Gavin Docherty

I took pictures of a movie star! Well, maybe not quite yet, but Gavin has just the kind of baby blues that look great in technicolor. Today was the perfect day to do head shots for this budding actor

And Gavin was a pleasure to work with. He has a wonderful smile and a great personality
I had to keep asking him NOT to smile, so the shot below, which I was trying to get, (all you parents know the one I mean, the moody teenager) well, it wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be.

The camera really liked Gavin, and somehow I think a lot of girls are going to too!

A fresh start -

I am really behind on my photography work. A few weeks ago I did a shoot for my new friend Jennifer Stambaugh, and I am just now getting around to posting the pictures

Jen recently started doing make up for various occasions like weddings and plays and discovered she was really good at it. Like everything that one is truly good at, she also really likes it. So Jen asked me to come take some "before" and "after" shots of some of her friends that she was doing make up for, so she can show her perspective clients examples of her work.

It was a lot of fun to watch Jen work her magic

And the transformations were lovely.

I won't show you the before pictures because I really don't think the ladies would appreciate that. Not that they were not beautiful before their make up, but I did try to shoot their "before" shots in a no nonsense way, and frankly they came out looking like mug shots.


It was really fun having all ages of women there. I loved the fresh look Jen gave the youngest model.


All the Ladies looked amazing.

And in the end there was even time to shoot a quick family portrait, when this brave dad came to collect his daughter.

Thanks for inviting me Jen. Lets do it again sometime soon.

A little over a week ago, I had the joy of photographing Lindsay and Mark again. I had done family pictures last fall, when Lindsay had just found out she was carrying her second child. Now she is about ready to pop! But still beautiful.

Mark and Lindsay are such a cute couple, and boy does the camera love them. Yes, Mark too even though he doesn't think so.


Ruby was not in the mood to have her picture taken, but I managed to snap this one of all FOUR of them before she was off to more important activities.


I love shooting this sweet family and can't wait to get my hands on that new little one.

Winter

What is it about winter that makes me want to hunker down and put my camera away. Oh, sure I take the occasional icicle picture or the shot of the snow on the pine tree but generally I am less inspired in winter. I have heard other photographers have the same feelings, though some seem to thrive shooting the bleak grays skies and brown barren trees. I am a photographer who loves warmth. Maybe it is the result of being raised in sunny California. Winter there is green and summer is brown, but with plenty of green trees and blue skies.
This winter I did pull my camera out long enough to shoot a couple of shots of the same pier and light house that I shot last autumn in Michigan.




The landscape had greatly changed however. Lake Michigan looked more like the Artic sea. I hope you like the pictures. I am not sure I do.

EXODUS GUITARS

Last night on short notice I got to shoot some pictures of one of one of my friend Jeffs guitars. Jeff decided a few years ago to become a luthier, and Exodus guitars was born. He has already produced a few beautiful, completely handmade guitars. This one is about to become the christmas present of a very lucky young man! These instruments are really beautiful. I hope the next time I get to shoot one, I will have a little more time to really do it justice!

They sound amazing too. I was seriously afraid Jeff was going to have to fight my husband to get it back! Email me if you want more information on Exodus Guitars!

Mark and Lindsay

This weekend I was blessed to be able to shoot family pictures of Mark and Lindsay and their 2 yr old Ruby! Lindsay is the daughter of one of my husbands BEST friends, and Mark is a student and part time employee of our church

It was a beautiful day, the fall colors were magnificent. The weather was perfect and this couple is adorable as you can tell from these
shots. It was fun watching their little family together

When we first talked Lindsay told me she wanted shots that really reflected the love they had for each other. It wasn't hard to capture that, because they were just so sweet together.

Lindsay is expecting their second child, (Hope that wasn't a secret)

Its hard to shoot a toddler because they are so busy, and at two they are so independent. Ruby is really good natured, even at two!

As we were leaving we came upon this canon and decided it would be the perfect location for
their Christmas Card shot! Somehow I suspect they were not 100 % serious about that.

Fall in Michigan

Day One: Last weekend, a friend and I drove up to the Harbor Country in SW Michigan. The 5 1/2 hr drive up flew by as we caught up on each others lives.

We had dinner in the quaint little town of St. Joseph where we met a few of the locals.

Then we went back to our rooms at the Union Pier Summer house.

Day Two: The room was just a short walk to the beach.

The early morning clouds were amazing and they reflected in the water on the shore.

After breakfast we headed inland a little ways to explore. At Dinges Farm we saw some really unusual pumpkins.

Everywhere you looked the trees were beautiful.






Then it was back to the lake and a visit to the town of Saugatuck, (not pictured) and South Haven where we visited the harbor. It was getting late in the day and the water was so still and lovely.

As if the lake would not be outdone by the fall foliage, the day ended in a blaze of color as we watched the sun set from the beach and pier at South Haven.

Day Three:
We started the day by climbing a 240 ft high sand dune.




A stop for Michigan Apples



Then it was off to the Michigan Wine country.



Round Barn Winery has a unique "resturant" that was closed for the season, but we managed to get inside for a peak a the beautiful ceiling.

Michigan is a beautiful state, especially in the fall. We had a wonderful time