kalamazoo photographer
Liz kicked off warm weather portraits with all of an hour to shoot before our light was gone, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have this gorgeous girl in front of my lens.
Her outfit is unbelievably chic (hello usable pockets!) and the best part is it came from her grandmother! I guess there’s no question where she got that great sense of style.
You are fabulous in every way Liz, stay golden.
These two have some of the brightest smiles you’ll ever see in your life, and attitudes to match. They’re just the type of people who make you have a better day just by being a part of it. Brittnay requested an urban photo setting (which I am super about) so we adventured around downtown Kalamazoo and the surrounding area, stopping at Fido Motors Cafe for a warm up chai and some rare winter sunshine. My goal for any engagement session is to capture people being who they are together, and they made these photos a complete breeze.
I can’t wait for your 2020 wedding Brittnay and Brandon, you’re made for each other!
When I first started talking engagement photo ideas with Amanda and Mark, she had one simple request: Her donut obsession needed to be represented. Obviously, Kalamazoo engagement photos meant Sweetwater’s was the clear option, and now I’m looking for any excuse to work delicious donuts into photo shoots!
These two are so unique and talented, and I have complete confidence their wedding is going to be a perfect reflection of who they are.
Congratulations you lovely people, I can’t wait to celebrate your marriage!
These two are a living testimonial for why I encourage dogs during sessions, and why I believe people who choose to have microbrewery weddings are a different type of phenomenal.
Simone and Keith could light up any room they enter. The genuine joy they experience from living life together is so infectious, I left the engagement shoot with a gigantic smile on my face. They’re laid back and wonderful, never missing a chance to laugh together.
It only made sense that the ideal place to warm up during the shoot would be a brewery, and Arcadia is one of my favorites. Huge windows, space for dogs in the warmer months, and no shortage of excellent brews. And let me tell you, we needed to warm up. It was beyond frigid the day of their engagement photos, and yet nothing seemed to dim their spirits.
Congratulations Simone and Keith, your Bell’s Brewery wedding is going to be unbelievable!
Felicia and Josh’s wedding was as sweet and wonderful as they are. It took place on the property where Felicia grew up, and held so many fond memories.
Now their family is growing, and I couldn’t be happier for them! They’re welcoming two little ones into the world, and they will know so much love from their parents, and everyone around them.
Congratulations Mr and Mrs Harrington!
It’s an honor to say that I’ve known these people through their entire relationship. Coincidentally, that’s almost the exact length that I’ve been photographing people in love, so naturally we’ve had our share of portrait sessions through the years!
They are both as genuine as it comes, and the best friends you could possibly want.
From our very first couples photos, to their adventure engagement under a waterfall (Highly recommend oh my gosh), to their perfect wedding day, I was joyfully there with camera in hand. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Very little direction was needed during this session, these two were such a breeze to shoot with. Just as soon as I look up from my camera to give a suggestion, they would have already moved closer, or be laughing genuinely together. It’s so sweet to see people find their match and fit so well, and that’s exactly what Eryn and Alexander found in each other. We adventured around Eryn’s favorite view in Kalamazoo for their engagement photos, and found some serious gold in the autumn color department.
Congratulations you beautiful people!
Kristina and Mike’s wedding is special to me for so many reasons.
Not only is Kristina a massively talented individual who creates gorgeous video, but she’s also one of my best friends. This meant juggling the tasks of bridesmaid as well as photographer, which I was all too thrilled to do!
Mike is also wildly talented (He built Kristina a dream editing computer) and they compliment each other in tons of ways, from their love of music, to their sense of humor right down to the shared dedication to their cats.
We have known these two for years, so when they asked David to be the officiate the wedding, it was an easy yes.
The venue was unbelievable, and that made photographing the day incredibly enjoyable! Details as far as the eye could see, and an awesome second shooter made this one of my favorite albums yet.
Congratulations Mr and Mrs Higgs, we’ll be celebrating your life together for years to come!
Kelsey and Billy are the kind of people you would want to hang out with regardless of the occasion. They're fun, sweet, and up for anything (we tested that last one for sure to get some of these shots!)
Between everything they have in common such as a love of Bell's Brewery, or their differences like whether or not another dog should be added to the household, they balance each other in all the right ways. Their wedding is going to be amazing, and their life together even better!
When Alishia contacted me saying she wanted to include the whole family in their baby announcement photos, I was already excited. Talking over ideas, it became clear that her main priority was to shoot during golden hour (YESSS). The lighting was nothing short of magic, and they were all unbelievably sweet.
Congratulations to all three of you on the new addition to the family!
These two are genuinely wonderful people. Their love for each other is obvious as soon as you meet them. Zach contacted me back in March about wanting to give Brittany a very special birthday present in May. They recently bought their first home together, and he wanted to feature this in a couple's photo session as a gift to her. I was obviously way too excited, lifestyle photos are my favorite thing, and their home is absolutely stunning! We even managed to fit their fluffy new family member into a few photos before she dove back under the couch.
These two are some of my favorite people. Bethany is everything that is classy and graceful. On top of having mad style, she is crazy skilled in all things writing and PR, and that doesn't even begin to cover why she's amazing.
Ben is talented and steady. A phenomenal leader and source of support and, on top of all that, can brew a mean beer.
I had the massive pleasure to shoot their engagement photos, capture their wedding, and now celebrate their anniversary with them the best way I know how: More photos.
We even went to back to the location where Ben proposed!
Congratulations on one year married Mr and Mrs Ramsay! Keep being awesome to one another.
Greg and Kristi are some of the coolest people you ever meet, and that is a fact.
