Ty is one of my favorite people in the world.  We’ve been friends since college (12 years? Really? College was 12 years ago!?! Ack!). We still hang out almost weekly.

Katy I don’t know quite as well, but I hope to! So far as I can tell, she is Ty’s perfect counterpart.

In the past 5 years, many of our band of brothers have gotten married (June 9, 2007: Happy Anniversary, Honey!) and Ty was the guy at the reception with the iPod with all the good music that played DJ (incidentally, Ty saved my reception in particular when the playlist I set up on the computer broke).  Now it’s their turn!

Another awesome person to mention: Jenn Cheesebrow of The Minnesota Image . Jenn started out as my best friend’s wife, but now I think of her as a good friend in her own right. Also, we’re both friends with Ty and both wedding photographers.  Rather than choose which of us to hire for his wedding, Ty asked us both!  I’ve worked on a number of collaborative efforts, but I’ve never looked forward to one as much as this! Jenn and I talk photography a lot anyway, and I’ve done a few jobs with her husband, Tim, but I’ve never actually shot with Jenn.  Last weekend, we had our first outing: engagements photos.

We met Katy and Ty on Cathedral Hill in St. Paul and started with the swings and playground equipment.

From there we wandered the neighborhood a bit, looking for good backgrounds. We found a good spot behind the YWCA, which was ideal with its red brick.

Jenn brought the chalk.  I loved her ideas!  We found another spot behind the College of Visual Arts: a blue mural wall. The wall wasn’t quite as photogenic as we had hoped, but we still got a few good poses.

Right across the street was Nina’s, a really cool coffee shop that also has historical significance for Katy and Ty (Ty says “First date”, Katy says “First hang-out outside of work”)

There’s a restaurant across the street the other way, W.A. Frost, that has a great patio, so we stopped there, too.

From there, we departed for our second location, Lake Como. After a warm-up and a change of clothes, we were right back at it!

We took the last few shots and headed for the cars.  As we crossed the parking lot, it started to rain. Timing couldn’t have been better! We had great light and only had to use a reflector once.  Over all, a great experience.  I look forward to shooting the wedding this fall.  Jenn is a great creative partner. I think I can learn a lot from her.