and proud, but is still incredibly humble. She looks you in the eye when you talk, listens, and smiles at people as they pass by. I just loved spending the evening with her and of course, her mom.
My only regret? We didn’t start earlier.
Luckily, she’s as busy as she is beautiful, so we still have volleyball, cross country, track, and pole vault to get in. Ellery is also a twin, although I’m pretty sure Carson is not going to be quite as interested in spending hours smiling and posing for me.
Speaking of posing, I barely had to pose this girl. She is just a natural, and her walk belongs on a runway.
Some of my absolute favorites are the ones with her ballet shoes. Although she isn’t dancing this year, dance has been part of her life for so long that there was no way we weren’t including them.
We made friends with downtown bouncers, I came dangerously close to laying in dog p**p, and by the end of the night her feet had blisters. But Ellery still wasn’t ready to call it.
So naturally, we kept going.
I told you. I met my match. Until next time, Ellery.

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Milnor, ND

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