Britt and Zach - Blodgett Wedding Barn wedding photos

in ,

Zach and Britt are genuinely some of the best people you will ever meet in your life. They love their friends and family so big, and deserved the best of wedding days, which thankfully, they absolutely got.

They had all the perfect midwest touches, like microbrewery growlers to hold the floral centerpieces, classic cornhole boards (“Bags” for those who like controversy), and a “Flower Bro” with a fanny pack who took his job very seriously. Britt did the cutest thing for the bridesmaids preparation outfits, and made it into a Goodwill challenge. Each girl was given a small, specific budget, and had to grab whatever they wanted to wear during hair and makeup within a few minutes of being in the thrift store. This resulted in some pretty fire looks, and no two will ever be the same.

They opted for a touching first look, which gave them a ton of time to just focus on partying with their favorite people into the reception.
I wish you both the most happiness for all of the years, I’m so glad I got to be a part of your day!

Lori - Color theory portraits

in ,

I don’t always do passion projects, but when I do, it’s pretty much always with awesome people.

I’ve been wanting to photograph color theory portraits for some time, and I could not have had a more perfect model for the teal/orange theme than Lori. I’ve become kind of obsessed lately with backdrops where they don’t belong in the world, so we met in a big ol’ field at Bow in the Clouds Preserve in Kalamazoo, and had plenty of strange looks from the parking lot as I assembled the setup equivalent of a traffic cone.

Lori is also an incredible photographer, and I’m always honored as heck whenever someone trusts me enough to step to the other side of the camera.

Always remember to take time to experiment!

Whitley and Chris - Ludington wedding portraits

in , ,

Whitley and Chris had the coolest idea for wedding portraits.
Rather than choosing between either:
1. Taking a ton of time out of their wedding day to have photos done away from guests

or

2. Missing their golden hour beach portraits

They decided to get all dolled up a few days before, and head to a few of their favorite spots around Ludington (With us playing paparazzi of course). Often wedding vendors will do hair and makeup trials to make sure you’re super happy with the look before the wedding day, and this can seriously be the perfect opportunity to document the fabulousness.
The past year has really shone a light on cool couples that want to do their own thing and choose their own priorities on their big day, and these two are no exception.

Congrats beautiful people!

Lindsey and Mike - Downtown Kalamazoo engagement photos

in ,

Lindsey and Mike are the epitome of balancing each other in all the right ways. They met through teaching, and it didn’t take long for the sparks to fly. Lindsey is such a bright energy in every room she enters, and Mike is a steady source of support.

I adore these two beautiful humans, and I could not be happier for them!

Haily and Sean - Downtown Kalamazoo engagement photos

in ,

No lie, every engagement session of the spring for me was shot in downtown Kalamazoo. I also have a super soft spot in my heart for the place. With the amount of couples sharing first date stories and fond memories among the parks, restaurants, and walking mall, it’s no surprise it’s at the top of the list for requested photo locations. I’ve never been a photographer to recycle backdrops however, so this means lots of jumping around to find new visuals, and things that can help tell the individual story of a couple.
It’s a fun challenge, and I’m here for it.

Haily and Sean met at WMU, but spent so much of their time in the heart of our city. The weather had been questionable every day leading up to their engagement photos, but the day of was absolutely gorgeous.

Congratulations cuties, the wedding next year will be totally worth every day of waiting!

Lauren and Kyle - WMU graduation photos

in ,

Okay, so.
I think we all know at this point that senior year for many students did not look like anyone had imagined it. Most classes were virtual, the connections they made on campus had to be more distanced, and their mental resolve had to be the most it’s ever been.
2021 graduates powered through, and have so much to be proud of. I’m so happy that Lauren and Kyle trusted me to be the one to follow them around the spots on WMU’s campus that mean the most to them.

Kylie and Evan - Downtown Kalamazoo engagement photos

in ,

I attempt every year to take advantage of all the blooming trees in downtown Kalamazoo, and every year I typically miss the peak of them by about a week.

This year, we finally won when Michigan finally blessed us with something other than snow in mid-April! Kylie and Evan were super open to ideas when it came to engagement photo locations in the area, and so we adventured around some particularly bloomy blocks of downtown. They were all genuine smiles and laughter, and it makes me all the more excited for their October wedding.

Congrats lovely people!

It's my party - Styled fashion editorial

in ,

Every once in a while I get to do a photo session with awesome people who are phenomenal at what they do, and this was definitely one of them.
Back in December, I picked up a cross screen photography filter that gives highlights kind of an old Hollywood glamor effect, and immediately started planning out the perfect styling to emphasize what that filter had to offer.
Lindsey was not only the model, but coordinated half the wardrobe, and found the sweetest, coolest makeup artist, Alma, who could kill every look on our mood-board.
I love the vibe of all the finished photos, and I can’t wait for the next styled project!

Credits

Model: Lindsey Khamphouy -
instagram.com/lindseykhamphouy

MUA: Alma Rodriguez -
instagram.com/cakeupbeautybyalma

Photographer: Esther Tuttle -
instagram.com/entradaphotography

Published in Selin Magazine

Em and Bryant - Kalamazoo maternity photography

in

One of my favorite things about photography is the ability to build friendships and follow people through important stages of their lives.
These two are no exception. I’ve known Em for years, and when she and Bryant got engaged, I had the honor of being the one to follow them around Al Sabo land preserve with a camera and a celebratory bottle of Bell’s Wedding Ale.
Now their family is growing again, and that calls for more following them around the woods with a camera (no beer this time, because…. maternity photos.)
We chose the Kalamazoo Nature center for this March portrait session. Not only is it absolutely full of natural beauty, but it holds a pretty fond spot in the hearts of their whole family. They are people who set such an example of appreciating the outdoors with their little ones, and I’m such a fan.

