Laid back is definitely how I would describe Will & Sara's wedding day. Everything just sorta flowed really well and we love working with people who just let the day happen organically. They are both Reverends and Sara's dad is one as well. During his speech at night, he told a story about how she would come along with him when he officiated weddings at Stetson Chapel when she was just a little girl and when she played "wedding" she was almost always the officiant rather than the bride. haha! I guess things have come full circle and she can be both :)
Lynn & Brad // Yarrow Wedding Photographer
The way a groom looks at his bride is one of the biggest indicators of how the day is going to go as far as photos are concerned. That look is everything. It makes brides less nervous and less concerned with the details of the day, it sorta just takes them out of the stress and into the moment. We always focus so much on brides but I just love a super supportive, laid back groom who visibly adores and well, is smitten by his bride and can't hide it. Lynn was pretty laid back anyways so his adoration of her just made things even better. You could tell they have a great friendship which I think is sometimes lost in the mix of what we consider love. Great love is built on a great friendship. I enjoyed working with them so much and I'd really love to do this again when there are babies involved....just tossing that out into the universe!
Zach & DeAnna // Kalamazoo Engagement Photographer
If you've ever been photographed by us, you would know how I lose my mind during golden light. I get overly excited and just can't contain my joy for how magical if makes everything look for a short period of time. We had the best time with Zach and DeAnna and the magical end of the session was just...well...magical I suppose.
Kristen & Brandon // Yarrow Wedding Photographer
Well well, wedding season is FINALLY here! We kicked off our season with Kristen and Brandon at Yarrow in Augusta Michigan. In typical Michigan fashion, the weather changes constantly and we were racing against rain. It almost never rains all day so we sorta have to pick and choose the perfect moments to get outside. However, we got lucky and it only rained in the morning and a little in the afternoon. I swear it could snow the morning of a wedding and then be 70 degrees and sunny a few hours later.
The Foster Family // Hudson 3 Years
It blows my mind that this kid is turning 3 years in a week. It just seems so recent that he was a baby and now he is a real kid and it just weirds me out and makes me feel super old. I'm sure that feeling will only grow with time since I'll be photographing him for many years to come. It's also crazy that when he was born I was always like "giant baby!!" (even though he was smaller than me when I was born hahaha) and now I look back at his newborn photos in awe of how tiny he seems since he is so grown up now.
The Bell Family // Cecilia 6 Months // Grand Rapids Family Photographer
Shooting young families has become one of my favorite things to photograph lately. Weddings will always be a big part of my life, but as a secondary area of photography to get into, this just fits perfectly for me. Shockingly, I'm turning 30 this year. I spent my 20's shooting weddings and moving all over the country which sorta made time fly. Now, as we have settled down and are older, I've just got babies on my mind constantly and hopefully that will be part of our future. Until then, I'm vicariously living through my clients and I love watching their babies grow.
David & Brooke // Kalamazoo Michigan Wedding
When Ryan and I shoot weddings together, we always decide on who will be the lead shooter based on the personalities of the clients. Ryan is more laid back and professional and I'm more high energy and humorous. After our first meeting with Brooke and Dave, I remember walking out to the car and Ryan said to me "If they book, they are your clients". From our first conversation, I just knew brooke would be a blast to work with since she has the best laugh and that is my kind of person! I love happy, giggly brides who have men who love that about them.
Mark & Stephanie // Treasure Island Florida Wedding
Let me tell you a tale of how being up at 2am scrolling around Facebook can get you work and a new friend! haha
So I couldn't sleep and saw Stephanie update her status saying she still needed a photographer for her Florida wedding in December and since we were still open on her date, I saw an opportunity to see the sun again before April so I was ALL over it. Ryan and I pretty much only go on vacation when we can book a job in that location so this worked out really well.
KALAMAZOO MINI SESSION FAVORITES // PART 2
MORE kalamazoo mini sessions! Since they are all shot in the same area, it's interesting to me to see how everyone fits into the area and how they make it their own with their personalities. Speaking about personalities. Meet Dave Bunt. I quite enjoy people who are a bit nuts and totally confident in that fact. His very pregnant wife, Rachel must spend most of her life laughing because he is hilarious. The following image illustrates a pose where he probably felt the most comfortable during the session.
Kalamazoo Mini Session Favorites // Part 1
I want to blog parts of every mini session but man it's tough to keep these posts from being too big. The weather this past Saturday was amazing, it felt like spring! Since it was so nice out, I was able to move a couple of people from next weekend up to make the most of the beautiful day. These are some of my favorites from everyone that came out.
Ciers Family // Grand Rapids Family Photography
I am absolutely LOVING getting to shoot our past clients lately. Shaun and Kameya postponed their trip back home to come meet us in Grand Rapids for a family session. It's been about 6 years since we last saw them and they have since made this adorable human, Nathan. Their wedding was many years ago but we shall always fondly remember the highlight of randomly running into MC Hammer. We didn't run into any celebrities this time, but it was still a great time! :)
Grand Rapids Mini Session Favorites!
We had our first day of back to back sessions in Grand Rapids this past weekend and it was so much fun mixed with so much coldness. So I think those things even each other out?
