Treeline Photography Blog

Tomorrow is the big day!

Jarrod, one of the coolest people I’ve met all summer will be Falling For A Cause tomorrow at Paul Bunyan Land in Brainerd, MN

Jarrod, a professional skydiver will be elevating himself 13,000 feet by attaching 100 6ft helium balloons  to himself.  When he reaches 13,000 feet he will release himself from the balloons and skydive down to Paul Bunyan Land.  I know,  I know.  It’s way too awesome. 

So what is his cause, you might ask?  Special Olympics of Minnesota!  Jarrod has been working hard to raise $13,000 to help  Special Olympics and I had a great time photographing him and some local athletes at Paul Bunyan Land last month.

After our shoot, Jarrod handed his 3 balloons to a couple of kids entering the amusement park.  He told them to release them and with giant smiles the kids watched them disappear toward the sky.  Many minutes went by and I looked up only to see a tiny dot of blue.  Not having any sense of distance, I foolishly asked Jarrod, “Is that about 13,000 feet?”  Boy was I off!  That tiny balloon that looked to be forever away, was only about 1,000 feet in the air.  It was simply mind boggling to think that he would be 13 TIMES that high! 

I strongly encougrage you to visit Paul Bunyan Land tomorrow at 12:00 pm to catch a glimpse of an amazing and worthwhile event.

It’s not too late to help Jarrod reach his goal!  Visit here to donate before the big event.

Here is the backside of the field that Jarrod will be taking off from:

We used 3 balloons for our shoot…imagine 97 more:

Last week I was fortunate enough to head to Watertown, South Dakota and attend the NLPPA Convention and listen to the seminars of 6 of the best photographers in the industry.   I was inspired and excited.  I learned and I grew.  I was nervous and out of my comfort zone.  Every presentation was better than the one before, and I left feeling like I was doing exactly what I was meant to do: own a photography business.

The convention ended on Wednesday at noon and I made my way 2 hours south, to Sioux Falls  where I would spend the rest of the week with my sister and brother-in-law.  Annie had to work till the early evening, so I had fun shopping and running in and out of stores that we aren’t so lucky to have here in the Brainerd Area.  After I had bought some new props, and scavanged through some antique shops, I headed to Falls Park, a beautiful public park in Sioux Falls.  It was a gorgeous day, sunny and 75 degrees;  I decided I would sit outside and knit some baby hats and cocoons for all my upcoming baby shoots….

As I was sitting in the grass, I looked up to see a couple walk into the park with what looked to be a judge.  I figured they were getting married and continued knitting.  A few minutes later, the gentleman approached me and asked, “Would you be a witness in my wedding?”   I probably stuttered and looked confused, but said, “Sure!” and followed him to a small overlook of the falls.  There I met his soon to be wife, the judge, and another park visitor… aka: the other witness.  After a short and sweet ceremony, Rainey & Carl were married!  Minutes later, Rainey handed me a small ‘point & shoot’ camera and asked if I would take a few photos.  Knowing, that my entire camera bag was just across the parking lot in my car, I shared with them that I was a professional photographer from Minnesota, and offered to take their wedding photos.  Everything happened so fast, and I would have loved to snap a few photos of their ceremony, but a dozen quick photos afterwards was perfect for them.   It was neat to hear that they chose to elope to Sioux  Falls, on the date that is the exact middle of both of their birthdays.

Today I mailed them some 4×6’s and a wedding card.

I was excited to be in the right place at the right time and proud that I have  immersed myself in an industry that simply just LOVES LOVE.  

Lisa contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I would photograph some graduation portraits for her as her college graduation neared… The story just got cooler and cooler though.  She was originally from Pine River, now living, working, and schooling in the Twin Cities.  I was a Twin Cities native, now living and working in Pine River.   Lisa had a distinct vision for her shoot and she put in a lot of time into finding the perfect location for her session.  Enter : Rivertown Bed & Breakfast in Stillwater.  I had never even been inside a bed and breakfast before, and now I think I’m hooked.   The inn keeper was so warm and welcoming.  She allowed us to use any room in the whole house.  I could have photographed there all day.  The fresh bright snow outside lit up each room and provided us beautiful window light.  I absolutely loved this session.  I could have photographed Lisa for hours.   It was a fun change and I found a new fondness for Stillwater and of course, bed and breakfasts! 

Thank you so much Lisa for arranging such a nice afternoon.  It was a pleasure to meet you and photograph this huge milestone.  I wish you much success!

Another year has come and gone…

Thank You to all my brides and grooms who welcomed me into their lives for a year of planning, celebration, and love.   I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s photographing each of your weddings that is allowing me to live my dream.  There isn’t really a way of thanking someone for that.  You all planned such beautiful and unique weddings.   No two are ever alike….except for hearing the song:  “Tonight’s Gonna Be A Good Night” almost every weekend as another wedding dance got underway…it put a big smile on my face and a jump in my step, and it never got old…. Whether you could tell or not, I was nervous before your wedding.  I’m nervous before EVERY wedding.  There.  I said it.   For a long time, I never admitted it publicly because I was afraid it might make me sound unprofessional or unqualified.  I hope hearing  it only makes me sound human.  The nerves mutliplied as I drove to your wedding but when I met you in your dressing room and I saw your smile as you gazed at your wedding gown hanging in the doorway, my nervousness died down to mere butterflies.   I suppose if I stopped being nervous, it might mean I stopped caring; and  I cared SO much about your wedding.  Your joy is my joy and my heart overflows with appreciation for your trust in me.  Words can’t express how much I love what I do.

