Jo Crosser Buckellew

Exciting freaking news & giveaway!! New website, new branding, new vibe, same heart, same Jo 💗 For over a decade, I’ve been diving headfirst into people’s lives - messy, loud, sticky, chaotic, and ridiculously full of love. I’m no stranger to the full spectrum of human emotions and I’ll jump into the messy middle right alongside you, camera in hand, heart open. Would you believe it if I told you this is the first time in business I’ve had a FULL, REAL website?! Look out, world! 😅 Every word, every photo chosen with intention so you can feel what it’s like to be photographed by me 🫶🏼 I’m giving away one session to a couple of lovebirds or a family at my studio in NE Minneapolis. To enter, you must follow me here and comment to tell me what brings YOU joy. Extra entries for tagged friends AND if you tell me your fav song to dance to on the burnt cd I made you (pssst it’s on the website 😘). Enter by Sunday at 12 pm CST and I’ll getcha allll set up with a session 🫶🏼 Major major shout out to @heystudiov for making this dream real ✨ she took my brain and heart and nostalgia and put it together in a way I could never have done without her. You’re the best, V!!!

You don’t have to do a first look, but ones like this make an awful good case for it 🫶🏼 less produced… just wait by these flowers for your bride and the rest will happen as it does 🥰 loved this moment with Jess & Prince last fall

Minnesotans, like loons, have heavy, heavy bones right now. And, yet, they will not cause us to sink. You are not alone. 🫶🏼 Minnesota forever.

I’m doing a grocery run for our community to donate on Tuesday morning so donations will be collected through Monday and I will shop Monday. I’ve quietly taken donations from a few lovely friends up until now and collected the needs of several groups, but I am now more vocally aligning with a specific church that I have found to be doing the most significant outreach to the most vulnerable in the Twin Cities. After seeing the lines of people waiting for groceries first hand, it is so evident that the need is beyond what we can even comprehend. I have about $400 to spend and a shopping list that would quickly deplete that. We cannot sit idly by and let our neighbors be hungry because they cannot leave their homes. No amount too small, no person unworthy of help. If you have anything to donate, I promise to steward your funds well. I’ve done so much reflecting on the community organization in Minneapolis, which I got my first real glimpse of following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. In a few short weeks, people from around the country sent me financial donations of over $30,000 that I was able to quickly and efficiently distribute to our community at a time of significant need. While this situation has far different causes, the need remains high. @dhhchurch

I am so very tired of the people who have continuously labeled Minneapolis a “war zone” for *years* not giving a damn when it actually starts to become a war zone against the people who live here. The sounds of whistles being blown is burned into my psyche. After getting Kit to preschool last week, I was checking a few emails quick on my phone in the parking lot when I heard the sound of several whistles and every inch of my body was instantly filled with dread. No no no not here, please not here. I quickly weighed my options - do I get Louise out of her carseat and knock on Kit’s classroom door and beg to be let inside? Do I try to get out of the lot and into the neighborhood so my car doesn’t get tear-gassed with Louise inside and trust Kit’s teachers have her safe? Do I get out and get ready to film? What choice is the right choice? My children have already witnessed people being detained in our neighborhood, at our costco, how do I minimize that risk? What do I do? But as soon as the whistles started, they stopped. Recess was over. A different kind of whistle this time. The children ran inside, safe and warm. I sat in my car, blood running cold for ten more minutes before I could drive away. On my way home, I passed several 🧊 agents in our neighborhood. That afternoon, 30 of them surrounding the gas station two blocks over. Agents constantly with their guns drawn, their pepper spray out the window as they drive by, their vitriol and anger on display in nearly every minor interaction. It is inescapable and it is not normal to feel so unsafe in the home you’ve always felt safe in. I’ll never forget the people who’ve checked in on us and I’ll never forget the people who haven’t. When history books write about this time, we will know, beyond shadow of a doubt, that standing beside our neighbors was never the wrong choice. We will know that, beyond human rights, human dignity is always the right and only choice. What we are experiencing here is awful and is creating a debilitating fear. Don’t doubt for one second this couldn’t happen to you in your community because it won’t last here forever. I’ll check in on you when it does.

The sweetest moments happen after the hard seasons 🤍 This couple rebuilt their home with us after losing it to a fire, and these photos from photoshoot day say everything. Sitting around the dining table, playing games, laughing, sharing a drink—home in its truest form. What an honor to walk alongside families through the rebuild and then get to witness moments like this, where joy, comfort, and normalcy return. This is why we do what we do. 🏡✨ 📷 @joybyjo

My city. My home. My community. Our strength is in our diversity. We belong to one another. 🫶🏼

Hallmark movie vibes 🎄 took my cousin and his fiancée around town on the COLDEST day and you’d never know looking at the photos that Katie couldn’t feel her legs 😅 worth it 🥰 the countdown is on for their Mexico wedding in August!!!

Thinking ahead to weddings this year has me all sorts of giddy. 🥰 Just a little bit of film shot for @_caitmathis_ 🫶🏼

So many thoughtful layers came together in this bathroom design ✨🛁🫧 From the green tile in the shower to the warm wood floors, every detail was chosen to feel calm, elevated, and timeless. We love the mix of green custom cabinetry, crisp white, and soft gold tones—it adds just the right amount of charm. This space feels serene, grounded, and quietly luxurious. A true retreat, designed to be enjoyed for years to come 🤍 📷 @joybyjo

Meet me in Manhattan 🌆

The baby they waited for, held on to hope for.. the sweetest gift home in time for Christmas. 🎁💗