Professional Photographer in Mounds View, MN
Are you looking for a real professional photographer to capture a big event in your life? Look no further than Michael Anderson, a professional photographer in Mounds View, Minnesota for over 35 years.
Whether you’re looking for great high school senior portraits, wonderful family and children’s photos, award-winning wedding photography, fantastic photographs of your vehicle, photographs with Santa Claus that will blow you away, and much more, Michael Anderson Photography has you covered!
One of the Finest Light Painting Photographers in the Country
Light painting photography is a highly specialized photography field, and Michael has become one of the best at creating these one-of-a-kind artworks. You’ll find tons of light painted photographs, dedicated pages, and blog posts all throughout our website. In fact, light painting has become such a specialty that Michael also has a dedicated light painting photography website just for that!
Please check it out at MichaelAndersonLightPainting.com

Terry and Lori’s finished five-vehicle light painted artwork!
Michael specializes in creating one-of-a-kind light paintings of all kinds of subjects. Light painting is usually reserved for cool cars, motorcycles, planes, and other things. However, Michael has taken the concept a whole lot further! He’s incorporated light painting into his high school senior photos, children’s portraits, engagement photographs, and wedding photography too!

Our senior, and the Mercedes Benz. Congratulations on your senior year, Nate!

A light painted portrait of “The Construction Dude”, with an actual front loader. Of course, he wasn’t really there on-site, but through the magic of green screen photography, he was!

April and Darrick’s one-of-a-kind light painted engagement photograph.

Ryan and Tina’s beautiful light painting with the 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria.
Home of The Best Santa Experience
Speaking of real photographic specialties, every November, Michael and Joannie become two of “Santa’s Elves”! They assist Santa Claus in helping to raise money to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis! They create amazing custom-written Santa Storybooks and Santa artworks, many of which are also light painted! All the while raising thousands of dollars each year to help those with CF. It’s a win-win!

Kira and Austin take a peek into Santa’s Magic Toy Bag!
With a different theme each year, The Best Santa Experience has grown so much that, in addition to all of the Santa blog posts and other information on this site, it too has its own dedicated website where you can experience the magic and make your own online reservation! Hurry, we sell out every year! Please check it all out at TheBestSantaExperience.com

Santa reads “The Night Before Christmas” from his Magic Book to two adorable sisters!
High School Senior Professional Photographer
Are you looking for a professional photographer who does a great job on senior photos? You’ve found the right place! Your senior portraits will be created with nice relaxed poses and awesome lighting too.

A great senior photo of Tanden and Remy was created on our annual “North Shore Weekend” at Lester Park in Duluth, MN.
Michael offers senior pictures right here in-studio, in our very own Portrait Park, and at locations all over the Twin Cities and beyond! He also creates specialized green screen senior pics for sports and other school activities!

Senior in the Spotlight.
All of your senior photographs will be fully retouched and enhanced so that you look great!

“Let’s Play Hockey!” A cool light painted senior photo with a Zamboni!
Michael also creates light painted senior photos for many of his high school seniors. Anything from your car, truck, musical instruments, and more can be light painted. It’s not easy to do, but senior photo light paintings are really cool!

A really cool light painting of Nate with his light-up drumsticks!
Professional Family Portraits
Dealing with your family can be tough. Working with your photographer should be easy.
Whether it’s during our annual North Shore Weekend, in our very own Portrait Park, or at a location that’s special to you, Michael will create a family portrait that you’ll treasure forever!

