Fall, the season of family photos. This Auburn Hills family photographer knows that y’all love your photos in the fall colors. Throwing leaves, frolicking through golden hours with orange and red and yellow backdrops.
There’s no shame in loving fall family photos. I know I do too! The Heeringas invited me to their backyard to get in some family photos before Christmas card season last fall.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge the perfectly coordinated outfits. So many times as an Auburn Hills family photographer, I’m asked “What should we wear?” This session should serve as inspiration. Everyone’s outfit goes together without everyone wearing the same exact thing.
At the end of the session, grandma, grandpa and auntie joined us for a big family photo. Sometimes I think we forget these intergenerational photos. It’s something you don’t often think about, but is always nice to have when you look back. I think big extended family photos mean even more as your family grows up.
When I think about family photos, I know that it can be a stressful experience, especially with little ones. You just never know how toddlers are going to react to the camera. But I can promise you that no matter what, we’ll get enough photos that you’ll treasure forever.
This Canton Michigan newborn photographer loves at-home lifestyle sessions with newborns! They are some of my favorite sessions to shoot, especially with brand new parents like Brooke and Alex.
Brooke and I went to college together (we are both English majors and both worked on the newspaper together), and her and her husband recently moved to Michigan from Minnesota. This past fall, I got a message from her asking to meet up, catch up, and talk newborn photos! It was so nice to reconnect after not seeing each other for so long, discussing the twists and turns life has taken us since our college days.
Mia was born in November and two weeks later, I headed over to Brooke & Alex’s home for their first family photos. Mia was incredibly well-behaved, though she didn’t fall asleep until the end of our session. She is absolutely adorable — and now four months old! That full head of hair — so cute!
When I do a newborn session, I like to keep things simple. We use what you have in your home. We don’t need fancy outfits or backdrops. Just you and your new baby is really all we need.
I love it when clients refer me to their friends! It always makes for the best sessions! My wedding client Sarah referred long-time friends Jenny and Dave to me. They invited me into their home two weeks after Emmett entered the world. Is Emmett not the sweetest? He was alert and calm during our session. No tears, no fussing, really a good newborn, so I was a thankful Troy newborn photographer.
If you’re looking for a Troy newborn photographer and are considering studio versus lifestyle, here’s my take. Newborn lifestyle sessions are all about using the environment you’re in and simple swaddles and outfits. The best part about them is that they are meant to be rather stress-free. The point isn’t to look perfect, it’s to capture the connection between the family members. I do not pose newborns in baskets or buckets and I do not use anything other than a boppy pillow, bed, or their crib for safety. I prefer the photos of mom and dad holding baby anyways! They’re always the sweetest.
Jenny and Dave created the perfect nursery for Emmett. Like Pinterest-worthy nursery goals. Emmett is one lucky baby! You can tell the love and care that went into decorating it. The elephant motif was adorable. E for Emmett!
Emmett is now just over four months old, but I’m so glad I was able to capture these first moments for this family of three. They’re just never that little again! I absolutely love this session and am so glad my clients refer me to their friends!
I don’t take on a huge amount of newborn sessions, but I do love to do them! My newborn sessions take place at your home and this Clawson newborn photographer keeps things super low-key, which I think is perfect for anyone who has a fresh newborn at home.
Last September, I was able to take Charlotte’s newborn photos alongside big brother Benjamin. Benjamin was excited to show me his trains and to do anything BUT love on his new little sister. That’s okay though because this Clawson newborn photographer just goes with the flow. We just let the kids dictate the session and got some really sweet documentary photos of the whole family.
One thing that I get asked a lot is “Is my house pretty enough for photos?” And my answer is always, absolutely! Almost no one who actually has children lives in a Pinterest-perfect home. There’s no reason to put off family photos because your home isn’t up to a silly Pinterest-pretty standard. Your home is where your kids play, where they learn, and where you spend time as a family. It holds all of the memories of childhood and my hope is that I capture your family there as they are.
Looking for a newborn at-home lifestyle session from a Clawson newborn photographer? Click here for more info!
It feels so strange to say it, but hello 2020. I’m not one for resolutions, but I am an enneagram type one and INFJ, and to be honest, new year’s time and new decades and birthdays always bring up a lot of introspection, reflection, and anxiety over all of the goals I didn’t accomplish or ways I failed. I’m sure many of you share the same struggle. What a deadly personality combination!
Personal notes aside, at this time last year, almost to the day, I had my final day at my old day job as a marketing manager, and a week later embarked on the greatest adventure (other than my marriage) I’ve ever experienced: journeying through 26 states over 3.5 months with my husband and dog in our R-Pod. What a gift we gave ourselves after a really tough 2018 for us personally. I just recently made some photo books of our trip and it took four volumes to tell the story. From clogged toilets to beautiful vistas, the trip was a once in a lifetime experience that I’m glad we got to do.
This also means that I’m writing as a celebrate my first anniversary as a full time photographer/small business owner. Wow! In my wildest dreams, I don’t think I ever thought I’d make it here. When I graduated college back in 2013, I had no freaking idea what to do with myself other than get a job. So I did that and I tried to convince myself that I was a successful humanities major that “made it.” Ha! Do any of us really “make it”? In 2019, I was 10 years out of high school and I will tell you that in 2009 I never imagined that I could even own a business. In fact, I’m pretty sure I scoffed at anything “business” related. HA! But in 2017 when I decided to really do this, I let my determination, perseverance, and inability to let a goal fall to the wayside guide me here.
In 2019, I just had my most successful year of business. I don’t measure this in dollars or weddings shot or shutter count, but how I feel about the work I’m producing and where I am headed creatively and business-wise. This year I completely changed my business name, revamped my website, worked on upping my client experience, attended my first business workshop, and got better and better with every single session and wedding and edit. By the time December rolled around, I felt like I was finally hitting my stride and headed in the direction I had been seeking for so long.
I am still in awe that people hire me to tell their stories. I am still in awe that they invite me into their most vulnerable moments. I am still in awe that they trust me to be a part of their lives, however small that may be. All of their positive feedback and support always gives me the boost I need when I worry that I should quit or that this won’t last (if you have cure for self-doubt, let me know). They remind me that this job is important and that love is the most beautiful thing in the world. I truly adore working with people in love, no matter their age, because they make me believe that there’s still good in this dumpster fire we find ourselves in daily.
2020 looks a lot different than I thought it would, but I am excited to stretch my creativity even further and really put people at the center of my work. I want to push the documentary aspect of my work because as you’ll see below, those are my favorite images. I know you all print the formal photos, but the moments are why I do this job and why every single wedding and session is different, which I LOVE.
The photos below aren’t exhaustive, but I spent the day going through all of my images from last year and loved reliving every wedding day and every session over again. It was such a full year, but a fun year. There were so many more laughs than tears, and capturing that joy has been the greatest privilege and honor for me. Thank you all for your vulnerability and for sharing yourselves with me.
I love spending time with couples BEFORE the wedding and engagement sessions are the best way to do that! Not only do we get to hang out for a bit, but you get to practice in front of the camera and get some awesome photos out of it! I met up with Katie and Adam back in September for their engagement session. As an Lansing Michigan engagement photographer, I was able to guide them through the shoot, but by the end they were old pros.
Adam’s daughter Jade joined us for part of the session and we got some giggles out of her! She is absolutely adorable and I can’t wait to see her in action again as the flower girl in their May 2020 wedding!
What I thought was so lovely about this session is the fact that Katie and Adam got engaged in the very spot we used for their engagement session! I always like it when clients pick a location that is special to them and think it makes the session all that more special. We took photos at the exact spot that Adam proposed! So special.
