Senior Models

I can’t even believe it is almost March of 2017 already! This year has just flown by and I don’t even know where the time has gone. I also can’t believe that it hit 64 degrees in February in Michigan. Was anyone else loving the wether this week?! Gets me excited for spring and what spring has to offer. Gorgeous flowers and beautiful green grass. Trees with leaves on them and crisp fresh air. Spring also means that senior season starts. I get to start working with my senior models and getting them excited for their big final year of high school that is to come.

Brick Street Studio is still accepting Senior Model applications. Are you interested in becoming part of our senior model program? It’s quite simple and you get tons of discounts and freebies along the way. We will be taking applications until March 18th and then will be choosing a few models to represent our brand and work with throughout the next year. You can check out the Senior Model Program here.

One great thing about being a senior model is you get a FREE mini session before any of your senior sessions so we can get you some rep cards made up to pass out to your friends and classmates. Those rep cards will get you some great freebies and could even win you some money depending on how many you get back to me. Another great thing about being a senior model is you get to be involved in a group session or two at some point throughout the year and have a that chance to meet some of your fellow models that are on our team. It is a great chance to make some new friends and to just let loose and have fun during your session.

Pictured above are a few of the 2017 senior models that I had as a part of my team. These girls are from different schools but they had so much fun together during this shoot. They all were really involved and were have a blast getting to know each other! We went to the Wittenbach Center for these photos. Its a gorgeous park with trails and fields to walk through. My favorite part about this park would have to be the rows of pine trees lining one of the gorgeous trails. It is just absolutely stunning. 

Most of these girls met for the first time the day of this shoot. They knew each other from Facebook and from our Senior Model Facebook group but other than that this was their first time meeting in person. It was just wonderful to see them all able to chat with each other and have so much fun in the process.

In case you missed it above, to apply to our senior model program you can do so at this link: Senior Model Application. We are taking models from all different schools and are accepting male and female applicants. If you have questions prior to applying, please don’t hesitate to ask! We also accept applicants within 100 miles of Ionia County. Refer a friend to apply for the program or to get their senior portrait experience done by Brick Street Studio and get a $25 credit added to your account.

I am looking forward to hearing from you and giving you the best senior experience around.

Katie || LHS Senior Model

Well it has been a very long time since I have posted on my blog. For that I must say I am so very sorry but don’t worry, you’ll be seeing more from me in the up coming weeks!

Marisa and I are finally moved into our studio and my computer is officially in my new office! It has been one heck of a ride with tons of hard work and a lot of late nights but it is FINISHED!

I wanted to share Katie’s session here from June that we did over at Rosey Mound Nature Center in Grand Haven. It was gorgeous out there even though we had a bit of a chilly, and windy day.

Here is miss Katie!

Did Someone Say Fair?!

Well today is the day! It marks the first day of the Ionia Free Fair right in my little home town. I will be down there tonight and every other night for the next 10 days. It is the 10 best days of summer you know!

The fair is one of my favorite times of year. I don’t know if its because everyone complains so much about it that I just have to be there proving them wrong, showing that is a lot of fun and not just a pain in the butt, but either way I think it is awesome! I take pictures down at the fair every year of families who love the fair just as much as I do. We take them in front of the ferris wheel, next to the carousel, under the grand stands, and all over trying to include some of the best features of the fair. I have six of these sessions booked for this summer and I cannot wait!

The fair is more to me than just photos though. My family takes their camper down there and we plan family dinners every night of the fair. It has been one of the best bonding moments for my family and I. Our dinners are usually better than the fair food most nights but heck even I can’t deny myself one of those greasy corn dogs or basket of fries. What about those carmel apples or deep fried Oreos?! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I grew up at the fair. I used to enter crafts into the 4-H barn. I was never very good at crafts but I sure could bake! One year I got the best of show award on my banana cake! It was delicious. I showed my pup, Comet, at the fair in 4-H for six years and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I was able to spend time with my dog and get a great experience doing it.

Don’t think of the fair as just some smelly old fair that a lot of random people go to. Think of it as a great time to spend with family and friends. You don’t have to go to the fair just to ride the rides, make sure you head back to the barns and see all of the animals! I’ll be photographing the pigs on Saturday afternoon! Be sure to check out the Miracle of Life exhibit, they have newborn baby animals of different types. I think they just had a cow and some guinea pigs born in the last couple days! Don’t forget about the Antique Village, where you can show your kids the history of Ionia and the history of the fair. There is more to offer than just the rides!

Anywho, enjoy some of these photos I took down there last year! Keep an eye on my Facebook page for new images from this year !

