..||owen::newborn||..

Dan & Kristy are really good friends of mine through my fiance Mitch.  Dan is Mitch's cousin and Kristy is his wife.  Needless to say we spend an awful lot of time with them and couldn't be happier that they have added such an adorable member to the family!  Owen is such a handsome little peanut!  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to capture his first few days of life!  I cannot wait to watch this little guy grow up in a loving Christian home with two awesome parents! Congrats you guys :D  Enjoy your sneak peek!

..||Amanda||..

..||Olivia::3yr||..

before my session with this adorable little 3 year old i had the opportunity to photograph her new baby sister, Grace.  olivia has always been a slight challenge to photograph because she LOVES the word 'no'.  so this time her mom and i kept telling her not to smile and not to look at the camera.  this technique worked like a charm!  she kept giggling and we got many smiles out of her!  we also played duck duck goose to get a few more laughs out of olivia.  i've never played duck duck goose at a session before and it was a blast!  i'll definitely use that idea again because it got her use to being around 'the crazy camera lady.'  

i hope you enjoy this session as much as i do!

 

 

 

..||Grace::NB||..

I love seeing families grow.  There's just something about being asked to be a part of the happy moments that makes me love my job more and more each day.  I had the privilege of photographing Heather & Brad's wedding last year and on march 20th they welcomed little Grace into their lives.  She was definitely a handful during our session but I think we managed to get more than a few of the most adorable photos.  Her tiny little fingers loved to stick straight out and her little eyes kept on peeking to see if the crazy photo lady was still there bugging her.  All in all I hope you enjoy meeting Grace as much as I did!    

 

New Inspirations

  I have always been the type who gets 'lost' in facebook or a photogs blog that inspires me for the week.  Sometimes I find myself 'lost' for hours on end.  All of a sudden I'll look at my clock and an hour has flown by and I'm still nose deep in great images and phenomenal techniques.  Today I decided to cook up some techniques of my own and I cannot wait to put them to use.  I found an awesome site filled with sweet brushes that I can start to utilize in photoshop.  I cannot wait to do a stylized shoot and fill up images with these goodies!  I'm still playing around with them and getting to know how I can use the endless menus that photoshop provides. 

  I took a photoshop class last fall where I commented to a fellow classmate that with photoshop, there are a million ways to do the same thing.  Shortcuts, menus, buttons, etc etc.  The possibilities with this program are endless.  Taking a class was just the beginning of my learning curve.  Most of what I have done with photoshop has been all self taught.  To the point of saying.... crap how do I do _______ and then youtubing or googling it, spending 15-20 mins on a tutorial and VOILA instant learning curve bump.  LOL.  I knew that my skills with this program were severely limited and that is why I decided to do the class.  Even learning the basics and some detailed stuff about aspects that I'd never knew existed was a huge upgrade for me.  I cannot wait to utilize the things I learned and make my photography even more astounding this photog season!!!

  Here's just a few images that I had fun with this afternoon.  Photoshop Art.

SNOW!!!

  Here in Michigan winter usually comes mid November.  This year proved to be unusual to say the least.  No significant snowfall until January 13th must be some kinda record.  We're finally getting our first healthy dose of the white stuff!  It's kinda fun (for a few days).  I totally love snow, dont get me wrong, but I hate driving in it.  I guess I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't drive a saturn.  I love my little car, but it SUCKS in the snow.  Last night I drove to a place that normally takes me 25 minutes to get to... double that time and that's now long it took me in the snow.

  Now I don't mind driving slowly, but to all the people out there who have to drive like bats-outta-hell... just go around me!  I really can't go any faster or my little 'Carl' (as my cousin named him) will end up firmly planted in the ditch.  Honestly.  40mph is about as high as I'll push it even if there is an inkling of snow on the ground.  You just go have fun in your SUV and enjoy spraying my car with your slush as you speed past little 'ole me.

  Even as I'm writing this I'm picturing slowing down to 20 to let someone pass me then getting back up to 40 and scooting along on my merry way.  HEHE.  Slow and steady .... stays out of the ditch .... wins the race .... gets there safely??? You be the judge.... I'll just take my time.

  Maybe some snow pictures on Monday's blog??? We'll see if I get adventurous.


   ..*{Amanda}*..

gorgeous

  52 degrees on January 11th in Michigan... crazy right!?  That's what I thought.  I just had to get out and capture the 'winter' weather through my lens today.  I headed to the coast... that sounds weird... this is more like we dutch folk say :: I headed to the beach.  That's more like it.  There were many people looming about walking, fishing, digging for buried treasures from summers past, watching ducks swim and muskrats munch on little fish.   I was out there to take pictures and to document the amazing weather the way I saw it.   I've been practicing a little bit with natural lens flare and captured a few good shots (one of which I've included in this blog below).  I also wanted to show a different side of the lake that I've never had the privilege to capture because I rarely get out to the lake when it's so calm.

  Usually I get calls when the waves are HUGE and the wind is whipping the sand into a tornado around my ankles.  Today I decided that I would capture a different side of our mighty Lake Michigan.  Something about being at the beach in winter when the snow fences are up and the trees and dune grasses are stagnant is... calming.   Sure there are a few people milling about but not your usual summer hoard of tourists longing for a slice of the beach to catch some rays. 

  Here's a few of the treasures I collected on this amazing 'winter' day at the beach ::

  365 :: Winter

 

..*{Amanda}*..

Consideration

    Today found me in a bad mood.  I guess you could say I woke up on the 'proverbial' wrong side of the bed (even though I can only roll out of my bed in one direction).  Usually I'm very slow to anger and a very patient person, but today I found myself with a very short temper.  Even now as I type this blog post my internet is acting up and things just aren't going the way I want them to.  So it is, with self in mind, my inspiration for today's post.  I Just wanted to steal 5 minutes from my ill-tempered day to reflect on what my day SHOULD have exemplified.

  Usually, like I said, I'm very even tempered and happy-go-lucky.  So this I challenge you (and myself) for tomorrow and the rest of the week :: Consider a few bad things ::

:: your bad mood can instantly ruin someone else's day ::

:: one word said in the wrong 'light' can make things worse than they already are ::

:: a sour attitude turns your entire day into nothing but stress ::

:: one frown turns into one angry thought ::

:: angry thoughts result in arguments ::

:: arguments turn to stress ::

:: stress turns into sleepless nights ::

  Well... you get the picture right!?


  This week I encourage you to :: Consider a few good things ::

:: open a door for someone ::

:: smile at someone ::

:: thank someone genuinely ::

:: turn one frown upside-down ::

:: make one angry thought a positive thought ::

:: avoid one argument by 'seeing the other side' ::

:: DE-stress yourself before bed so you can rest easier ::

  I too need to work on the good things when I have a bad day.  I dont have many bad days, but would my life be much less stressful if I learn to take a bad day and nip it in the bud before it gets out of control?!?!  Even I need to learn from my own words.  This evening could've been a whole lot better if I'd just been a bit more patient with a friend that needed a bit more guidance than I was willing to give.

Simple words :: Harder challenge


..*{Amanda}*..