Author: Drew Geraets

Baby Wyatt

Posted on by Drew Geraets

I’ve known Abbi and Cory for years. Back in junior high, Abbi being a Kenner and me being a Kentala, we were always seated right next to each other in classes. Cory I met in high school through my then-boyfriend’s group of friends, and he came to the studio senior year for our prom group’s photo shoot before the big dance. Imagine my delight when years later, Cory emails me to tell me they’re expecting and they want me to photograph their newborn baby!

I had the day penciled in on my calendar for quite some time, but as is the case with many first-born babies, Wyatt was days late. I stalked both Abbi and Cory’s Facebook pages, eagerly awaiting the news. Finally, he arrived the evening of January 8 and we quickly scheduled a photo shoot for the following week.

We got some fabulous shots of baby Wyatt, as well as some great ones with the new mom and dad, too. Throughout the entire photo shoot, Wyatt was happy as a clam, never crying once, even after outfit change after outfit change. What a champ! You know, I think someone has a career in modeling ahead of them…

My Best Friend’s Wedding

Posted on by Drew Geraets

I met Liz Orenstein during my first week in the dorm at the University of Minnesota. Little did I know that we would become best friends, roommates for 3 years and–eventually–the maid of honor at each other’s wedding!

A job transfer took Liz to the east coast in 2009. She met Corey Cohen the next year, a New Jersey native. They recently moved to Morganville, New Jersey, which is about an hour commute from New York City. Their wedding and reception next June will be held at The Palace at Somerset Park.

Last week, I spent four days visiting with Liz and Corey, doing some intensive wedding activities/planning. We visited the Palace, which I was very interested to see because besides being the maid of honor, I will also be her photographer along with my mom! Wow–what a gorgeous venue for a wedding. Liz did hire the Lincolnshire wedding photography team as they had done a fantastic job at her brother’s wedding, but my mom and I are always happy wedding photographers so when we have the bonus of an incredible site to photograph in, we don’t let the moment pass!

The Palace at Somerset Park
The foyer where Liz and Corey’s ceremony will take place
Their gorgeous reception room

Liz and Corey were back in Minnesota in August, a perfect time of year for outdoor engagement photos in the gardens at the studio. My mom remarked that they were quite the happy, blissful couple which is what makes engagement photography so much fun!

We can’t wait to celebrate with you both next June!

Senior Summer Special

Posted on by Drew Geraets

Calling all seniors and senior parents: We’ve got a great special to share with you! Everybody loves free stuff, right? Come to Jan Kentala Photography for your senior photo shoot and choose one of the following add-ons:

  • Extra outfit
  • Session with your car or truck (or motorcycle, snowmobile, etc.)
  • 8×14 of your favorite buddy group shot from our Facebook buddy album
  • Buddy session with your pet, best friend or boyfriend/girlfriend

    • (Click on the image to the right to view our special flier enlarged.)

    But that’s not all! If you’re photographed before July 2, take $100 off our Ultimate Session. That’s four outfits and up to 50 images for only $99!

    For more information, go to Seniors > Pricing at the top of our website or give us a call at 952.898.3227.

    First Comes Love…

    Posted on by Drew Geraets

    As the old saying goes, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes… puppies? If you’re not ready for that baby carriage, as our recent wedding couple Kristin and Tim weren’t quite yet, the next step in their lives was the addition of a new puppy.

    Oddly enough, Kristin and Tim live on the same street as my husband and I, something I found out when we were shooting their wedding. We quickly bonded over dogs, as the couple has an older dog, Sparky, that they knew they’d eventually have to breed as per an agreement with their breeder. Last fall, we learned the good news that Sparky was pregnant and shortly thereafter, she gave birth to six bundles of fur.

    Kristin and Tim had the pleasure of raising the puppies during their first few weeks of life before sending five back to the breeder and keeping the female pup, Beckett, as the newest addition to their family. They wanted to remember the whirlwind few weeks that they had seven dogs in their home, so Joe and I spent one evening photographing the six wriggling, non-stop puppies and one tired mom. Let me tell you we needed all four adults to try to wrangle those dogs! Puppy photos definitely fall into the category my mom calls “sweaty photography.” Boy, were they a challenge!

    While we may not have gotten a photo where all six puppies were looking at the camera, we got pretty darn close–and snapped some funny shots trying. We also grabbed a couple of pictures with Kristin, Tim and the puppies. We wanted to stick Sparky in, but anytime those puppies went near their mama, they immediately tried to feed. So puppies only it was! I also took some candid shots in their pen. It figures that as soon as the big photo shoot was over, they all fell asleep. Timing is everything!

    Images of the Year

    Posted on by Drew Geraets

    We thought it’d be fun to put together a little slideshow of some of our favorite, funniest and most memorable images from the past year. While it was darn near impossible to narrow down our top 70 photos, we managed to get just about all of them in there. (Though when I came to work today, I still had to cut the slideshow by 27 images!) We hope you enjoy a look back at 2010 through the lenses of the Jan Kentala Photography staff.

    Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

    Photos by Jan Kentala and Molly Kentala Broman
    Music by Neon Trees

    Alexa & Ben’s Big Day: 06.26.10

    Posted on by Drew Geraets

    After 15 months of planning, the day had finally arrived: Alexa and Ben were getting married! The couple chose to say their vows in Alexa’s church from college: St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Dinkytown near the University of Minnesota campus. After a terribly stormy evening the night before, we were all happily surprised to get to photograph them in non-rainy conditions.

    Alexa and Ben chose not to see each other beforehand, so we photographed the two, their bridesmaids/groomsmen and their families separately, then proceeded to snap all of the large groups and wedding party after the ceremony. Thankfully, we had plenty of time to get everything in—even an hour or so to take shots near St. Anthony Main and the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

    Since Alexa is a dear friend of mine, this day was especially meaningful to me. I’ve known her and Ben throughout their courtship, and it’s been so fun to watch them grow as a couple. Being the second shooter, I spend most of the day catching the behind-the-scenes moments, so once all of the girls had left to line up for the processional, it was just me and Alexa for a few moments alone before she walked down the aisle. I looked at her and smiled, saying, “Well, it’s just me and you now. You ready to do this?” Of course, I quickly brought of us to tears.

    We wish the new Mr. and Mrs. Cushman all the best as they embark on this new chapter of their lives together. Congratulations and we can’t wait to show you the rest of the pictures!

    Alexa and her dad, Al, share a moment before they walk down the aisle.

    The couple's Yorkie, Cooper, served as an honorary groomsman. He's even wearing a tuxedo T-shirt!

    To see more shots of Alexa and Ben’s big day, visit our Facebook fan page.

    Jenna + Jake Get Married, 06.5.10

    Posted on by Drew Geraets

    They say that rain on your wedding day is a sign of good things to come. If the old adage is true, then Jenna and Jake will surely live a lifetime of happily ever after!

    While a steady rain continued throughout the morning and early afternoon, the couple’s spirits were far from dampened. We got many great shots within the sanctuary of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Maple Grove. All of the light wood and large windows gave us some fabulous natural light to work with. We even took the brave groom and groomsmen outside for a few fun jumping shots; those are a favorite of ours.

    On the drive to their reception at Rush Creek Golf Club, the clouds began to part and lo and behold, by the time the wedding party stepped out of their stretch Hummer limo, the rain had vanished. (That made for some pretty happy photographers!) Jenna and Jake were great sports, allowing us to pose them all around the golf course during their cocktail hour. I tell you, there’s nothing like a good soaking rain to get a golf course looking so lush and green.

    We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we did taking them. And congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Krueger!

    To see more shots of Jenna and Jake’s big day, check out our Facebook fan page.

    Photos in Minnesota Bride magazine

    Posted on by Drew Geraets

    Back when I was in the throes of wedding planning, I pitched a story to my editor on what it’s like to plan a reception back home after a destination wedding. I hadn’t found too many resources on the topic, so I thought it’d be helpful for fellow brides in a similar situation. As luck would have it, she loved the idea and asked me to write a piece for an upcoming issue!

    This week, the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Minnesota Bride hit newsstands and the web with the story–and our photos! The article features one of our favorite images from California and some details shots from the Minnesota reception. You can check out the story online here: http://bit.ly/4Dsp1M.

    Minnesota Bride is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Byerlys, Coborns, Cub Foods, Festival Foods, Lunds, Target and other fine retailers.

    Liz & Lamont’s wedding album

    Posted on by Drew Geraets

    We know we’re a little late in posting this one, but we couldn’t help adding images from one of our favorite weddings last summer. Liz and Lamont were married June 20, 2009, at the Carlson Towers Rotunda in Minnetonka, Minnesota. They held an outdoor ceremony by the lake (with gorgeous weather!), followed by a party inside the Rotunda. It was such a pleasure to work with them and the rest of their fun-loving wedding party.

    Side note: This album was one of our award winners from a recent Twin Cities Professional Photographers Association album competition. View this entry here.

    Be sure to view the Kidd wedding album on our Facebook fan page!

    Molly & Joe’s wedding album

    Posted on by Drew Geraets

    I dropped everything and sped to Burnsville as fast as I could when I got the call: My wedding album had come in!

    After hours of looking at the proofs and painstakingly deliberating over which ones I wanted to include in our finished album, I was all too excited to view the final product. My mom and I carefully lifted the chocolate-colored leather album from its shipping box and spent the next half-hour oohing and aahing over the images. As I suspected, GraphiStudio in Italy once again delivered a beautiful product and made me happy that they are our chosen wedding album supplier. My album sits proudly on a side table in our living room, but we have a smaller version at the studio if you’d like to check it out yourself.

    Click here to view the pages from my wedding album, which we also entered in the TCPPA wedding album competition last week and earned a blue ribbon!

    If you are thinking of a wedding in California’s gorgeous wine country, be sure to view our destination wedding packages.