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 :)
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
Ending the year with another returning family! The Hounakey’s are spread accross multiple states, but gather back home in Grand Rapids for Christmas each year. This was the third year of their new tradition of getting family photos when they are together and as a photographer there’s no bigger compliment then having returning clients :) It’s always fun to see their coordinated outfits and the effort every member of the family puts into choosing their poses. Since it was unseasonably warm outside, we started with a few photos by the Christmas tree outside at Rosa Parks Circle before moving inside to the beautiful JW Marriott Hotel. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this very photogenic family last weekend!
I love when families choose to do milestone photography sessions for their kids because they grow and change so much in the first year! When their first child, Ian, was born Mary and Aaron scheduled photos every 3 months for him and I was so happy they decided to do the same for their second born :) Grace was pretty confused about the camera in her face, but she didn’t cry and her big brother stayed close by to try and get her to smile. Here are some of my favorites!
The Still’s are likely the people I have been photographing the longest, and I love that I’ve gotten to keep in touch with these friends over the years through their annual photo session. This year they wanted more winter/ Christmas themed pictures instead of fall and though the kids were not happy about the cold weather at first, after eating lunch it started to snow and they wanted to go back out and play in it :) So we managed a combination of more formal family photos, pictures of the kids by the Christmas tree inside, and some playing in the snow (all with their dog running in and out of the frame). Here are my favorites from earlier today!
This has been a slower than normal October, so last weekend I posted on Facebook asking if any of my friends wanted photos before the leaves fall off the trees. Luckily, the Bopp family responded and we got their pictures scheduled the same day at the beautiful campus of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. I love taking pictures there and hadn’t had the chance in a long time, so when they suggested the location I immediately agteed Here are some of my favorites of the Bopp family :)
At the end of “sunflower season” I discovered a great field near my house at Bremer Produce (which was free) and immediately began searching for someone to do a photo session there! My friends had been trying to think of unique locations for family pictures this year and this seemed like a great option. The trick to getting a four year old and two year old to focus for a picture session is snacks and these two definitely enjoyed the cookies their mom brought along! Here are some of my favorites from their session :)
Just a couple months ago I was taking maternity pictures for Mary and now baby Grace is here! She was born at the end of August and I was able to meet her on Labor Day just a week later. Big brother Ian gave her lots of kisses and even wanted to try using my camera to take some photos. Of course I also got to hold her for a few minutes at the end of the session :) Here are some of my favorites of 7 day old Grace and her family!
When I asked if anyone would be interested in a mini photo session at the Hudsonville fair this year, Jess was the first one to respond yes! I last saw her and her husband Jeff in March 2020 right before Covid lock down when I took their maternity photos downtown Grand Rapiuds. It was so fun to meet their daughter Addie who was born just a few days after that photo session and also surreal to realize it has been 3 years! We managed to find a few spots at the fairgrounds that were not crowded to take pictures, and at the end they let Addie try an elephant ear (which she licked all the sugar off then asked for more)! Here are some of my favorites of the VanOss family!
One of the families I get to photograph every year are the Aniszko’s! It’s been a joy to document their engagement, wedding, dog, birth of their son and now pregnancy with their daughter. After rescheduling three times we ended up doing this photo session at the end of June in their backyard. Despite the poor air quality and tight timeline Mary, Aaron, 3 year old Ian (and even the dog) were good sports and we managed to get some cute pictures! Here are some of my favorites :)
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!
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 :)
