When we originally talked about Jadin’s senior pictures his mom asked if we could do a session in the winter with his snowboard and then another more traditional session in the spring. Two weeks ago we met up for this second session at the Grand Ravines park and had beautiful weather! Congratulations to Jadin and the rest of the class of 2025 :)
I met Jackie about 4 years ago when her older sister contacted me about family photos downtown Grand Rapids. Since then, I have taken their family pictures every year around Christmas and I was thrilled to hear Jackie was engaged and wanted me to be her wedding photographer! Both bride and groom are from Togo, West Africa so their reception was full of cultural traditions such as throwing money during special dances. They also changed into 3 different outfits during the night and each was so glamorous.
Since the wedding day itself was so busy, Jackie and Claude asked about meeting up with me the next day to take portraits of the two of them. This turned out to be a great idea and reduced some of the stress and pressure that would have come from driving to a new location to get all the photos they wanted. Here are some of my favorites from their wedding Saturday and photo session Sunday!
Kadin’s family threw him a Bluey themed first birthday party last weekend and I was honored that they asked me to take some pictures of the milestone! He was unsure about his cake and all of the people staring at him, but once he tried the cake he didn’t want to stop eating it! All of the family and friends at the party showed how much this little boy is loved :)
Last weekend I joined almost 2,000 people downtown Grand Rapids for a march on International Women’s day. I love bringing my camera to events like this and documenting big and important things happening in my city. There were speakers and a choir who preformed before the actual walk happened and it was amazing seeing people of all ages from the elderly in wheelchairs to kids in strollers with their own handmade signs. I also saw several people I knew and it was a good reminder that we are not the only ones frustrated with current events. It was really hard to narrow down my favorite pictures from the two hour event so here are about 40 that I thought were worth sharing :)
Jadin’s mom and I went to high school together and she asked me back in October if I’d be willing to take his senior pictures once we got snow. He wanted pictures with his snowboard so we had to find the right combination of enough snow to cover the ground that also was not too cold to be outside for longer than a few minutes! In the spring, Jadin and I will do another mini session so he can have more traditional senior pictures, but for now here’s a preview of the winter session!
This was year 4 of the Hounakey family meeting me downtown Grand Rapids at the end of December to take their holiday photos! I love to see how color coordinated and dressed up they get for these pictures and really make it an event the whole family can enjoy. The JW Mariott hotel is a great setting because it keeps us indoors and warm while also having beautiful decorations. Here are some of my favorites from my last session of 2024 :)
As the holiday season is ending and everyone preparing for the normal routine to resume, I wanted to share a little more Christmas cheer :) Arts in Motion put on their annual holiday show in mid December and despite the poor lighting, I got a few good photos of the performers! I love seeing the new choreography each show and the variety of acts from ballet, to jazz, singing, drumming, group dances and soloists. There’s never a dull moment at Arts in Motion :)
I grew up with Laura, but haven’t seen her in a long time so when she reached out about getting family photos taken I was happy to make it happen on Thanksgiving when I was back in our hometown! Laura and Tom have 5 daughters and it was sweet seeing the bigger girls looking after the younger ones and treating the baby like she was their doll :). In less than 30 minutes we got pictures both inside their living room and on the back deck which is proof that it doesn’t always require a long time or a far away location to take pictures! Here are some of my favorites from their session.
Back in October, my high school restarted the tradition of having alumni cheerleaders join the current team on the sidelines for the 3rd quarter of the football game. Since it was the same weekend as my 20 year class reunion (yes I’m that old) I decided to go and see if I still remember how to cheer! I spent the first half of the game with my camera in hand attempting to take pictures, in the dark, of motion, without a flash and it was not easy! I wish the sun stayed up longer, but I got some cute pictures during the first quarter of the little kids cheering and the second quarter of just the varsity team. Here are some of my favorites :)
A different type of graduation photos were the focus this fall, instead of a senior in high school, Ava is finishing her masters degree at Grand Valley (which is also my alma mater)! I love the idea of celebrating the accomplishment of college graduates and wish we did it just as much as high school graduates. Her only picture requests were the iconic blue bridge downtown and a GVSU sign which we easily managed and even captured some of the last fall colors before the weather turned cold :)
A year ago I met up with Elissa and her kids for a photo session and it was high energy with one kid coloring his hands with a red marker in the car and another loosing a shoe walking through the brush! This year, they still had energy but were much more willing to participate in photos, and the boys even came up with ideas on their own. Here are some of my favorites from last weekend at the Grand Ravines!
