Laught Fest 2024

This was my third year photographing Laugh Fest, my city’s annual fundraiser for Gilda’s Club which allows them to continue providing free support to adults, kids, families and friends of those going through a cancer journey. In past years I’ve documented late night/ adult comedy shows, but this year I chose to photograph kids and family day instead which was so fun! First there was a kids joke show, then drumming for all with Josh, and finally a family improvisation class with the comedy project. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day!

Grace - 6 months old

Time never seems to go as fast as when I do milestone photo session for babies! I’m grateful that my friends Mary and Aaron have wanted to document both their kids growth during the first year because it also gives me a day every three months to catch up with them. At six months old, Grace loves her pacifier and sucking on her bottom lip. Getting smiles smiles was difficult until big brother Ian came home from preschool and made her laugh :) Since it was an unseasonably warm day in February we also took a few pictures outside in their yard and of course had to get one of their dog/ first kid Toby.

World of Winter 2024

For 6 weeks this winter my city is hosting the largest winter festival in the US! Ironically the opening weekend events of Word of Winter were cancelled due to a snow storm a couple weeks ago, but “fire and ice” was rescheduled. Last year I was able to take some pictures of fire performers on the ground so this year I brought my camera again to capture some of the ice skating. Thanks to Grand Rapids Entertainment Group and Greater Grand Rapids Figure Skating Club for putting on a great show despite the rain! Here are some of my favorite pictures of the night.

Cuba 2024

The first week of January (including New Years Eve) I had the opportunity to travel to Cuba with a group put together by Laura Ericson Group Trips. Our guide for the week, Cassie, made sure we ate in the best restaurants and saw the real Cuba outside of the tourist areas. We spent a few days in Havana then got to see the beautiful countryside in Vinales before returning to Havana again. Classic cars are just as common as modern cars on the roads in Cuba, and made for some great photo opportunities. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week :)

Hounakey Family 2023

Ending the year with another returning family! The Hounakey’s are spread accross multiple states, but gather back home in Grand Rapids for Christmas each year. This was the third year of their new tradition of getting family photos when they are together and as a photographer there’s no bigger compliment then having returning clients :) It’s always fun to see their coordinated outfits and the effort every member of the family puts into choosing their poses. Since it was unseasonably warm outside, we started with a few photos by the Christmas tree outside at Rosa Parks Circle before moving inside to the beautiful JW Marriott Hotel. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this very photogenic family last weekend!

Grace - 3 months old

I love when families choose to do milestone photography sessions for their kids because they grow and change so much in the first year! When their first child, Ian, was born Mary and Aaron scheduled photos every 3 months for him and I was so happy they decided to do the same for their second born :) Grace was pretty confused about the camera in her face, but she didn’t cry and her big brother stayed close by to try and get her to smile. Here are some of my favorites!

Still family 2023

The Still’s are likely the people I have been photographing the longest, and I love that I’ve gotten to keep in touch with these friends over the years through their annual photo session. This year they wanted more winter/ Christmas themed pictures instead of fall and though the kids were not happy about the cold weather at first, after eating lunch it started to snow and they wanted to go back out and play in it :) So we managed a combination of more formal family photos, pictures of the kids by the Christmas tree inside, and some playing in the snow (all with their dog running in and out of the frame). Here are my favorites from earlier today!

Hailee and Reed class of 2024

The month of October ended with a senior session for Hailee and Reed who have been dating on and off since middle school! The two of them are at different schools and it was fun hearing the stories of how they met and have kept in touch despite moving to different school districts. are graduating from different schools, but still kept their relationship going. Their love of the outdoors inspired the choice of Grand Ravines for the photo session and I enjoyed showing them around one of my favorite parks that they had never visited before. Here are some of my favorites of Hailee and Reed :)

Bopp Family fall 2023

This has been a slower than normal October, so last weekend I posted on Facebook asking if any of my friends wanted photos before the leaves fall off the trees. Luckily, the Bopp family responded and we got their pictures scheduled the same day at the beautiful campus of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. I love taking pictures there and hadn’t had the chance in a long time, so when they suggested the location I immediately agteed Here are some of my favorites of the Bopp family :)

Brumels-McNally Family

Fall colors have peaked here in west Michigan and Elissa planned a beautiful evening for a photo session with her three kids! I love walking around Grand Ravines and luckily it was not busy so the kids could run (literally) and not be in anyone’s way. Though the boys didn’t have any interest in holding still or being in pictures with their mom, I had fun capturing their personalities and seeing how excited they were to explore the trails at park :) Here are some of my favorites!

