the lewis family...

when we bought our first house, one of the blessings was that our friends the lewis' lived four houses down from us. they are so hospitable and authentic, with personalities that just shine. so of course i begged them to let me capture some images of their growing family...baby number three is just weeks away from arriving!

get inspired...

i believe strongly that it is the community around us that strengthens our gifts and helps us to dream...i've been so blessed to have my family, friends, other photographers inspire me and celebrate my passion for photography.

last fall i spent several days with two amazing, generous photographers who inspired me to pursue photography full time...jen kroll and john pottenger led a workshop that was fun, creative, and not the least intimidating.

and now they are teaming up with holly henderson (a photographer i admire but have yet to meet in person) to host a three day workshop that will take any photographer to the next level in their art and their business. be sure to check it out...space is limited!

oh and a happy earth day!

onelight

i'll admit i've been a "natural" light snob when it comes to photography. the soft balanced tones it creates, no harsh blown-out images. but i knew i had to step up my game when it came to light. most weddings and reception sites present challenging lighting options and living in Michigan you can never rely on the weather cooperating with your photo sessions. so i attended the onelight workshop last week. led by the amazing zack arias, he taught us how we can use off-camera flashes to create stunning artwork. along with the tangible information zack shared he was very transparent with his own journey through the photography business, all of the joys and bitter moments. zack has a sincere heart to see us grow as artists, but also to keep our priorities straight, to be amazing friends/wifes/moms/people first.

here are a few images from the workshop...many of them will show you the image without the flash and then with. these images are pretty much straight out of the camera with very minor photoshop.




the guru, zack. he's such a rockstar!























we couldn't resist the yummy natural light we got at sunset...





this shot was taken around 11:30 pm in a dark, abandoned parking lot. we stuck betty in a corner of two white walls (but they were dirty white brick walls) zack showed us how to make magic with just one light...crazy!


thanks also to melissa squires for hosting...she's a delightful person and artist over in the ann arbor area. and to our models, becky, kyle, and betty...thanks for being so fun and patient with all of us! i highly recommend that you check out the onelight workshop and zack's work. he's a true inspiration!!!

little girl b...

one of the greatest joys i have is being an aunt...until last year it was all boys!  and then little baby girl b entered the world.  in fact i had the pleasure of being in the delivery room when she was born.  to celebrate her one year birthday we did a photo shoot.  6 outfit changes, one elmo doll, and a very active girl...well here are a few favorites.

osp indy...

ah spring is really in the air, my flowers are blooming, and i'm catching up with lots of projects.  about a month ago i mentioned i was in indianapolis for an OSP gathering.  here are a few pics from this crazy fun time...




after day one of presentations we spent some time playin'!!! i learned some blackjack tricks and lost a lot of chips...





one of my photography heroes, anne ruthmann


love this girl!  kiera hosted the evening of poker and other random fun...



amy carroll taking aim...her pink jacket is fierce!!!


kerri banyas (of taylor grey photography).  i feel so blessed to know this woman...she's fun, generous, and manages to grow a buisness and love on her family.



amanda reynolds of turtle pond photography and her husband nate were some of the hosts for the OSP gathering.  she was so so sweet!




tim co gettin' that shot!  


jen badalamenti (of jk photography) workin' the poker table...



kevin swan...he gave a challenging and thought provoking presentation on business and album sales.  and he's part of KISS albums, beautiful and simple albums.



guess who took home the money???  okay it was second place but not bad for a newbie!



nice lens!


day two we were split into teams and given a creativity challenge.  we had to compose shots using a basic black folding chair and a person.  i spent most of the time just watching and learning from my other teammates...our first shot was with this beautiful woman and her silver coat.  not the most creative shot but i loved this woman's presence...






can you spot the chair?


we convinced these bored paramedics to help us with a shot...inside they were giving our chair some serious cpr. here's my team gettin' the shot





nate reynolds dropping our chair from a parking garage...people on the street were really perplexed.




our last day we heard from garrett nudd.  he and his wife joy have created an amazing business, but they are so humble and generous.  his words about finding your purpose, focus, and passion for photography resonated and inspired me.  so i've added them to my list of photography mentors...

an amazing trip!  loved getting to know kerri, jen and amy so much better.  and had a blast meeting new friends. can't wait till next year's gathering!