DENICE FETZER WOLLER OF

WOLLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Located in Mankato, Minnesota, I have worked as a professional portrait artist for over 20 years. My passion is documenting Rural Americans in their natural habitats so that they can pass along their legacies to future generations. I am also passionate about senior portraits. One day, the teens I work with will want to pass along their legacies to future generations. If you ask me, nothing marks the start of that journey like a senior portrait. 

 

Portrait artistry is my life. While a student at Bethany Lutheran College I utilized my photographic talents and graduated with an AA degree in 1997. In 2002, I earned a degree in Media and Theater Arts from Montana State University, Bozeman. In 2006, I earned an MA degree in Studio Art from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Since then, I have worked as a photojournalist for small newspapers, as an independent portrait artist for Rural Americans and high school seniors, and as a Professor of Photography at Bethany Lutheran College since 2002. 

Living within a farming community is also my life. Like you, I value faith, family, community, and hard work. On top of my professional duties, I am a wife and mother to four wonderful children. Weekends are spent encouraging my children to visit with family, tend horses, garden, bake, can, and clean up after chickens. We do these things on a small farm in South Central Minnesota. 

 

In 2013, my husband and I bought an old popcorn farm. On our farm, popcorn was produced and shipped around the country to be enjoyed by thousands. Although we didn’t pursue the Hanel Popcorn tradition, I have utilized our acreage and unique buildings thoughtfully. My portrait artist studio is located in the hayloft of a 120+-year-old barn. (Check out the photo on the left that shows the barn being built. What a legacy!) Reclaimed wood, original building lights and sheet metal… I used much of what was here to renovate a cozy workspace to meet with clients and produce their legacy portraits. 

 

For clients who wish to have their portraits taken on-site, the bathroom/changing room is fun and practical. How many places can you wash your hands in a bucket-on-a-stump? 

 

Don’t worry. 

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There’s running water.