Sammie & Craig | Engaged

Sammie and Craig met with me a little while ago when they were shopping around for photographers, and I felt like we clicked right away, so I was so happy that they decided to hire me to shoot their wedding next June. The three of us met up in Grand Haven at the end of August for their engagement session, and it was seriously one of the most fun sessions I have ever shot. Not to mention, the weather was unbelievably nice, and they are so adorable together. They are a blast to be around, and we talked nonstop while we walked from one end of downtown Grand Haven, almost to the end of the pier, and back. It was late when we got back to our cars, but I honestly didn’t mind one bit, it was like hanging out with two friends, in one of my favorite cities, on a perfect summer evening. If this is a glimpse of what I have to look forward to for their wedding, I know it is going to be amazing. Hopefully on their wedding day, however, the three of us don’t get drenched by a giant wave!

Garrett & Ian | 5 Years Old

I consider myself very lucky to be a photographer. It’s fun. It’s creative. It’s flexible. I get to meet new people all the time. But, it’s especially nice when I get to take photographs of people I love… many of my friends and family have appeared on this blog in the past.  These two boys are my twin nephews, who are turning five in a few days. Garrett is the one with brown hair and Ian is the one with blonde hair. Cliché time:  I can’t believe they’re turning five.  I remember seeing them at their home when they were just a few days old.  They were so tiny, and it seemed like at any given moment, at least one of them wanted to eat.  My brother and sister-in-law are probably chuckling, thinking back to those exhausting newborn days.  Well, they still want to eat all the time, but in the blink of an eye they have turned into big kids, playing, risking life and limb on their backyard jungle gym, going to school.  Pretty amazing.  Ron and I visited them with our kids the day we did this session, so Lucy and Henry were tagging along.  We went to a beautiful park in Scotts, although the weather was pretty oppressively hot and humid.  Garrett and Ian were such good sports though, and I was lucky to get some shots that I think capture their personalites as well as their handsome faces.  I love you, boys.  Thanks for letting Aunt Mindy take your pictures again!

Reflecting

Straight Out of the Camera | Henry

My son Henry turns two later this month, and Lucy turns 4 shortly after (so look for a similar post featuring her, soon).  We had a little session today, and I wanted to blog one image just to demonstrate some photography reality. Taking photos of my own children is more challenging than you can imagine, so I am very happy if just a few turn out! Of course I really put too much pressure on myself (and I know they sense it) and have to work really hard at staying relaxed, because I’m acting as the mom and the photographer… and for you photographer mamas out there, you know how hard it is to manage both roles!

The following image was one of the best ones from today.  I quickly edited it in Lightroom 3.  I increased the contrast and brightness a little, adjusted the white balance just to warm it up a bit, and obviously fixed the crop.  I don’t want images to look overly processed, but sometimes it even amazes me what a little bit of fine-tuning can do – the difference is striking when I look at them together like this.  By the way, we don’t normally spike his hair up like this on a daily basis, but with the jacket… it was a must!  My husband already said he wants this one on the mantle.

The bottom image is one that is totally unedited (except for the border and watermark). That’s my husband’s shoe, as he is stepping back out of the shot.  I could have used Photoshop to remove it without cropping it out, but I wanted to crop it anyway.   In the final composition, Henry’s face falls perfectly on an intersection point that follows the Rule of Thirds. Of course, rules are meant to be broken… but often, it’s a very good technique for composing any kind of image.  The edited image just “feels” more balanced.

Shot in raw format, F 2.8, 1/160, ISO 320, 50mm (prime)

Kelsey & Josh | Engaged

Josh proposed to Kelsey at the top of the big dune at Laketown Township Park (anyone who has been there knows it’s a climb!).  They had been there before, and a while back carved “J+K” into a tree up there.  When they returned this past April, the word “Forever” had been added to the carving.   For a brief moment, Kelsey was unsure how that could be possible, who would have done that?  Then Josh presented Kelsey with a beautiful hand-carved wooden box (he made!)… inside it was a diamond ring.  That might be one of the best proposals I’ve ever heard!  This is a photo taken by Kelsey that night, and I must say I am loving the sunlight glowing on the edge of the tree!  Thanks, Kelsey, for giving me permission to use your photo, I had to include it in the story.

I met up with Kelsey and Josh at a marina on Lake Macatawa where Josh’s dad has a sailboat.  We had a perfect summer night, and they were so cute and loving toward each other.  I loved all the boats and the beautiful glowy sunlight in the late afternoon, sparkling on the water.  I loved their outfits and flip flops, the nautical inspiration for the session, and of course Kelsey’s gorgeous engagement ring!  We walked around the labyrinth of docks and talked about their wedding next summer, and the fun details they are planning… I can’t wait!  I have the best clients – yet again, an absolutely sweet couple, and I had a lot of fun getting to know them better!

The photo was barely edited, the sunlight did all the work.  I just cropped it.

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