Jan Kentala Photography

02/28/2026

I am moving! After 28 years of having the greatest job of all, the house and studio will be listed for sale sometime this spring. Which means, of course, that the studio will be closing. It is bittersweet; it is time to retire but I will miss ALL of my wonderful customers and the very fun job of being a portrait photographer. (I am only moving 3.5 miles away, to a townhouse in Lakeville). This means that IF you have been putting off having your family or high school senior photographed, NOW is the time. I will remain open until the house sells. (Hopefully it won't take too long!) Seniors, don't forget that you receive a free family portrait session. Aaron is a '26 grad so his family came today to take advantage of this.

09/12/2025

School has started but there are still 3:30 after school time slots available for senior pictures. The lighting is very nice at this time of day plus the gardens are still looking great!

08/22/2025

A Day at the Studio for Collin's 2 Year Photo Session! Collins entered the studio with some trepidation. I was able to seat her on a little chair and snap a few before she decided it was NOT going to happen! She clung to her grandmother and whenever we tried to put her down, she started howling and had to be appeased with some treats. This went on for some time.... then her mother said she needed some time to decompress so we went outside and let her wander about the gardens. I grabbed an outdoor lens and adjusted the lighting but... no go. Whenever I attempted a photo, she ran to her grandmother. I tried picking some flowers for her to hold; she threw them on the ground! So back in the studio we went. More tears. Finally bubbles did the trick and she did a 180 and started to have some fun. Of course she wanted to blow the bubbles herself; not have mom do it. Lastly, with some fun toddler music on mom's phone, a dance party! Whew !

08/21/2025

08/21/2025

Great session with Lexi today! And the weather cooperated today yaay!

08/15/2025

The gardens are at their absolute peak right now and Cosette was a great model to show them off!

08/15/2025

Maddie had time to do her senior photo session as well as visiting the U of MN, St. Thomas and Hamlin colleges this week!

06/13/2025

Calling all seniors from the Class of 2026: It's time to book your senior pictures at Jan Kentala Photography in Burnsville. Two huge studios and an outdoor park setting — all in one location! Half off sessions through July 15. Visit the website at www.jankentala.com to view the brochure with prices (Seniors > Seniors Pricing). Call Jan at 952-898-3227 to schedule your session.

Winner of the Twin City Bridal Association's ICON Award for Excellence in Wedding Photography.

04/26/2025

I've photographed different members of the Beeson family over the years, including promotional shots for Jan's business, and now it was mom and dad's turn. We agreed that most families have plenty of their kids' photos but seldom a nice portrait of just mom and dad. We started out with a traditional posed portrait, but Jan really loved the informal ones too!

02/14/2025

I photographed Morgan for senior pictures in 2019. Now she is graduating from college and is doing an internship this summer and then will be applying for jobs! She needed some updated professional head shots. A Head Shot Session (see the Head Shots tab on my website jankentala.com) is $150 and includes one image. Morgan added a more serious pose plus a casual 3/4 length shot for variety. They are $50 each for additional images (in the same outfit). I do love the outfit she chose: the white and black contrast was perfect for this session.

01/23/2025

I had the pleasure of taking my piano teacher's head shot today. (yes, I have been taking lessons for the last several years. It is great fun to do this again because I WANT to, unlike NOT wanting to in junior high!) Kim is the absolute best piano teacher in Burnsville! If you are thinking of playing again as an adult, I strongly encourage you to do so!

01/15/2025

New Head Shots for the New Year! Jack and I decided we really needed to update our head shots since they were.... over 5 years old! We all love how much younger we looked 5 years ago, but time marches on. I also photographed the lovely Beth today, whose family I have photographed in the past. See the website for details about Business Head Shots at jankentala.com. Look under the Head Shot tab.