To all the people who hired me to photograph their babies,  families,  highschool seniors, and reunions:  THANK YOU for contining to see a value in professional  portraiture.  I know, first hand, how difficult this economy has been on families and individuals.  I want you to know I understand that it was probably not easy to add photography into the family budget.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The heart of America truly is small business, and because of you, the future of Treeline Photography has never been brighter.  2010 looks to be a year of expansion and growth.  Also, it is so important to me to support local businesses in my own way ~ your photos are printed in a Minnesota lab and my office supplies are purchased in a small-town, local office supply store.  Keeping your dollars in your community is an admirable goal.

As winter rolls in,  I will take a few weeks and relax.  I won’t be so obsessed with the weather report and how it will affect my sessions, I won’t take my camera out as often, and I won’t be in my office everyday.  I will knit some baby hats, snowshow down the Pine River, continue to get fit at my new favorite gym, and write more letters…. Treeline Photography doesn’t own a “closed” sign, so I’m still here.  I am looking forward to 3 winter weddings and a variety of portrait sessions.   This time of year is also a time for education and growth.  All year long,  I stockpile magazine articles, webinar notes and educational dvd’s to review while I’m in the warmth of my house sitting in my snuggie jeans and t-shirt.  It is important to me to stay current and offer you the most creative products and best service while managing this buisness in a way that still gives me a chance to be a devoted wife, daughter, sister and friend.  There is always something to learn and something to buy.

My husband Sean a pillar of strength in my life and buisness.  Throughout a wedding he will periodically text me:  ”I know you’re doing awesome”   “I’ll have dinner ready when you get home”  “Thank you for working so hard”.   I am so lucky to be married to him.  At night when I’m unwinding,  I’ll go on and on about the wedding gown, the best man’s speech, the centerpieces, or the sunset.  He’ll nod and attempt to be super interested even though he probably isn’t and really, he doesn’t have to be.  He helps me believe in myself and I am blessed that we share the same dreams.

 To those of you planning your wedding for 2010 or 2011,  I consider is a great honor just for you to inquire about my services.  I would love the opportunity to sit down with you and share with you samples of my work and hear about the vision you have for your wedding.  My 2010 calendar is filling up quickly, but I have a number of dates available for August and October… I would LOVE to hear from you!

There are 2 very special shoots coming up in 2010…the wedding of a dear family friend and the birth of a little baby who will make me a first time auntie; the proudest auntie on the planet ~  I cannot wait to share both with you. 

Thank you again for helping 2009 be so wonderful for me.  I am looking forward to hearing from you again in 2010.

Blessings, Chelsie

40 years ago today, in a science lab at UCLA, two computers ‘talked’ to each other….this was the day the internet was born!

The progress went a little something like this:
1969: 2 computers ‘talked’
1981: 213 computers were linked into a network
1985: 16 milllion people were checking their email
2009: 1.7 Billion people are connected

(note:  I obtained the above info “online”….who knows if it’s true or not?!)

I remember the first time I was “online”;  It was 1997 and our 8th grade math class went to the computer lab (where we usually just played Number Munchers and Oregon Trail….okay, maybe that was more like 3rd grade…) Our teacher introduced us to a place called: Yahoo. We all laughed and laughed and laughed…wondering “what the heck is a yahoo?” it was clearly the funniest word we had heard all day. I also remember researching my 2nd grade science project on seashells using….are you ready?….ENCYCLOCPEDIAS! Yup, my neighbor across the street had an entire set of encyclopedias. That’s what we used to learn and research topics for all kinds of projects.  

It is an interesting time to be a young adult.  Even though the internet may be 40 years old, it’s not likely that anyone my age really had access to it or used it regularly when they were a child.   Today, most of us, don’t go an hour without logging into something; facebook, email,  our blogs, our bank statments…

The 40th Birthday of the internet today really made me stop and realize how fast technology is evolving.  Would you believe when I graduated from the photography program at Dakota County Tech just 5 short years ago, there was only 1 digital camera in what was a very updated and technology-savy department.  Everyone wanted to get their hands on the remarkable: Canon 20D.  Today I would imagine, everyone in the photography program at DCTC owns a high end digital SLR and there may be just one, trusty, dusty, film camera in the entire department.   Times, they are a changin’…….

Happy 40th Birthday, Internet!  I hope you have a great day!

I love this little buddy!  Photographing Josh’s newborn photos almost 4 years ago was one of my first “real” jobs in Burnsville.  Since then I have been blessed to visit Katie, Chris and Josh every fall.  It’s been an amazing honor to watch him grow up and  I was so excited that THIS year, he seemed excited to see me and had plenty of faces for my camera… Katie & Chris, it’s ALWAYS so great to see you!  You two are fabulous such people and wonderful parents and inviting me to your home every fall means more to me than I could tell you.  Thank you again!