Tiffany + Phil - The Engagement

Good ol Phil Bartz..I'll start with Tiffany, I just met Tiffany when they found me as a wedding photographer, so I can't say much about Tiffany, except that she's a sweetheart and is madly in love with Phil :) I've known Phil since middle school when teams started to play eachother. We played basketball and baseball against eachother since freshman year in high school and Phil and I both pitched and usually against eachother when La Crescent played Holmen. Then I actually got the opportunity to play WITH Phil when we played for La Crescent Cardinals wood bat league. I showed up at Tiffany's house this afternoon and wanted to start there and get a couple shots with their dogs (Diesel and Bentley) and then we drove up to her parents farm outside of Houston Minnesota. Great place to photograph and I learned today that it only costs $25 to shoot there, and that we are supposed to slip the money under the door, right Tiffany? We got to photograph by a man made pond and little stream, and out in the rustic Houston Minnesota. Here are some images of Tiffany + Phil - The Engagement. They are tying the knot Sunday September 5th, 2010. See you guys in a few quick months, congrats from Jared Lee Photography!

A walk with Drake

Being a professional photographer my winter season is usually pretty dead. So what I did this off season was raise and train our black lab pup Drake. I suprised Heather with him the day after Thanksgiving, and I actually got him from one of her family friends in Baldwin. When we go to her parents, we usually meet up with Walker his black lab brother, and Porter his yellow lab brother for play dates and they get to wrestle and roll around.

Drake is a very smart dog because I got to spend so much time with him this winter training him. As of right now, he just turned 7 months old and knows his right and left hands, can sit and stay, while he waits to fetch the stick and tennis balls, and he can sit patiently with a treat on his nose and wait for my command before he snatches it off his nose.


As soon as it started getting nice out, I've been taking him for runs down these trails behind our apartment complex's that have little creek beds he can run around him, and some of them are deep enough where he has to swim across. I usually run him just over a mile one way, and then we turn around and come back. His nose goes crazy in the woods with all the new smells, he chases after birds and squirrels and loves fetching sticks in the creek.




I've taken him out on the river in the boat twice now, and for some reason he always finds sticks that are just as big if not bigger than he is. It's kind of funny I'll be ahead of him either running or on my bike, and I'll turn around and he'll be running with a huge limb in his mouth trying to catch up to me.



The day in the life of Drake, he's got it made, excersise every day, treats for being smart, lots of attention from Heather and I, and play dates with his brothers. Also he's been to diggity dog daycare on French Island by the airport. Diggity Dog is AMAZING, AH MAAZZING. Drop him off in the morning, pick him up at 6, they take no naps there and play with all the dogs ALL day long so by the time you pick him up, he is pooped, sleeps all the way home, and most importantly ALL NIGHT LONG. Thanks for stopping in guys!

Brock + Tristin - The Engagement

Best friends since I can remember. I used to be at Brock's all the time, almost every weekend, he'd either be at my house, or I'd be at his. Cordell and Marlene almost raised me in a sense when it comes to motorsports, full refrigerator, and good food :) We've played basketball on the same team since 6th or 7th grade, traveling leagues, and school teams. I remember one time, new years eve, Brock's parents were out of town and we had a get together at their place, low key, just watching movies and playing pool, we took his car out, except Brock didn't have his license so I had to drive. However, I didn't know how to drive a stick yet, so we had the dome light on and Brock was teaching me from the passenger seat. Luckily they lived out in the sticks outside of Holmen where there were no cars or traffic.

I've been around for Brock and Tristin's entire relationship, almost 6 or 7 years to be exact. I've known Tristin since 7th or 8th grade I believe.

Brock and Tristin are tying to knot August 21st, 2010, and no to my fellow photographer's I am not shooting their wedding :) I get to enjoy one for once. August is my busy month, I have 4 weddings to photograph, and am in Brock and Tristin's. Here are some of my favorite images during their engagement session I photographed.

Jared Lee Photography's first blog post - Connie + Seth - The Wedding

4 A.M. Saturday April 24, 2010 my 6 month old black lab pup gets up and shakes and I hear his collar dinging with his tags. I had had a sore throat for the last couple days, but this day it was the worst its been. I got up at 4A.M. and could not stop coughing, and when I'd swallow....ahhh it was just one of those days.

I could not go back to sleep, just tossing and turning, so I figured I'll get up and pack up all my camera gear and get it ready at 4:30 in the morning for Connie and Seth's big day. I finally got back to bed on the couch close to 7:15 after some throat sprays and water. Alarm goes off at 8am to get showered, shave my head, and get my car packed up to head out to hair appointments at 10:30.

Super fun day, Connie's bridesmaids (Donna, Angie, Amanda, Sam, Haylee, and Caitlin) were so much fun and so welcoming when I showed up at the hair salon. I had photographed Sam's wedding last March 14th to Rob which is Connie's future husbands younger, more handsome brother, by default, that's how I got Connie and Seth's wedding.

The day started off pouring rain, and thunderstorms were likely in the afternoon, but we were fortunate and didn't get any rain while we were photographing the bridal party or romantics with Connie and Seth.

We all had a great day, church was Holmen Lutheran, and reception was at the City Brewery Hospitality center.

Thankyou to both Connie and Seth's wonderful families for welcoming Dan Balfanz and I to photograph your children's special day, and thankyou to Connie and Seth for being troopers and truly being pro's at dipping :) Congrats to the both of you!