7.20.07 : : A 30 Year Romance

These are my parents, and tonight my dad surprised my mom in recreating their first date, 30 years ago today.

My parents met on the campus of Grand Valley and their first date was simply enjoying some ice cream together. So my dad asked my mom if she might want to go for a ride this evening and off they took. They even stopped for some ice cream along the way...my mom not yet piecing together what was in store.

They drove out to the GVSU campus and walked over the bridge behind the science building. What she didn't know was that we were waiting on the other side. When she saw us there, me behind my camera, there was some definite confusion on her face.

My dad started to reveal some of his plan and the purpose and significance of this date and place. We drove to the alumni house where on the back patio was a table filled with cheese, fruit and champagne...all awaiting our arrival. My dad presented my mom with a card and a gift and as I sat back and watched this most incredible display of love and affection my parents still share after 30 years together, I suddenly felt incredibly blessed to have these two as my parents. To show me what love is and to show me that even though it's not always easy, you stick it out and work together. They have been incredible role models to me and my siblings and I was truly touched at all that my dad did to make today special for my mom.

We finished our evening with dinner and drinks on the patio of The Meadows and watched the sun set together. This was one of those nights that will forever stick out as a favorite memory I was able to share with my family.

7.19.07 : : Dogs at the Beach

This evening I had the pleasure of meeting Norman and Katy, two basset hounds who's portraits I took at the beach in Grand Haven tonight.

I can't say that they loved having their pictures taken, or the beach for that matter, but they were the sweetest dogs and anyone who's followed my picture of the day for any length of time knows my love of animals, especially dogs. So anytime I get to spend time with dogs is a good day in my book. I also had the added pleasure of having my husband assist in tonight's shoot which we followed up with dinner in downtown Grand Haven.

7.18.07 : : Picking Blueberries

This morning I got to do something I haven't done since I was a kid...go blueberry picking!

I spent the morning with my good friend Kari and her two kids Chase and Allison shopping at the farmer's market, going blueberry picking and having lunch together. It was a perfect summer day in my books.

7.17.07 : : The Beach, Downtown, and the Park

I think I'm going to have to look at renaming this blog 'At Least One Picture of the Day'.

Today I had a senior shoot in downtown Holland and the beach with Jesse and then a family shoot at a local park. With the skies overhead threatening rain at what seemed like any minute, I was glad to see that the showers held off. My lawn on the other hand, wouldn't have minded some more precipitation.

So this is Jesse. This was not a hard kid to take a picture of. I don't even think I could have taken a bad picture of him.

And this is Joanne and her family of which I did her daughter's senior pictures last summer. It was great to see them once again and meet the males of the family. I could not believe how well this family cooperated and got along together.

7.16.07 : : Metamorphasis

When I was a little girl I was obsessed with butterflies. With the whole life cycle actually. And because of this, I was constantly finding caterpillars and bringing them in to watch them transform from a worm-like creature into a graceful butterfly. My favorite to document was the monarch butterfly of which you see above.

Currently I have two in my home. Izzy, pictured above is now transforming as we speak into an orange-winged butterfly in her chrysalis and will hatch most likely sometime in the next week. Lizzie, not pictured, is still a caterpillar but is looking like she will be turning into a chrysalis (cocoon) very soon. Documenting these insects has become quite a fun hobby for me. Look for the next few installments in this butterfly saga soon!

7.15.07 : : First Marathon Boudoir Session at the Amway

Today I held my very first marathon boudoir session at the Amway Grand in downtown Grand Rapids.

The premise for this session came about after being contacted by one of my brides about having these done for her fiance' on their wedding day. The idea of the marathon boudoir session at a fabulous hotel is a trend that I've seen by other photographers and I said I would love to do this if she helped recruit some girls also interested in the session to justify the cost of the room. The idea was a hit and within an afternoon had every session booked.

With the help of a hair and makeup team from the lovely Erin and Julie and my fabulous assistant Angie, we dolled up the girls and took some beautiful images of the brides-to-be.

Understandably, many of the girls coming to yesterday's sessions were a bit nervous. Who can blame them?! But after Erin and Julie finished doing their hair and makeup and the initial factor of having pictures taken in lingerie wore off, the session was fun, laid-back and really allowed me to take some amazing pictures of these beautiful girls.

