Mr. CJ

CJ is my #2 little guy to join the Babies to Bus Program. I honestly had no idea if the Babies to Bus Program would take off or not, but I should not have ever doubted my wonderful clients. I don't want to get all sappy on CJ's blog post... and I promise I won't but I just want you ALL to know how much I appreciate your kind words, faith in my work, and support. I couldn't do any of this without all of you and your WONDERFUL families... You all ROCK!

CJ is starting the Babies to Bus Program right at 18 months old which is the perfect age to get going. This age is so bittersweet. As I followed CJ around, I couldn't help but notice all the little baby traces that are still there, but he's also such a big boy too. He was totally not into what I was doing AT all! Some kids love to be in front of the camera and some... like CJ... just want to explore and do their own thing! He is a TOTAL boy through and through. I remember my 3 yr old at this age and I always had to get out the house at least once a day so he could go do his exploring or he was miserable. You don't need to entertain them at all at this age, just let them check everything out and your good to go!

CJ's mom and I were chatting about how impossible it would be at this age to take our boys to one of the chains and stick them on a table in a square room and expect to get some great shots of them... personally... that creates ALL KINDS of anxiety for me! LOL They are just too busy!

CJ, I look forward to watching you over the next few years! This is going to be so much fun!!!

I know some of you are just now hearing about the Babies 2 Bus Program... so here are the details:

Includes:

• FIVE sessions. First session will begin at 18 months, then 2 year bday, 3 yr, 4 yr and the final 5 year just before they head off to school.
• $150 for all 5 sessions. This is due up front. You will recieve a contract/promise for your 5 sessions.
  
• Each session will offer a free 8x10 and 20% off all prints.
• All proofs will be kept for the entire 5 year period of time. This enables the potential to have a final album with photos starting from your first session to age 5. What better way to capture those first five years that are so important.
• It will be your responsiblity to schedule your session each year.
• Sessions may be used to also include family portraits, as well as anyone or anything your child might like to have in the photographs
• Unlimited outfit changes, we want these sessions to represent who your child is at whatever stage or age they are!
  
• Location of your choice and a guarantee that you are happy with your proofs. Will reshoot if ever necessary... peace of mind for the days the kids 'just aren't havin' it"!
• Flexible time schedule... whatever it takes to get what you are after for your session. We want this to be a fun experience that you look forward to.
  
• Password protected online proofs to assist you in ordering and sharing your proofs with whomever you choose.

Sweet Landon

So this little guy was a total trooper on Sunday. It was only about 50 degrees out, but he hung right in there and let us do our thing to get his 3 month pictures DONE! I knew this would likely be the only time we would get outdoor pictures of him before he was near walking so we did it! In some of his pictures he has such a old soul look, kinda like he is way wiser than all of us. He kept looking at me like... "what the heck are you doing lady... do you NOT realize that it's way too cold for a little guy out here?"

In the end, we did get some great smiles out of him and truly... he was a total trooper. He gets the award for toughest baby ever! ;-) Landon is another one of my Bebe' Collection little guys and just so you get to see the difference a VERY short time can make... here he was at just over a week old just a short time ago. He had crazy hair back then and he still does have a ton of hair! LOVE it!

You are such a sweet baby Landon. Thanks for hanging in there this weekend. I know your mommy and daddy love you so much... you can see it in these pictures! Can't wait for you to see the rest!

Precious Girls

It really doesn't get much sweeter than these two. I have been very lucky to be able to do several sessions for this family and little Lauren is one of my GIRLS in the Bebe' Collection. I think you all probably know by now that I have 3 girls total in the collection, so when I get to photograph girls it truly makes my day!

Kara and Lauren both photograph beautifully and they are truly the nicest family. We started out our day at Flavor Fruit Farms where it was a bit chilly, but the girls did great. It wasn't super busy at the farm yet, so we were able to get some really great shots!

The first time I photographed Kara last summer with her cousins, she was a shy little gal who really wouldn't have much to do with me. Now, over the past year she has come out of her shell and treats me just like im one of "her people"! I love kids like that, when I get to know them and they allow me to be their friend! Kara, you melt my heart with your sweetness! It's been so fun watching you grow and mature so much over the last year! Can't wait to watch what's to come... you sure have a lot of life in you! And... let me tell you all, she is a FABULOUS dancer and LOVES Taylor Swift... she even got to go to a Taylor Swift concert... im SO jealous!
Lauren pictured about at about 10 days old!

And Miss Lauren (now 6 months old) ... look how much she has grown and changed since her newborn session. She's a little snuggler and adores her big sister... most of the smiles that I got were courtsey of big sister Kara! ;-) Once again, I can't drive home the fact enough how important getting your child's first year documented. It's impossible to explain to you how much these photos will mean to you from the start and it's an investment that only gets better with time. Wouldn't you love to be able to look back at your baby pictures as an adult and see the consistent change?

