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 :)
The Aniszko family are so great at scheduling milestone photography sessions for their kids and I love seeing how they grow and learn new things all the time. Grace is now 9 months old and much more active and expressive than last time I photographed her. Big brother Ian is 4 years old and was not very excited about pictures, but with some bribery from his parents we got a few good ones!
At the end of May I enjoyed watching and photographing the annual dance recital for Arts in Motion, a local studio that provides dance, music, theater and fine art classes for individuals with disabilities. I might be biased because I serve on the board, but they really do create a family like atmosphere for the students. Despite dropping my most used lens, I got some photos that capture the personalities of students and the fun they have while preforming so I just had to share :)
Prom is definitely a bigger deal for kids today then it was when I was growing up (or maybe it was just my personality to be nonchalant) :) Kalala asked for some professional portraits alone and with her boyfriend before the dance to go along with her professionally done hair and makeup. The day was behind schedule and we ran out of time to go downtown like originally planned for pictures, but I think the spring blossoms made an even better backdrop! This girl is a natural model and we got all of these photos in just 15 minutes.
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!
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.