I first took photos of the Budrick family when their girls were in elementary school and now they are a freshman and senior in college which is hard to believe! Last fall I met Hailee’s boyfriend Reed when I took their senior photos so it was fun seeing the two of them still together and the way he was included with the whole Budrick family. We had beautiful fall weather and peak colors for a morning walk around their home and nearby woods documenting some of the families favorite places before selling the house and moving. Here are a few of my favorites from the session.
I’m glad I have a flexible work schedule so that in the middle of the day on a Wednesday I could meet up with Sheena and James after their courthouse wedding ceremony to take a few pictures! The weather was beautiful, if a little too sunny, and the fall colors were just starting to show during my walk around Grand Ravines with the newlyweds. Sheena and James are part of a community that loves Jeeps so we also made sure to take some pictures by their car (which was a first for me). These two managed to be both classy and silly and we got so many great pictures in less than an hour. Here are some of my favorites, congratulations again Sheena and James!
Abby and I used to work together so I love that we have been able to stay in touch via photographing big moments! Three years ago I took engagement photos for her and Nic at this same location in the Grand Ravines and two years ago I was able to photograph their wedding! I’m so excited that they are expecting twin girls this winter and can’t wait to see them as parents. Here are some of my favorites from Abby and Nic’s engagement session :)
It’s officially fall which means family photo season! First up are the Glover family who were given a photo session as a birthday gift last spring (yes I offer gift cards) and it took a while to coordinate schedules, but we finally managed. The weather was great and Provin Trails was a perfect location for twin 2 year olds to run around collecting sticks between pictures ;)
Here are some of my favorites last Sunday!
Sandie and Brett were legally married last year, but postponed their large party with family and friends until last weekend. It was an unseasonably warm fall day (as most of the month has been) when we met up at Prairie Wolf Park to take pictures of the bridal party. The colors of their dresses and flowers were so perfect for this time of year and I loved the way each bridesmaid had a unique style rather then matching each other! We then headed to Crossroads Conference Center for dinner, cake and dancing with their guests. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day!
Congratulations Sandie and Brett, thanks for letting me capture these moments!
Last week I met up with the Anizko family for the last of Grace’s milestone sessions, her first birthday party! The day was unexpectedly cold and fall- like, but it didn’t stop the kids from playing in the bounce house. Grace had help from her older brother and older cousins with opening gifts, and it was so sweet to watch her hug and cuddle her new dolls. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the event!
Last fall I donated a gift certificate for a photo session at a fundraiser for Hestovin Stables, a therapeutic riding center in Grand Rapids. Growing up as a horse girl I am always excited for opportunities to be around horses as an adult! Lila and Siena’s grandma bought the gift certificate and waited to redeem it until the girls who live out of state were visiting Michigan this summer. Despite the very hot day these two were so fun, they didn’t want to stop brushing and petting the horses and they also entertained me with a lot of random questions such as “why are horses feet like that?” Here are some of my favorite pictures from their photo session at the stables!
Today was the annual Day of Play celebration for the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, a place I have volunteered for many years! Last year I wished I had my camera to take pictures of the foam, so this year I made sure to have it with me (such a photographer thing to do) :) Kids and adults played in the foam and didn’t mind getting wet. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the celebration of the museum’s 27th birthday!
My sister in law is expecting her first baby, and my first nephew, in early September so she asked if I’d take some maternity pictures to document this time. Her only request was “flowers” so Grand Ravines made for the perfect spot for early July wildflowers! My brother was less excited about having his picture taken, but we did get a few with both of them. We also got so lucky with the weather, there was a threat of rain all day but nothing happened while we were at the park :)
