A few years ago I was able to photograph the Klein family at their family apple orchard and I loved those photos so I was excited when Angie reached out to me about doing family pictures for them again this year now that their family has grown! It was a beautiful fall day and though the kids were more interested in eating apples then taking pictures I still think we got some great ones. Here are some of my favorites!
Back in August I photographed my first wedding of the year that was not postponed due to COVID-19! I’m so glad Katelyn and Calvin were able to keep their original date and location, although the reception had to be moved outdoors under a tent. It was a very hot summer day but Katelyn and Calvin were so laid back about everything and seemed happy to just be able to celebrate with the family and friends who were able to make it to their special day. Spring Grove Park made a beautiful ceremony location and Sunnybrook Country Club hosted the reception. Big thanks to my assistant Hadley for spending a hot summer day taking photos with me, here are some of my favorites from their wedding :)
The cloudy morning last Saturday was perfect for taking photos at a location that has very little shade, John Collins Park! It was my first time taking pictures at this park, though I have visited it many times, and I was happy to have such great subjects as the Millet’s along with grandma Maggie and aunt Whitney :) This session was a Christmas gift to the family and they picked such a beautiful day to finally redeem it. Here are some of my favorites from the session.
Last Sunday we were obsessively checking the weather to see if the rain would stop in time for this family session and lucky for us it not only stopped raining but the sun even came out and warmed things up. I have taken photos of the Still family for many years and had a great time adding their extended family to the annual fall photo session. We met at Bysterveld Park which was a location none of us had been before and I’m so glad we discovered this great location. I will definitely suggest it to families in the future because they had awesome fall color and lots of trails to explore. Here are some of my favorite photos of the Still/ Vandyke family!
Sometimes last minute scheduling works out great, Niki reached out to me last weekend and we scheduled her family photos for Tuesday! We ended up picking the only day this week that it has not rained and we had a great time exploring Provin Trails! I love this park and definitely need to make a point to photograph there more often, especially in the fall. Here are some of my favorites from the Niki, Nick and their two adorable boys :)
Though this year has been a strange one, but taking family photos of the Johnston’s is something I’ve done every fall for many years so it was nice to have a “normal” thing on my schedule! I first met them when their oldest was just a baby and its been a joy to watch their family grow over the years. Claire and Andy live on a beautiful street that makes a great location for pictures and its such a fun tradition to see the same people photographed in the same spot each year. The kids all did a great job and we finished in record time and everyone (even me) got a doughnut at the end to celebrate. Here are some of my favorites from their session a couple weeks ago!
At the beginning of this month I drove down to Indiana for Megan and Aaron’s wedding at a really great venue called Union 12. Like all weddings this year, they had to make some adjustments to their original guest list due to the pandemic, but they still were able to celebrate with many friends and family members. I first met Megan when she was a bridesmaid in my brother and sister in laws wedding (which I also photographed), so it was fun to see her as the bride and my sister in law as maid of honor. Megan and Aaron also have two adorable little boys who seemed to enjoy the celebration of the day just as much as the adults! Here are some of my favorites from their wedding :)
A few weeks ago I joined Jen, Lori and a small group of their family and friends for an intimate wedding in Saugutuck, MI. Despite the pandemic and the challenges it presented them with planning their special day, everything turned out great and after dinner we were able to go on a sunset sailboat ride. Jen and Lori’s families were so kind and welcoming that I was sad to leave them all at the end of the night! Here are some of my favorite pictures from their wedding :)
Last week I met up with the Stoubs to take some updated family photos (last time i took their photos they didn’t have a dog) and I loved seeing the unique locations in Hudsonville they chose for pictures! I see this family regularly, but something about taking photos made me realize how grown up the “kids” suddenly are. With one having just finished high school and one starting her senior year of college I’m so glad we were able to schedule this photo shoot and commemorate the last time they were all living in the same house!
Jen and I have a mutual friend so I’ve known her for several years and was thrilled when she asked me to photograph her wedding in August. As with any wedding I photograph, I offered engagement photos and I’m so glad Jen and Lori took me up on the offer. We met at Grand Ravines on a very hot August Sunday but these girls did not complain about the heat and I had lots of fun getting to know them while walking around the park trying to find shade for photos. Here are some of my favorites from their session, I can’t wait to celebrate their wedding in just one week!
