Alone on the beach...

I got to do a wedding for Brandi and Eric in August. It felt like October or even November but it was still August, the beginning of August actually. It was only supposed to rain in the morning but it rained up until about 2 when we were to meet for pictures. The rain then just turned to mist and slowly stopped long enough for us to get all the pre-wedding pictures done. Then it decided to open up and ruin the chances of a lakeshore ceremony. Nice.

Brandi chose a great location though and we had a blast getting the pictures of the wedding party on the beach in Montague, MI. The waves were perfect whitecaps and the menacing sky gave a really unique light to the shots.

The reception was at at the The Depot in Shelby, MI. I highly recommend this location as a photographer. The 2 story building offered a really unique setting and lots of character. My favorite was the fact that the top floor over looked the dance floor. I loved the shots I got of the bride and groom dancing while the grandparents watched from above.

Thanks to Brandi and Eric for the opportunity and a fun day!

Summer and seniors

I just got done editing a handful of amazing senior pictures for a great girl I know, Maureen. Not only was she super easy to photograph but we had a lot of fun. I had a hard time not taking pictures of her with every step we took. We started in the Easthills neighborhood in Grand Rapids and I couldn't believe how many set ups I found as we went even though I live in the neighborhood and went scouting for shots just days prior. It had every kind of shot I you could want with the exception of a water photo.

Maureen had told me before the shoot that she didn't really have anything in mind but she wanted pictures that were different from all the other students in her class. She is from a more suburban/rural type of school so I figured few would have pictures downtown as it's a bit of a drive. The next thought I had was playground. I wanted pictures on an old merry-go-round and a swing. I found both of these at the Cherry Street Park and a GO Dome to boot. There's also the community center there which is a rustic looking pink cottage. I was able to create a bunch of different feels to her pictures all in the same setting.

After we finished in Grand Rapids we made the journey out to the rural world. Maureen had scouted and got permission from a family with a great old barn. The barn had a lot of character as it was falling apart. There were missing beam, holes in the foundation and an empty silo. We got a bunch of fun shots there and then moved on to a field down the road to try to get some open space pictures before the sun completely set.

Thanks to Maureen for being such a wonderful model!

begin here

"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away." ~Endora Welty. 

So I was looking for good quotes on photography as I was going to try to be really philosophical with my first blog.  Is it cheating to use quotes you find by simply typing in google "cool photography quotes"?  I'm going to say probably but this is why I'm not a writer.  Thank you, Google and Ms. Welty.

Well step back a bit and yes, this is my first blog.  This is somewhat monumental to me if to no one else... no, I think my dad would be proud and my mom would be if she knew what a blog was but I don't think that is the case.  When I first saw blogs on other photography sites I thought, "Who wants to read what a photographer is thinking?"  Well it turns out that other photographers do as I really started to enjoy reading what projects people were working on and seeing the pictures of their jobs.  Well I decided that I have enough projects coming my way now that I would like to start documenting them.  If not for me, then for the other artists or at least my dad (again mom if she finds the world of blogging).  

So here it begins...

The latest project was assissting my friend, Jamie, for our friend Brooke's wedding.  Brooke had the blessing of having 4 friends with nice cameras, good eyes, and unfulfilled desires to shoot pictures.  Jamie was the coordinator and the other 3 of us were here assistants.  Most of the photography was up to Jamie though as the rest of us were also standing up in the wedding. It made for a lot of fun and some really great shots of the night.  It didn't hurt that the ceremony was in one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in Grand Rapids (if you're looking for a spot for your wedding may I strongly recommend LaGrave) and that Brooke and Jeff aren't too bad on the eyes either.