It's about timing | Brainerd MN Senior Photographer

The weather this week has been awesome. The sun is shining, the humidity is down and there is a beautiful breeze (a little strong, but keeps the bugs away). It's my first official week in my new studio being self-employed, and I've gotta say—I'm loving it.

I talked with my friend last night about how happy I was, just plugging away at my work with the music cranked up—in my bare feet—with a nice breeze coming through the windows. Fantastic. I got so much done! I said, "I wish I had done this sooner!" But she said "But the timing was right NOW, not before." And she was completely right, and I knew it. Before I did not have all of the great experiences I've had in the last 15+ years. My business is now ready to thrive because I learned, made mistakes, took criticism, had successes—and waited. Patience and trust. That was part of my learning, too. Thanks Big Guy.

On to why you're here: Bonus Hannah! Again, I feel like a broken record . . . but what a splendid lady! She's a swimmer, cute as a button, and could NOT hold on to "serious face" for more than 5 seconds without laughing. Which I thought was great. Her smile was contagious. (I found myself smirking behind the camera, a lot.) Her goal is to be an optometrist, which is such a great and worthy profession. Helping people see better . . . Maybe she can prescribe me some bifocals in a few years. ;)

How do you decide? | Brainerd MN Senior Photography

We have two young boys. They aren't ready to think about AP classes, post-secondary mumbo jumbo or anything like that. Thank goodness. When I was in high school we just worried about who we could compare notes with on pre-calc, who was going to bomb the chemistry test, sports, friends and of course, boys.

Young people these days have so much on their plates. Aside from deciding where to go to college (if that's the route they are taking) and what classes to take for college credit, they have sports six to seven days a week and need to juggle homework, friends and jobs. I really do think that this generation of high school students are going to be determined, well-rounded, upstanding people. They know what it means to prioritize! And the kids who aren't doing the sports and extra classes are putting their nose to the grindstone with keeping up academically, volunteering and just being teens—living life!

I sincerely hope my kids grow up to be balanced adults. I think we're laying the groundwork as parents, as best we can. Manners, hard work, fun and faith. Plus a good dose of boundaries. Everyone needs them. (Sorry boys, it's for your own good.)

The young lady below, Hannah, has her priorities figured out. And many of them correspond exactly to what I stated for my kids above. We found that we've got a lot in common (even music!). She was a joy to photograph. Although she wasn't able to grab tickets for the concert I went to on Friday night  (sold out!) I'm posting a quick pic at the end of the post for her. Have a FANTASTIC senior year Hannah, I wish you all the best! Keep doing what you're doing. You're on the right track.

A few hundred of my best friends at the NEEDTOBREATHE concert.

Golden light, golden girl | Brainerd Minnesota Senior Photography

It's officially my first day being self-employed! And I gotta say, it's already awesome.

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing this gorgeous lady, Kelsie. She was a fantastic subject (you can tell) and incredibly easy going—fun to chat with about a ton of different subjects. [Really, we were all over the board.] In the end, we got to know each other and also got some amazing shots. Kelsie, I hope you have a great senior year and that your next adventure is exciting, fun and rewarding. I know it will be a success with your great personality! Thanks for taking time to hang out with me.

Brainerd MN Senior Photographer

It's time to begin.

Isn't it? Cheesy reference to Imagine Dragons to start off my first blog post. (As my husband smiles.) And an disclaimer: This may be my longest post. Usually I'm pretty to the point, for future reference.

If you know me, you know I can be a little cheesy. A little clumsy. A little timid. A little outspoken. A contradiction of left brain and right. It's what makes me who I am: Andrea L. Baumann. And I am the owner of True Photography & Design, here in the gorgeous Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota. If this is your introduction to me, I hope you find it real, simple and true.

Design :: I've been in the business of design for many years. If I count them all up, I almost need all of my fingers and toes. I've been an intern all the way up to a Creative Director, and I worked very hard to accomplish those goals. Easy? No. Challenging? Yes. Fun? Most of the time. Rewarding? Most definitely. I've had pro bono, local, national and international clients. I've designed websites to wine bottles, and logos to lapel pins. Name it, I bet I've done it. In a nutshell, I have a lot of experience . . . and I'm good at what I do. 

Photography ::  My love of photography began in 4-H when I was 11 years old (with my Mom's manual SLR, Canon AE-1). I got a blue ribbon at the East Ottertail County Fair and I was hooked. I've improved a lot since then. (You would hope so, wouldn't you.) But in high school I concentrated more on fine arts like illustration, painting and pottery. Graduated with honors, went to college at Bemidji State, fell in love and got my degree in Design Technology. I learned a lot about photography and even more about life. (It was awesome.) During that time I saw how photography and design went hand in hand. You could have the best layout in the world, but with junky photos—well, sorry. But if you had beautiful photography, all you needed was a cutline. Boom. You win an award. (Ok, maybe not that easy. But close!) That's the power of the visual image. Wherever I worked as a designer it was a benefit that I had photography skill. It was a part of my job that I loved. As I grew my skills, I branched out to doing weddings and portraits for friends. Pretty soon I had a nice little side business going that funded my gear and software. And so it has been for 10 years. Daytime designer, nighttime and weekend photographer. And it worked beautifully.

Now :: Back to the title of the post: It's time to begin. And ya know what? It really, really is. Knowing that God answers prayers and is my faithful guide in this big trip of life gives me comfort. He has shown me true friendships for which I am so very, very thankful. My family and I have had ups and downs, but we persevere. A big motto in our house is, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." Fits are just silly, aren't they. We think so.

My door opened—and you don't even know how many times (over YEARS) I asked, "Just give me guidance. Open the door when you think I'm ready." And I'm going right on in. Making myself comfy with a nice set of skills that can always be honed, always improved, always open for growth. I love that. 

It's time for me to begin this thing called self-employment. 
Here we go. The big adventure begins.