There's more than "just pictures"...

I promise to get better at posting these because you see, after I post my clients wedding images here, that's not the end of it. Nearly all of my clients choose a custom designed wedding album that I offer. I have so much designing them for my clients. I get to relive their wedding all over again, and it's just like digital scrapbooking. And since I don't really get a chance to work on my own scrapbooks these days, this is super fun for me!

Kadie and Chris' Album was recently delivered and I loved it so much that I had to order a sample of it!

This page is from Kadie & Chris' First Look and if you're a bride reading this, I know that we've talked about it at some point. I know that many people are afraid that seeing each other before the ceremony takes away from the moment that the groom first sees his bride walking down the aisle, or that it's bad luck (sure, watch out for that black cat). I ran into Kadie & Chris at a recent wedding (those images are coming soon!) and Chris told me that it didn't take away from that moment in the least. He said that when he first saw her for their First Look that he was blown away by how beautiful she looked, but then seeing her parents walk her down the aisle was a completely different feeling. Like "Whoa" she's going to marry me! *Thanks Chris for your input! :-)

I think you can pretty much tell from the look on their faces that it didn't take anything away from this moment.

In case you were wondering, I do take posed family portraits. I choose not to include them in my posts or slideshows, not because I don't like them but because they're a just standard and not the most creative images from the day.

Note: this is not a grave stone. This stone is at the entrance to her mother's garden. Honestly the thought of it being a grave stone never even crossed my mind until someone asked!

Emily & Antonio's Detroit Engagement Session

I love a good story, and Emily & Antonio's love story doesn't disappoint. They first met in their driver's training class and although they went to different schools they still kept in contact through sporting events. Then one night they wound up at the same party and finally exchanged numbers, that's when their friendship began. Time had passed and there was some distance between them when Emily moved to Las Vegas but they still managed to keep in touch. When she moved back home, their history began. Although not everyone was on board in the beginning, Antonio and Emily's love for each other was strong enough to bring everyone around. And now they will be celebrating together next month!

We decided to head downtown for their engagement session and had so much fun! This couple is hot, I could have shot them all day! They love going to baseball games together and wanted some pictures at Comerica Park. Since the Tigers had a home game we decided to start off at Hart Plaza to let the crowd die down a bit. When we first parked I saw these pictures on the wall of a building and new that I just had grab a shot of them here. So glad that they went for it, because it turned out to be one of my all time favorites!

Emily, you are gorgeous. That is all.

They told me that they love to wrestle each other and often play little games, like who gets the last hit! I'm not sure how much fun that is, but it definitely made for some fun photographs with Joe Louis' fist!

RAWR!!!

Emily, you are soo right. Antonio does smile with his eyes.

Seriously, they should be models...

Like Really.

Something a little sweeter.

And Emily, your eyes are awesome.

Emily & Antonio I had so much fun downtown with you guys, and I'm really looking forward to capturing you and all of your hotness on your wedding day!

To see the rest of their images, click here for a slideshow!

Katherine & Scott's St. Clair Shores E-session

I first met Katherine & Scott last year when they came to me about their wedding photography. Even when I first met them I thought that they were a super fun couple. They are getting married this Saturday and I know that it's going to be a riot! They both have an awesome sense of humor and I know that their wedding is going to be so much fun to document!
They've had quite a busy year with wedding plans and promotions that we ended up having their engagement session a little late, but better late than never right? And really, it would have been sooner, but we had to reschedule not once but twice due to this crazy wet July weather. This month has been insane with rain and humidity. Detroit's average rain for the month of July is 3 inches, and the news just said that we've had over 5 inches already with more to come tomorrow. Sweet.
I always like to challenge myself to continuously grow as a photographer and this session was shot completely with my 85mm lens. It was fun to see what I could do with it! I'm definitely looking forward to my next self challenge. We met up at Wahby Park at Blossom Heath for their engagement session, and had a great time!

Kat, your eyes, yeah their stunning!

I love the way they laugh together.

A little "In your face"! :-)

To see more of their images click here for their slideshow!

Shea Family Portraits

I'm really excited about this post for a couple of reasons. First is because well, this family rocks! You've seen them on the blog before when I did an OP Love session for them. But this time was so much more fun because Dad was here! They were hoping for some pregnancy pictures with them together since this will be their last child. Zach was able to get a weekend leave to come up to document this time for them. Then one night on facebook Zach started chatting with me telling me that Jen was in labor and he was in the air on his way home! For 12 days! Maybe it'll be a newborn session instead we joked. He was loving the wifi and asked if I wouldn't mind calling Jen to see how she was doing.

I can only imagine what was going through Jen's mind seeing her photographer calling her at 10:00pm while she was in labor, but I was so happy to be able to pass on the details to Zach. I felt like I was part of the excitement! Unfortunately, baby Lila changed her mind and decided to wait until after Daddy had to go back to base. But we were still able to squeeze in a family session for them while they were in town!

The other reason for my excitement is because you are going to start to see some changes around here. I've been working on a new website for a while now, just ask my web designer Tammy. :-) Hopefully we'll have everything launched soon! And in an effort to streamline my branding and give my business more of a complete look, I've also changed my watermark and the way that I prepare my images for blogging. A special thanks goes out to Ed & Angie Marsh of Night Cry Graphics for the killer new logo and to Jodie at MCP Actions for her "Finish It" action set. Wow did that make prepping images for publication so much easier!

I'm looking forward to sharing the new website and blog soon, but for now here's a few of my favorites of the Shea family!

Ashly & Karl's Detroit Wedding

Ashly & Karl were married July 10th, at St. Raymond's Catholic Church in Detroit. The sun was out, the temps were up and love was in the air. It was truly a beautiful day for a summer wedding! The day started at the Concord Inn in Chesterfield and I knew it was going to be another tearful day for me the moment I stepped into the room. I love weddings and all of the emotions of the day, and this one was no exception.
I love Ashly & Karl's candor with each other, they often tease each other and I remember when Ashly commented on facebook a countdown to the wedding. Karl commented something along the lines of "Don't blow it" and I had to laugh. Because even through all of the teasing, Karl still shows his love and his wanting to take care of her. Wanting to make sure she had enough to eat before the ceremony he send this delicious bouquet of sweets!

Ashly's dress from Brides by Demetrio's and shoes were absolutely bea-u-ti-ful!

Always "Be True"

Kevin from Twigs & Branches did an amazing job on the flowers!

And Ashly looked absolutely radiant.

Seriously! Girl you are gorgeous!

The ladies

And the guys

Karl was looking very dapper himself.

Love this moment I caught of both Ashly & her mom!

Could they look any happier?

Bling, bling!

We stopped at Ashly & Karl's new house in Grosse Pointe from some fun shots after the ceremony. I love how personal it made it!

Cakes our Specialty did an amazing job on the sweetness!

One last favorite image from the day.

Ashly & Karl, thank you for opening up your day to me. I hope you had an amazing time in Jamaica and I'm looking forward to hearing all about it!

Click here for more images from their day!