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Morgen & Friends | Prom | May 7, 2016

Miss Morgen and her pals had me come out and shoot some photos before they went off to prom.  Oh, how I remember those days . . . I got stood up for three proms so personally I don’t understand the draw, but whatever.  I guess it is a great excuse to dress up.  We don’t have many of those options these days.  I think we should start a Formal Friday trend, where everybody comes out dressed to the nines and there is dancing and shenanigans.  Come to think of it, what do 18 year olds do these days???  Off hand, I can’t think of a single place for big kids to go hang out socially.  The mall?  Gross!  Someone should do something about that.  Aren’t there over 1000 kids that age just from TCAPS?  What DO they do?

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Jen & Tim | Wedding | April 30, 2016

Jen and Tim had a lovely indoor wedding ceremony at the Perry Hotel in Petoskey.  They had great weather for the end of April and were graced by one of Michigan’s finest sunsets.  These two were so easy to smile in each other’s company, you could just feel their happy connection.

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James and Mommy | Before Baby #2 | April 7, 2016

I was so happy to spend a few hours with my favorite little buddy, James, and his awesome Momma.  James has no idea of the changes that will come over the next few months.  As much as he is an adventurous, comical, sweet and caring, only child, he will soon be called “big brother.”  So we took some time to look at life with just James.  This kid absolutely cracks me up!  “Play” and “Nope” are his favorite two words.  I am so excited for #2 to join this household!

 

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Lauren and Zachariah | Wedding | March 6, 2016

I am so incredibly happy to tell this story!!  It’s not very often that I get to be at the beginning of a life story!

In November of 2014, Zach was working with me as a second shooter for weddings.  We were working Kelle and Jeremy’s wedding in Charlevoix when Zach happened upon a lady of beauty, virtue, faith in God, and a smile of equal ability as his to light up a room.  She left him speechless and captured his heart.  Slightly over a year later, I received that phone call that Zach had asked Lauren to be his wife.  Which leads us to this day!

The gentlemen prepared at a family friend’s house, Lauren and her ladies prepared at her parent’s home.  Lauren had a first look with her father that was emotional and heart-warming to witness.  A father’s tears at seeing his daughter dressed for her wedding, always make me a little weepy.  Her mother and father prayed together and then we went off for a first look with Zach on the blue bridge downtown.  From there we went to the ceremony in the greenhouse of the downtown market.  The whole day was just lovely!

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Nichole & Andrew | Wedding | February 27, 2016

Andrew and Nichole were married at the Glen Lake Reformed Church in Glen Arbor and then hosted a reception at The Homestead.  We had made great plans about where we were going to go for photos that included the beach, Inspiration Point, the Narrows, and a few other local gems, BUT a few weeks before the wedding, Nichole broke her ankle.  I was so incredibly bummed out for her, knowing that we would have to tone back our plans quite a bit.  But it all worked out just fine!  We chose the marina on Crystal River and just made use of the parking lot at the church.  We had lovely weather for a Michigan February so that made getting around much easier than I had expected.  And with the amazing positive attitude that this woman has (as well as a supportive man with the patience of a saint) , we still made it to the beach!

Stay tuned for an “I can walk again” shoot some time after the next 6-8 weeks!

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Maple & Friends | Baby Photos | February 25, 2016

I was lucky enough to spend a morning with pretty little Maple and her old buddy the other day.  There were some kitties that hung out with us too, but cat’s don’t stick around to pose for photos all too well.

 

 

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Katelyn & Justin | Engagement | February 6, 2016

Katelyn and Justin will be married this coming fall.  October is personally my favorite month of the year so I can’t wait to share in their big day!  This lovely couple braved the 20 degree weather to run around the Esch Road beach area and other parts of The County with me.

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The thing about winter in Michigan is that you just never know what you are going to get.  The best you can do is just go and see what Mother Nature hands you.  This day, we were handed light winds, no snow, and plain grey skies.  I’m not a big fan of just plain old grey skies!  Here is an example of my creative editing progression.  First I thought, ahhh, snow will do it.  But that just didn’t spice it up enough for me.  How about some clouds?  Getting better.  How about some color in those clouds?  Hmmmm, I like.  Let’s push it and go for broke.  Perhaps a little overkill, pretty, though.  Let’s try a mid-contrast black and white.  I love black and white!  But after all that thinking, I can’t just pick one to put in the gallery.  I like them all.  They should all be included.  The major problem is this is my thought process for everything I see.  So if you ever see me lost in thought somewhere looking at things, likely with a super stupid look on my face, this progression shows you why.

 

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Echo | One Month | February 8, 2016

This little baber would NOT rest for our first try for her photos a few weeks ago.  And even now, at our second go, we only got about 10 minutes of sleepy girl.  Echo Nora is quite a bright-eyed, alert baby!  Either way, sleeping or wide awake, this little girl is a doll!

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Garfield Auto – Exterior Photos – New Building Photos to Come in the Spring

My favorite automotive repair center in Traverse City is re-vamping their facility to have classic resto shop out back.  This is good news since my ’64 Chevy truck always needs a loving touch.  These guys save my butt every time I roll in last minute with a clank or rumble!