Congratulations again you two!

Emily - Downtown Kalamazoo editorial portrait photography

in , ,

This is not the first or the last time Emily Crombez is going to make an appearance on the blog.
I got to know her through mutual connections in the photography world, and I’m so glad to have the opportunity to call her a genuine friend. This chick can absolutely kill a pose (Like, the evidence is below) but is also a mad talented photographer and ambitious entrepreneur. She builds up other women like no one’s business, and I will jump at the chance to create something together, always.

We wanted this shoot to showcase Emily’s more editorial posing, so a classic black and white with loads o’ contrast is exactly where my mind went. Downtown Kalamazoo has no end to great textures and urban landscape, which is important when your model is particularly climb-y.

Thanks for being amazing as always Emily!

Best of 2020 wedding photos

in ,

Oh 2020, what can I say about you that hasn’t been said already?

There is no doubt that one year ago, none of us had predicted what we would be put through, but sitting here on New Years Eve, waiting to wave goodbye to 2020 with only the middle finger on each hand, I am truly humbled at all the wonderful moments this year also contained.

I wanted to share some of my personal favorites of the 2020 wedding season. Some of these photos represent what the year was, some show my progression as a photographer wanting to take more unique and risky portraits, and some just show the amount of love that continued to show itself through a historically challenging time.

I grew in a lot of ways this year, and I thank you all for growing with me.

Here’s to you beautiful people making the most of it, Happy New Year.

Kayla and Noah - Ypsilanti backyard elopement

in ,

Kayla and Noah’s June elopement was one of the first weddings we documented after the stay at home order was lifted, and it was a small and sweet backyard wedding with the perfect amount of golden hour light.
When they had to shift from a traditional wedding setup, Kayla and her support crew were able to repurpose the centerpieces for a dope geometric ceremony backdrop while keeping all the special details they had woven through their day:

- Game references everywhere, including the vows.

- The cutest ring bearer, Nikko.

- Enough “Painkiller” cocktail to dull even the year 2020.

Congrats you two, I hope you always stay your unique and wonderful selves!

Jenna - Kalamazoo senior photographer

in ,

“Jenna is hoping for something a little different than the standard downtown senior photos” is absolutely music to my ears.

I have a mental stash of bold, colorful backdrops to match unique personalities, so we did a tour of some of my favorite Kalamazoo locations (KIK pool and Vine neighborhood) before ending with the best golden hour at Asylum Lake Preserve.

Even though it was what could be described as “dramatically breezy” that day, we dragged strobe lighting with us through most of it, and it was so worth it.

Congratulations Jenna, I hope you share your awesome smile everywhere you go!



Shauna and Conway - Clifford Lake Inn elopement photography

in ,

Shauna and Conway are super sweet people who had their original wedding plans fall through due to Covid, so when Lindsay from Something to Remember Event Planning reached out to me on Instagram about documenting their elopement in Stanton, I was pretty thrilled I had their new date available.
We customized a short and sweet package for them, and Lindsay absolutely killed everything on the planning side (Which is no small challenge this year).

This elopement has everything from a tear-jerking first look with dad to a scenic lakeside ceremony. All the best things.

Congratulations lovely people!

Annika - Senior portraits

in ,

I’ve had the pleasure of shooting Annika several times over the past few years, and it’s an absolute pleasure every time.
This time, it’s because this stunner is graduating! It may not be the senior year she was expecting, but she’s taken everything 2020 has thrown at her and is still smiling.
Annika wanted a mix of urban and natural photos, so we started in downtown Kalamazoo and traced a great walking path of photo locations until we were completely rained out and had to postpone the other half of the portraits for another day.
I’m petty thrilled we did, because the second day was nothing but golden sun and good vibes! I took them over to Bow in the Clouds preserve just a short hop away from downtown, but feels like an entirely different planet.

Thanks for being awesome Annika, keep on shining!

Casie and Matt - St Joseph engagement photos

Casie and Matt are some of the sweetest people you will meet. I could tell from our first video call (a very 2020 statement) that they were going to be so easy to work with, and that was definitely the case.

We started in the downtown St Joseph area and wandered around some of the most perfect golden diffused light before heading to Tiscornia Park to finish up with all the beachy vibes you could want for a later summer engagement session. I love shooting with couples who are really up for anything, and these two were ready to jump in the water before I even asked.


Congratulations gorgeous people, I’m so excited for your 2021 wedding!

Brittnay and Brandon - Michigan rose garden elopement

in ,

Brittnay and Brandon have been champions of the year 2020. Their wedding, which was first scheduled for late March, was then downsized to an April elopement, and then rescheduled for later in the year yet again, only to be told that wasn’t possible either.
No matter what life has thrown at them over the past few months, they have been rocks for each other, and completely unwavering in the goal that all they want is to spend the rest of their lives with one another.

When they told me they were finally making it happen, I was completely overjoyed to still be there to document their love!
They gathered close family and friends for a stunning (and safe) elopement ceremony in the middle of a Lansing, MI rose garden, and it was well deserved.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Kyles. The party will be so worth the wait!

.

Stacey and Bill - Kalamazoo social distance wedding

in ,

Stacey and Bill were originally planning an April 25th 2020 wedding, so we all know what that means at this point…

They re-arranged the whole thing like rockstars.

Their full audience was replaced by a small group of friends and family, and the wedding day outfits now had masks included. While on our Zoom video call consultation (the most 2020 phrase ever I think) I asked if they wanted us to try and avoid shooting any of the specific Covid details, which they laughed off and said “Nope, this is how our wedding day is happening, document all of it!”.

I love their mindset, their kind hearts, and their beautiful day.

Congratulations Stacey and Bill, I hope your lives are always full of happiness and puppy adventures!