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1950-Oldsmobile-88-Holiday-Coupe-light-painting-created-at-Greggs-Garage-Vintage-Restored-Gas-Station-in-Carver-MN
Split Rock Lighthouse wedding photography of the bride & groom on the rocky Lake Superior shoreline.
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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

A stunning light painting of a 1939 Packard Coupe 110 Series, a 1948 Pontiac Silver Streak, a 1955 Chevrolet 3100 Stepside Shortbox pickup truck, a 1959 Cadillac Coupe Deville, and a 1959 Chevy El Camino under a huge oak tree at the client's home.

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!

A cool light painted photo of a high school senior and a 2016 Mercedes Benz C300 in a park in Coon Rapids, MN.

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

A cool light painting of a Komatsu WA270-8 and a three-year-old boy dressed as a construction worker.

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!

Light painted engagement photograph of a cute couple at the Old Country Grist Mill at Old Log House Pioneer Village in Hastings, MN.

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

Light painted wedding photograph of the bride and groom with a 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria in Stillwater, MN.

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!

A brother and sister take a peek into Santa's Magic Toy Bag at The Best Santa Experience in Mounds View, MN.

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

Kids help Santa place Frosty the Snowman's hat upon his head at The Best Santa Experience at Michael Anderson Photography.

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.

Senior photo of a boy and his dog at Lester Park in Duluth, MN.

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!

Irondale High School boys basketball composite on a pile of basketballs.

Senior in the Spotlight.

All of your senior photographs will be fully retouched and enhanced so that you look great!

Light painted senior photo with the Zamboni at Lichtscheidl Arena in Forest Lake, MN.

“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 cool light painted senior photo of a boy and his drum set, holding lighted drum sticks, on the football field at Totino Grace High School in Fridley, MN.

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!

A nice family portrait, taken in the fog at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.

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 springtime family portrait created at Anderson's Portrait Park in Mounds View, MN.

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 FoundationMore Testimonials Here


Child Growing Up Too Fast?

Capturing a milestone in your child’s life doesn’t have to be stressful!

Adorable little Easton's three-month-old portraits.

It doesn’t get much cuter than this!

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!

Kid's portrait of two brothers taken in Fall colors at Anderson's Portrait Park.

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.

The bride and groom having fun out in the vineyard during their 7 Vines Vineyard wedding reception.

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!

Split Rock Lighthouse wedding photography of the wedding ceremony with the famous lighthouse in the background.

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!

A beautiful light painted wedding photo of the bride and groom outside of The Gull Lake Center at Grandview Lodge in Nisswa, MN.

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 & KristaMore Testimonials


Nature and Wildlife Photography

The Northern Lights on the north shore of Lake Superior in March 2021.

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!

One of his favorite flying subjects to photograph is bald eagles. Both locally, and in other locations such as Alaska, these magnificent birds of prey are amazing!

Soaring bald eagle Kenai Mountains Kachemak Bay, Alaska.

A soaring bald eagle near the Kenai Mountains in Alaska.

He and Joannie also were able to photograph brown bears (grizzlies) on an amazing excursion in Alaska!

PPhoto was taken during one of Michael Anderson Photography Tours to 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.

“Professional Photographer” © 2023 Michael Anderson Photography.