Lauren - Kalamazoo studio portraits

I always find myself craving creative work to help make the Michigan winters seem a little more bearable, and a little more … short. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of cold weather activities to be enjoyed, but for me, they are drastically overshadowed by the lack of sunshine and drivable roads. Paired with the overwhelming amount of brown and beige, I look for color in photos where I can.
When Lauren reached out to me, we went back and forth on portrait themes until we landed on this moody and colorful concept.
She does her own hair and makeup, and she put together this sweet look to complement a lot of experimental photo techniques, and I had the best time working with her on these (We even snuck a film soup by Dubblefilm shot in here).

Thanks for making the season a lot more joyful Lauren!

Matthew and Sam - Anniversary photo session at Al Sabo

I’m a huge believer in documenting milestones in your life, and that goes so far beyond the traditional graduation, engagement, and weddings.
Photos can help preserve memories, and make new ones, and that’s exactly what Matthew and Sam did to celebrate their anniversary this year.
We met up at Al Sabo land preserve in Kalamazoo for the most perfect golden hour we could have hoped for, and adventured around the trails while they told me more about their story. They are genuine sweethearts, and I’m so honored they let me be even a small piece of how they celebrated their time together.

Nicole - Kalamazoo studio portraits

Michigan winter is kind of an odd beast from a photography perspective. On one hand, you can’t feel your feet for several months and the sun might not show itself for three weeks at a time. On the other hand, snowy engagement sessions are amazing, and the frigid weather is the perfect opportunity to utilize cool lighting and indoor locations! Our Kalamazoo studio ends up being my cold weather sanctuary most of the time, and the coffee is always flowing.

Nicole is not only an awesome model, but an incredible person as well. I’ve known her for years, our first shoot together taking place in 2016. Nicole is consistently stunning, and my work has been through quite an evolution since then. She came to me with a portrait concept and then just let me go crazy with experiments and camera tricks. It was a refreshing shoot and a great time featuring gels, shutter drags, and Butter’s the cowboy corgi.

Jordyn and Joel - Kalamazoo winter photos

It’s an honor to say that I’ve known these people through their entire relationship. Coincidentally, that’s almost the exact length that I’ve been photographing people in love, so naturally we’ve had our share of portrait sessions through the years!
They are both as genuine as it comes, and the best friends you could possibly want.
From our very first couples photos, to their adventure engagement under a waterfall (Highly recommend oh my gosh), to their perfect wedding day, I was joyfully there with camera in hand. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Emma - Portage senior photos

Emma arrived to our location in the cutest floral pants I have ever seen, and I knew this was going to be an excellent shoot. Then Emma's mom tells me they've been planning on having me take her senior portraits for years, and I pretty much am dying from just how honored I am. 
This girl is sweet, and talented, and can rock any pose without prompting! I have no doubt incredible things are in her future. 

Alishia and Zac - Al Sabo family photos

When Alishia contacted me saying she wanted to include the whole family in their baby announcement photos, I was already excited. Talking over ideas, it became clear that her main priority was to shoot during golden hour (YESSS). The lighting was nothing short of magic, and they were all unbelievably sweet. 
Congratulations to all three of you on the new addition to the family!

Bethany - Kalamazoo portraits

Bethany is one of my favorite people. She can brighten up any room she walks into. 

When one of my shoots had to be postponed, but the lighting was just to good to pass up on, Bethany came to the rescue with her fabulous sense of style as always. 
This entire session was shot in 25 minutes with a 50mm lens, because I never like to shy away from a challenge! 

Mandie - Kalamazoo winter portraits

When the day of Mandie's portrait session arrived, it was a balmy 7 degrees outside. Was that going to stop us from taking some killer photos? Heck no. Not a chance. 
I love the opportunity to find new locations, killer light and studio time. We even managed to grab a few outside, this lady is a true champion!

Mia and Ni - A Kalamazoo Portrait session

I've been wanting to do a greenhouse shoot for (no exaggeration) years. 
I had photographed people in greenhouses and gardens, but I had been dying to put together a stylized shoot where we could take some pretty people and hang out in a plant-filled-wonderland for an afternoon. 
So thrilled with the lovely ladies that were a part of it. Ni and Mia were both effortless to shoot, and I ended up with way too many favorites to choose from!

Huge thank you to Vandersalm's who let us adventure around, that place is amazing. 
Go buy a succulent, you won't regret it.