Stephanie (Grand Rapids Fashion Photographer)

April 21, 2012

Modeling sessions can be so much fun. I was more than happy to oblige when Stephanie asked if I would help her out with such a session this spring. We ended up with a bright and sunny day, and even though it was breezy and quite chilly for it, we managed to get some awesome shots. One of the reasons I love these types of sessions is that they are relaxed enough to give me time to practice my off-camera flash (OCF) techniques. I am newer to the OCF world, and sometimes I need a little patience when I get things running, and of course, Stephanie was patient with me when needed. Thankfully, because the shots where we used it turned out AMAZING. That extra blast of light (at a much more eye-pleasing angle than your standard on-camera flash) helps to make colors pop,and lights the model's face perfectly, when you do it right! The brick wall and building near the end are the best examples, although we broke it out for these first few as well. Thanks for coming down to see me, Stephanie, and I hope you love the photos!

^One of my favorites from this first set.

^She was freezing, but she's a trooper, so we made it through!

^Another fave :-)

^Time for some off-camera flash work!

^Awesome!!! Love the colors the OCF makes too!

^This is "fierce"!

Spring in Grand Rapids

Although spring came very early this year, I was still happy for it. I borrowed a new lens for some weekend shoots and decided to try it out beforehand. I love the bokeh (the blurriness you get in the background of photos) you get with the wide open aperatures, so you'll see a lot of that in this post. The reason I enjoy this so much is being able to specifically make the eye go exactly where you want it to go. It's an exercise in controlling the beauty around you, and it's a very important part of why I love photography.

These were all taken out behind my workplace in Kentwood. It's not a very colorful place, but a lot of wild plants grow and they are beautiful even in their monochromatic schemes. And I found a little more brightness toward the end, so I got my color after all! Enjoy!

Raygan: 3 months old (Grand Rapids Children's Photographer)

April 14, 2012

I can't tell you how much I love this little girl. I'm not even sure what it about Raygan, but she's such a cutie and I love photographing her. Maybe it's because her mom, Katie, is such a nice person, or maybe it's because she is my first "baby's first year" baby, or just that she's so cute, but whatever it is, I love her!

When I first met Raygan, she wasn't so happy to see me! In her newborn session, she was pretty determined that she was not interested in photos, at all. But somehow we managed to get a few cute shots of her before she decided enough is enough. When she came to visit me for her 3-month session, we got a little worried again! She had quite a meltdown right at the beginning. But afterwards, even though she was a little skeptical, we were able to coax lots of pretty smiles out of her! I can't wait for her 6-month session, I bet she'll be much happier then!

Raygan's big cousin, Mason, came along for this session as well. Although we didn't get the photos with him and Raygan as planned (she just wasn't having it!), he did keep me busy while Raygan was taking a break. A busy little boy, so we got lots of adorable ones of him as well. See his photos at the end of the post... and make sure you catch the funny one of him and Raygan together too!

^We KNEW she had that pretty smile in her!

^Pretty mama and her pretty baby.

^Katie (right) with her two sister and their three babies (yes, little Claire is on the way in the middle!).

^Love the pink toenails!

^"Hey! What's wrong?!?"

^Mason and Mama.