menuclose
J.J. Killins Photography

New glasses + Clay Squared | Minneapolis family photographer

clay squared to infinity class

My very own daughter has her very first pair of glasses, which she has been excited about getting for two whole weeks, and which also requires a special photo to commemorate the occasion.

This happened yesterday, on our way home from a very fun clay class in Northeast Minneapolis at Clay Squared to Infinity. We learned mixing and design techniques and each made something to bring home! She decorated a tin to carry her earbuds, and I decorated a switchplate for her bedroom! I highly recommend the Intro to Polymer Clay class at Clay Squared. What a fun outing for a mom and child, for friends, even for a birthday party!

Between the clay and the glasses, we had a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

Project 365 | Twin Cities documentary photographer

I am a sucker for a personal photography project. Complete sucker. In 2015 I undertook the massive personal photography project of one photo a day. I am so very glad I did it. But, I cannot tell a lie, I am still in post-processing for this project.

A few things that have gotten in the way of me getting this project from camera to computer to beautiful hardcover book:

  1. Life.
  2. Life.
  3. Life.

2017, however, is a catch-up year for me. I vowed not to take on any new projects so I could use this year to tie up loose ends on every other project.

Here’s where I am with my Project 365: editing the second half of 2015.

Obviously, getting all of the editing done will be a huge accomplishment. But then, there’s the designing of a book to contain all of these images. It’s a major undertaking.

But here’s the unexpected fun part of taking this real slow – I am uncovering gems! Photos that I took in August of 2015, managed to get onto my computer and organize in the proper folder, are now showing themselves to me for the first time. Just two short years ago, my kids were still so little!

project 365 minneapolisshoreview photographerbubbles photographysummer family photographytwin cities youth basketballshoreview target

I knew this project was going to be big. It is kind of unbelievable that I’m still working on it. But when I get that book in my hand and get to see my people’s faces? Worth it.

Now, go take a picture of your people.

Twelve | Twin Cities photographer

tween photographer twin cities

Yesterday my daughter, my first-born, the one who made me a mother – she turned twelve. She is really amazing.

I’ve been taking photographs of her since she was in my belly, probably thousands. I’ve taken these candle-wish photos on every birthday, and also a picture right at her birth time every single year. We are well-documents, my husband will tell you, and I treasure each image.

You cannot take enough of them.

The reason for that is so simple. It is not to overwhelm you, it is not to overwhelm your house (or your husband). It is because you never know which ones will be the most ordinarily meaningful. It probably won’t be the prom picture or the dressed up for Easter one. It will be some random everyday shots when you thankfully picked up your camera and when you saw the image on a screen or in your hand, you see into the image and you know, that’s the soul of her, the part I have to remember.

This picture is so ordinary, but so amazing for me, the mama of a beautiful girl on her twelfth birthday. She’s helping me with her cake. There are no devices. She doesn’t own one so there’s no texting and whatevering between friends, and I don’t need mine to make cake. It’s just us. It’s too yucky outside so we’re inside together, making her buttercream frosting and putting the homemade chocolate cake together. I want to preserve this girl, but I know I can’t, so I have this. She’s how sweet you are on your birthday, feeling so incredibly special and realizing just how much goes into making this day for you. I have dedicated the day to birthday-ing while she’s at school. She is a gift.

twin cities documentary photography

Slowly spring | Shoreview, MN photograher

Twin Cities spring photography

Spring is sloooooooow here. You get a glorious weekend like this past one, you see the dandelions showing their sunny yellow faces, you talk walks through our Rice Creek trails, and then you see the weather report for the week. Blustery, grey, rainy, highs back down in the 40s.

It’s gorgeously green, and it’s making me want to get out there and find some beautiful blossoms to photograph. It’s making me want to photograph families outside, too, because I’ve spent the past month capturing the beautiful faces of our school play indoors.

But first, I guess we will hibernate for another week or so!

Fall evening at the park | Personal Photojournalism 2016

In this month’s blog circle, I’m sharing one fall evening at the park.

In October we get 3 days off, broken up over two weekends. In our family, we don’t travel. We hope for good weather at home and then we just relax. It’s been six weeks since school started and we are starting to wear down from the grind of everyday, of alarms and lunch making and picking up kids and this year stopping at two different schools. We are tired. So we sleep in and maybe go to a movie. We drop off library books and actually have time to walk around that one path that leads to the other park.

shoreview family photographer
shoreview family photographer

Eight year olds (and eleven year olds) are still plenty interested in the park. But they might climb on top of the equipment instead of in it.
shoreview parks
shoreview parks

It was chilly and the goal was the monkey bars, so gloves were shared. And also discarded because, well, you can’t really be successful at the monkey bars with gloves on.
shoreview parks

Eight year olds and eleven year olds still swing, and do swing on age appropriate swings, but not before precariously putting themselves into the baby swings.
shoreview parks

Eleven year old at the park. Outside, in nature, exploring, in her element.
shoreview family photographer
shoreview family photographer

I am thankful everyday for these two, for their togetherness. They have each other, built-in playmates. Built-in friends.
shoreview parks
shoreview family photographer

Travel around the blog circle to see the lovely images of Liz Degroff, Berks County family photographer!

J.J. Killins photography

Serving Shoreview, Minnesota & the Twin Cities