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!

Emily: Featured Senior

Meet Emily.

I met Emily in June at her first session. We had talked many times before then discussing outfit choices and what types of things she should bring to her session. She was big into fashion so she was excited to just have some fun with her senior outfits. Every single outfit she had was amazing! She definitely had some great choices and you’ll see why in the upcoming images.

We started Emily’s first session in Gaslight Village and then made our way over to Aquinas College’s campus. Both locations were stunning and meant for miss Emily’s session! 

Am I right about this girl?! She is gorgeous and what about those bright coral wedges!

For her next location we decided to head downtown Grand Rapids where we really got some of my favorite images!

After Emily’s first session she had reached out to me a couple other times throughout the year. She was also able to model for me during the Ionia Free Fair giving me a chance to test out shooting with the lights from the rides, and her a chance to have some very different images compared to everyone else. Before heading down to the fair we did a couple shots in the wheat field that is behind my parents house. Very bohemian style and some of my favorite photos!

Working with Emily was not only an honor but her mom as well. These two share such a special bond and you can see it every time they are together. It was so great to work with the two of them and for Emily’s final session we decided to shoot at the Whitmoore Center  in Lowell. A gorgeous set of trails that are much different than any other set of trail I have come across.

Emily, thank you so much for such a great year! I hope you enjoyed your time working with me as much as I did with you!

Book your senior session for the months of May-August and get an extra $20 print credit!

Kenyon: Featured Senior

Meet Kenyon.

Kenyon was my senior rep for Saranac for the year of 2016 grads. Kenyon is also my second cousin so working with him and his mother was a lot of fun. They are a fun family and definitely have some hilarious jokes and ways of working with each other!

Kenyon was an AMAZING senior rep for me. He and his mom were constantly telling me when they recommended people or gave away cards. It was great getting the heads up for future clients!

We started Kenyon’s senior year off with his free mini session that he got for becoming  senior rep. We took these images at his grandparents house and it made the perfect location. We even went back in the fall!

When becoming a senior rep you get a free mini session to choose images from for your rep cards. That mini session consists of a 30 minute session and one outfit change. It also gives me a chance to get to know you and your family for the first time. We will be working with each other a lot throughout the year so its a very nice start to our relationship!

Kenyon’s next session took place on the sunny beaches of Grand Haven. We started downtown Grand Haven and then made our way to the beach stopping at multiple places along the way.

He definitely rocked that beachy feel and we got some of my favorite images during his session!

For his final session we wanted that great fall look, colorful leaves and that gorgeous fall light. We started on a tree covered dirt road and went on from there.

Did I mention he had GREAT outfit choices! Every outfit was always flawless on him. He also plays baseball so we definitely wanted to incorporate his jersey into his photos a little bit.

Thanks for such a great year Kenyon. It was wonderful working with you and you were an awesome rep!

I’m still looking for reps for the class of 2017! Check out my post about the Senior Model Program if you’re interested!

What’s your ideal photo session like?

Have you ever thought about what you would want your photo session to be like?

Do you want it in the summer? The winter? Maybe sometime in between?

Today’s post will show case some work done throughout all seasons giving you an idea of what it is like shooting in certain seasons.

Winter

Since we are in the season right now (hopefully not much longer) here is Renae and Ryan from their January wedding in 2015! Shooting in the winter has a lot of ups and really only a couple downs.

For one, the snow is gorgeous! We don’t always get to see the snow so showcasing it in some of your images will definitely set you a part from everyone else. You can also do some fun things with the snow like Brittany and Chris are in the image below. When shooting in the snow just have fun with it! The only real downfall is how cold it can be sometimes and I suppose your feet could get wet if you’re not wearing the right shoes.

 

Spring

Moving on from the snow, who really likes spring here? Spring is a favorite of mine. I can kick off my boots and put on my favorite pair of ratty converse again while sporting my ankles in my new capris.

These are some of my favorite images from the spring of 2015. Plus all of these people were such a joy to work with, how could we not get some adorable spring images! What is your favorite thing about spring?

 

Summer

Onto those scorching hot summer days. Oh how I love summer though, everyone is just so happy in the summer. I don’t know if its the joy from being outside every weekend with their families or just the fact that the kids are on summer vacation. Either way, everyone is smiling in the summer. Plus we photographers always find a way to work around that bright summer light and give you the best photos you can imagine from the summer.

Summer is one of my favorites because that is when I get to take the most senior portraits and shoot the most weddings. Everyone loves going to the beach for their senior portraits so it gives me the chance to switch it up a bit and get creative when heading to some of the same locations. I also love the summer because that means the fair is in my hometown of Ionia. The Ionia Free Fair, the 10 best days of summer they say. I love it now that I am a photographer because I get the privilege of taking photos for families out on the midway with all of the lights and rides at night. They are so much fun! Everyone’s most requested shot is getting one done in front of the ferris wheel.

One more thing before moving onto the fall, I just love summer sunsets. The light in the sky leading up to that perfect sunset is just gorgeous light! One of my favorite times to shoot during the summer as I’m sure it is everyone else’s. Here is a little side project I did for myself, some images of my nieces just before the sunset on a July evening. I swear they could be models, they are growing up way to fast.

 

Fall

Onto my favorite season, Fall. Fall is my favorite not only because my birthday is in October and soon to be my wedding anniversary, but just all of the colors and that early fall light in the evening is just stunning.

Fall has got to be my busiest season in such a short amount of time. September through November is when anyone and everyone wants to get photos taken. I definitely don’t have a problem with that! I love fall photos for all of the colors, the pumpkins, the wonderful light coming out of the sky and just the atmosphere of everyones anticipation for the incoming winter months.

Seasons

Well there you have it. A few examples of my work from the last four seasons in 2015. Each season has its perks for photography, if you have any questions about getting photos done in a certain month feel free to ask! As you have read above, you know what I love about each season.