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 :)

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!

Beatrice class of 2023

Beatrice is spending her senior year as a foreign exchange student here in West Michigan. She was brave enough to trek through the snow at Hager Park to get to the locations I had in mind for pictures since the parking lot was not plowed all the way! We were lucky to have a sunny day, but it was still cold though you’d never guess looking at Beatrice since she has a natural smile and warmth. Here are some of my favorites from her session :)

Joseph's Senior pictures

Another class of 2023 senior session to round out this year! Joseph’s mom contacted me in November asking about taking his photos by the blue bridge specifically, and since this time of year Michigan is not exactly pretty outside (or warm) we made the most of the indoor spots downtown Grand Rapids. I love the sky walk that connects the hotels because it provides so much natural light, the stairs in the lobby of the JW Mariott are another favorite indoor location. Joseph was so easy going that we got lots of great photos in a short period of time. I had fun meeting him and hearing about his plans to study interior design at college in the fall!

Layna, Ellory and Ceana class of 2023

Layna, Ellory and Ceana had been talking since last spring about taking senior pictuers together in the fall. October got busy quickly, but I’m so glad we made time for a quick 30 minute photo shoot at Heritage Park in Grandville on a cloudy Sunday evening! I’ve been the leader of these girls’ small group for six years and I can’t believe they are seniors who are looking at colleges out of state. I love seeing their friendship and I can’t help but remember them as 6th graders when I look at these pictures of them now :) Here are some of my favorite pictures of my favorite members of the class of 2023!

Brooklyn and Sydney class of 2023

Another double senior session on a beautiful fall day! We’ve been so lucky the last couple weekends to have great weather and the colors have been really vibrant. Having a friend to do senior pictures with makes the experience more fun for everyone. These two girls walked all around the Grand Ravines dodging mud puddles and following my crazy ideas. Brooklyn is interested in photography so she was a natural at posing and she had great ideas for Sydney as well. Have a great rest of your senior year Brooklyn and Sydney!

Rayne Class of 2023

Rayne’s mom contacted me at the beginning of August about taking senior pictures but we hadn’t decided on a date or location until I had the very last minute idea of doing a photo shoot at the fair. I’m so glad this worked out and I was able to meet Rayne after hearing about her for years because her mom and I used to work together. The fair was busy, but she was patient with me always waiting for people to move out of the background for our shots. Here are some of my favorites, have a great senior year Rayne!

Ellory and Ceana Class of 2023

I’ve known these two since they were in 6th grade and I can’t believe they are now seniors!! Ellory and Ceana are cousins so when Ellory scheduled her senior photo shoot at Hoffmaster State Park it just made sense to invite Ceana to join in on the fun. To be honest, beach photos are not my favorite because I have to work with direct sun and wind, but these girls made it fun and kept each other laughing. I highly recommend bringing a friend along for pictures because they can get you to smile and provide good ideas for posing :) Here are some of my favorites :)

Elle Class of 2023

On a very hot June evening i met up with Elle and her mom at the downtown Grand Rapids library. to take her senior pictures! I was excited to take pictures in this cool building and the original plan was to take some inside and outside, but since it was an unseasonably hot day we chose to stay inside. Luckily there were many great spots throughout the 4 floors of the building and it wasn’t very busy at the time! Elle loves books so the library was a perfect location and since she is a dancer she was good at posing :) I enjoyed meeting her and hearing about her plans for the future. Have a great senior year Elle!

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!

Soraya's senior photos - Class of 2022

On Saturday I met up with Soraya and her mom at one of my favorite locations in Grand Rapids, Millennium Park and I even got to discover some new trails thanks to Soraya having previously scouted out photo spots she liked! Not very many teenagers would agree to having their pictures taken at 8am but she had to work later in the day and showed up early ready and willing :) Here are some of my favorites from her session.

Blanca & Francesca Class of 2019

Blanca and Francesca are foreign exchange students from Spain and Italy that are staying with a friend of mine this year, they are also seniors in high school so this fall they asked me to take some senior pictures for them. We had so much fun that we decided to do another photo shoot once the snow fell (though it had mostly melted by the time we did these pictures)! This time the girls wanted more photos together and some with their host mom of course :) Here are my favorites from their session at Provin Trails!

