Miles works at Blimpy Burger, and when he graduates this year, plans on studying the culinary arts.  So, for his session, we went downtown to capture some fun and unique images.  Miles’ senior portrait session was pretty relaxed and low key, but we got some really neat results!

We started outside the best burger place in Ann Arbor…

And then worked our way to some other neat spots around Ann Arbor.  It’s amazing how many nooks and crannies there are for outdoors senior portraits…

And then for something a little more “Ann Arbor”….

Finally, we ended up where we started… at Blimpy Burger, and did a fun series of Miles “on the job” (so to speak, we really didn’t do this on a day he was working!).

Lastly, I couldn’t resist getting a scrumptious burger (made especially for me by Miles).  Yes, I held out long enough to take at least one picture of the burger…

Miles, thanks for a very fun session.  I am really happy that you liked the images from your session, and the burger was delicious. Good luck surviving your senior year; I’m sure you’ll do great!

Oh, and as a general reminder to all my clients, I love to get updates on how things are going, so whenever you feel like it, drop me an email or text message (or a phone call).

This Dexter family has two great puppies, whose names are… Curly and Moe! We started out the session by doing something a little more active (the goal being to have the dogs use of some of their energy so they’d be calmer for the rest of the session!).

In addition to doing something so extremely casual, this next image is a little more “classic” I suppose… But it’s really gorgeous, and Curly and Moe were behaving like perfect angels!

Then it was time for some sibling portraits. The light in the field was beautiful by this time…

And with the puppies… this one is a little more contemporary:

Another image of the family, sans pets this time:

And two last family portraits, in the field. Gorgeous view, huh ?

Thanks guys for a wonderful portrait session! I know it was hard to pick your favorites, but that’s what happens sometimes….

Leslie is a senior at Pioneer in Ann Arbor. She’s in the Pioneer Theatre Guild, and from what I hear, also does a really good job at designing + constructing sets. We did Leslie’s senior session a few weeks ago, (before our driveway/landscape project), so in addition to these images being really amazing, they’re also of “historic” value (at least here at the studio!).

And, since we did so many neat different things during Leslie’s session, I might have to splurge a little during this blog post. Let’s start off in the studio — this one of Leslie is cute and casual!

Next, we did something Theatre-related. Well, set-building-related, to be more specific! Of course, there were no sets on hand, so the next-best thing was shop tools. …so my shop vac was brought out of storage!

While Leslie was getting changed into her next outfit, I came up with the great idea to photograph the pairs of shoes she brought to the session. And, what goes better with shoes than feet! In fact, I’m sure you could look at this one as a personality study — because shoes are definitely a reflection of the person who wears them!

This next one is simlpy gorgeous. The sun was going behind the clouds, and the rays of light in the sky make this one of my favorite image from Leslie’s session. Plus, Leslie looks so refined and elegant!

Time for a little fun before heading back for one last outfit… I love the juxtaposition of Leslie’s dress and the no trespassing signs!

And the last one. Here’s that “historic” background I was talking about. Rustic and vintage, but with an ipod and Mountain Dew!

While it is really nice to have that cement driveway, I am very happy we did Leslie’s session before the project. The last set of images turned out really well — and it definitely was the location that helped set the scene, so-to-speak.

Leslie, thanks for a very fun session! I know you will love the images, and I hope your friends like seeing them too!

I love going on location for portrait sessions, especially when it’s someplace meaningful to my clients. While it doesn’t technically matter where you go for your session, wouldn’t it be nice to choose a place that will bring back fond memories? Your home, your favorite park… the only limit is your imagination. I love brainstorming creative locations for portrait sessions, as it really does add an extra dimension of meaning.

The family below chose to have their session at their church — it is an important part if their life, and I’m sure it feels like a second home. We did a series of images inside the church, and I was able to provide the family with a nice variety of images that I’m sure they will treasure.

Of course, during warmer months, just about any place outdoors provides a beautiful setting for a family portrait. This family wanted to include their dogs in the family portrait (so we made sure to choose a dog-friendly location). Going someplace more natural like this (think parks, or your backyard), is great for creating a timeless family heirloom that captures fond family memories.

And then, of course, if space allows, there’s always the option of creating a family portrait in the environment of your home. This family has a gorgeous home, and I created a number of more casual family portraits that the family will treasure even more because of the memories (let’s just say it involved a surprise birthday!). Did you ever notice how looking through photographs, you suddenly remember those memories very vividly? By putting a little extra thought and planning into your family portrait session, we can work together to create a visual memory you will be sure to treasure for many years.

