TOTAL SCORE

This incredibly accomplished couple were the ultimate sports. Not only did they show up with amazing attitudes, they were willing to take on almost any photographer direction I dared to drop their way, even when I reached down deep for some extra cheese.

From walking the 50 yard line in heels, to employing the classic coach "go gettem" pat on the $#@, the sparkle in their eyes just kept glowing. The key to a great session filled with Heart Swells, is laughter, not taking yourself too seriously and embracing the moment. Erin and Jim absolutely did and will always be one of my favorite shoots. 

EFFERVESCENT

Meeting Laura Tomlinson of LT Lifestyle Management you immediately feel her light. Beyond just warmth and kindness, her enthusiasm for life, her passion for family (Pup Tootsie and Fiancé Bob) and her work radiates all around her.

The laughter and joy in the images from this shoot speak volumes about embracing life, taking chances and making it what you want. Laura is the producer and host of her podcast "Tag up with LT", speaking to lifelong learners who want to be inspired, educated and entertained.  LT Lifestyle Management helps brands, businesses, and influencers create and launch podcasts as a Podcast Manager.

Such a beautiful couple and the cutest fur baby to boot. I could have done an entire session just with Miss Tootsie. In the end, I walked away completely inspired by this female entrepreneur and can't wait to hear her next episode. 

SHINING LIGHT ON EVERYTHING

Ali embodies creative spirit, put to excellent use in her artistic work as Associate Professor of Dance at Oakland University and leading her non-profit, Take Root, committed to impacting lives through dance both in their performances and through their influential outreach programs like Dance for Parkinson’s Disease and Arts Education Impact.

While Ali could have easily owned the spotlight in a solo cover, the shared experience of capturing her husband and teen twins made my heart full. There is so much beauty seeing someone’s passion impact their community and that kind of light really does shine from the inside out. On this day, we found our light and let it shine as we adventured through one of Birmingham’s loveliest parks. 

REVVED

When I received the assignment to do a classic car shoot, to highlight the famous Woodward Dream Cruise, I didn’t bat an eyelash. But I did my homework. The world of car photography is that of angles, lighting, reflections, motion and perspective. Let’s be honest, cars don’t really smile back – but man can they serve. We let this pretty little lady perch regally in her driveway, framed her in the rich green foliage of her neighborhood and captured her in the glory of spectacular blue skies and luminous clouds. And the chef’s kiss, the icing on the cake… was dialing in on her dazzling chrome accents that sparked an electrifying energy with the sun. Yes, please and thank you very much. I didn’t know I could have feelings for a car, but that day we made a little magic together!

INNATE JOY

The concept of flight is pretty epic and evokes a lot of human emotion in and of itself. Incredible machinery, open skies and the anticipation of what awaits you on the other side. Booking this session for the owner of private jet company, BC Flight took time and in turn, we took our time -- to capture this family, the passion behind the business and their innate joy with one another. It poured rain on my way to the airport, but I knew we had to take our shot. I loved them immediately and found myself side-stepping puddles on the tarmac, while capturing unique family dynamics and bearing witness to true family love in a sky of everchanging cloudscapes. Patience is a virtue, and on this day, it delivered some beautiful Heart Swell Moments.

HERMOSA FAMILIA

One of the most rewarding client testimonials I’ve ever received, pinged my phone within hours of wrapping this shoot and still makes my heart smile. “OMG just wanted to share how much our kids LOVED you! We did too, of course, but totally blown away that our kids had so much fun and said before we got home, 'we need to do that again!' ” Each one of the Frias family members allowed me to peek at a little of their soul on this fine Sunday, a perfect Fall golden hour in the rail district of Birmingham, Mi. I saw it through sparkling eyes, dancing feet, a brooding “see me” stare, a lovely head tilt, and proud knowing smiles from mom and dad. Joaquin Frias, owner of the featured Studio Español and his family allowed me to capture the most lovely, sun kissed portraits a photographer could ask for.  And we even got photo bombed by an actual train. Let’s do it again, indeed!

CHANNELING MCCONAUGHEY

If you engage in a word association game and I say the word “McConaughey” what do you think of? For me, it’s ease, genuineness, spirit and likability. Those words can all be applied to Kurt Delfin.  The cover feature of this November issue, Kurt showed up having worn many hats - dad, high school coach, and expert health insurance agent at Health Markets. And when he asked me what he should do for our shoot together, I told him to channel his inner McConaughey. (Matthew McConaughey that is) From that point forward, I swear the eye’s sparkled more, the smiles came easy and he brought that just right come on and get to know me McConaughey charm. Alright. Alright. Alright.