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 :)
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 :)
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!
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 :)
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!
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 :)
I know two girls on the Hudsonville varsity lacrosse team, but due to our cold rainy spring weather the last month I have not been motivated to attend any of their games. Last Wednesday I finally made it though and had a lot of fun learning about a sport I know very little about, plus they won the game! I could tell their team works hard and has fun together because the people on the sideline had a bubble gun that they would spray on teammates as they came off the field. Full disclosure, I am not a sports photographer and I had the wrong settings on my lens for half the game, but I did get a few good shots that I wanted to share!
Last week I went to a really fun event put on by Professionals of Grand Rapids to support an organization that is close to my heart, Arts in Motion which provides art, music, and dance classes for individuals with disabilities. This was such a fun night with live music by the Oxymorons Band , dancing, drumming, a silent auction, and even an Elvis impersonator showing off his skills all to raise money and awareness for Arts in Motion. I’ve always wanted to photograph an event at Meijer Gardens and I know some of the dancers, so when I was asked to document this “winter soiree” it was an easy yes! Here are some of my favorite pictures :)
Grand Rapids is such a fun city and not just in the summer! They’ve started an annual event called World of Winter and last weekend for the opening several local performers set up in Calder Plaza and did performances in the cold. Just for fun I brought my camera and tried some new skills of capturing motion in low light. I had no expectations the images would turn out perfectly as I imagined, but I still wanted to share some of my favorites from the event :)
The day after Proposal 3 was passed in Michigan to restore women reproductive freedoms, I remembered these photos I took (but never edited) of the protests last June when the supreme court ruled on abortion. Since my days taking pictures for the high school newspaper, part of me has always been drawn to photojournalism. I think it’s important to document and remember what is happening not just nationally but also right in my city. I am proud of the hard work so many volunteers did to make history in my state with drafting petitions, gathering signatures, and encouraging others to vote! Here are some of my favorite pictures from a rally and protest June 25, 2022.
Friends of mine started a tradition back in 2017 of hosting a theme party each September, and I have been able to photograph the fun. Due to Covid (and their having a baby) the 1920’s theme party was delayed two years, but finally it happened. Mary and Aaron have a great backyard for hosting events, and this year the party had musical guests and a magician. Plus, they set up a photo booth with props in their garage! It was so fun to see everyone dressed up and all the themed decorations and food! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the event :)
Last month I was volunteering at Pride Festival in the Open Circle booth, and because I love documenting events, I brought my camera with me :) After two years off due to Covid, all of the festivals are back in Grand Rapids this summer and it’s great seeing people outside doing things that are “normal” in the city! This was my first time visiting Pride and it was a lot of fun seeing the kids, families, adults, and even dogs enjoying food and activities. Plus, everyone was so creative with how they incorporated rainbows into their outfits/ makeup/ hairstyles. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day.
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!
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!
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!
This was the second recital I’ve been able to photograph for the kids of Miss G ballet and even though it was a super humid day they were a joy to watch! Miss G, or Gia as I know her, runs an awesome dance program from her home which instills self confidence in kids while teaching them the foundations of ballet. Her group continues to grow each session and I absolutely love being an honorary member of the club/ official photographer. Here are some of my favorites from their summer recital two weeks ago!
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 :)
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)!
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.
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.