 

Isabel || Trash the Dress

The images you’re going to see in this post are of my gorgeous niece, Isabel.

I recently got some new equipment. I got an octabox and a battery pack for my Alien Bee 800. I decided I wanted to test it out with my beautiful niece here! She put on a pretty dress and went frolicking in the weeds by the studio so I could play around with a few things. I only ended up using the light for a few images, but what can I say, I love using natural light.

Isabel, my sister, and I had a lot of fun creating these images. They were just for fun for me and it gave her a little something to do on a summer night. One thing that is special about these images, her older sister wore that same dress two years ago when I wanted to test out using off camera flash. They both look just simply stunning in this dress and I can’t handle how grown up this little one is.

When I first met Isabel, she was a little dorky 8 year old who LOVED to play in the dirt. She still loves to play in the dirt but when she put this dress on, it was like a whole new child! You could tell she felt beautiful and had a lot of fun twirling about throughout the session.

Well, enough talking, here are the images she loved most from her session. Yes I let her pick them all out!

The session we decided to do with Isabel is called a “Trash the Dress” session. You can book a session like this with any senior or wedding package! And NO we do NOT have to actually trash your dress! Plus, seniors, you’re welcome to use any dress out of my style closet to wear during your Trash the Dress or Glam session!

I think the ones in the road here are some of my favorites! The light here was all natural and it is just perfect!

 

I hope you enjoyed these photos!

Kayli || CMHS Class of 2017

Meet Kayli.

Kayli came to me asking about my senior model program but I had already had a full list for senior models. She completely understood and wanted to book a full session with me anyway. I could not be happier with meeting Kayli and her mother and being able to work with them. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Plus this young woman is just gorgeous!

Prior to Kayli’s session, I sent her  a questionnaire. I love getting to know my seniors prior to their session. From this questionnaire I learned that Kayli wants to attend Alma College or Ferris State University! She is undecided on her major but as of now she’s looking into becoming a nutritionist. I love being able to see what these young kids have in mind for their future.

Kayli and I met about a week prior to her session to go over locations, outfits, and other questions they may have had about her session. Kayli and her mom decided they even wanted to add in some make up to her session. They were able to work with my make up artist, Cydney Robinson, right before getting ready to shoot. During her make up session, we pulled out her outfit choices and hung them up to see what she had. We were able to narrow down some spectacular outfit choices!

Kayli brought quite a few outfit choices. She had some of her favorite things in there, as well as a few things that she wasn’t sure about. The amount of shoe options and jewelry choices was amazing! We had so much to choose from and I was really able to help her pick out what would be best for her images. I really loved that one on one time with her prior to her session. I hope to start doing this with more clients! Please feel free to bring your outfit choices into the studio prior to your session! Kayli curled her own hair but I do have a hair stylist that we can work with if we book it in advance! Her hair looked wonderful though.

We started Kayli’s session right outside of the studio. I’ve got a wonderful field and little wooded area right next door to my in home studio. It is just beautiful and makes a great spot for photos! We then headed downtown Ionia to capture some more urban style shots and I loved her first outfit choice for the downtown shots. You just can’t go wrong with some bright red heels!

What I loved most about working with Kayli, she wasn’t afraid to try new things that I suggested posing wise. She might not have known it before but she does now, she is a natural in front of the camera! She’s absolutely stunning and I told her just to show it off, by the end that is just what she did!

After shooting downtown, we headed over to my grandpas barn. I had suggested that during her pre consultation when discussing locations and shared a few images from the barn. She really liked it and thought it seemed like a great idea. Her being from Montcalm, she let me kind of guide her to what locations I really liked and what locations I felt really would fit her style.

This girl was just so much fun to photograph. Her and her mother were willing to go wherever and do whatever it took for a great photograph. We were a bit nervous this day as it was supposed to storm all day but we could not have asked for a better lighting situation. Due to the storms, the clouds were just perfect and the lighting was magical! I had so much fun during this session, I absolutely cannot wait for Kayli’s fall session!

A few things about Kayli:

Kayli told me that some of her favorite things to do outside of school is play volleyball, power lift, hunt, and much more.

She seems to be very involved in school activities and she is such an outgoing girl.

Some of her favorite candy is Reese’s, Tootsie Rolls, and Snickers. No wonder we got along so well, these are some of my favorites as well!

She also loves to listen to Fall Out Boy, Country, and today’s hit music.

 

Thank you so much for such a wonderful session Kayli. I am really looking forward to our fall session and especially for your reveal of your summer session!

Where Am I?

