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.
 

Sophie Senior Pictures

 An afternoon with Sophie is a pleasure.  We started off by going to Wayne State and getting a few shots by the  reflecting pool and talking about the college experience.  I got to pick her brain endlessly about color guard for my girl, Kali, who is in love with the color guard.

Then we scooted off to Belle Isle and stopped anywhere that looked good.  The red bridge was one that she and I both wanted to go to.  The willow trees are right next to the bridge and obviously the light was cooperating with us.
For the bridge and the pier shot I used a high quality UV filter to make sure she didn't get washed out.
We stayed with the 35mm for the shoot though.  I had talked with Sophie and she knew what she wanted.  That being said - she was also more than willing to try an poses I wanted.  We ended up with a pretty wide variety.