Last month I met Erin and Keith,
along with their two kids Isaac and Sofia!
I am so happy to finally get a chance
to share some of my favorites on the blog...

I love their expressions :)
They were great at smiling at the camera,
but I did my best to catch them being themselves...
I had to be quick though!

This board kept them occupied for a little while...

...it quickly turned into a game, kind of racing around
and running and giggling...
no rules really, just having fun!

Sofia and Isaac are from Guatemala and
they brought along a couple items
to represent their culture,
something their parents are continuing to celebrate
and teach them about...

All of you were such a joy to work with!
Your family is beautiful :).
Have a wonderful Christmas
and best wishes for 2010!

My friend Katie was one of my first clients
when I was just starting out!
I took photos of these kids one year ago tomorrow, chased them around a park...
it was a big compliment that she hired me and now she is my first
"return customer" (other than maternity/newborn)!
The pictures I took of their two kids last fall were the beginning of my portfolio...
so I owe them a big thank you for helping me get my start!

Here are Dylan and Ella again - a year older, a year cuter...
This month they turn 5 and 3 years old!

Thank you again for hiring me for this session!
It is so fun to watch your family grow
(especially with another little girl on the way, very soon!!!),
and I am so glad I could take these pictures for you.
Blessings to you all for the coming year!

This family session was at Spring Grove Park,
where Troy and Libbi were married, which makes is even more special...
and Troy was one of my favorite teachers in high school...
AND they have two gorgeous children - Max and Maddi -
who were all over the place discovering frogs and bugs...



With a science teacher for a mom and a history teacher for a dad,
these kids are already super smarties and I even learned a couple new things!
This is Max with his "demonstrator stick" showing his dad life in the creek...




I love this - girly girl with a caterpillar!








Some more family came by after a little while...



Maddi is so beautiful, contemplative, and brilliant - and only 7!



...and Max is equally sharp, silly, and outspoken. I really love it when
I can capture the kids' personalities like this.
He was actually examining the shutter through my lens,
and explaining what the mechanism looks like!




With their grandma :)



I hope you enjoy this little preview... I enjoyed the session so much,
and it was great seeing you all!

Last week I went out to Holland for a session to
photograph a six month old, as well as the rest of the family -
parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and her cousin!
They were all so friendly and fun. :)

With the client's permission, I brought along a GRCC student,
Ashley, who is interested in learning more about photography so she could see what goes on at a "typical" session....
although every session is so different.
Of course she took photos too!

So, this is 6 month old Alida!



Alida's grandparents live in Holland and have access to a semi-private beach
within walking distance! WOOOO-HOOOO!
It was amazingly beautiful. This was her first time in the sand,
and she loved it! I think this girl is definitely going to be a beach bum.



Well, maybe she loved it a little too much.
Of course, 6 month olds put everything in their mouth!
Sand, not an exception.



In an era of Photoshop, I have to tell you, the sky really was that blue!
They brought along this giant colorful umbrella... so fun!



Family :) Kim and John with their little girl.




Mike and Rebecca with their daughter Adelaide:



Ryan and Julie -
She said she gets piggy-back rides all the time from him... cute :)



The guys!



The girls :)



Back at the house, we took some more pictures and Alida got a new dress on.








Since Adelaide was a good sport with all these photos, she got a popsicle when we were all done.
I thought I was done taking pictures, but c'mon... :) I love these.




Thanks again everyone for having me out to photograph your family...
I had a great time, and I hope you enjoy your preview!

Last weekend I had a session, and was bumming when
Saturday turned into a rainy, dreary day. I just wanted nice weather
for this family session outdoors! Luckily by late afternoon the clouds broke
and the sun even came out a little bit.

Of course the park was pretty squishy and the pond was a bit high,
but at least we were able to be out there and get some family photos!




Bill and Mary recently celebrated their 30th anniversary!
Here's to many more years of happiness and health...
Congratulations!



