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 :)

Johnston Family 2022

Fall photo season wouldn’t be complete until I saw the Johnston family whose pictures I’ve been taking annually since they only had one kid :) Luckily, we had unseasonably warm weather at the start of November and even though the leaves were gone from the trees it was fun exploring more of their property and finding new spots to take pictures. Claire, Andy, their kids and parents are experts at this by now which makes the photos so quick and easy. This year we even did a few inside with their new cat, a very unique sphynx. Here are some of my favorites!

4 generations - Johnston Family

Some of these faces might look familiar and that’s because I’ve done family pictures for one family several times and senior pictures for two of the girls. The day after I took Brooklyn’s senior pictures, I met up with her extended family at Hager Park for round two of photography! It was so great to see four generations of a family all together and I’m grateful for this opportunity to capture a beautiful fall day with them.

Still Family 2022

Fall family photo season is officially beginning with the Still family! I’ve photographed Chris and Sarah so much over the years and it’s always a joy to see how their family has grown. This year Chris’s parents and sister joined for an extended family session and the kids had fun showing me their garden and the horses next door!. My favorite part of this session was after the group pictures were done watching the kids
(and adults) in the garden picking vegetables and smelling flowers :)

Johnston/ Foley family 2021

Another group of familiar faces to feature this fall- I love photographing every fall are the Johnston/ Foley family every year and seeing how the kids have grown (and meeting the new kids that have been born).! Claire and Andy live on a beautiful dirt road and have a great yard that makes for lots of great background for pictures. The kids are old enough this year to respond well to bribery (or young enough for it not to matter) and because of that we got the pictures done in record time! Here are some of my favorites :)

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!

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!

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!

Sommerfeld Family

Last weekend I had the opportunity to do an extended family session with the Sommerfeld’s while they were enjoying a family vacation in Grand Haven. I had met them once before when I photographed their daughter and son in laws wedding a few years ago so it was great to reconnect. They chose a park away from the crowds and the bright sun of the beach which was the perfect choice for a holiday weekend in a beach town as it provided plenty of shade and we didn’t have to worry about other people in the background! I also loved seeing how the kids were having fun with their aunt, uncles, and grandparents, here are some of my favorite photos of them!

Feyer Family

Earlier this summer I got to meet up with another extended family to take photos for them at a cottage they were renting on the beach in Grand Haven. The kids were so friendly and immediately greeted me when I arrived and even the baby was in a good mood during the photo session! I loved watching everyone run around on the beach barefoot and even the dog was in on the fun. Here are some of my favorites from the Feyer family.

Hammar/Holshoe/Ward/Torres Family

Last summer Marcia first contacted me about getting photos taken of her extended family which includes 3 daughters and their kids but it turned out to be more difficult then anticipated to get them all together! I’m so happy she didn’t give up on the idea and we finally got something scheduled so they can have these family memories :) I had fun seeing all of the cousins run around and play together and they even tried to get the dog in a few photos before deciding it was too much chaos with so many kids and a dog! Here are some of my favorites from their session a couple weeks ago.

McAleenan Family

Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting the McAleenan family and taking some photos in their beautiful backyard.  All of their kids and all of their grand kids (5 boys) were home for just a short time and luckily the rain held off until we were done taking photos! I loved seeing the little cousins play together and amazingly none of them started crying while I was there :) Here are some of my favorites of this sweet family!

Budrick/ Griffin Family

Yesterday was one of those rare moments this time of year where a last minute photo shoot was able to be scheduled when everyone was free the weather was also cooperating! Two years ago I took family photos for the Budricks at this same locations in the fall and they had been hoping for updated photos before Christmas this year, but wanted snow which was late to arrive in west Michigan this year.  We also added Gia's brother and his son to the family photos this year and it was fun watching the cousins interact with each other and play in the snow between photos.  The location looked so beautiful with the fresh snow and I appreciated how everyone was patient with me despite being cold- here are some of my favorites from this session!

VanDyke/ Phelps Family

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of taking family photos for Bob and Jan VanDyke and their kids and grand kids out at Camp Beechpoint.  This place is significant for the family as Bob and Jan used to work there and Rick and Sheri currently do.  Since it's summer and camp is in session, we had to schedule their photo shoot for a Saturday when there were no campers around.   Beechpoint is also the camp I used to work at as well so I was very familiar with good locations for taking photos! Though it was a challenge to get all of the kids to look at the camera at the same time I think we ended up with some good ones, take a look at some of my favorites :)