Lisa, pictured below, is actually my assistant's sister who was willing to come down and pose for a few pictures that I could use for promotional pictures to advertise this service. So to the girls who came down yesterday for thier shoots, don't worry. You won't see any of your pictures on my site ;)


After the response I got for the first session, I will definitely be holding another session soon. So if any of you want to give a unique and beautiful gift to your husband, fiance' or significant other please let me know. I will be posting a few dates in the upcoming future.

7.14.07 : : Happy Anniversary to the POTD!

Today marks one year for the POTD. One year ago I started with an idea to feature a picture each day to showcase some of my work and one year later I can proudly say that I've been able to keep up with this idea and taking one picture and posting it each day to share. The response for this feature has been overwhelming and I've truly enjoyed reading all of the comments that are made on this site. It's also been somewhat of a picture diary for me over the past year and helps me to remember all of the fun that I have behind the lens of my camera.

7.13.07 : : Butterflies!

Recently, my mom has become increasingly interested in taking pictures with me when I go out to visit. My parents live on 15 acres of property and there is always something new to explore and capture with my camera. It used to be that I would go out and visit, camera in hand, and my mom would roam around with me pointing out interesting stuff I might want to capture. After a while, that didn't hold a lot of interest anymore for her so she brought her own camera out when I would visit. Inevitably the photography bug hit her as well and she's always emailing or calling me to tell me some new picture she was able to capture.

Today as we were out walking we saw some wild blackberries and decided to pick a few. As my mom reached down to grab a handful of berries, she moved away a branch and came upon the large moth you see pictured above. Typically, moths sleep during the day and this one didn't even seem to notice us. We looked up the species when we got back to the house and discovered that it's a 'Pandora Sphinx' moth. Quite a find in our books!

7.12.07 - A Baby, A Senior, and A Storm

Today had a little bit of everything. In the morning I did a shoot for little Addie, who's 3 months old, and although she did not love having her picture taken, was cute enough to overcome the occasional scowl she threw my way.

In the evening I had a shoot for a senior in Grand Haven followed by one of the coolest storms I've ever seen come over the lake. I stayed after the session I had this evening to photograph it. There was even a water spout that formed over the lake and the local police came and evacuated us all from the beach. Luckily for me, I was able to take quite a few pictures before hand. I've featured a few below.

And as I was driving home tonight I saw a rainbow stretched full and complete across a farmers field. It was the most amazing site and I pulled over more than a few times to take pictures of it.

All in all, today was a pretty amazing day.

July 11, 2007 - The Dog Days of Summer

Last week I posted a picture from an engagement picture in which the couple brought their dog, Jade. I love dogs! And tonight, I got a double treat with my engagement session as Linda and Pete brought their dogs. TWO DOGS! They also brought along Renea, a friend, to help them handle the dogs during their session (thanks again Renea!).

And to keep the dog theme going, here is a picture my husband snapped this afternoon of me and my dog Tanner lounging on the couch. This is a pretty typical scene in our house.

July 10, 2007

My husband made it safely home from Vegas this evening after being gone since last week. I have really been missing him but he made up for his absence by bringing me a gift. In a pretty teal box!

I am so glad that he's home safely now with me and that we get to sleep in tomorrow morning and catch a movie in the afternoon. Life is good!

Joe + Jennifer : : Wedding Preview

When: Saturday, June 30, 2007

Where: Ceremony - Trinity United Methodist Church
Reception - St. Nichols Culteral Center

Highlight of the Day: The bride, Jennifer, loved being a bride! She and Joe both were full of fun and expression and it made for great pictures. Also, the church was breathtaking and lent to some wonderful photo opps.

July 9, 2007: Lazy Days of Summer

Today was hot, and it was apparent that everyone, even the animals, was feeling a bit lazy from the heat.

As I was working this morning I happened to look outside to see this little squirral just lounging on a neighbors swingset. He was so hot and tired from the heat he didn't even seem to mind how close I got to him to take his picture.

July 8, 2007

Happy Birthday Allison!

Today I attended a pool birthday party to celebrate my goddaughter Allison turning 4 years old. And turning 4 years old means that is the age that she gets to start preschool! With as smart as this little girl is, I think she could advance right into grade school.

As part of my gift to her, I presented her with a Cabbage Patch Kid. And as a kid of the 80's, this was the toy you had to have if you were a girl (boys, you had your Transformers). And coincidently, both are popular again!

And here is her little brother Chase looking cool in the pool.

Hope everyone stayed cool out there this weekend!