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My passion for capturing beautiful photos is enlightening when working by fun am joyful clients.

I recently had the opportunity to take photos of my niece Chelsey. They were "senior photos" of sorts. She was graduating from college and her parents wanted to capture Chelsey and her twin brother Frank before they "flew the coop". As a parent myself, I know this will be both a happy and melancholy time.

Chelsey knew exactly where she wanted her photos taken. At the Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. Not just in the stadium during a game. Rather, on the field, in the dugout and on the players' steps.

This story goes back many years for Chelsey. She has always loved baseball. Being a twin, she and Frank played ball together from a young age. Chelsey played on the boys teams until high school when she had to switch. She not only held her own...she was very good! She continued to play in college and she volunteered as often as she could for baseball organizations including the Minnesota Twins. This Spring, Chelsey was offered an internship with the Minnesota Twins (she does fun things like create the questions about the ball players that display on the screens and operate the Fan Cam video camera). It was because of her internship that she was given permission to use the stadium for her on-location shoot.

Not only was it an opportunity of a lifetime for me, it was a reminder that location is critical to taking great photos. Locations that hold special meaning bring out genuine happiness and familiarity. If you have a portrait session coming up, think about locations that are important to you. Some other on-location shoots that I've enjoyed, because they've held special meaning to others, include Afton Apple Orchard, Lake Elmo Park Reserve and Lake Elmo Airport. Be creative. Game on!

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We've all done it. You know...taken a selfie and posted it to your favorite social site. Facebook, Instagram, maybe Snapchat. This week, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary added selfie and 150 other new words to its print and online versions. So exactly what is a selfie? It's "an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks." It doesn't seem like the word has been around for long, but its first use goes way back to 2002!

Selfies have taken on some criticism in recent months. While many people consider the selfie to be self-indulged and too "I focused", others say a selfie is a medium to help people, especially young women, see their beauty and self-worth in a very honest and visible way. Regardless, it captures the moment. How do you see it?

Oh...for the other new words added to the Dictionary, check out the following URL: http://www.merriam-webster.com/new-words/2014-update.htm. I definitely learned a few things.