We first met up at a microbrewery over by Detroit to go over wedding details and engagement ideas, and by the time I left I felt like I had known them for years.
They live their lives having genuine fun in one another's company, and I didn't have to encourage laughter even once during entire engagement session.
You can't tell from the photos, but it was a wintery spring day, so we started off in the comfort of Factory Coffee in Kalamazoo, and since their wedding will be taking place at the coolest brewery complex ever, it only made sense that beer would make it's appearance somewhere in the photos.
I am so pumped for their wedding this fall!
Bethany is one of my favorite people. She can brighten up any room she walks into.
When one of my shoots had to be postponed, but the lighting was just to good to pass up on, Bethany came to the rescue with her fabulous sense of style as always.
This entire session was shot in 25 minutes with a 50mm lens, because I never like to shy away from a challenge!
When I first met this couple I could tell they were something special. Molly has such a vibrant energy that compliments Devin's steady personality perfectly. When we were talking engagement photo ideas, they mentioned the restaurant where Devin proposed, and I couldn't have been more thrilled to include the location in their portraits (Also, Principle is flipping fantastic and easily one of my favorite spots in the city). The weather may have been bitterly cold that day but they were both troopers in the outdoors, and you would never know it to look at the photos!
Seeing how easy they were to photograph makes me extra pumped for their wedding in June!
It seems like the longer you’ve been with someone, gift giving becomes oddly challenging. With each passing month, I know David’s likes and dislikes even better, but I also begin to realize that he has pretty much already purchased everything that he wants.
This leaves me scrambling for an awesome gift that is somehow also original. Rather than panic-buying a cutting board like last Valentines day (I know, I’m about as romantic as celery) I really put my head to the task and came up with a list of dude-friendly V-day gifts that don’t suck...
Do you think your man is handsome? Damn right you do.
Damn Handsome Grooming Co. is founded on the concept of creating the finest grooming products from the byproducts of beer manufacturing (Which is pretty much the manliest thing since the hatchet pizza cutter). They aren’t all beard balms and mustache wax either, some of their other offerings include Juniper IPA beer soap, the Barrel Aged Oak candle, and Gingerbread Stout lip balm.
Photo by Damn Handsome Grooming co
http://www.damnhandsomegroomingco.com/
Nothing says “I love you” quite like handmade, and the people at Grayling Ceramics got it right. From mugs that fit in your hand perfectly, to growlers for toting that beloved craft beer, he’s sure to love this one even more with each use. (Bonus points for my favorite piece in their shop: the bear growler)
Photo by Grayling Ceramics
http://www.graylingceramics.com/
Speaking of beer, which significant other wouldn’t appreciate a six pack of their favorite brew? Sometimes we think so hard we overlook the obvious. For my dear hometowntown of Kalamazoo at least, it’s no sooner said than found.
Entrada Photography
If the gentleman in your life values experiences over items, why not embrace that? When David’s birthday was coming up, rather than cave and buy him a small anvil for the living room (long story) I decided to knock an item off his travel bucket list and bought a pair of plane tickets to New Orleans. It doesn’t have to be elaborate either, a weekend getaway or a concert full of his favorite tunes would be so appreciated!
Entrada Photography
Whether you want to add some fire to date night or you’re just foxy and you know it, a boudoir photo session is not only a guaranteed original present, but is also 100% personalized. He gets to see you at your most confident and most radiant, and you are reminded of the bomb shell you always knew you were. Win-win. Whether you compile the finished images into a photobook, hand over some glossy prints, or just gift a flash drive he’s sure to swoon.
(While I don’t really advertise this one, I totally offer boudoir sessions upon request!)
Photo by Nations Photo Lab
http://www.nationsphotolab.com/boudoir_albums.aspx
Do you have any more Valentines ideas that are sure to please? Drop them in the comment section below!
Happy Valentines Day
- Esther
When the day of Mandie's portrait session arrived, it was a balmy 7 degrees outside. Was that going to stop us from taking some killer photos? Heck no. Not a chance.
I love the opportunity to find new locations, killer light and studio time. We even managed to grab a few outside, this lady is a true champion!
Whew, what a year this has been!
Loads of travel, adventures, and photographing some of the prettiest weddings my eyes have ever seen.
I feel beyond blessed, and so happy to have gotten to know all of you.
As we celebrate the ending of this year, and coming of the next, I wanted to leave you all with a collection of some of my favorite photos from the 2017 wedding season. Some are silly, some are sweet, all make me smile when I see them. It was so hard to bring it down to this few, let me tell you.
To everyone who was a part of my 2017, thank you!
Looking forward to another year filled with amazing people.
I've been wanting to do a greenhouse shoot for (no exaggeration) years.
I had photographed people in greenhouses and gardens, but I had been dying to put together a stylized shoot where we could take some pretty people and hang out in a plant-filled-wonderland for an afternoon.
So thrilled with the lovely ladies that were a part of it. Ni and Mia were both effortless to shoot, and I ended up with way too many favorites to choose from!
Huge thank you to Vandersalm's who let us adventure around, that place is amazing.
Go buy a succulent, you won't regret it.
So, I've been going through the photos captured over the past year, and realized just how many of them never got blogged.
Wedding season has me running around quite a bit, and while albums are shared on the Facebook page, and previews put on Instagram, the poor blog doesn't see nearly enough.
That's why this winter I'll be using the opportunity to share some "Throwback Thursday" photo sessions!
Starting off with these two:
Oh my gosh.
They were all smiles and laughter the whole time we were shooting their engagement session. It was like something out of a fairytale, and I smile every time I see these photos.