Blanca & Francesca Class of 2019

A couple weeks ago on a beautiful fall day I had the opportunity to explore a new location for taking some senior photos. The Grand Ravines is so pretty as are the two girls I was able to take pictures of! Both Francesca and Blanca are seniors who are foreign exchange students living with a friend of mine this year and I’m so happy they decided to participate in our American tradition of getting senior pictures taken. The girls were naturals in front of the camera and we had lots of fun walking around the park looking for fall colors. Here are some of my favorites from their session :)

Melissa's Senior Photos

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph my first senior of the year.  Melissa and her mom knew of a cute little park in Grand Rapids that I would never have found on my own.  Although we were one of three photo shoots happening at the park at that time we still managed to find some great spots and take turns with the other people :) It was so fun getting to know Melissa a little bit and she has great things planned for her future.  Enjoy your senior year!

Pearl's Senior Photos

I've known Pearl since she was in elementary school and in the neighborhood kids program I used to volunteer with at The Other Way.  It's crazy to think that she is a senior this year but I was thrilled to take her photos in some of my favorite spots downtown Grand Rapids.  The days we chose for pictures there was a chance of rain all afternoon, but thankfully it held off until we were done and all we had to put up with was wind during her session!  Pearl has such a big heart and it was a joy hearing about her desire to educate people about homelessness and try to make a difference.  Good luck with the rest of your senior year Pearl, hope you enjoy this preview of your senior pictures!

Brian's Senior Photos

I've known Brian since he was a kid in the neighborhood program I used to volunteer with.  He has grown into a nice young man who is hoping to go to college for something relating to the medical field.  After rescheduling due to rain on a Saturday, Brian and his parents were kind enough to meet me on a weekday evening at Millennium Park in Grand Rapids.  Brian was a good sport and walked all around the park with me looking for fall color.  Here are some of my favorites from his session, I can't wait to edit the rest, but enjoy this preview!

Tristyn's Senior photos

I can not believe that Tristyn is a senior this year! I've known this boy since he was a baby and it's been a joy watching him grow up.  Tristyn has never enjoyed having his photo taken and his mom started a tradition several years ago of me taking pictures of the kids instead of her buying school pictures.  Taylor is now a junior in college, Tristyn a senior in high school and Ty a freshman in high school so I might have to stop calling them "kids" soon!  He knew some great spots around Plainwell and it was worth going off the trail to get there.  After exploring went back to their house for photos of the extended family.  Take a look at some of my favorites from the day.

Mackenzie's Senior Photos

My first class of 2018 senior photo session this year was with Mackenzie!  She came to the photo shoot with some great ideas and great props - her dog and her guitar :) Mackenzie is very talented and she's planning to move to Nashville after finishing high school to pursue a career in music since she not only plays guitar but also plays piano and she sings.  She is definitely a country girl at heart and we found some great photo spots at a mutual friends barn and some nearby railroad tracks.  Have a great senior year Mackenzie and enjoy this preview of your pictures! 

Josh - Class of 2017

Josh's mom works with me and when she asked if I could do a quick photo shoot for his senior photos I happily agreed.  Josh had already picked out some locations in his backyard for pictures which made my job easy and despite it being early December we still managed to find some color in the leaves and trees.  We even joked when I arrived that it was supposed to snow that day and that would make an interesting photo shoot.  About halfway through the photo shoot it did actually start snowing and you can even the snowflakes in a few of the pictures :) Have a great rest of your senior year Josh thanks for braving the cold weather for some pictures.  Here are some of my favorites!

Megan Class of 2017

My first and only senior session of the year (so far) was Megan on an October day when the fall colors were in their prime in West Michigan.  Megan attends the same high school I did and she goes to the church I grew up in so I enjoyed hearing about how my hometown has changed in the years since I left!  Enjoy the rest of your senior year Megan thanks for coming up to Grand Rapids for these photos at Riverside Park :)