Stella - Senior
Stella is a graduating this week, so to celebrate, I am finally sharing some (many) of my favorites on the blog! Her session in Saugatuck at the Felt Mansion and then at Oval Beach was a dream. She was such a sweet girl to work with, and I was grateful that her family went on to hire me a little later for an at-home portrait session with beautiful fall colors.
Landon - Senior
I’ve had the joy of photographing this young man several times (since he was a toddler)! Now, he’s about to graduate from high school, and I am finally sharing some favorites from his senior session in downtown Grand Rapids. He’s truly one of the kindest kids in school, and I know he’ll have great success in college! Congratulations, Landon!
Click one of the thumbnail images below to view larger:
Addison
Addison is another “kid” (nearly adult!) I have known for a while. In this case, I’ve had the privilege of knowing her for her entire life, and seeing her grow up in the blink of an eye. She is a very fun, talented, athletic, smart young woman who is ready to face the world head on. I also took her two older sisters’ senior portraits, and I’ve had so much fun having this focused time with each of them. Addison had some creative ideas for our session, which you’ll see below, and I loved the challenge and her willingness to try something unique! Addison, I know I’ll be seeing you around, but thank you (and your family) again for letting me capture these images of you. You are beautiful inside and out!
Gibson
Gibby’s senior session this summer was excellent; we met up at the football stadium at his school to showcase his love of sports, especially football. Then we headed over to a park, and snuck in a few quick family photos. I took his two older sisters’ senior portraits as well, so it was nice to see them! I truly appreciate having the opportunity to photograph all three siblings over the past few years. Gibson, I hope your senior year is fantastic, and I wish you success on the field, the court, and the classroom. This year is going to fly by, so enjoy every moment!
Sabrina
Sabrina’s senior photo session this summer was delightful. She is a creative, compassionate, intelligent young woman. Her conviction and her sense of self always inspire me, as I have watched her grow up over the last few years into someone who is heading toward a brilliant future. She is sure to do great things! Sabrina, thank you for letting me take your photos. I can’t wait to see what you do after high school and beyond!
Bridget
Bridget is a super cool young woman I have gotten to know over the past couple of years through her friendship with my kids. She is funny, smart, talented, kind, and beautiful. This session was special to me, and I’m so glad it worked out for me to take her photos! Bridget - I hope no matter where life leads, you stay true to yourself. Enjoy senior year… the best is yet to come!
Chloe
I met my friend Hillary in junior high - we are talking over 30 years ago - and thanks to social media we have been able to reconnect and stay in touch. I was so excited when she contacted me about photographing her daughter Chloe! It seems like we were just seniors, and now both of our eldest children are racing toward graduation! Life moves pretty fast. I had so much fun during this session talking to my old friend in real life, and taking these photos. Wishing Chloe all the best, I can’t wait to see where life takes her!
Annika
I have been busy this summer, especially with senior portraits. Let’s flash back to July, when I had the privilege of photographing my niece Annika, when she was visiting from Texas! She has always been a total sweetheart, and I’m so proud of the young woman she has grown up to be. I hope her senior year is incredible!
Tiara Yachts Merchandise
Back in August, I was contacted by a former client / current friend who works for Tiara Yachts to see if I’d be interested in photographing apparel and merchandise for their company. I had worked with them in the past for an event, and I was very excited about this opportunity. I had never done commercial work of this nature, so it was a great learning experience for me. I’ll admit I was a teensy bit nervous, but it worked out so well! Everyone at the shoot was so nice, and honestly they made my job extremely easy! I’d love to do more work like this. I was still able to compose and give some direction, watch the light, and take advantage of the beautiful marina and yachts as our backdrop. I sent them a huge set of images, but here are some of my favorites.
Braxton - Newborn
I was eager to share this session here as soon as I finished editing it! This little boy is the latest addition to a family who lives across the street from us, and have become such good friends over the past few years. I consider them part of our “village”, always watchful and welcoming of each other’s children (and in some instances, pets!). Their daughters are the sweetest, and I am sure Braxton will be very well taken care of by this triple dose of big sisters! I am so grateful for our friendship, and being given this opportunity to photograph these precious kids.
Natalie - Senior
This fall I had the honor of photographing Natalie! She is a busy scholar-athlete, and such a sweet person! I hope the rest of her senior year is full of joy, success, and fond memories!
Logan & Mackenna
Logan and Mackenna took a trip to the west side of the state for an updated family session! It means so much to me that their family chooses me to capture their personalities and their growth throughout the years, and I appreciate them traveling for our session. We were blessed with a gorgeous, and somewhat warm, fall day. Here are some of my favorites of the kids!
