Cake Smash | Midland Michigan Child Photographer

My new favorite sessions are cakes smashes!  It is just so enjoyable to watch.  Makenna just loved her cake and her mom and I cracked up at all her different expressions.  I'm just going to show 2 for now and I can't wait to put together a collage of sweet one year old Makenna.

And all cleaned up now.  

A Photographer You Should Know | Mid-Michigan Photographer

This week's featured photographer is Sylvia Borgo of Sylvia Borgo Photography.

Click HERE for her website and click HERE for her blog.  I love Sylvia's style.  Here is a gorgeous image Sylvia wanted to share.  I love it!  When I asked Sylvia why she loved this particular image she said, 
"Gosh, I think this little girlie is ADORABLE! I love photographing this age (3 years old) because their interactions are so real, their expressions so genuine! The fact that a 3 year old normally has a short attention span motivates me to work fassssssssssst!"

It was fun interviewing Sylvia and getting to know her better.

What talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be a great, great, great piano player. I've taken piano lessons many times, but because I don't practice enough, I always have to go back to square one. I'm not too old to keep on trying am I?

What one food could you eat every day?
Avocados. They are so good for you and taste so delish with just a bit of salt. And of course, guacamole with chips is so, so, so yummy!
Did you go to college? What was your major?
I went to UCLA! Goooooooo Bruins! I double majored in Communication Studies and Political Science. I thought I'd go to law school, but started teaching elementary school instead and loved being a teacher!

What are you most proud of?
My boys. They are the sun, the moon, and the stars!

If you could have one superpower what would it be?
To be able to do 10 loads of laundry, vacuum, wash dishes, make beds all in under 10 minutes. LOL! Yes, that would be a great superpower to have!

Thanks for sharing your wonderful image, Sylvia!!  Be sure to follow Sylvia on her Facebook page.

A Photographer You Should Know | Michigan Photographer

This week I am featuring a fantastic photographer who I am lucky to call my friend Cari Enticknap from Cari Berry Photography. 

You can check out her beautiful blog by clicking HERE  and her facebook page HERE.  Be sure to "Like" her page!

So Cari is sharing a gorgeous image this week.  I love it.

I asked her a couple questions about this shot.

Why do you love this image?

First because that's my baby <3 and I love her little smile, and her stranglehold on the stuffed dog that goes everywhere with us. I love it also because of the hayfield setting, the textured processing, and most of all the gorgeous golden backlighting. Oh, how I love shooting in the sun! If I could shoot EVERY session backlit at sunset, I'd be overjoyed.

What were your settings with this image?
I shot this on my old camera - the Nikon D90 with the 35mm 1.8 lens. ISO 200, f/1.8 and ss 1/1600.

And to get to know her better, here's a little interview: )  I hope you enjoy getting to know Cari.  She is a doll.


What do you love about Photography?
I love the creative outlet Photography offers me; the process of imagining a concept, sculpting my vision into reality, then capturing the moment through the lens and editing it to perfection. I also love the challenge of it; there are so many elements of a great image that I am constantly striving to learn more and be better. It's the most fulfilling career I've ever had, not just because it is challenging and creative, but also because it allows me to meet wonderful families and people, and preserve their precious and fleeting moments for them to cherish forever.

What type of Photography do you specialize in and why?
I focus mostly on seniors and families. I adore working with seniors - they have so much energy and personality and style; it's contagious! And I love the dynamics and emotions and playfulness of family sessions. I love that a family often shows up expecting their portrait session to be like another chore on their to-do list, only to find that they actually have a blast together doing it! And it's so rewarding when they see their images and tell me with a big smile that I really captured who they are together! I have very few images of my own family together from my childhood, but I treasure them. I think EVERY family deserves a photographic reminder of the love they share....
I shoot a lot of kids and babies too, and since I love kids and babies anyway, those shoots are most enjoyable! Kids have such a range of expressions and moods, even in a 20 minute period, and I love preserving that for their parents to cherish later. I love capturing all the little details of childhood - hands, feet, eyelashes - because they change so quickly when they're young, and without a photo it's difficult to recall exactly how they looked at a particular moment, right down to the fingernails.

What are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?
Besides photography, I love to read. I read a novel a day. It's an addiction. Like chocolate. Or Angry Birds

Who or what inspires you?
I'm very inspired by other photographers. There is such incredible talent out there, and also generosity and hard work. I'm inspired by gorgeous light - that hour before sunset on a summer day especially. I find nature very inspiring - moonlight on a river or fog on an open field at dawn always inspire me to pick up my camera...

Who are some of your favorite singers/bands?
Right now I am reallly loving One Republic. Can't get enough of them. But I'm a big fan of the cheesy classics too - like New Kids on the Block, lol.

What is your favorite movie of all time?
That's tough. There's no way I can pick just one. Off the top of my head, I'd say some of my faves are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Shakespeare in Love, and Shawshank Redemption.

What would your ideal day be like?
Sunny!!! Living in Seattle, I've got a mad craving for sunshine - we don't get enough of it!!! The perfect day would be warm and bright, spent exploring the beach with my husband and kids, and my camera of course!

If you weren't a photographer, what other profession would you like to pursue?
Before I was a photographer, I was a teacher. If I couldn't take pictures, I'd like to work with kids again in some capacity. Or maybe I'd be a florist. Or a travel writer.

Freeland Michigan Photographer | Newborn Photographer

I love newborn sessions.  The best time to schedule a session is when you're still pregnant!  It's just so much easier to have all the details worked out and then you can sit back and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.  It's so important, that I offer a complimentary boxed set of custom designed birth announcements when you book your session before baby is born!

