Pretty in Pink

A beautiful September morning was the perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse into Little Miss Pretty in Pink's story.  She was turning two and so proud of it!  Wearing her darling pink lace jumper, she allowed me to follow her as she played at the park.  
  

Walking over a bridge, watching the geese and swinging on the swings made her morning.  As we wrapped up, she was so excited to get on the playground! 

Thank you for letting me take your picture and have a wonderful second year!

Happy. Creative. Fun.

I love working with children.  I have been in the early childhood field for a very long time:  summer camps, nannying, infant/toddler teacher, preschool teacher.  You name it, as far as education goes, I have worked with just about every scenario of child under the age of five.  It has been such a pleasure working with children and their families and I love that I get to continue that through photography.  Children are great!  And they loved to be captured in their everyday light.  

I love that about kids; they don't care what anyone thinks, they let their true personalities shine.

Happy.

Creative.

Fun.

The Rowader Family

On the day of a photo shoot, I am always up early.  I am excited to get to work, doing something I love, and meeting fabulous people.  I cannot help but awaking in anticipation of the day's events.  Especially on days of forecasted rain.  Taking photos outdoors lends to a lovely, "natural" backdrop; however, you have good ol' Mother Nature to deal with on every shoot.  Sometimes, it can be a little difficult to make it all come together.  But with the Rowaders, we were able to make it work perfectly.

Several days before the shoot, I was watching the weather, noting that rain was forecasted differently on every television station (thank you, Hurricane Isaac).  It was quite frustrating because not one weather forecast coincided with another.  But, thankfully, it ended up only raining a little bit the night before and the Rowaders and I were quite happy to have a crisp, sunny Saturday to capture some memories.  I enjoyed working with all of you guys; it was great!  

Enjoy the next few months of fall!

Big Sister, Little Brother

Heading off to Ohio was a great adventure.  I took a bit of time out with family to capture some sweet moments between a big sister and little brother.  It was quite the experience, an explosive diaper to start and a silly girl wanting to stick her tongue out at everything, but it all came together nicely.  I was so happy to work with the Teague family and look forward to working with you all in the spring.  These siblings are super sweet!

Off to Mackinaw!

It is very rare for one to say they can work AND still be on vacation.  But, I can easily say I enjoyed every moment of our vacation, even the short time we stopped to try and grab some family photos.  It was a pleasure to work with my family again and even though we had a few setbacks, a tired little one, a sick bigger one and a bee sting for yours truly, we definitely worked it out and got some great pictures.  Next time, I will absolutely remember the bug spray! 

Master Mason is 2!

Happy Birthday, Mason!

It was such a special time to capture these sweet moments from this beautiful family.  Mason will be two soon and he is definitely ready for all the independence that comes with it.  He carried himself as a little man that day, walking around with confidence and pride, he showed no fear as he ran up and down the water's shores.  That was one thing I learned about Mason; he is ready for the big time.  He is ready to be the "big boy".  What a sweet "big boy" he is going to be!

Sam + Josh = Mason 

Little Miss "S"

Little Miss "S" had no problem smiling for the camera.  She seemed to be in her element, not worrying about hats or tutus, just loving life and demonstrating that through her big smile.  I have loved to watch her grow over the last few months; she is such a joy.  It has been my pleasure to work with her and her family.  Her parents are going to be on their toes because this one is certainly a charmer!

Hats and tutus were made by Shelbie Green at 2TwoCute Boutique.  Check out her work.  It's fabulous!

The Green Family

Working with the Green Family on their impromptu half-hour shoot worked out perfectly.  The weather did not disappoint and their smiles were so easy to capture.  To my surprise, we even had some time to grab those invaluable candid moments.  The little one had no trouble finding the camera, and it made me laugh at how easy-going she was that morning.  
It was so fun to work with you all, I cannot wait until we meet up again!  

Little Miss Cheyenne

Cheyenne and her mom, Jillian, made it out to the 2TwoCute Boutique shoot and it was such a pleasure to meet them.  Poor Miss Cheyenne was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so much so she preferred that no one see her in her tutu.  We all tried to tell her it looked absolutely adorable on, but she was beyond convincing. :)  However, when things settled down towards then end, she decided she was ready to show off some products for the camera.  Thanks for being so flexible, Jillian!  I hope I get to work with Cheyenne again soon!

Little Miss Breanna

I met Breanna and her mother and grandmother at the 2TwoCute Boutique shoot recently.  Breanna was so easy going; she had no problem sitting back and letting us take pictures of her.  Although she disliked the thought of being in the grass (who wouldn't while wearing just a tutu!), she was a joy to work with.  We put bows in and out of her bountiful hair, and towards the end of the shoot, she was all about sticking out her tongue and laughing.  Such a cutie!  Thanks, Kim, for your support of two local businesses!  It was such a pleasure working with you all!

Master Mason

It was such a pleasure to work with Mason and his mother, Samantha on the 2TwoCute Boutique shoot.  I enjoyed each and every second of capturing him as he modeled his knitted cap.  Throughout the entire shoot, all Mason wanted to do was go outside.  "Outside, outside," he remarked and pointed out the door.  He would even come inside to tell me he wanted to go outside! It just made sense to portray him in his favorite setting!  He was so darling!  I cannot wait to meet up with Mason again as we welcome his upcoming birthday!

2TwoCute Boutique

I know quite a few people that are in my shoes.  They have the desire to branch out on their own and be their own boss.  With that comes looking into building your own website.  That is how I hooked up with 2TwoCute Boutique.  This was one of my very first product shoots (outside of taking my own pics for my food blog), and it was such a pleasure to work with Shelbie Green at 2TwoCute Boutique.  She has some fantastic ideas for infant/toddler accessories!  While the baby models were so cute, this here was all about showcasing her fabulous work.  

Congrats on the business, Shelbie!  Good luck!

You can find more information on her products at 2TwoCute Boutique

The Hutton Family

One of the first "shoots" I did, mostly just for fun but real all the same, was for my older brother's family in the Fall of 2010.  They are big Michigan fans living in Columbus, Ohio and oh boy, Saturdays can be pretty tough around there.  Now, I know some of their friends did not really appreciate us out and about sporting blue and maize gear on a College Football Saturday, but it was a blast anyways.  

I love these guys!  

Getting Started

Taking a big leap into the unknown has always been difficult for me.  I tend to play it safe and reach for what I know is attainable, never venturing out onto that all too scary ledge of unpredictability.  Just thinking about taking that leap, I envision myself as Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, facing the last of three challenges: "Only in a leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth."  Not knowing where his feet would land, Indy stepped out in faith and found solid ground.  Sure, I play it safe, but not this time.  I am feeling empowered and it is time I start turning my dreams into reality and search for that solid ground.

It has always been a dream of mine to be a photographer.  Since I was little, I always had a camera in my hand: 110 film, Polariods, 35mm, a Lumix (first digital point and shoot), a Canon Rebel (first DSLR).  While I enjoyed taking plenty of pictures, real life happened.  I enjoyed working with children too and that is where I found my niche for a long time.  Day Camps, babysitting, nannying, teaching make up my list of wonderful working experiences.  (You will never guess who has scrapbook upon scrapbook of photos of each and every one too!)  While I still enjoy working as a nanny, I am definitely desiring to come into my own and work for myself.  A new door is before me and I am ready to walk on in, will you join me?

Welcome to my vision, my dream and my new passion.  

Welcome to Simply Portrayed.

Established May 1, 2012