It was a mix of old clients and new and it was great meeting everyone and seeing people again. I will for sure be offering mini sessions again next year. I have enjoyed this all so much!
Van Eerden Family // Mini Session
These mini sessions are a blast. I love the adrenaline rush of working fast since it's only a 30 minute session and it keeps a good mojo going since there is no awkwardness because it's all so high energy. I absolutely love this session and this family is just so adorable. You'd certainly never know it from these photos, but little Henry is 6 months old and was born with cancer and in his very short life so far, has beat it and is doing great! Upon meeting them, I just would never have guessed he has been sick and gone through so much. He was so laid back, didn't cry once even though it was really cold and I was just super impressed with what a sweet baby he is.
The Sleight Family // Mini Session
I had some time to kill before a wedding in Kalamazoo yesterday and figured I would open up a couple mini sessions to fill the afternoon. It was pretty last minute, but apparently Leah thrives on that so it all worked out! :) This was actually really fun so I decided to keep it going until December 10th.
Lesia & Jason // Detroit Wedding Photographer
Lesia and Jason are living the dream. They have a beautiful old house on 10 acres north of Detroit and it's so peaceful out there. We were able to shoot at their house which I love since it's obviously an important place to them. I think it adds so much more of a personal touch which was really the goal throughout the day. Lesia was actually Jason's realtor back in the day when he purchased the house and that's how they met! As the day went on, we got to know them better and everyone became more comfortable and by the end of the night...well... Jason surprised me a bit. The guy is a dancing machine!
Foster Family // Grand Rapids Family Photographer
The Foster's are back! If you ever want to see how my work has grown over the past 6 years, go look for all of their posts from our old blog (www.mudeyes.com). Search for keyword like "dave and lacey, the fosters, hudson" and you'll find all kinds of goodies. It seems like time just flies by and I can't believe they are pregnant with another baby. It feels like I was just doing Hudson's newborn photos like a month ago.
The Bell Family // Grand Rapids Family Photographer
The Tishhouse Family // Ann Arbor Family Photographer
Josh and Emily were one of our first wedding clients many years ago. I have no idea where all of these years went but for them, they have this adorable little human, Evanlyn and another on the way! I remember when they got married, I wondered what their kids would look like because they are from such opposite backgrounds. It looks like as far as genetics go, Josh's are pretty darn strong, hah! Evalyn is his little twin.
Angie & Terrence // Big Rapids Wedding Photographer
From the moment I arrived, I felt so at ease. There was no rushing around at this wedding, that would have ruined the mojo and I walked into the most beautiful rooms and a the most adorable property. There are plenty of farm/country weddings going on these days, but this venue is by far my favorite. I could have spent hours shooting inside just the house itself. This was another short engagement so everything was kept simple and the guest list was small, but it all looked so well done. And that's just the venue.
BJ & Allie // Grand Rapids Wedding Photographer
This job keeps me afloat sometimes. If you follow me on Facebook, it's no secret that we've had a few rough years but it was all finally coming together this summer. We figured out all of the health issues for the most part, finally decided to move back to Michigan for good so I could be close to my family and the first house we went to go look at was our dream house. It was a short sale and it fell through. It came back on the market sooner than anyone anticipated so we jumped on it again. We were 3 days from closing when we got the news that they discovered half of the house was sitting on the wrong lot.
This wedding was the day after we found that out. The next wedding I'll be posting was the day I got the email saying everything fell through, they killed the deal and took the house off the market. There's no way to really explain how bad that hurt losing that place. It wasn't just a house, it was everything I imagined for my life. I'm home most of the time so where I live in a large part of my world. Saturday's were the only thing I looked forward to at that point.
I bring this story up because people have a great power over us, even people we don't know. Weddings give us the great opportunity to connect to people easily. This family and their friends were so happy and so kind that I was overwhelmed all day long. The weather turned out awesome and Allie's mom did an incredible job on all the details and was just the sweetest woman. I was in the midst of their joy and it's impossible not to be happy alongside them. Smiling and laughing all day with truly wonderful people does wonders on someone feeling broken inside. Being a beautiful person on the inside matters so much in ways you may never realize. It impacts people around you that you don't even really know.
I'm so grateful to have been there to witness an amazing couple and their families and friends all joining in to celebrate them. It was such an excellent reminder of what's important in life. As much as my heart is still broken over the idea of my life that I built up for that beautiful home, it's family and being married to someone that you adore that is important. Those things are so much greater and this wedding was a wonderful reminder of that for me.
I don't remember what was going on here, but I enjoy pretty much everything about these expressions, haha!
Let's take a moment to pause and applaud Allie's mom, Kathy, for the amazing job on all these details. Everything was perfect for a backyard wedding and it's amazing she goto t all done in just a few months. Not to mention, she is a joy of a human. From the first phone call with her about the wedding I knew it would be great since she was so nice and spunky. :)
These heaters were a brilliant idea. All of the women (including me) swarmed to them for warmth like moths to a flame. This woman in particular was lovely to chat with and was smart enough to bring leggings. I was very jealous!
What a perfect way to end the night. Michigan is so great sometimes. :)