Gary and Carol’s annual family portrait was created at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.
We design and create beautiful family portraits that are handed down for generations.
We’ll help you plan what to wear, the time of day that’s best for lighting, add more lighting if needed, and finally, help you decide the proper size to display in your home or office. Heck, we even have our very own Portrait Park at our Mounds View, MN home studio, and it’s available to you at no extra cost!
Let us create a memory that will last a lifetime

A nice early spring family portrait was created right here in our Portrait Park.
“Michael’s work is incredible. I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as the quality of his photography and the incredible designs he creates to display them. He will always be our organizations and our personal first choice as a photographer!”
– Harmon & Nita Killebrew – The Harmon Killebrew Foundation – More Testimonials Here
Child Growing Up Too Fast?
Capturing a milestone in your child’s life doesn’t have to be stressful!
Your kids can’t look great if they are not relaxed and enjoying the process of having their portraits created. Because we have a home-based indoor and outdoor studio in Mounds View, your kids will be much more comfortable having fun getting their portraits taken here.
And when your kids get older (which will be in the blink of an eye), we specialize in beautiful high school senior pictures too!
Fisher and Tanner’s portrait taken in Fall colors.
“We love when these milestones come up because it means we get to work with you again. Thank you so much for all your patience with Mommy and me, and for sharing your amazing talent with us. You’ve created such great treasures for our family and we can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate you! Thanks a million!”
– Love, Katie (and the whole family) – More Testimonials Here
Trust us to help capture your child’s special moments – click here
Minneapolis and St. Paul Wedding Photographers
You have hundreds of things to worry about, your wedding photographer shouldn’t be one of them.
Michael and Joannie are two of the best Minneapolis and St. Paul wedding photographers. With over 35 years of experience, they have photographed well over 800 weddings, creating hundreds of beautiful wedding albums and award-winning wedding photos. Their Mounds View, MN portrait studio can go mobile to just about any wedding location ensuring great lighting for your wedding photos.

Dan and Jenny having a little fun out in the vineyard just after sunset.
Destination Wedding Photographers
Destination wedding photography is also something that Michael and Joannie Anderson really excel at. They have been destination wedding photographers in many parts of Minnesota. From weddings in Duluth, Two Harbors, Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, and Hibbing up north, to Rochester, Red Wing, and Alexandria in the south, they’ve photographed weddings all around the state!

What a beautiful place to get married!
More distant destination wedding photo locations include venues all over Wisconsin and Iowa, in San Antonio, Texas, and the stunning Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Light Painting Professional Wedding Photographers
They also are the only wedding photographers out there who create light paintings for their wedding couples. These light painted wedding photographs are one-of-a-kind works of art!

Wes and Lindsey’s one-of-a-kind light painting at The Gull Lake Center.
Michael and Joannie are truly Minnesota’s Husband and Wife Wedding Photography Team and, as mentioned, the only Light Painting Wedding Photographers in the world. These are beautiful, one-of-a-kind wedding photographs that are not available anywhere else.
The World’s Only Full-Scene Light Painting Wedding Photographers
Inducted into The Knot “Best of Weddings” Hall of Fame
Selected Seven Times as “The Best Wedding Photographers in Minneapolis” by Expertise.com
13-time Winners of “The Knot” Best of Weddings
Six-Time WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award Winners
“I cannot say enough about how amazing our experience was with Michael and Joannie. The pictures were amazing and it is not because I am extremely good looking, it is because this is the BEST photographer in the State of Minnesota!”
– Marcus & Krista – More Testimonials
Nature and Wildlife Photography

The Aurora Borealis. The photo was captured in Silver Bay, Minnesota on a very cold March night in 2021.
Michael is an accomplished nature and wildlife photographer as well. In fact, that’s how he began his career in photography over 35 years ago. He took a long hiatus from nature and wildlife photography to operate their wedding and portrait studio, but he is now back doing it just for the fun of it!

A soaring bald eagle near the Kenai Mountains in Alaska.

Fresh salmon, it’s what’s for lunch!
Oh, yeah, and humpback whales are also one of his favorite wildlife subjects to photograph. We will have a humpback whale gallery coming soon for you to enjoy as well
Engagement Photography | Wedding Photography | Newborn and Kids Portraits | Family Portraits | Senior Portraits | Pet Photography
We’d love to hear from you!
Please contact us here or call us at 763-785-1177 to chat about your plans.