Annie & Rick -- [Holland, Mi Wedding Photographer]

Just wanted to quickly pop up a sneak peek for Annie and Rick! This couple was ADORABLE and even though the day didn't go exactly as planned (the groom may or may not have arrived to the wedding in a t-shirt and left his suit shirt back at home!) they were cool and collected and visibly IN LOVE. Love that.

The ceremony took place at the lovely Apple Blossom Wedding Chapel in Fennville, Mi and afterwards we ventured down to Pier Cove (my FAVORITE beach) for a few shots on the beach.

Enjoy!

~Heather

West Michigan Wedding and Portrait Photographer

One Year Later -- [West Michigan Wedding and Portrait Photographer]

Nearly a year to the date after I photographed their wedding at Apple Blossom Wedding Chapel, I met with Nikki and Adam to photograph some couple portraits!

The weather was not the nicest, however the rain did hold off for our session (yippee!) and they were troopers for just about everything I suggested (climb that wet tree? ok!).

Congrats on your one year anniversary guys! Can't wait to see you again next year! :D

(One year -- yay!)

~Heather

Holland, MI Wedding and Portrait Photographer

Real Men Wear Spandex!

Do the clothes make the man? Well, I don't know, but I know these spandex clad warriors of the Cross Country Cycle triathlon team are some of the toughest and most dedicated athletes I've ever met. So before you knock our flashy outfits, try running a 16 minute 5k, or cruising down the road at 30mph - on your pedal-bike!

What a fun shoot this was, we are proud sponsors of the Cross Country Cycle triathlon team, and I myself am a member(handsome, dark-haired devil in the lower left) so this was a rare opportunity for me to actually be a part of the photo-shoot on the OTHER side of the camera!

~Jason

This was kind of an intimidating shoot for me. First, I've never done team shots like this before and I was given a lot of links of other team pics with comments like -- "I like this", "this is awesome" and "this is terrible."

Next, there was the weather -- it rained all weekend and with a group this size, finding a time to get everyone together had been near impossible, let along trying to reschedule! My fingers were crossed all day that we would see a break in the weather long enough to shoot.

And finally, Jason was part of the group and goodness knows that if I messed something up or he didn't like the way he looked I would hear about it for a while. Or not hear about it, which is somehow worse.

However, once we got going, I realized the pressure I was feeling was all in my head! The guys were fun to work with and joke around with. The image below is a good representation of the joking around part -- take special notice of the "moose antlers" in the middle, a modern day take on the classic bunny ears. :)

~Heather

Holland, Michigan Wedding and Portrait Photographer

Beach Playdate Sessions -- This Saturday!

This Saturday I will be photographing mini-Playdate sessions down at the beach! This is booking up quickly and I now only have 3 spots left! (9:30, 10:15 and 10:30am)

Cost will be $25 per kid for a 15 minute session. This usually yields approximately 20 final proofs, but can be as many as 40 depending on the child! (No prints or disks are included in the session price).

Need help picking the perfect outfit or want to go with a theme? Just give me a shout and we can come up with something incredible! I've been itching to get my hands on a little super hero and just finished photographing my own little bug!

Check out Emma's session on the beach HERE.

Ella had a blast with a dozen balloons on the beach (You can view more portraits HERE.)

First communion or just hanging out...

Sessions are booked first come, first served. Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday! :)

~Heather

West Michigan Child and Family Portrait Photographer

Ladybugs on the Beach -- [Emma]

This morning started out like any other...get up, coffee, breakfast, some 'Go Diego Go'...you know the drill. Shortly into our routine, I spotted something that was a little different than most mornings-- Emma wasn't arguing with me quite as much. Given her bossy two year old attitude (especially lately!) it was a welcome treat.

The sun was shining and I started thinking...."I wonder how she'll hold up for a quick shoot on the beach?" Long story short, she held up like a trooper and we both had a blast! We ran, jumped, and twirled around. And, because we had so much fun "takin' pictures" we celebrated afterwards with M&M's. All in all, a pretty awesome morning!

:)

~Heather

Holland, MI child and family photographer

Why I love three month sessions

There was a point in time when I secretly dreaded three month old sessions. I found the babies difficult to position, and more times than not it seemed like they were crying or cranky-- or turned there soon after arriving at the studio.

There were those "miracle" sessions when everything went smoothly, but it was such a gamble it physically caused me anxiety. Yuck!

We, fortunately, came to the realization that the babies who were able to support their heads (this milestone is usually reached sometime in the 3rd to 4th month of life) where our "miracle" sessions. After that, we started recommending that our clients wait until little one is comfy on their belly and able to support their head-- even if it means pushing their session back a couple weeks. I mean, really, what's more important-- the specific date or the super cute, smiley portrait of your baby??

I find three to four month old babies to be one of my favorite sessions now -- they are always SO happy (and who can not smile back at those big toothless grins??) Their personalities are beginning to show through and their clothes now fit! (It's nearly impossible to get a newborn outfit to fit right!)

One thing has not changed however -- the attention span and tolerance level a three month old baby has for portraits is SHORT! For this reason, Jason and I both fly by the seats of our pants to get through these sessions as fast as we can. Not to "get it over with" -- but rather, because we know we're on borrowed time.

The portraits below of little Reese were taken when she was 4 months old-- and they are a great example of why I love three (or four!) month sessions.

Oh, and I love hats! :)

~Heather

Zoe the Bunny

Last Sunday, we opened the doors to the studio and welcomed over 50 children to have their portrait taken with Zoe the Bunny. Thank you SO MUCH to V.I. Pets here in Holland for allowing us to borrow the bunnies!

In exchange for a donation (100% of which went to the Holland Community Action House) we did a portrait of each child with Zoe. AND everyone also received a free 5x7!

Please, take a moment to visit the Community Action House's website and learn a little bit about what an amazing organization this is for our community!

While the majority of the day was filled with smiles, there were a couple of kids who didn't quite know what to make of Zoe. I love this one of the poor little guy definitely NOT liking the bunny while big sister is perfectly content!

And my favorite, this progression as she realizes that this isn't a stuffed bunny. Her reaction was PRICELESS!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out and helped this great cause! It was so awesome to have the studio packed with people!

Also, a special THANK YOU to Jason and Kate who volunteered their afternoon to helping us collect information and donations! Your help was invaluable in making the day go as smoothly as it did!