Brielle - Senior Session
Brielle just began her senior year, and after photographing her older sister a few years ago, her mom reached out to me once again for portraits! Brielle is a natural beauty, with such a gentle and sweet personality to match.
Brielle just began her senior year, and after photographing her older sister a few years ago, her mom reached out to me once again for portraits! Brielle is a natural beauty, with such a gentle and sweet personality to match. I hope that shines through in these images! The lakeshore was a gorgeous location for her session, even if it was extremely windy down by the water! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to take these photos, and I wish Brielle an absolutely fantastic senior year!
Newborn Eloise
In March of this year, sweet little Eloise made her entrance, welcomed by her wonderful parents and three older siblings, who I have had the privilege to photograph as well over the years. I always enjoy working with this family, and being welcomed into their busy and joyful home for a few hours. Eloise was a dream baby. I was excited to look back through these images and share some of my favorites!
In March of this year, sweet little Eloise made her entrance, welcomed by her wonderful parents and three older siblings, who I have had the privilege to photograph as well over the years. I always enjoy working with this family, and being welcomed into their busy and joyful home for a few hours. Eloise was a dream baby. I was excited to look back through these images and share some of my favorites!
Kory & Jen + The Boys
Here are some highlights from this rambunctious crew! Photographing five young boys (which includes one set of twins) is no small feat! For the past few years I’ve had the privilege to step into this family’s world for a couple of hours, and I always embrace the opportunity to rise to the challenge. These kids are growing up in a place with endless ways to explore, climb, test their physical skills, and grow in curiosity about nature, plants, and wildlife! They truly amaze me, honestly. They are sweet, busy, fearless, silly, creative, stubborn, loving, and confident. Of course I can’t forget to mention Jen and Kory, the mom and dad who manage their busy home while loving each boy for the unique individual he is, with everything they have. I love photographing this family, and I hope they keep inviting me back for years to come.
Below is a gallery of additional images! Click one to see it larger, or to scroll through.
Newborn Jack
Newborn babies are the sweetest subject imaginable. I know they require a little extra time and patience, but something about being in the presence of a baby just makes me feel so calm, I feel like time stands still. If only that were true, as we all know: babies don’t keep. Little Jack was was joy to photograph!
megan & Jason + Kids
This family session was interesting; our first attempt was met with a sudden and ferocious thunderstorm that seemed to come out of nowhere! The forecast made us all believe we would be okay, but as the winds started to change, we grabbed a handful of photos before deciding to run back to the bathrooms at the park (while I did my best help get the kids inside the the shelter, while keeping my camera dry, and I will admit I was a little nervous at the time!). The rain was falling in sheets, and lightning was striking all around us. We got there safely, but everyone was soaked to the skin! All we could do was laugh, and realize that since we were drenched, there would be no pictures that day even though the storm was short, and the sun was shining again by the time we were headed home. It was memorable to say the least. We rescheduled the session for a couple days later and had much better weather! Thankfully, this family was able to just laugh it off and go with the flow. If they look familiar to any of my followers, it is because I’ve been taking their kids’ and family’s photos forever. Jason is my cousin, and his wife Megan was one of my bridesmaids! She and I have only grown closer over the years, and I love working with them and documenting their kids Emmerson, Breckon, and Kipton as they grow up!
Happy new year!
It has been a long time since I wrote a blog post. With the ubiquitousness of social media and an overwhelming amount of information bombarding us at all times, it seems like short-form snippets of information are all we ever create (or consume), and I wonder sometimes if anyone would stumble upon these posts, or take the time to read them! Well, that’s just an unknown, but I do hope that we can all find our way back to expressing ourselves in authentic, meaningful ways online, and in real life - two worlds that are becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate. I hope to do a little of that here, when I find the time.
I also hope to share highlights from client sessions as they allow me, and give them a way to share images with family and friends.
My photography business has been a big part of my life, and a small part of my life, and everything in between. Over the past 14 years, I have enjoyed working this business into my life in ways that fit according to what was happening with our family. I truly appreciate having this outlet, and being able to give my clients, friends, and family images which I hope they will cherish for a lifetime. My goal is not to overwhelm myself with more work this year, but to have a place where I can direct people, besides Facebook. I do have a page for my business, but it currently has some digital cobwebs I must tend to. To be continued…
Seeing how quickly our kids grow up, all I want is to live life to the fullest, and I believe that means turning off the screens and making real human connections. I hope when you break away from your computer or smartphone, you take time to look for beauty in the ordinary, because it is there. Okay, you can pull your phone out to take a photo, but please share it with the world; we each have our own unique and wonderful perspective.