Around the holidays, if you are willing to brave the frigid Michigan weather, an outdoors location session can be gorgeous, especially with the holiday lights out. Since we’re not quite to the holiday season yet, the best example I (easily) found was a portrait of Steven and myself with my side of the family.

If you’d like to start the planning process for your family portrait, we would love to start the creative process and answer any questions you might have: contact the studio.

This summer, The S. Family worked with us to plan their family portrait session. We ended up going to Cobblestone Farm here in Ann Arbor, and I love the images. This first family portrait I’m going to share — I love — it shows the family dynamics in a more relaxed environment. Wouldn’t this be gorgeous as a Fine Art wall piece?

Marilyn, Dean, and the kids had a great time, and most of the family portraits we created were on the more casual side. Here’s another one of the whole family:

Their puppy was soooo well behaved and adorable (ok, not a puppy per say, but I call most dogs puppies!)… well, as far as pets go, I suppose. Every puppy has to have its moments:

And a few more from the session — of the kids! We did something a little more “traditional” for Lauren…

And for Justin, we did something more edgy and wild!

This last one is one of my favorites. The sky is gorgeous, and after the wind started cooperating, we had a beautiful, contemporary, family portrait:

S. Family, thanks for a very fun session! I’m looking forward to working with you again soon!

Emily is a senior at Pioneer this year. She has a great personality, and I’ve heard that she’s fluent in German (not speaking German myself, I’ll take her word for it!). Emily used to figure skate, but hasn’t since going to Germany, so when planning her session we decided to focus on casual, fun, and Germany!

Here are a few images from her session! This first one is just on the casual, fun, side of things:

While in the studio, we also did a Germany-themed portrait. If I remember correctly, Emily is going back to Germany next year, after she graduates. Talk about exciting!

The location part of our session took place the next day, and we went downtown to Dexter for some more casual and natural portraits. Here is one on our way to the coffeeshop:

This image below is in a local coffeeshop:

And then the most natural image of all… I caught Emily just as she was laughing! I don’t remember what I said, exactly to get her to laugh, though.

Emily, thanks for a very fun senior portrait session! I hope you had a great time too — and good luck with classes!

Jessica is a senior at Pioneer. She LOVES reading and likes photography… Need I say more? Those are two of MY favorite things to do too! For Jessica’s senior portrait session, we wanted to find a way to incorporate the things she enjoys — and the Library was the perfect place to go! Sadly, they didn’t have Jessica’s favorite book there, but we did create some fun senior portraits that should make up for that…

And of course we had to stop by the book return drop box… the saddest place for any bookworm to visit …tinted appropriately blue! Jessica’s eyes are stunning in this portrait, aren’t they?

This image below was one of Jessica’s favorites… I captured this one during the studio portion of her session.

And one last studio portrait of Jessica…

Jessica, I hope you love your senior portraits — it was really fun working with you and getting to know you!

Mia and her family recently moved from sunny California, to Michigan. She is in the Pioneer Marching Band, and of course, is a senior this year! And, neat random fact… Mia’s family is from Finland! A long time ago, my husband did a school project on Finland — yes, because of the last name, Finn. So enough chit chat — here is a sneak peek of Mia’s senior portraits:

Even though we stayed at the studio for Mia’s senior portrait session, we still had a great time. Mia’s senior portraits are all lovely, though I particularly like the first portrait. She looks gorgeous, doesn’t she? Congratulations on starting your senior year, Mia!

Mike will be/is a senior at Saline High School — and I hear he’s a pretty good tennis player. For Mike’s senior session, we went to a park in Saline, as well as doing the standard in-studio stuff. Mike’s brother, Matt, came along so that I could create a few images of the brothers together. All in all, it was a very fun session, and Mike had some great ideas! First, let me share a few of Mike by himself:

This was Mike’s favorite I think. Very serious. Very thoughtful.

I thought this one was neat — Mike is actually standing in the middle of the river! There was actually a dead fish somewhere out there, but we decided to leave that out of the portrait session (e.g. you can’t see it in this photograph).

And now for the two brothers. I thought this image was a neat way to show the guys in a more casual setting.

And one more of Mike and Matt:

Guys, thanks for a fun session. And of course, I know you had a great time — if the images from your session are any gauge, it was a success. Oh, and I hope the tennis match the other day went well, Mike!

Martin’s senior portrait session was fun! Martin is actually into photography himself… architectural photography, actually. So while we didn’t go to anywhere with striking architecture, we did go outdoors for the location portion of his senior session… and where better to go than home? Martin’s family has a gorgeous yard, and even though it was hot out, I was able to create some awesome images for Martin and his parents to enjoy.