Thank you Terakedis Family for another wonderful session. I could hang out with you all day and take pictures of the girls! But then it would just make your job of choosing even more difficult!

Brown Family

Their bond is undeniable. I love that you can just see it when they are in the presence of each other. These two sisters are so sweet together. Their personalities seem to be VERY different, yet, they have a wordless dialogue between them that if you watch closely is very touching.

Big sister :-) I love that she looks like she is on a mission!

I had a wonderful time hanging out for a bit with the Brown Family. I have been so lucky to be able to photograph several families of some of my high school classmates... (wow, classmates, that sounds weird... how else do I say it though... "people I went to high school with" sounds so stark). It is so much fun to catch up and see the paths different people have taken and also to be able to see them with their families!

I see so much of Kim (the mom ;-) that I remember from our younger years, in Miss Alayna! (sp?) . And sweet little Emily sure has a mind of her own. I can honestly say that she is the first toddler to ever carry a hairbrush and her "dedilde" aka blanket on her photo shoot! This is totally my style though and I love that mom and dad just rolled with it. It's exactly who she is right now and she surely has an attachment to that blankey! I LOVE that they let me capture just that... no need for perfection photos of her... just her being HER. It truly doesn't get better than that!

Anthony, Kim and girls. It was TRULY a pleasure to hang out and take a walk through your property! I'm so glad we were able to get these shots before the rain hit us hard!!! Your girls are wonderful. Thank you so much for the opportunity to capture you together!

Brooklyn Bridal Show 2009

How lucky is it that we here in the wee little town of Brooklyn, MI have the opportunity to go to a local bridal show?!

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of working with the girls @ Patrone's Day Spa & Salon as they got the models ready for the show! The show turned out to be a lot of fun and the runway show was great. The entire staff over at Patrone's did an amazing job having the models ready, lookin' good, and on time! Now that takes talent! Janet over at Brooklyn Bridal has some beautiful dresses. If you are getting married be sure and chat with both of these local businesses to help you make your day all that you dream of!

A collage of a wedding I did back in June... all the hair was done by Patrone's, photography by me ;-)

This was this model's ACTUAL dress... I didn't have a great light to use to photograph her because this was taken during the actual show and the ambient light was non-exsistent, none the less, this dress was AMAZING.

The phonomenal videographers... PASK video productions... we have NOTHING like this around here and if you are looking for a videographer... I can say without any reservation... these guys do hands down AMAZING WORK.
How fun is her hair?... the them was geared toward kind of the Audrey Hepburn look... LOVE it!
Photogenic much? This girl can work out the camera, and then adorable Farah in the background, she's another wonderful member of the Patrone's staff.
This little guy was a magician and did magic tricks for entertainment at the show!
Here's Misty workin' it out! This girl had hair almost down to her buns and had it wadded in a ponytail at the show. She was a dress model who wore a dress and walked the floor, Misty whipped a cute updo out right on the showroom floor... turned out AWESOME!
Windy Hill Creations did a beautiful job on the floral arrangements.

Chair Covers Express I LOVE chair covers for receptions... brides... it's totally worth the added cost (actually very reasonable) it really adds that extra elegance to the reception venue. It honestly makes your reception photos even better, simply because you don't have all the background as silvery shiny chairs.

LOVE him

Taking a break for a snack with his beautiful momma!



His smile will melt your heart in .000005 seconds! He's a total snuggler and a daddy's boy through and through! It's already been 3 months since I last saw this little guy. I met up with him and his family the other day at Flavor Fruit Farms. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.... I don't even mind a little cold here and there as long as we dont' have snow! Cash was such a trooper and never once complained about being cold... I think at one point his little hands may have been turning blue, but you can bet he still had that smile that you can't help but want to grab him and squeeze him! He is SO cute! And a personality that doesn't quit!

Brian and Ali, I am thinking maybe we need to send a picture of him to an agency... everytime I see that smile on his pictures it truly makes me smile! And his baby blues... how are you ever going to tell him "NO" when he's about two?! ;-)

I know you hear it all the time around here, but I can't tell each one of you who are in my Bebe' Collection how special these kids are to me. Cash is no execption! He makes my job so easy! Thank you always for being so great to work with! I am truly blessed!

Gabriella

Isn't she gorgeous?! This little lady sure is giving her momma and daddy a run for their money! She is a VERY light sleeper and every time I tried to move her during her session, she woke up! Most babies that I photograph don't flinch when I move them and if they do, they settle right back in... not Miss Gabby! I think I will coin her nickname as the princess and the pea! I am so excited to see what this year holds for Gabby. She has the sweetest little spirit. She is 7 weeks right now, just on the edge of when there little personalities start to emerge!

Thank you so much Mike and Sonya for the opportunity to capture your sweet baby girl. She really is stunning. Looking forward to watching her grow this year and hopefully next time she will have some smiles for me! ;-)