Last weekend I attended a rally/ march in support of Black Lives Matter. I used to be very hesitant to speak up and show up for causes even if they mattered to me, but I no longer feel comfortable staying home and staying silent. I have also always had a passion for photojournalism and I wanted to document what has been happening in my city. So I listened, I marched, and i took pictures. These are some of my favorites.
It doesn’t seem like that long ago that there was snow on the ground and I was with Mary and Aaron taking maternity photos. In February we had no idea about the Coronavirus and that they would be giving birth at such a strange time in history. Baby Ian was born on Memorial day and I got to meet him at 9 days old. Since they weren’t allowed visitors in the hospital and have only had limited contact with family members since being home I was thrilled when they asked if I could do some outdoor photos :) I know this is not how they imagined bringing Ian home but they are just happy that he is healthy. He slept most of the time and never got upset with the outfit changes and position changes - here are some of my favorites of Mary, Aaron, baby Ian and dog Toby.
Although Tulip Time festivities were cancelled this year due to COVID-19 I am fortunate to live close to Holland and had the opportunity to go see the Tulips and take some photos earlier this month. It was really fun to walk through places like Windmill Island without having to deal with huge crowds of people, but I do hope the festival can return next year because I know these places are taking a big financial hit without the tourists. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the tulips :)
For my second front porch mini session I met up with a family I had just photographed last December. Amy and Bryan have been friends of mine for a couple years and it’s been so fun watching their family grow from one, to two, to now three little boys. We had beautiful weather last week and I loved getting to incorporate the encouraging window signs they made at the start of the stay home order into their family photos :) Here are some of my favorites!
Now that the restrictions on photography have been lifted in Michigan I began offering “front porch sessions” for families who have been quarantined together in their homes the past two months. The first family to jump at the opportunity to capture this strange time of their lives was the Baker family who I’ve photographed several times over the years! It was fun catching up with them and hearing stories of how they are passing their time at home. Here are some of my favorite photos from their session :)
It may not be as common as family photos or weddings, but I do enjoy taking portraits for individuals to use for marketing their business/ service. I love when people want creative head shots and not just traditional head and shoulders pictures against a solid background :) For example, my friend Michelle who reached out and asked me if I could take some photos of her while practicing social distancing in the midst of a global pandemic. I happily grabbed my zoom lens and met her at a park last week (before winter made a comeback in Michigan) and here are some of my favorite pictures of her!
Before Michigan issued the stay at home order I was able to do a fun maternity session with Jessica and Jeff downtown Grand Rapids. It was such a strange thing seeing downtown so empty on a beautiful sunny weekend but it allowed us to walk around to some of my favorite photo spots. At the time they thought it would be a few more weeks until their baby girls arrival, but she had other plans and was born just a few days after we took these pictures! Sending much love to Jessica and Jeff and all other families with newborn babies in the time of COVID-19!
Two weeks ago I got to meet 10 day old baby Joshua. He was such a calm little guy and didn’t seem phased at all with me moving him around to take photos :) Joshua was born at the end of February and weighed close to 12 pounds making him look almost as big as his 3 year old sister! Here are some of my favorites from their in home session.
I’ve gotten to photograph my friends Mary and Aaron many times over the years so I was excited to meet up with them again and grateful for their flexibility when our first choice in location was under construction and we had to find a last minute alternative! I can’t wait for them to welcome a little boy in just a few short months and we had a beautiful, sunny winter day to take photos at Riverside Park downtown Grand Rapids! Although their dog, Toby, did not feel like cooperating we still got some great pictures, here are my favorites :)
On a sunny Thursday in West Michigan I had the opportunity to meet Keagan, Nicholas and their families for their intimate wedding ceremony at the courthouse. The love that they had for each other and the support of their families was clear in all the tears that were shed on this happy day! We kept saying it was “good weather” simply meaning the sun was out and it was not raining on their wedding day, but Nicholas’ mom who flew in from Arizona for the wedding, had a differnt opinion about the snow on the ground :) Here are some of my favorite pictures from their special day.
When I think about returning clients for family photos this group are the ones I think of first because they are the ones I’ve been taking pictures of the longest (who are not family/friends) and I’m grateful that each fall I get to document how their family has grown! As with any fall session in west Michigan we never can predict what the weather will be and this year it was cold but luckily not raining or snowing yet. Here of some of my favorites from their session!
Another return of familiar faces this fall with the Still family! Chris and Sarah are good friends of mine and it’s been so great photographing their growing family throughout the years. Two year old Emma was not super excited about taking pictures but she is excited to be a big sister in February :) This was my second time photographing at Hager Park this year and the trails had some great fall color that we were able to capture! Here are some of my favorites.
Last Saturday was such a beautiful day downtown Grand Rapids and I had so much fun walking around to all my favorite spots in the city with the Kuiper family! Janet and Matt’s girls Maki and Jayse were so sweet and when I offered them opportunities to pick backgrounds or poses for the family they both chose several spots that they saw and liked :) Take a look at some of my favorites from their session!
Last week on a beautiful fall evening I got to catch up with the Aupperlee family at Hagar Park to take their pictures. This was my third time taking pictures of this family and I was amazed at how much the kids have grown! They did a great job putting up with me when all they really wanted to do was play on the awesome playground at the park. Here are some of my favorites from the session!
October has always been the busiest month for family photos and one thing I love about it is getting to see how families have grown since I last took their pictures! Starting off the month is Melissa and Rob who I first met back in 2014 when I took their engagement photos and later would photograph their wedding and Melissa’s second pregnancy. It was lots of fun wandering around Millennium Park with their kids and though Collin did not want to stand still and preferred to look for frogs or other animals we still got some good pictures. Here are my favorites :)
Labor Day weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Jess and Sid’s wedding at the Clearwater Place downtown Grand Rapids. We were worried about rain all day but luckily it ended by the time we were ready to take pictures outside and as a photographer I love overcast days because it means no one is squinting and we don’t have to worry about harsh shadows! Jess and Sid had a small wedding party but but their family and friends were tons of fun. I especially loved the unique touches at their reception like a caracature artist! Here are some of my favorite photos from their special day :)
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.
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.
Amy and Isaiah had such a fun wedding at Camp Concordia last month. I loved that so many of their family and friends from out of state to celebrate together. The camp had lots of beautiful spots to take photos and Amy’s dress was perfect for twirling! Plus the pavilion for the reception was right next to a pirate ship playground that all the kids loved and they had a send off on a pontoon boat. Here are some of my favorite pictures from Amy and Isaiah’s special day :)
Sabrina and Robert’s wedding day was on a beautiful day in West Michigan, after weeks of rain the sun finally came out and we were all so glad! Their intimate wedding and reception was held at Townsend Park and I am so grateful Sabrina had already scoped out the spots she wanted photos because this park is huge! The trees were so great and it it weren’t for all the bugs I couldn’t photographed in that spot all day :) I also loved the family atmosphere of the wedding with playground and creek nearby which all kids enjoyed runing around in. Here are some of my favorite photos from their special day.
