Festival of the Arts

After a two year hiatus due to Covid, it was so exciting to see Festival of the Arts return to my city last weekend! In true Michigan fashion on Friday I got sunburned while walking around and then Sunday I wore a sweatshirt and raincoat when taking pictures ;) The first two groups to perform Sunday morning were friends of mine, so it worked out perfectly to be there with my camera to capture both of their dance sets. Arts in Motion are the ones featured in this post, they are a local dance and art studio for individuals with disabilities and watching their joy while preforming is contagious, even in the rain they bring smiles. I hope these photos make you smile and if you know anyone with a disability who likes art, dance or music make sure to check them out!

Ivan's First Birthday

Traditional first birthday cake smash photos can be really fun or really unpredictable, for Ivan it was the second :) He did not like everyone watching and singing to him and was not wanting to sit down. Initially he was curious about the cake, but once frosting got on his legs he wanted nothing more to do with it. We actually did this photoshoot over two separate days since he didn’t touch the cake the first day. The balloons were much more fun for both Ivan and big sister Olive so if nothing else he had fun with those!

Miss G's ballet recital 2022

I was so happy to be back photographing the 3rd dance recital for the kids of Miss G’s ballet. There was a threat of rain all day, but luckily it held off until the dancing was over and the kids were able to show off what they have been learning to friends and family gathered to watch. Plus, they had snacks and pony rides afterwards as a way to celebrate their accomplishments. This recital had a western theme and seeing the little girls in tutu’s and boots was so cute I could’ve taken photos all day :) Here are some of my favorites!

Jesudas Family 2022

Due to Covid and distance, it had been a year since I visited my old college roommate and her family! When I finally had the chance to fly down to Tennessee for a week last month I made a point to bring my camera and schedule a time to take photos between playing with the big kids and holding the new baby :) I always tell parents that family pictures are a reflection of your kid at this age and there is no need to make them sit still and smile perfectly. Here are some of my favorites!

Hudsonville Varsity Lacrosse

Before yesterday I had never been to a Lacrosse game so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I showed up to support a high school student I know. Since photo season has not gotten very busy yet I thought this would be a fun opportunity to try taking pictures of the game. I am not trying to be a professional sports photographer and since this project was just for fun I gave myself permission to edit creatively :) Here are some of my favorites from the game!

Laugh Fest 2022

One reason I enjoy photographing events is because I get to learn about all the great organizations in my city. Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids provides free emotional support to children, adults, friends or family of people on a cancer journey or those grieving the death of someone they love from any cause. They run support groups, social events, and provide meals to people in the community and Laugh Fest is their big annual fundraiser. After two years off due to COVID the festival was back for 5 days mid March and I was able to take pictures at two different events. The first was a clean comedy showcase and the second was a family improvisation. I hope that next year I’ll be able to photograph even more events!

Italy 2021

Back in September, between COVID variants, I was lucky enough to travel to Italy (rescheduled from April 2020). I had the opportunity to visit Rome, Florence and Venice which was a photographers dream! I took so many pictures but finally this winter had time to go through and edit them. It was hard deciding what to share but I hope you enjoy seeing Italy though my eyes and maybe get inspired to take you own trip in the future :)

Winter in Grand Haven

I feel so lucky to live less then an hour from multiple beaches on Lake Michigan and Grand Haven is one of my favorites because the pier is so photogenic! I’ve photographed many summer sunsets at the state park but never ventured out in the winter - until now. Friday was a “warm” winter day with sunshine and no wind so I decided it was the perfect time to bundle up and try out some winter photography. I ended up spending two hours at the beach walking around, taking pictures and people watching. Here are some of my favorite photos :)

Baby Myra

I have been photographing Chris and Sarah since their engagement many years ago and it’s such a joy to see their family continue to grow. Baby Myra was about a month old when I went to their house for a mini session to document the family of 5! Big brother Joshua and big sister Emma were so sweet with their baby sister and just wanted to keep touching Myra. Here are some of my favorites from the session- we even got the dog, Ruby in some pictures :)

Klein kids 2021

In the past I have photographed the Klein family in the fall so I was excited when they chose to mix it up and do winter/ Christmas photos this year! I have always thought downtown Rockford does a great job decorating for the holidays and am glad I finally had a reason to take pictures there. The focus was just on photos of the kids rather then the whole family this time and though it was cold they toughed it out (and were bribed with candy) for almost an hour for this photo shoot :) I would definitely recommend this location next Christmas to anyone looking for some family pictures! Here are some of my favorites of the Klein kids.

