So let me fill you in on a little secret:


I'm starting a photography blog, and I honestly have no idea what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks I'm doing. Buuut the clock is ticking and there's no time like the present to dive right in, so here we are! With no idea where to start, I thought I'd launch things by giving you a little more info on yours truly.

Miranda sits on the dash of an old station wagon in the early 90s. She wears a bucket hat, white T, and faded jeans.

Let's take a moment to soak in this 1993-chic ensemble, yes?

My journey into this gig as a Minnesota family photographer has been a long and winding one. I guess you could say my love for photography started around age seven when my parents let me use a vintage snapshot camera to take pictures on a family vacation to Mackinac Island. I have no idea what camera it was, but I distinctly remember the experience because I still have the little square prints that materialized. From that point on, you could find me at any family vacation (or later, middle/high school function) with a disposable Kodak camera, snapping photos of things that translate only as well as a point-and-shoot camera will let them (most of which have probably ended up in the trash as I've *attempted* to clean out my photo boxes throughout the years).

(Okay, but is this not an analog Instagram feed?)

In high school I took photography as an elective - like real film photography where we developed actual tangible photographs in a darkroom - and I was hooked. I loved the aesthetic of journalistic photos, wanted to make a difference, and became obsessed with the images I saw in National Geographic, so I decided to enroll as a photojournalism major at Arizona State. ASU ended up not being my thing, and I eventually found myself at an amazing photography school in California. I studied there for nearly two years and absolutely loved it, but found myself panicking at the thought of having a degree from a non-accredited institution. I quickly shifted gears and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's degree in psychology, after which I went to work in the autism field for over ten years.

Black-and-white film photograph of a large boat on a lakefront dock
Black-and-white film photograph of rocks and water
Black-and-white film photograph of small ice cream shop window

Film photographs taken in my high school photography class

I guess it's important to note that around six years ago (in 2015) my husband lovingly-kinda-sorta pushed me into starting to take on clients for portrait photography. I remember the conversation vividly, because my anxiety and I did not feel ready to be taking on paying clients (or any clients, really). But I jumped in and did it. I offered a few sessions to friends for free, and then started advertising sessions on Craigslist for close-to-free. I started to invest in more education and build my skillset outside of the documentary realm into directing and working with portraiture clients (read more about that transition here). In 2020 that investment paid off when my world (like so many of ours) was flipped upside down.


My second-born was about four months old when the pandemic hit, and I was one month back from maternity leave when I became a COVID layoff statistic. Long story short - here we are! This little venture is finally working toward helping me feed and clothe my tiny humans. Nerve-wracking? You bet. But despite the unexpected struggles that come with being a work-from-home parent, the fact that this gig gives me the flexibility to spend time with my favorite humans during this amazing (and fleeting) time of early childhood is something I wouldn't trade for the world.


So that's that. Let me wrap things up by saying that if you're here reading this, if you've invested in me and my business, if you've entrusted me with documenting your important memories and favorite humans, from the bottom of my heart thank you so, so, so much! It's not something that I take lightly, and I put 1000% into each and every session (just ask my husband; he sees it firsthand 😅). I can only hope to continue bringing joy to your world through these little snapshots in time (and ultimately bring that joy to your kiddos, who will treasure these glimpses back in time more than we know).


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