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 :)

Sophie's first birthday

At the end of June, my niece Sophie turned one! My sister in law set up a cute photo backdrop in their home and decorated for a mermaid themed birthday party. Sophie was in a good mood and eager to show off her new skills of pointing and waving to everyone at the party. She loved eating her cake and looking at all the gifts she was given. Unfortunately, the day we took family pictures Sophie had not slept well and was very attached to her mom. We managed to get a few smiles when she saw dogs or other kids walking by and she loved the few bites of ice cream she was given! Here are my favorite pictures of Sophie from the two photo shoots :)

Grand Rapids Pride Festival

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.

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!

Ian's 2 year old photos

It was so fun seeing how much Ian has grown since I took his pictures a year ago! He is definitely a toddler now, and in typical toddler fashion had his own agenda for this photo shoot his mom had carefully designed :) Ian enjoyed looking at all the Pooh stuffed animals but wanted to carry them around rather then sit still with them. He was very uninterested in taking photos with his parents but we did manage to get a few smiles! Here are some of my favorites of the new 2 year old.

Festival of the Arts

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!

Ivan's First Birthday

Traditional first birthday cake smash photos can be really fun or really unpredictable, for Ivan it was the second :) He did not like everyone watching and singing to him and was not wanting to sit down. Initially he was curious about the cake, but once frosting got on his legs he wanted nothing more to do with it. We actually did this photoshoot over two separate days since he didn’t touch the cake the first day. The balloons were much more fun for both Ivan and big sister Olive so if nothing else he had fun with those!

Miss G's ballet recital 2022

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!

Jesudas Family 2022

Due to Covid and distance, it had been a year since I visited my old college roommate and her family! When I finally had the chance to fly down to Tennessee for a week last month I made a point to bring my camera and schedule a time to take photos between playing with the big kids and holding the new baby :) I always tell parents that family pictures are a reflection of your kid at this age and there is no need to make them sit still and smile perfectly. Here are some of my favorites!

Hudsonville Varsity Lacrosse

Before yesterday I had never been to a Lacrosse game so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I showed up to support a high school student I know. Since photo season has not gotten very busy yet I thought this would be a fun opportunity to try taking pictures of the game. I am not trying to be a professional sports photographer and since this project was just for fun I gave myself permission to edit creatively :) Here are some of my favorites from the game!

Laugh Fest 2022

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!

Italy 2021

Back in September, between COVID variants, I was lucky enough to travel to Italy (rescheduled from April 2020). I had the opportunity to visit Rome, Florence and Venice which was a photographers dream! I took so many pictures but finally this winter had time to go through and edit them. It was hard deciding what to share but I hope you enjoy seeing Italy though my eyes and maybe get inspired to take you own trip in the future :)

Winter in Grand Haven

I feel so lucky to live less then an hour from multiple beaches on Lake Michigan and Grand Haven is one of my favorites because the pier is so photogenic! I’ve photographed many summer sunsets at the state park but never ventured out in the winter - until now. Friday was a “warm” winter day with sunshine and no wind so I decided it was the perfect time to bundle up and try out some winter photography. I ended up spending two hours at the beach walking around, taking pictures and people watching. Here are some of my favorite photos :)

Baby Myra

I have been photographing Chris and Sarah since their engagement many years ago and it’s such a joy to see their family continue to grow. Baby Myra was about a month old when I went to their house for a mini session to document the family of 5! Big brother Joshua and big sister Emma were so sweet with their baby sister and just wanted to keep touching Myra. Here are some of my favorites from the session- we even got the dog, Ruby in some pictures :)

Klein kids 2021

In the past I have photographed the Klein family in the fall so I was excited when they chose to mix it up and do winter/ Christmas photos this year! I have always thought downtown Rockford does a great job decorating for the holidays and am glad I finally had a reason to take pictures there. The focus was just on photos of the kids rather then the whole family this time and though it was cold they toughed it out (and were bribed with candy) for almost an hour for this photo shoot :) I would definitely recommend this location next Christmas to anyone looking for some family pictures! Here are some of my favorites of the Klein kids.

Hounakey Family

Last weekend I met the Hounakey family at the Downtown Market greenhouse. They came home to Grand Rapids from Chicago and Washington DC for the holidays and I love that they made a point to schedule family pictures when everyone was together! The giant Christmas tree and all the twinkling lights among the greenery made for a beautiful backdrop. Plus, this family was not at all shy in front of the camera which made the session fun for all of us. Here are some of my favorite photos!

Abby and Nic's engagement photos

On the last warm weekend of October I met up with Abby and Nic to take their engagement photos at Grand Ravines. Abby and I used to work together so it was lots of fun catching up with her and meeting Nic, they are not getting married until next October but I appreciate the way they are planning ahead! They wanted a few photos with their dogs and despite our best efforts the dogs were not in the mood to hold still so we gave up on that pretty quickly. The fall colors have been late this year, but we found some great spots on the trails and by the river. I’m so grateful that Abby and Nic were up for an adventure (and a long walk) because we got lots of great photos. Here are some of my favorites!

Beverage Family 2021

I’ve been photographing Karen and Doug since their wedding in 2011. I was lucky enough to take photos of both their kids as newborns and have done family photos for them every year since. However, we weren’t sure it would work out this fall with many scheduling conflicts, but at the last minute on a beautiful October Sunday I headed to their beautiful yard and continued the tradition ofl fall family photos. I love the way they continue to honor their sweet daughter Alice who died in December 2019 by having the unicorn stuffed animal in all the pictures! Here are some of my favorites from their session :)

Sarah and Terrell's engagement

Sarah and Terrell have been together for a long time and joke that they are doing things backwards since they already have a house kids! They finally decided to tie the knot and are having a small destination wedding combined with family vacation this winter someplace warmer then Michigan :) A group of friends decided to gift them an engagement photo session and since the wedding will be out of state they wanted to get photos at some of the iconic spots downtown Grand Rapids. Sarah and Terrell were such good sports when it started raining and I ushered them into the nearest hotel very quickly! We weren’t the only ones taking photos in the sky walks and hotels that afternoon though, I saw at least 3 wedding parties in the same spots :) I’m grateful they were willing to be so flexible- here are some of my favorites from the engagement session!