I often get calls for newborn sessions when baby is already 2-3 weeks old.  To get these yummy, curly, precious shots, I really need to get you in when your baby is less than 2 weeks old.  So, don't put it off!  Book early : )

Featured Photographer | Elizabeth Anne Photography

I'm really enjoying featuring my photography friends on my blog!  I hope you are too.  This week's photographer you should know is Kari Wright of  Modern Heartwork by Kari Wright Photography.

You can check out her website HERE , her blog HERE and of course her facebook page HERE

I really love Kari's photography style.  This is an image she wanted to share this week.  I just love it.

I asked Kari:
Why do you love this image?
It's my daughter that has PCS (Photographer's Child Syndrome) and never lets me photograph her. She was so cooperative this day and I got a ton of great stuff of her.

What were your settings with this image?
Aperture 2.8, Shutter Speed 1/640, ISO 250

What do you love about Photography?
It would be easier to answer what I DON'T love about photography (editing,hee hee). I love making people look their best by using great light. I love getting boxes of prints from my lab and seeing my work in print - it's like Christmas every time the UPS guy comes.

What type of Photography do you specialize in and why?
Children's. I love kids! I have six of my own and LOVE to make kids smile.

What are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?
I love to read. I knit, sew, crochet and do about anything crafty. I love to roller skate and still play the Limbo every time I take my kids skating.

Who or what inspires you?
My kids originally inspired my love for photography. I get inspired everyday by my photographer friends, we push each other to be our best.

Who are some of your favorite singers/bands?
I am very fickle when it comes to music, my tastes are always changing. Right now on my MP3 the songs range from Lady Gaga, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rascal Flatts to the Spice Girls (don't judge!).

What is your favorite movie of all time?
I don't really have a favorite but I love romantic comedies.

What would your ideal day be like?
Warm, sunny, the beach, a nanny...

If you weren't a photographer, what other profession would you like to pursue?
I always thought that I would like to be a Radiologist but I think I would be bored with that now.

Newborn Workshop | Freeland Michigan Newborn Photographer

Last weekend I had the pleasure of finally meeting my friend Julie Wagoner from Uppercase Photography.  She and Lina from Lina Jarmond Photography are amazing and put together a fantastic workshop.  I learned a ton and had a great time with my other photographer friends. 

We had such cute little models to work with! 

A Photographer You Should Know | Freeland Michigan Photographer

This week's featured photographer is Gail Montgomery from Gail Montgomery Photography located in Baltimore, Maryland.

You will love browsing through Gail's website, blog and facebook.  Be sure to "like" her facebook page while you're there.

Gail's website 
Gail's blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/GailMontgomeryPhotography


This is one of Gail's favorite shots she wanted to share with us.  I love it too!  Take a couple minutes to get to know Gail by reading a little interview I did with her!  Enjoy!

 

1) Why do you love this image?
This was baby #5 for this mother. She knew it would be her last. When I see this image, I see a mother truly savoring the time she has with her newborn. Her last baby. As a seasoned mother, she knows this time will be brief. In the meantime, she'll cherish it. She knows this time won't last but a moment but it is the beginning of a lifetime.

2) What were your settings with this image?
ISO 200 F 7.1 SS 1/60 Studio Lighting

3) What do you love about Photography?
The emotion, the details, the truth, the way it helps you remember. Life goes by so quickly - especially with children! They grow and change so much from helpless newborn to strong willed toddler. I love how you can watch a baby grow through a series of images.

4) What type of Photography do you specialize in and why?
I tend to work with the 1 and under crowd. I love capturing the details of a tiny newborn, but my absolute favorite age to photograph is around 6-7 months. The personality really starts to emerge, you get these gorgeous smiles with big eyes and baby is able to maintain a variety of poses without running away. Well, sometimes they crawl away...

5) What are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?
Playing with my son, photography & travel

6) Who or what inspires you?
My 3 year old son Wesley. Becoming a parent is hands down the best thing that has ever happened to me. I adore this little man so much and I would love to find a way to stop time! My attempts to document his every experience has played a major role in my journey as a photographer. I love watching him grow, but I want to remember every minute. Unfortunately, he has been growing really fast, time has been flying by and my memory isn't as good as it used to be. Thankfully, my camera doesn't forget!

7) Who are some of your favorite singers/bands?
Oh my goodness - can I just say I love it all? The Beatles, Bare Naked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, Billy Joel, Norah Jones - all play on my Ipod regularly. I love oldies, classics, techno, pop and can be perfectly content listening to mainstream top 40 on the radio... and I love to sing along.

8) What is your favorite movie of all time?
The Princess Bride or maybe Forrest Gump - or just about any Disney movie - I could (and have) watched them over and over.

9) What would your ideal day be like?
Waking up in Walt Disney World - in the castle suite (a girl can dream, right?), starting the day with some room service Mickey waffles and then having the whole place just for my family and friends (and myself of course). A beautiful 75 degree day with blue skies and incredible puffy white clouds. It would be a picture perfect day having a blast in the Magic Kingdom together with lots of photo ops. Variations on that perfect day include a cruise, Hawaii, Bermuda, Paris, London - or a fall day at the park.

10) If you weren't a photographer, what other profession would you like to pursue?
My first career is nursing - specifically Labor and Delivery. I guess you could say I'm drawn to babies. I love helping to bring them into this world and watch a couple grow into a family. As you work with the parents, they let you into some of their most precious moments and you become part of their family for a little while. It is definitely the happiest place in the hospital! Other than nursing, I'd love to swap places with Samantha Brown from the Travel channel and tour some of the best hotels in the world. I think I'd rather enjoy getting paid to be a tourist.