Today we’d like to introduce you to Kasey Rajotte.
Kasey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story actually starts at the very beginning – literally. I was born at 12:52, with Amniotic Band Syndrome, a limb difference that affects my hands. That moment is actually where my business name Studio Twelve:52 comes from.
I started my photography business when I was just 16 years old, and I was full time by 18. Before weddings became my world, my path took some really fun detours – I did music and tour photography alongside some major artists, MMA photography that took me all the way to Las Vegas to document their expos, and I served as an official photographer for Twin Cities Pride. Looking back, all of those experiences taught me how to read a room, move quickly, and capture real, unscripted moments under pressure – skills that ended up being exactly what wedding photography demanded.
Around 2015, my husband Tyler joined the business as a co-lead photographer, and that completely shifted how we operate. We are not a lead and second shooter dynamic – we are two equal photographers working a wedding day together, which means our couples get two full creative perspectives instead of one.
Together, we have now documented well over 600 weddings. Somehow after all these years we still get just as excited for every single one. What started as a 16 year old with a camera has turned into a true partnership and a life built entirely around capturing love – and honestly, I would not change a single bit of how we got here.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? Honestly, no – and I don’t think any meaningful path ever really is. Starting a business at 16 meant I was learning everything in real time, often years before I had the life experience to fully understand what I was building. There was a lot of trial and error, a lot of underpricing myself early on because I did not yet understand my own worth, and a lot of moments where I had to prove myself simply because of my age and others putting me down saying (especially in the music and mma worlds as a young woman).
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Being born with a limb difference added its own layer too. I was fortunate to never experience anything close to true bullying, but I did encounter small moments here and there of people underestimating what I was capable of, simply because my hands, feet and leg look different. I learned early on that the most powerful response was just to keep showing up and let my work speak for itself.
The wedding industry itself has also evolved so much since I started. Trends, technology, client expectations, even the way couples find and vet their photographers has shifted dramatically. Staying relevant meant constantly adapting, refining our craft, and being willing to evolve our systems and our style over and over again.
And then there is the simple reality of running a small business for over 15 years – the financial pressures, the unpredictable seasons, the balancing act of life alongside a job that does not really stop on weekends or holidays. It has not been smooth, but every challenge ultimately shaped Tyler and me into the team and the people we are today, and I would not trade that growth for an easier path. We are who we are because of our story and our experiences.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My husband Tyler and I run Studio Twelve:52, a Minnesota-based wedding and engagement photography business, along with Twelve:52 Pets, our dedicated pet photography brand. We specialize in weddings, elopements, and engagement sessions, and together we have personally photographed well over 600 weddings.
What we are probably most known for is being a true co-lead photography team. We are not a lead and second shooter dynamic – we are two equal, fully experienced photographers working a wedding simultaneously, which means our couples get two full creative perspectives captured at once rather than one primary photographer and an assistant. It also means we can split up during a day to keep things moving efficiently, both directing confidently, which gives our couples more breathing room and downtime to actually enjoy their own wedding.
We are also known for our true-to-life editing style – crisp, vibrant, and timeless rather than heavily filtered or trend-driven – and for the relationships we build with our couples well beyond the wedding day itself.
We also have an offering called “Legacy Sessions” through Twelve:52 Pets, inspired by our late dog Yuna, which is dedicated to photographing pets with limited time for any reason (age or health), at a discounted rate and with priority scheduling. That offering means a lot to us personally and has become a meaningful part of who we are as a brand.
What I am most proud of is simply the longevity and consistency of it all. I started this business at 16 years old, and 15-plus years later Tyler and I are still showing up fully present for every single couple, every single pet family, with the same level of care we had on day one. We have built a reputation for being thorough, transparent, and genuinely invested in every story we get to help tell.
I think what sets us apart is that we treat photography as something deeply personal rather than transactional. We are planning alongside our couples, present with them on the day itself, and often still connected with them well into their future through anniversary sessions and beyond. It is not just a job to us – it is a relationship we get to build, one wedding and one family at a time. Our 12:52 family as a whole is truly so cherished.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about the Twin Cities (Minnesota as a whole as well) is honestly the variety packed into one metro area. Within a short drive we have stunning urban architecture, peaceful lake scenery, charming small towns, and beautiful rural farmland. As wedding photographers that variety is such a gift, it means no two weddings ever feel the same simply based on location alone. There is also something special about the genuine Minnesota warmth and community here. People show up for each other, and we’ve found that energy carries into every wedding we shoot. Especially between vendors supporting each other as well.
Minnesota is also incredibly dog friendly, which honestly means a lot to us personally since we have six rescue dogs of our own. So many of our outdoor venues, parks, and even some breweries and patios welcome dogs, which makes it so much easier for our couples to include their pets in their wedding day or engagement photos if they want to. As someone who also runs a pet photography brand, that dog friendly culture genuinely shapes a lot of what we get to create here.
If I had to name something I like least, it would probably be how short our outdoor wedding season feels some years, paired with how unpredictable Minnesota weather can be. We have learned to embrace it though, and honestly some of our favorite wedding day memories have come from leaning into unexpected weather rather than fighting it.
That said, while the Twin Cities will always be home base for us, we are not limited to just one city or even one state. We regularly travel for destination weddings and elopements, so while we love everything Minneapolis and St. Paul have to offer, our work and our couples truly take us all over.
Pricing:
- Wedding Photography with Kasey + Tyler begins at $4,500 for 8 hours
- Wedding Photography with the 12:52 Associate Team begins at $3,800 for 8 hours (all images are still fully edited by Kasey + Tyler personally)
- 1 Hour Sessions – $500
- 2 Hour Sessions – $700
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.StudioTwelve52.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/StudioTwelve52
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StudioTwelve52
- Other: @StudioTwelve52 on TikTok