Hey everyone!

It has been quite some time since my last blog. It looks like its been about two whole weeks! That is far to long for me. However it has also been a CRAZY two weeks. We are officially moved into our home in Ionia! The studio is coming along nicely as well as all the other things that come with home owner ship such as painting, remodeling, and what not. I’m sure you could believe that we still have so much to do! Heck, I’m not even into my office yet, still working at my desk out in the cluttered studio space. Oh well, I’m just happy to officially own my own home!

I’m sorry if this blog becomes a bit lengthy but I wanted to share with you a little snippet of all the things I have been doing the last two to three weeks! I have had some wonderful sessions including two weddings, some prom photos, graduation photos, and more! I must say that all of my clients have been amazing during the session and with their patience while waiting for their final images.

Here are just a few of my favorites from different sessions!

 

Prom?

 

Prom.
One of high schools crazy traditions that every student feels they have to attend. Well maybe not every, but most. Now days the boys and even the girls sometimes come up with all of these crazy ways of asking their boyfriend/girlfriend/friends to prom. I always love seeing the videos of these kids holding their signs or doing something crazy to ask their significant other to the dance.

This wasn’t for prom but for their “Fling” dance, whatever that is, Sonja had one of her teachers pull Konner out of class to take him to the office. They made it seem like he was in a lot of trouble but once he got down to the office, she was standing there with a cute handmade sign she made asking him to the dance. Adorable right?!

Then came prom. These high schoolers and of course their parents spend all of this money on just one night of fun. But it is one very special night in every sophomore, junior, and seniors life that they feel like they need to do. The girls of course spend all day pampering themselves. Getting hair done, nails, make up, the whole shebang just to put on this expensive but gorgeous gown so they can go out dancing for a night. Its quite spectacular really. Konner here got all spiffy in his tux and he even got his wonderful lady a beautiful corsage.

When you have a couple that has been together for quite awhile and has gone through so many memories together you can’t help but see all of that young love between the two of them. I know they had a wonderful evening and I am so glad I was there to capture some photos of these two. They look amazing dont they?!

We did these photos at Kuyper College in Grand Rapids. It was a perfect spot for a few photos, plus it was near by to the spot they got ready at. I can’t believe my niece even went to prom though! She walked up those stairs in her gorgeous dress and I about cried at how beautiful she was.

I hope you can enjoy some of these photos from their prom night last month!

Hair done by Paula Guppy. Make up by Cydney Robinson

 

Emma: Senior Model Class of 2017

Meet Emma.

Emma is my senior model from Wellspring Preparatory HS. She applied to be my senior rep and her application sounded very interesting so I was excited to meet up with her and get to know her! When she arrived at her session, I could tell we were going to have fun. She was super bubbly and such a nice young woman! Her and her mother were a lot of fun to work with.

We did Emma’s mini session downtown Grand Rapids. She is a natural in front of the camera. I feel like I keep saying that about my models but seriously, they are all so great to photograph! I wouldn’t even have to tell her to change faces or to slightly move, its like she could read my mind and would just do it! Not to mention, this girl is absolutely gorgeous!

Emma can get you 15% off your total senior portrait experience! She will have her senior model cards by the end of the week!

Chloe: Senior Model Class of 2017

Meet Chloe.

Chloe is one of my senior models for Saranac HS. The minute I started talking to Chloe about being in the model program and setting up her session, I was instantly excited to start working with her! She’s a dancer, so that made me even more excited to try some new things that I haven’t done with previous seniors.

Chloe also has her own great ideas, she’s got some great locations in mind for her session and I always love when clients bring locations to the table. It really allows me to put my own creative thought on that location while still giving them all they want by going to that location.

Chloe is an absolute blast to work with and she’s definitely been in front of the camera a few times. She’s just stunning and so natural when it comes to posing. Really making my job a piece of cake 😉

Chloe can get you 15% off any senior portrait package! She will have her model cards at the beginning of May!

DrewAnn: Senior Model Class of 2017

Meet DrewAnn.

DrewAnn is one of my senior models at Ionia HS. I really enjoyed talking with her when she first decided she was interested in the program. She is super sweet and kind hearted. She also has a huge passion for animals, as do I, so this decision was an easy one. We got along great in our initial conversation and I couldn’t be happier!

DrewAnn and her mom met me at Fallsburg Park in Lowell for her mini session. They were so much fun to work with and to talk with. DrewAnn was easy to pose and it felt natural working with her! I can’t wait for her full sessions!

DrewAnn can get you 15% off any senior portrait package! She will have her model cards at the beginning of May!