Ten Tiny Toes Photography Opens New Rosemount Studio

The mother of a 4-year-old and 8-year-old, Amy Lemaniak knows just how quickly children can grow up.

Which is why she makes it her mission—and her business—to help parents capture their children on camera while they're still newborn. The portraits, she says, allow parents to hang onto an important moment long after the child has started school, locked down a first job, or left for college.

"I have two children of my own, and when you’re in the midst of the newborn phase, you feel like it’s never going to end," Lemaniak said. "Babies do change so quickly. [Parents] are never able to go back in time and have their baby look like this again."

Lemaniak, a Rosemount resident, started her photography business, Ten Tiny Toes Photography, in 2009. But last month she took her at-home business up a notch by opening a new, 540-square-foot studio at 3420 150th St. W. in Rosemount. On May 7, Lemaniak celebrated the studio opening with a ribbon cutting.

The new storefront will give Lemaniak and associate photographer Annie Torrini more elbow room as their business continues to expand.

Lemaniak has a degree in business administration, and previously worked in human resources at Thomson Reuters. But Lemaniak's appreciation for photography grew she spent time documenting the growth of her two young children.

After shooting high school portraits, infants and toddlers at the request of friends and acquaintances, she started Ten Tiny Toes out of a home studio, where she worked for three years prior to the April move. She left her position at Thomson Reuters in Feb. 2011, and partnered with Torrini in Jan. 2013.

Lemaniak specializes in infant and newborn photography, while Torrini typically works with older subjects, Lemaniak said. The pair also shoots maternity photos, senior portraits and toddler photos. The studio, Lemaniak said, is a high-end boutique that provides a unique experience for each customer.

With their new location finally open, Lemaniak and Torrini plan to host photography classes for parents and expand their session services.

But even as the business changes and grows, Lemaniak's desire to preserve newborn moments for parents stays constant.

"It just brings back all those memories of rocking them at night, and those first few nights when you’re home with them," Lemaniak said. "You can never ever and go back and get that."