Downtown Minneapolis Little C Tree Commercial Photographer Session Lauren B Photography

Downtown Minneapolis Branding & Commercial Photography

On a busy Saturday in early November - unseasonably warm and sunny like it is the day I’m writing this - I got to work with some of the team members of the newly launched Little C Tree. I’ll share their story below. But first, a quick overview of commercial sessions and my approach to this one.

Commercial sessions are so crucial for “putting a face to the name” of your company or business. Beautiful, customized, and true-to-brand images show instead of tell your story. For individuals, the self-employed, and entrepreneurs, these are also called Branding Sessions, and typically combine headshots with the “commercial” images that represent who and what you’re all about.

My commercial work has a “lifestyle” feel, which means it’s more natural and free-flowing than highly stylized. I’ll of course move items around and direct people throughout, but the feeling is more organic and true to life.

For this session, a festive mood and holiday spirit were to shine through, while the focus stayed on the product: petit responsibly-sourced Christmas trees and a few other items. Perfect for smaller dwellings and city living, or as centerpieces and general holiday decor, these little trees are of course super easy to move around to fit your style and home.

On this evening, we played around a downtown Minneapolis penthouse apartment - outside on the patio, in the kitchen over games and a meal, and in the living room with hot chocolates and music. All the while keeping the trees and other items at the forefront. And of course, I can’t go without those detail shots and closeups!

This was such a fun project - and so nice to get into the holiday spirit early this year of years. It was great to meet the innovative people behind this budding company and I wish them all the best.

Now let’s meet the people behind the Little C Tree

The main stars of the show here in Minnesota are Nola and Benjy, who moved to Minnesota after their wedding one year ago. Benjy grew up in a rural town in Utah, and loves the outdoors - particularly the spirit and life of trees. He worked in Utah as an arborist until he met Nola. The two of them traveled around the United States together, camping along the way. They especially remember a place called "soda springs” where a natural source of carbonated water springs out of the ground. It's potable and has a sweet taste so you can dip in a cup and enjoy. These two are a regular couple of hipsters escaping the clutches of societal norms and enjoying the simplicities of life.

Nola and her brother Daniel grew up in Oregon on a blueberry farm on a mountain in the woods. They’re from a family of nine and the youngest of the bunch. Nola is firmly resilient, intuitive, creative, and compassionate, made only better with a mix of humility and self doubt as she looks outward and sees greatness in others.

Daniel, Nola’s older brother, was a wild child growing up. He struggled in school and eventually dropped out of high school, taking on lots of manual labor and waiting jobs while spinning his wheels. Eventually, he found himself working in a therapeutic facility in the woods for eight years, discovering that the combination of wilderness and losing yourself in the service of others was his path to the life he was meant for.

Now meet Caitlin and Matt, also born and raised in Utah and now married. Here are two individuals who truly see the lemons in life as sweet opportunities for lemonade. When you're around them it can be easy to forget what was so hard in the first place. When COVID hit, Matt and Caitlin were outside of Beijing China teaching English. They stayed put for a while and eventually found their way home before headed East to Minnesota to pursue similar pursuits as Nola and Benjy.

Daniel, Nola, Benjy, Matt, and Caitlin all found each other here in Minnesota needing to readjust and fine tune their vocational pursuits. They made Little C Tree in about a week of hard, constant work - plus flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances. They all agree that Christmas trees are and have been a beacon of hope. And what the world needs now is hope. Bringing a little Christmas tree into as many homes as possible this year could be a reminder to all of us that there is still hope. They want to bring the little light of hope they feel to anyone open to it. Especially in diverse times and among diverse people, they hope it unites.

You can learn more or get in touch with the Little C Tree team at https://www.littlectree.com/

To schedule a commercial or branding session of your own, feel free to reach out at https://laurenbfalk.com/contact