A White Wedding

I had an opportunity to shoot a wedding with Lisa of Elite Photo Design at First United Methodist Church in downtown Grand Rapids. Ironically, the family was full of attorneys and the dinner prayer was offered by a Kent County Circuit Court judge. I say ironic because my "other" job is a legal assistant and my college degree is pre-law.

Hard to Say Goodbye

Well, I'm not sure where to begin with this one. But a very special family is now settling into their new home 200 miles away.... There are a zillion memories I could share from the awkward first moments at a condo in Traverse City to camping while pregnant with nothing but pit toilets to risking our lives in an ice storm outside Chicago for a night out without kids! The last decade of our lives have been spent sharing moments like these with good friends, the kind that you don't bother putting away the laundry when they drop by. The kind that know your failures and mistakes but forgive and encourage. The kind that suddenly stop being friends and suddenly become an extended part of your family. There's a sappy song by Michael W. Smith called "Friends," and the last line of the chorus says, "a lifetime is not too long to live as friends." And 200 miles is not too far to make that happen.....

Fall.....mmm

I LOVE fall. I have this tradition of burning vanilla candles, baking apple anythings (yes, from scratch), and playing my favorite Windham Hill CD, "Thanksgiving." There is one track on it that's extra special because it was playing the moment my first child came into this world....eight years ago.

Speaking of my eight-year-old, I photographed this family here at our home who are a former school-friend family. They are in the process of moving out of town so they are no longer with us at North Hills. The hardest part of growing up is having friends that move away....which doesn't get any easier the older you get.

The Newborn that Didn't Cry....

I have not had much luck photographing newborns. They seem to always cry, wet, or want to eat. BUT, this time, I was blessed with a content little chap. And, to top it off, his home had lovely natural light! I just photographed big brother a few weeks prior to his arrival. These two will surely keep momma AND grandma hoppin'!

Trash that Dress!

So my friend Theresa asked me if I wanted to come shoot one of her brides in a "trash the dress" session last weekend. Of course! How fun! This couple was had been married only a week and were up for anything! We took them around downtown, including our new favorite location, the "chop shop." While shooting some seniors, we happened upon this bike shop downtown, a small garage on the backside of an old building. These guys look tough, but they are actually super friendly. And they love having us! I still can't believe I had the nerve to walk up to them the first time to ask if we could shoot in their garage. Complete with girly posters and plenty of grease. After shooting downtown, we ended the session at Versluis Beach in NE GR for a little wet-n-wild action....