Jessica M Professional Portraits

Jessica and I have a mutual friend who I often take photos for so I was more then happy when she reached out to ask if I could take some portraits of her to use for her new business website! I also realized that last summer I took professional head shots of another friend named Jessica at the same location- Aquinas College makes such a great backdrop :) I wish Jessica the best of luck in her new private practice and if you know anyone looking for a counselor check out https://www.jmatthewscounseling.com to connect with her!

Koopman Family

I had been trying to schedule this family for a long time and am so glad we finally picked a day and got some photos taken for them! Alyssa is expecting baby #3 later this summer so it was a great time to capture the stage of life the “big” kids are in. She knew of an old school house near a field and I was more then happy to discover a new location for family photos. I know it can be challenging to get young kids to sit still for pictures so I always tell families to let them run and play while I capture them and because of that I think we got some great pictures. Here are my favorites :)

Ian's first birthday

I can’t believe this little guy is officially a year old! It’s been so much fun getting to photograph him every three months this last year and see how much he has grown, plus his mom is a good friend of mine so it was a great excuse to see her too! We took a few photos of him while family was arriving for the small backyard party and Ian loved the balloons. Although he didn’t know what to think of his gifts all wrapped up and was hesitant of the cupcake at first, eventually he realized how good frosting is and ate every last bit of it! Here are some of my favorite photos from last weekend :)

Rock Royalty Ball

Taking photos of this backyard dance recital was such a fun and unique opportunity and luckily the rain held off until the girls final bows! The five “queens” as they called themselves were adorable, and as a dancer myself I enjoyed seeing the things they have learned in just the 3 months since they started this class. One of the “good” things to come out of COVID is the creative ways people have found to continue doing the things they enjoy and this dance recital was no exception :) Here are some of my favorites from the day (not posted are the bonfire and pinata the girls had afterwards to celebrate)!

Tonya's and Mike Maternity Photos

From the moment my sister in law announced she was pregnant we began to plan her maternity photo shoot, but west michigan weather did not cooperate and her sunset on the beach ended up being unseasonably cold and cloudy! They toughed it out though and we had a great on the shore of Lake Michigan in South Haven, Tonya even walked into the freezing cold water at the end. We got so many great photos and because of the cold there were hardly any other people didn’t have to worry about crowds of people. I can’t wait to meet my first niece next month - congratulations Mike and Tonya!

Anissa and Ryan's Wedding

Last weekend I started my 2021 photo season with Anissa and Ryan’s intimate backyard wedding! I loved seeing how their families and friends came together to help plan and make the day run smoothly for them. Though it was colder then expected for the end of April, the heaters kept the tent warm and we were able to find some blossoming trees at a nearby park that made a great backdrop for photos. Plus, they ended the day by doing a gender reveal of their new baby! Congratulations Anissa and Ryan and baby girl on the way- thanks for letting me be part of your celebration :)

Baby Ian - 6 months old

My friends Mary and Aaron decided when their son was born that they wanted to document his growth this first year with a photo session every 3 months. It has been so fun to capture their jouney from pregnancy, to newborn, to three months and now 6 months! This time, Ian was in a better mood then last time I saw him for his 3 month photos, but he still didn’t give me or his parents many smiles! The most fun part of this session for me was when we went outside and Ian got to experience snow for the first time. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day.

Ricardo Family

Two weeks ago it was an unseasonably warm November day and I had so much fun walking around Millennium Park with the Ricardo Family! They are officially my last family session of the fall and I’m so glad our last minute scheduling worked out and I got to meet their two adorable girls. Plus, Millennium Park is one of my favorite places to do photos so I was happy for a chance to go there. Here are some of my favorites :)

Ensink Family

I love taking pictures downtown Grand Rapids and I’m glad the Ensink family gave me this opportunity. We seized the opportunity of the last warm weekend this fall and walked along the river looking for spots in the shade (who knew it could be so sunny in November in Michigan). Though the kids were loosing interest after just a few pictures, they rallied and I think we ended up with some good ones. Here are some of my favorites!

Virtual NYC Marathon

In the midst of a busy fall family photo season I had the chance to take pictures of something really fun and unique, a virtual marathon. Courtney got my name from another photographer and luckily I was available on the day she would be running and I was familiar with the course location, around Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids. I was so impressed with the organization and creativity of this event, and of course impressed with Courtney and Jeff running so many miles in the first snow of the year! Here are some of my favorite photos from that day.

Voorheis Family

I was back at the beautiful Hager Park a couple weeks ago for another family session! Mike, Michelle, and Olive live about a mile from me and I see them often, but this fall we realized they haven’t had family pictures since Olive was a baby. I was so happy for the chance to photograph these friends of mine while the fall colors were still at their peak. Here are some of my favorites from their session :)

DeJager Family 2020

I’ve gotten to photograph Jess and Jason multiple times, their engagement, wedding, and family pictures when their first daughter was younger so I was excited when they wanted pictures now that they are a family of four! We met at Hager Park on a beautiful fall evening and it was such a fun time catching up, meeting baby Julianna who was born just before the start of the pandemic, and exploring with three year old Josie, who wanted to hold my hand while walking the trails! The leaves were at their peak color and we found so many great spots to take pictures. Here are some of my favorites from their session.

Wiersma Family

The Grand Ravines are such a pretty spot for pictures in the fall so I’m glad the Wiersma family chose this location! Plus, it was a beautiful fall day for walking around a park (which I did after the session ended). Despite the pandemic, it’s so nice being able to take pictures of families gathered together this fall. Here are some of my favorite photos from their session!

Klein Family 2020

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!

Katelyn and Calvin's Wedding

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 :)

Millet Family

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.

Still/ Vandyke Family

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!

Herrema 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 :)

Johnston Family 2020

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!

Megan & Aaron's Wedding

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 :)