My friend Jess, like so many others, is in between jobs right now so when she reached out and asked me if I’d take some head shots for her to use in her job search I happily agreed. We met at Aquinas College, a location I’ve only photographed once before but knew had some great buildings to use as backdrop. Since I took her engagement photos and her wedding photos in the last year and a half we didn’t have to worry about the first few minutes of awkward getting used to being in front of a camera, she was great from the beginning. Here are some of my favorites from her session last weekend!
Even though I did a mini front porch session with this family back in May, now that it’s July they were ready for a longer session (away from their home, with the additional family members who don’t live together) and I was happy to oblige. Although the place we planned to do photos didn’t work out, we were lucky that right down the road was Crane’s Orchard which provided some great backgrounds. We even managed to get the two year old to hold still long enough to be in a few photos. Here are some of my favorites!
Last weekend I had the opportunity to do an extended family session with the Sommerfeld’s while they were enjoying a family vacation in Grand Haven. I had met them once before when I photographed their daughter and son in laws wedding a few years ago so it was great to reconnect. They chose a park away from the crowds and the bright sun of the beach which was the perfect choice for a holiday weekend in a beach town as it provided plenty of shade and we didn’t have to worry about other people in the background! I also loved seeing how the kids were having fun with their aunt, uncles, and grandparents, here are some of my favorite photos of them!
Another great event in support of Black Lives Matter happened in my city last weekend and this time it was focused on children. Despite the heat and humidity (even at 10am) there was a great turnout of families for the short march and many of them stuck around for the dance party, crafts, and snacks at the end! I love that this event can be a conversation starter for parents and their kids and it was so great seeing all their homemade signs. I personally don’t have kids but I love them and I wanted to be part of this event so I volunteered to be their photographer :) Here are some of my favorite images.
Last weekend I attended a rally/ march in support of Black Lives Matter. I used to be very hesitant to speak up and show up for causes even if they mattered to me, but I no longer feel comfortable staying home and staying silent. I have also always had a passion for photojournalism and I wanted to document what has been happening in my city. So I listened, I marched, and i took pictures. These are some of my favorites.
It doesn’t seem like that long ago that there was snow on the ground and I was with Mary and Aaron taking maternity photos. In February we had no idea about the Coronavirus and that they would be giving birth at such a strange time in history. Baby Ian was born on Memorial day and I got to meet him at 9 days old. Since they weren’t allowed visitors in the hospital and have only had limited contact with family members since being home I was thrilled when they asked if I could do some outdoor photos :) I know this is not how they imagined bringing Ian home but they are just happy that he is healthy. He slept most of the time and never got upset with the outfit changes and position changes - here are some of my favorites of Mary, Aaron, baby Ian and dog Toby.
Although Tulip Time festivities were cancelled this year due to COVID-19 I am fortunate to live close to Holland and had the opportunity to go see the Tulips and take some photos earlier this month. It was really fun to walk through places like Windmill Island without having to deal with huge crowds of people, but I do hope the festival can return next year because I know these places are taking a big financial hit without the tourists. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the tulips :)
For my second front porch mini session I met up with a family I had just photographed last December. Amy and Bryan have been friends of mine for a couple years and it’s been so fun watching their family grow from one, to two, to now three little boys. We had beautiful weather last week and I loved getting to incorporate the encouraging window signs they made at the start of the stay home order into their family photos :) Here are some of my favorites!
Now that the restrictions on photography have been lifted in Michigan I began offering “front porch sessions” for families who have been quarantined together in their homes the past two months. The first family to jump at the opportunity to capture this strange time of their lives was the Baker family who I’ve photographed several times over the years! It was fun catching up with them and hearing stories of how they are passing their time at home. Here are some of my favorite photos from their session :)
It may not be as common as family photos or weddings, but I do enjoy taking portraits for individuals to use for marketing their business/ service. I love when people want creative head shots and not just traditional head and shoulders pictures against a solid background :) For example, my friend Michelle who reached out and asked me if I could take some photos of her while practicing social distancing in the midst of a global pandemic. I happily grabbed my zoom lens and met her at a park last week (before winter made a comeback in Michigan) and here are some of my favorite pictures of her!
