Who am I?

Hi! I’m Cordelia! I’m an introvert, who loves adventure and getting out in nature. Technically, my first name is Emily. Cordelia is my middle name. Emily is a super common name though, so somewhere along the lines, a few of my friends began calling me Cordelia, and it stuck. Now, Emily just sounds weird to me. 

My journey with photography began in college, where I was studying graphic design.  I took a film photography class as an art elective and fell in love. The dark room was my happy place. I loved taking an image that I created, and bringing it to life.  Exposing the paper for just the right amount of time then watching as the chemicals took a blank page and turned it into an beautiful image. Although I now shoot digital, I still get that same sense by hand-editing every image to make it feel exactly as I felt when taking the photo. 

Who am I?

I’m an introvert, who loves adventure and getting out in nature. My first name is Emily. My middle name is Cordelia. I respond to both equally. Emily is a pretty common name, so somewhere along the lines, a few of my friends began calling me Cordelia. You may choose to call me either one.

My journey with photography began in college, where I was studying graphic design.  I took a film photography class as an art elective and fell in love. The dark room was my happy place. I loved taking an image that I created, and bringing it to life.  Exposing the paper for just the right amount of time then watching as the chemicals took a blank page and turned it into an beautiful image. Although I now shoot digital, I still get that same sense by hand-editing every image to make it feel exactly as I felt when taking the photo. 

My favorite childhood memories.

My love for nature started when I was a kid, growing up with a single mom. She used to take my brother, Adam, and I camping in my grandparents’ 1980’s pop up camper. It had scratchy, ugly brown cushions, and unfailingly had a few mosquitos flying around inside.  Thankfully, there was always a fly-swatter hanging on the canvas by the door.

I loved everything about it.

She’d take us fishing and we’d make Mom put the worms on the hook for us. Sometimes we’d just use canned corn as bait. It didn’t work as well, but I wasn’t afraid of corn.

As we got older, we started tent camping, and sometimes we’d even visit a cabin “up north.” My favorite memories all took place outside. I hope my kids will feel the same when they get older.

Me and my brother Adam camping 1990

The journey to Colorado and back again.

After he graduated from high school, my brother moved to Summit County, Colorado. I’d get out there to visit Adam every chance I had.  There is something so majestic and calming about the mountains. So, I tried really hard to get out there at least once a year.

In college, I started dating this incredibly cute, shaggy-headed soccer player named Benjamin, so naturally, I brought him to Colorado to spend spring break with Adam and his wife Julie.  Then again that summer to do some backpacking and climbing.

After we got married in 2010, we moved out to live with them in Breckenridge.  We climbed 14ers and hiked in the summer, then snowboarded all winter. After a year, we decided it was time to move back to Minnesota so I could grow my photography, only a hobby at the time, into a business. I shot my first wedding in 2011 and haven’t looked back. I’n over 10 years in, and I still believe that I have the best job in the world.

The current situation.

Now, my husband Ben and I live in Big Lake, Minnesota, where he is the head brewer at a local craft brewery and I run my photography business while homeschooling our 3 beautiful blue-eyed girls. We take them camping every summer (Yes, my mom still comes along) and we are doing our best to raise them as adventurous, kind, and loving human beings.  Because people matter. Relationships matter. Experiences matter.

Other things I love.

Following Jesus. Baking. Cooking. Modern folk/bluegrass music. Video games. More specifically, Destiny 2. Red wine and dark chocolate. Meaningful conversations. Sweatpants. Road Trips.

Now what?

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