If you’re local and looking through my website, you may have noticed the gallery that’s labeled “heirloom portraits”.  And if you’ve lived in Minnesota or the upper midwest most of your life, you probably haven’t heard of or seen these before.

Heirloom portraits are a very traditional style of photography.  They are popular in the south and can be seen throughout many homes.  This style has been around for several generations, and even in Minnesota, your grandparents may have had similar photos taken when they were young.

I first came across this style of photography about 6 years ago while attending a newborn workshop in South Carolina with an amazing teacher and friend, Danielle Hobbs (if you’re a newborn photographer reading this, I highly recommend taking any classes or workshops she offers – she’s amazing).  Another friend I met through the workshop lived in that area, and most of her business was focused on heirloom portraiture.  I absolutely fell in love with the clean, classic look of it, and had never seen anything like that being offered in Minnesota.

I’ve now been offering Children’s Heirloom photography in Minneapolis for about 5 years.  I haven’t promoted it much, as I’ve been keeping busy with my usual maternity, newborn and family sessions, but I have been getting more and more requests for children’s heirloom portraits in the last couple of years.  I’m bound and determined to make these more popular in Minnesota in the coming years, and I’d love to see one of these gorgeous portraits framed as a fine art print in every home.

More of my children’s heirloom portraits can be seen here.  And since these outfits are not very popular here in the midwest, I also offer a studio wardrobe for babies and children that have classic styles such as this.

Here are some favorites from a recent 2 year heirloom portrait session: