Welcome to the World! {Northville, MI newborn photographer}

I had so much fun photographing C last week, at 7 days old.  He was the perfect baby model and his parents and older siblings made the session so easy and memorable.  This little boy is truly loved by everyone in his family, and I really think it shows in the images.  Plus, he's beautiful!  Just look at those squishy little lips and sweet expressions!  Thank you for letting me into your beautiful home, Mom and Dad.  I hope you enjoy the preview - there are many more images to come, and I had such a hard time limiting this sneak peek!

C's mom had this fabulous vintage doll stroller out and ready to use as a prop.  Isn't it perfect?!

Older siblings A and C love, love, love their baby brother.  I had such a great time photographing the three of them together - they were so precious.

What to Wear - April! {Metro Detroit, Northville, Novi Family and Children Photographer}

More One Year Photos {Northville, MI Family and Children Photographer, Lifestyle Potography}

More one-year photos of my little guy in his bedroom.  These were taken right after a nap the day after his birthday.  I love how sweet and cuddly he looks, still trying to wake up (and get out of his crib).  Just thought I would share a glimpse of our home and family!

The thing I love the most about the image below, other than those beautiful blue-green eyes staring up at me is the one-sock-on, one-sock-off look.  Guess he managed to lose a sock during his afternoon nap!

Love this - want my pacifier?  Here you go!

One Year Old! {Novi, MI and Metro Detroit portrait photographer}

Wow, I've really been absent from this blog for awhile.  All I can say is - I'm sorry - but I'm back.  And now that the weather seems to be getting better (fingers crossed this burst of sunshine and warmth stays), I'll be holding more outdoor sessions and featuring exciting products and promotions on the blog.  But first on the agenda - I'm going to gush about my little guy.  Graham just turned one a little over a week ago, and I finally got some photographs of him outside this afternoon.  It was a rather impromptu session, but a lot of fun.  Thank you sunshine for hanging around this long!!

When my mom came to visit last week for Graham's birthday, she introduced him to "pony boy" (a song accompanied by lots of knee bouncing) and he loved it!  Especially the "giddy up, giddy up, giddy up...woah! ... my pony boy" part of the song.  So, taking inspiration from this, here is my little one year old on the rocking horse.

I'm totally loving this next image -- pure happiness!

Look ma - one handed!

I love that he looks as if he's taking a turn on the second image of this coupling.

And because, I always wanted a son with curly hair - here's a close-up.  No doubt about it, he's inherited my crazy curls!

Yes, he is one, and yes he still doesn't have any teeth.  I just love those toothless smiles!

What to Wear - March! {Metro Detroit Portrait and Lifestyle Photographer}

Storytelling with Photos {Northville, MI and Novi, MI lifestyle photographer}

One of the perks to having a chilly winter and slow photography season is the chance to catch up with my personal photos.  As I was sorting through our images (and reflecting on Graham's first year - he turns 1 in 3 weeks), I found a series of images from our annual trip to pick a family of pumpkins for Halloween.  We chose  a mommy, a daddy, a big sister, and a baby pumpkin - and Sophie did much of the picking!  It was a gorgeous fall day, full with wonderful afternoon/evening sunlight, warm fall colors, and lots of smiles from both of my kids.  This was one of my favorite memories of 2010, and I'm excited to share our little activity with you!  Our trip to Three Cedars Farm started off with a trailer ride out to the pumpkin patches (one mini-pumpkin patch and one larger pumpkin patch).  Before we attacked the pumpkins, we went through a corn maze.  Sophie did great with the maze; for much of it she pretended she was Dora -- exploring and running through all of the tall corn.  After the pumpkin picking, we, of course, indulged on hot apple cider and donuts - a fall tradition here in Michigan.

I hope you enjoy these photos.  One of my photography goals for 2011 is to do more "lifestyle" photo sessions - meaning, capturing families as they are, with less formal posing, documenting them during everyday activities, and telling a story through a series of images.  Contact me for more information on lifestyle photo sessions or just to chat about the endless possibilities!

February - What to Wear! {Metro Detroit portrait and lifestyle photographer}

"Style is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma."  ~ John Fairchild

Clothing and accessories are extremely important for your session - they add visual interest and texture, while also conveying your family's personal style and taste.  My  main advice?  Step away from matching (or cloning) everyone's outfits and focus on displaying individuality within a shared color palette.  

Around the 15th of each month, I'll be posting a new series on "what to wear."  I hope these will give you ideas on color palettes and ways to coordinate your family's attire without perfectly matching  (and also give you some visual eye candy)!