Leo's senior pictures

Leo wanted senior pictures that would be unique and different from the other seniors at school, so it was decided that taking them during art prize would be really unique since the exhibits are time limited. Leo’s mom accompanied us on the photo session downtown Grand Rapids and she asked for a few pictures with her oldest child who she described as growing up alongside her. There was a threat of rain the evening we scheduled pictures, but luckily it stayed dry long enough to get these pictures done. Have a great senior year Leo!

Voorheis family 2023

At the end of “sunflower season” I discovered a great field near my house at Bremer Produce (which was free) and immediately began searching for someone to do a photo session there! My friends had been trying to think of unique locations for family pictures this year and this seemed like a great option. The trick to getting a four year old and two year old to focus for a picture session is snacks and these two definitely enjoyed the cookies their mom brought along! Here are some of my favorites from their session :)

Baby Grace

Just a couple months ago I was taking maternity pictures for Mary and now baby Grace is here! She was born at the end of August and I was able to meet her on Labor Day just a week later. Big brother Ian gave her lots of kisses and even wanted to try using my camera to take some photos. Of course I also got to hold her for a few minutes at the end of the session :) Here are some of my favorites of 7 day old Grace and her family!

VanOss Family at the fair

When I asked if anyone would be interested in a mini photo session at the Hudsonville fair this year, Jess was the first one to respond yes! I last saw her and her husband Jeff in March 2020 right before Covid lock down when I took their maternity photos downtown Grand Rapiuds. It was so fun to meet their daughter Addie who was born just a few days after that photo session and also surreal to realize it has been 3 years! We managed to find a few spots at the fairgrounds that were not crowded to take pictures, and at the end they let Addie try an elephant ear (which she licked all the sugar off then asked for more)! Here are some of my favorites of the VanOss family!

Gayle and Josh's Wedding

A couple weeks ago I met up with Gayle and Josh downtown Holland to take pictures ahead of their wedding. I have seen them in the past while doing family photos with Gayle’s sister, but it was great meeting more of the family. I loved the way they incorporated their two kids into the day and that Josh’s mom was the officiant. Plus the weather was great and Josh and Gayle are easy going and fun to work with! They claimed to not be photogenic, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves :)

Aniszko Family 2023

One of the families I get to photograph every year are the Aniszko’s! It’s been a joy to document their engagement, wedding, dog, birth of their son and now pregnancy with their daughter. After rescheduling three times we ended up doing this photo session at the end of June in their backyard. Despite the poor air quality and tight timeline Mary, Aaron, 3 year old Ian (and even the dog) were good sports and we managed to get some cute pictures! Here are some of my favorites :)

Bopp Family

I got a request for a last minute extended photo session at the beach with the Bopp family a couple weeks ago and I’m so glad I could make it happen for them! The beach is a special place for their family to gather from close and far and despite all the stairs to get down to the water, the kids were full of energy and excited to show me the tipi they had made out of sticks earlier in the day. My favorite pictures are the candid ones of them jumping and running, but the group pictures also turned out well!

Lloyd Family

Back in 2019 I met this family at Keagan and Nicholas’ intimate wedding and it was fun to see how they have grown since then! After a week of cooler summer weather the day we chose for family photos was sunny and humid. No one complained though as we sought out what little shade we could find at Millennium Park. My favorite moment of this session was when the entire family started singing in order to get the babies to smile, not every kid’s attention can be gained that easily and I love that they all knew the trick :)

Sophie (almost) 2 years old

My niece turns 2 at the end of this month and when my sister in law asked if I’d take some family photos for them to display at her birthday party I was happy to! We ended up doing two photo sessions a week apart due to cold weather the first time and wanting to capture memories at our new family cottage the second time. Sophie didn’t like the idea of sitting still or being held so most of the pictures are her running around, like a 2 year old would :) Here are some of my favorites!

Foster the Family 5K

Foster the Family is a new organization in Grand Rapids which provides physical and emotional support within the fist 24 hours of foster care placement to both parents and children as they adapt (sometimes with little notice) to changes in living arrangements. A few weeks ago they had a 5K fundraiser and I got to photograph the day! It was fun seeing other community organizations such as the humane society and the zoo show up to entertain the kids along with inflatable slides and games. I can’t wait to follow along and see how Foster the Family continues to grow and impact more people in Grand Rapids the next few years :)