First stop — tree climbing. I saw these amazing trees, and had an idea, of course! Martin was more than cooperative… after all, how often do you get to actually climb a tree during a portrait session? Here’s one of the images of Martin up in the tree.

Next, we went into the backyard, which has a lovely open area with this neat little hill. It looked like a great place for the next series of images! Here’s one portrait of Martin in the “field” — I really love how this one looks.

And of course, I can’t make a post without sharing something more “typical” …so here we go.

I always enjoy working with seniors… Thanks for a fun session Martin!

This week, we braved the Ann Arbor Art Fair and went downtown, and I’m so glad we did. Hannah’s location senior portrait session was fun and we captured some great images, despite the heat!

After doing some gritty urban style images, we walked back through the Art Fair booths to find a few more “scenic” locations. We found this awesome stone wall for a series of shots! Take a peek at this image of Hannah, isn’t she gorgeous?

We finished Hannah’s portrait session by doing something a little more natural. I love these portraits of her in in this field!

Well, that’s it for now! I know Hannah had a great time throughout her session (yes, I did make sure!) — and I can’t wait to share these images (and more) with her soon.

Family portrait sessions are always fun! It’s always great to get to see the family dynamics, and let the kids interact with each other. Now, these three might not look like it, but they can be a bit mischievous! The boys were very well behaved for their portrait session, I do have to admit.

We also saved time for some fun. These boys make some great funny faces. Sometimes parents get confused (at first) when I ask their kids to do this. But, every portrait session needs a little fun. And for kids, what better way than doing something more engaging than just smiling!

And lastly, we took a little bit of time to photograph each of the boys individually. I love all three of these images, as they really capture they boys’ personalities!

We did Brianna’s outdoor senior portrait session on Friday, after rescheduling because of the series of storms we’ve had recently. The weather cooperated for the most part, although it was very warm and very humid. We had a great time, and Brianna did an awesome job at looking comfortable and natural.

Brianna’s prom dress was amazing! I loved the red accent sash, and the whole thing looked great — I’m so glad she decided to bring it for the session!

I love this relaxed portrait of Brianna. Simple, casual, and it definitely captures a part of her personality.

Before Brianna’s session, I asked her, “are you OK with going in the water?” I’m so glad her answer was yes. We did a series on and in the waterfall, and let me tell you, the water is colder than it looks! I didn’t get quite as soaked as Brianna, but I was at least up to my knees in the water. A nice refreshing end to the day, though, considering how hot it was!

I know Brianna had fun, and hopefully you had fun enjoying this sneak peek. That’s it for now, at least until Brianna and her family come in for their viewing + ordering appointment!

One of the neat things that we do for our clients with little ones is offer a Baby’s First Year Collection. Besides giving us an excuse to bring cute babies into the studio more often :), it is valuable for the parents as well. Babies grow so rapidly during their first year, that it’s important to document all the cute stages of development! Sometimes clients will start with maternity portraits, other times, the first session is for the newborn portraits. Either way, the parents have a wonderful experience and come away with a wonderful family heirloom to share with their child for years to come.

I wanted to show you a few items that have been really popular lately. In the image below is an Art Folio Quartet from our Home Collection, and a stylish Diaper Bag from our Accessorize It! Collection. Both, obviously, have been personalized!

Here are a few more images of the Diaper Bag — I’m almost jealous we don’t have kids yet, because these bags are really cool! It’s definitely not the lumpy old diaper bag from years ago. There are plenty of pockets, including two on the outside, that I’m told are just the right size for a baby bottle. The bag comes, of course, with a zipper (very important so you don’t lose anything!). The shoulder straps seemed sturdy and comfy, and to top it off, the material it’s made of looks darn easy to keep clean. Of course, since I haven’t tested it myself, I can’t say for sure, but my clients sure to love them!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why I’m not showing these cute items in color, it’s because this particular baby session was a Black & White infant portrait session. Yes, they can come in color too ;).

Davis is one of the cutest babies ever! When we started his 6 month session (part of our Baby Collection plan), Davis was all laughs and giggles! It was great to see how excited he was to have his picture taken.

There were a number of adorable outfits that we photographed Davis in, but this last one is so cute I had to share! Davis’ dad is a golf pro, and so… we did a little theme of “When I Grow Up!” Sooo adorable. Davis was actually so very interested in the golf balls we had a hard time getting his attention after that. But, we did it!