Hounakey Family

Last weekend I met the Hounakey family at the Downtown Market greenhouse. They came home to Grand Rapids from Chicago and Washington DC for the holidays and I love that they made a point to schedule family pictures when everyone was together! The giant Christmas tree and all the twinkling lights among the greenery made for a beautiful backdrop. Plus, this family was not at all shy in front of the camera which made the session fun for all of us. Here are some of my favorite photos!

Beverage Family 2021

I’ve been photographing Karen and Doug since their wedding in 2011. I was lucky enough to take photos of both their kids as newborns and have done family photos for them every year since. However, we weren’t sure it would work out this fall with many scheduling conflicts, but at the last minute on a beautiful October Sunday I headed to their beautiful yard and continued the tradition ofl fall family photos. I love the way they continue to honor their sweet daughter Alice who died in December 2019 by having the unicorn stuffed animal in all the pictures! Here are some of my favorites from their session :)

Sarah and Terrell's engagement

Sarah and Terrell have been together for a long time and joke that they are doing things backwards since they already have a house kids! They finally decided to tie the knot and are having a small destination wedding combined with family vacation this winter someplace warmer then Michigan :) A group of friends decided to gift them an engagement photo session and since the wedding will be out of state they wanted to get photos at some of the iconic spots downtown Grand Rapids. Sarah and Terrell were such good sports when it started raining and I ushered them into the nearest hotel very quickly! We weren’t the only ones taking photos in the sky walks and hotels that afternoon though, I saw at least 3 wedding parties in the same spots :) I’m grateful they were willing to be so flexible- here are some of my favorites from the engagement session!

Aupperlee Family 2021

Another returning family, the Aupperlee’s have added a baby since I last saw them in 2019 and it was so fun catching up with them again! The day we chose for photos was raining on and off but they didn’t let that get in the way of walking around Hager Park in Jenison looking for fall colors. The kids explored the woods and it was so cute watching how the little sisters wanted to do everything big brother did :) Here are some of my favorites from their photo session!

Johnston/ Foley family 2021

Another group of familiar faces to feature this fall- I love photographing every fall are the Johnston/ Foley family every year and seeing how the kids have grown (and meeting the new kids that have been born).! Claire and Andy live on a beautiful dirt road and have a great yard that makes for lots of great background for pictures. The kids are old enough this year to respond well to bribery (or young enough for it not to matter) and because of that we got the pictures done in record time! Here are some of my favorites :)

Still Family 2021

I’ve been photographing Chris and Sarah longer then most of my other “regular” fall families. These two were my neighbors during their engagement and early marriage and I am so grateful I’ve been able to keep in touch with them over the years and document their growing family. Along with Emma and Joshua, they will be adding a baby sister into their family in just one more month, plus they just moved into a new house. So much to celebrate and I’m glad I was able to document this moment for them :)

Alexa - class of 2022

On the last nice fall weekend I met up with Alexa and her mom at “golden hour” at the Grand Ravines for her senior photo session! I’ve taken photos of her family many times over the years so Alexa was not shy in front of the camera when it was time for her to get solo pictures. She did a great job and I could’ve taken pictures of this beautiful girl at the beautiful location for another hour if the sun wasn’t setting. Here are some of my favorites - have a great senior year Alexa!

Sophie- 3 months old

My niece Sophie is growing so much and I was happy that my brother and sister in law wanted to document her 3 month milestone with a photo session. A couple weeks ago, we met at Spring Grove Park and though the fall colors weren’t very vibrant yet, we still found some good scenery. Sophie was so good the whole time and didn’t fuss at all when I stuck the camera in her face :) I can’t wait to watch her grow and take more photos of this sweet girl in the future!