Lincoln Park Detroit

Sage and I went with one of his good buddies to get some shots of him in an amazingly cool art park in Detroit.  A hidden gem.  I got some great shots of K (above) but the best one is one I got of Sage.  There is a HUGE recycled T-rex.  Sage has a thing about T-Rexes.  He loves them and he was circling this one and I saw him and clicked a few times - I called to him "what do you think, Buddy?"  and here is the close up...  I may be a little twisted but his total look of anxiety is cracking me up.

Watchful Roman...

 He quietly watched me throughout the shoot.  One week old and he quietly watched me.  Maybe it's been a minute since I had a One week old hanging out with me but this seemed unique.  I think Sage just slept for a month.  Connor just cried (for the first 8 months) and Finn... well now that I think of it, Finn probably was a little quiet watcher as well.
Roman, so soft, so little (5 11 at birth) listened to his Grandma chattering to him about his high level of wonderfulness and just looked around.  I had thought we would get some good sleepy pie shots - but he was aware and so inquisitive. 
Mom is not feeling being in the shots yet...  I see a mid winter shoot with both parents in his future.

Autumn

I played around with natural light a very shallow depth of field and quick shutter.  I was in Northern Michigan, the colors are in full bloom there.  It is quiet and gorgeous.  I am home now and the leaves are just started their turn.  I need to get my families out this weekend that want fall colors...  winter is coming.

Lus the Bag

A local crafts person I have had the honor of working with many times over the years.  She wanted to update her head shot on her etsy site.  She  makes amazing bags.  They mix patterns, they are thoughtful and they are made to last.  I have one and I just bought another for a gift.  She is also a wonderful human being and that is always a plus.

Dawsyn

 I have had the privilege of taking photos at his parents' wedding, after he was born, and when he was one.  Today we got to do an 18 month mini shoot.  This is a shoot that is perhaps more casual and quick.  I go for personality - and boy did he deliver.

Full sun in Detroit

Saturday afternoon in Detroit with the Huntley crew.  An easy going, very sunny shoot.  A moment on full sun...  oiy!  Taking portrait pictures in full sun stinks...  in the harsh autumn sun, forget about it.  However, we had a day that would work for them and we forged ahead to see what we could get.  There is quite a bit of fiddling going on here in the sunny shots.  Lots of layers and taking down the harsh highlights and then more layers and perking up the deep shadows. 

The nice part was that this family never blinks.  Well, I am sure they do - but it was lovely to cruise through my shots and nary a shut eye.  amazing.  They are also easy going - the youngest was silly as all get out - he kept us laughing.  He reminded me of my Finn - they are the same age... must have been some extra silliness in the cosmos.

The tops two are at Belle Isle (which was just made a State Park - WOOOOT!) and the bottom was under the fist of Joe Louis. 

Head shots with a friend

Two good friends who needed head shots...  GET them together!  Such a good idea, there is someone you love who is hanging out and will tell you if your hair is wonky and will make you laugh and be yourself.  Seriously, getting a head shot is awkward business...  most grown-ups do not get "senior pictures" and well... I think some people feel weird.

I will, of course, use lots of corny humor to turn that around.  A head shot seems silly, alas, it is not.  This is the first impression of you that you are thrusting out into the world.  It doesn't have your singular laugh or endearing bits that make up the whole that is you.  So.... we do our best to give a glimpse of the awesomeness that is you.  I kind of dig doing head shots. 

The best two, in my opinion, they may choose another...
The top is Bridget.  She works in ministry.  The
 bottom is Monique, she is running to be re-elected to the Library board.  They are both fantastic and I am so thankful I got to work with them.

cake?

 I hate to admit but I am not much for the cake photos.  I am sure there is a long rich history about the cake and feeding each other...  etc...  but these 2?  They made even the cake pictures adorable and fun.

David, future Dr.

This shoot was rainy off and on - but the light was great and David was game for anything... even posing in the rain and mopping raindrops off of his forehead.  We spent a little time driving around looking for good locations that he (or I) really liked and we waited for the rain to slow down.  We ended up getting a couple of hours ... and the nice thing about the rain is that it killed the humidity and the shoot was cool and comfortable.

I really like the one above.  David looks like he is already in college - he just needs some patched on those elbows.  

I stayed with the 35 for the shoot and I kept my aperture low to let in lots of light.  I will work pretty hard to not use a flash.  I just like the way skin looks natural.

A Marriage made in Hell...

Wedding last Friday, Friday the 13th to be exact, a marriage made in hell...
A small and crazy fun group, a gorgeous bride and perfect weather. 
There is small chapel in Hell, Michigan where they do weddings. 
Hell is smaller than you would think, only three buildings there.

We will be capturing the reception next weekend... so we may see more of this cheeky couple here on the blog.

Ferndale Good Neighbors

 I had the honor of working with the CFF (citizens for a fair Ferndale) this weekend at the DIY fair.  They are working on a community wide photo installation project showcasing what being a good neighbor means to a whole lot of people.  You can find out more here.  We have over 200 neighbors captured with signs of how they will be a good neighbor/ or what it means to them.  I get the amazingly super cool job of working with our teenagers in the community to work on what this project means at their level and how to include their generation.  I had 3 teens "in the field" looking for peers to ask the questions "what is a good neighbor and what will you commit to?"  I am proud of the work they did, the photos they took and the fact that we are going to take this into the High School!  (their work is sprinkled throughout the Good Neighbor site.) (Sophie even got our State Rep Sander Levin!!!!)

Treavor

 Baseball warrior, Eagle scout, all around easy going and bright young man...  how could this shoot not be excellent?
Fabulous Sunday afternoon spent with Treavor, chatting about future plans, sports, foreign exchange students and being well rounded.  Super handsome and a little resistant to giving a full smile... we got one eventually, and it's a pretty awesome smile.  Thanks, Treavor!

Violin for hire...

Thank you to the fabulously talented Kelly Pierce for a fun Photo shoot!  She played requests for me - too bad I know almost no modern songs to ask for her to play.  She played Beyonce (Put a Ring On It) and all sorts of people started coming around the corner to check out what we were doing.  She also played some Barbara Streisand stuff (I love me some Babs).  Sadly, she did not know David Bowie songs...
If anyone is looking for someone to play at an event - it was pretty amazing - just let me know and I can get you in contact.

an evening with MK

Here are my sneak peeks of the fabulous MK!

MK and I started our shoot shortly after 5pm.  It was crazy humid - I mean CRAZY humid out.  The fact that she looks composed and relaxed even though we are all schvitzing is a testament to her grace and natural beauty.  She also has a great sense of humor and is always ready with that dazzling smile.
The smile I really dug is the one just below that has a little peek of her mischievousness.

For the shoot she had a clear idea of what she wanted and the things she brought with her all had meaning.  The shoes she wore with her jeans are shoes she saved up for with babysitting money.  She is wearing her grandmother's ring and her other accessories all hold meaning for her.  She wanted to look back and have memories embedded in these Photographs that held specific meanings for her.  How cool is it to be 17 and thinking about what these would look like to her when she is, ahem, 40.