I know the next one is not much of a "pose", but in the short time I was
with this group of people, I got a glimpse of their different personalities.
I think that shows through in this image, and that's why I love it.
I think I let them believe I was just adjusting settings
so they were just being themselves...



Some younger cousins came along for the session, so I had to get some
photos of the kids being kids - looking for piranhas...



Look at that look! What a beautiful girl. LOVE this:



I'm not sure what he was telling her at the moment...



Mom and her daughters. I think they are all so pretty.
[PS: I wish I had curly hair!]



All the guys - being good sports with this water shot!
See, I told you the pond was high!



This is Bandit! Good doggie :) I'm glad they brought him along!



The other cute married couple!



Seriously. Gorgeous.




Mom and Dad with their kids...

It was great working with this family - so much personality and humor...
and they were willing to go along with my ideas - even if it involved getting their feet wet.
Of course you couldn't keep the younger kids out of the water!
I'm so glad that rain stopped and we were able to make this happen.
You guys are fabulous people, and I hope you enjoyed your weekend all being together!
Thanks again!

A little explanation:
Taking photos of a family with twin four-year-old boys is exciting,
a little crazy, and challenging to say the least...
but so much fun! :) What a blessing. I love these kids.

Last week I took pictures for my sister- and brother-in-law.
I definitely never would assume that family
or even friends should hire me as a photographer,
but I will admit that it is fun to take pictures of people that I know well
and already have a relationship with.




Although their two boys are twins and have many of the same interests,
they have had such different personalities from the start.
I might be able to see this more than someone who doesn't know them,
but I really see their uniqueness coming through in these images, which I love.








What's in there? We were at the Celery Flats in Portage,
and this is Stuart Manor, a historic building at the park.




My previous post had one of my favorite photos from this session, of the two kids by the tracks (this one is a bit different).
The boys are crazy about all things train-related, so it seemed fitting!
We were safe of course, but the boys were on the lookout for a train...
they really didn't want to walk on the actual tracks at all!



Thank you Julie and Steve for having me photograph your family.
I'd love to do it again sometime!

Today I had a session with my sister- and brother-in-law, and their twin sons Garrett and Ian. I wanted to post one of my favorites before the weekend! My nephews are so adorable, and they are turning FOUR next month! I can hardly believe it. More to come!

Earlier this week we went to Tunnel Park with some friends and their two boys.
Actually we're connected in a couple different ways -
my husband Ron teaches at the same high school where Mike taught.
Mike went to Hope College, and we have some mutual friends from there,
and I worked at the high school for a couple years and got to know him during that time.
His wife, Jenn, is also a wonderful photographer,
and you can check out her work on her website.

So, a little while ago we planned a trip to the beach. A couple sprinkles threatened, but it turned into a nice night and we had fun chasing the kids around with our cameras.

Our kids got along really well, and yes I got some pictures of ours too... but this post will keep the focus on their adorable family - the two boys were so fun :)








Liam - 2 years old - is such a sweet boy. I love his curls!
He's a cuddler... :)





Footprints!





Who needs swim trunks? Sam wasn't at all afraid of jumping in the lake (and then the sand... and then the lake... and then the sand...) with all his clothes on! Hilarious!



This boy reminds me of Peter Pan in this picture...
He seems to have a spirit to match.



Let's do it again sometime!
We had so much fun hanging out with you guys. :)

These guys downtown were doing their thing, minding their own business,
and I just had to ask if I could take some pictures!
Lucky for me they didn't mind.
For some reason it's just so fun to try and take photos of skater kids, and I gave one of them my card, so they can check these out...
Thanks guys!

I had the joy of photographing these two adorable boys
this morning at their home.
One is 3 and the other is 7.5 months old.
Here is a little preview for their mom and dad...

Big brother was a good sport for me, and I have more beautiful photos of both little guys...
I will be busy this weekend working on the rest!