creation held captive

Baby Belly! {Mama T}

2012-01-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but I LOVE doing maternity pics. Having been pregnant twice, I know that pregnancy is such a unique time in a woman's life (well, most women - not so unique if you're on your 18th pregnancy, in which case NOT being pregnant is more unique). In any case, it is truly a miracle to grow another human being inside of you. It's a time of anticipation, excitement, planning, and changing. This little Miracle has 4 older siblings to love and care for her, and I have a feeling she will be a little bit spoiled. She's due to enter the world any day now, and I'll be there to capture one of her first days.

Snow Day!

2012-01-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

We just had a snow storm. Not a huge one, but big enough for them to cancel school. We got about 9 inches of snow over 2 days, but since the storm was preceded by a day of rain, everything was coated with ice, which obviously makes for dangerous driving conditions. Here is a teeny little snippet of our snow day yesterday. Two of my favorite things: my adorable son who loves to eat snow, and a caramel latte that I made myself (I used to work at a coffee shop, and I must say, I make a mean caramel latte!)

Family {K} - adoption day!

2011-12-27T11:00:00.001-05:00

What a beautiful family! These are some of the most amazing people I've ever known. This morning they adopted their 7th and 8th children (in addition to 3 biological, and countless others who call them "mom and dad" just because they're so good at it). Mr. K is our pastor, and Mrs. K is a perfect pastor's wife to him. They are living out the lives God has called them to like not many people do. They are the ones who inspired us to become foster parents, and it has been life-changing for us. This was not a full session, they just asked me to take a quick shot of them post-adoption. Thanks for sharing your hearts and your home, and the love of Jesus, with so many who need it.

Pictures with Santa

2011-11-25T20:32:00.001-05:00

I had the extreme pleasure of being the Santa photographer at our local floral and garden center last weekend. They had a holiday open house, and had invited a bunch of local artists to come set up a booth and sell their wares. I'm tellin' ya, in my free time, I shopped and bought a bunch of beautiful art for Christmas gifts. It was awesome. And taking pictures with Santa was super fun too! So, if you're inviting Santa to your holiday party this year and need a photographer to take pictures, let me know. I love it. These are pics of my kids. Hubby brought them in to sit on Santa's lap. Three out of four did great and loved Santa. The fourth, not so much. He's my sensitive one. It's ok with me.

{S & C} Best Friends

2011-11-22T06:51:00.001-05:00

These lovely ladies both had family pictures done in the last few weeks, and they wanted to get some girlfriend pics together too. So we walked around downtown Elkhart and found some fun spots! How cute are they with their matching sweatshirts?

a little seasonal fun

it was VERY windy that day!

Family {G}

2011-11-14T19:05:00.001-05:00

This amazing couple has been blessed with 6 kids. SIX KIDS! I have 5 and I think my life is crazy. Wanna know what's even more crazy? They have been married 16 years, and all 6 kids share the same mom and dad. That's pretty much unheard of these days. What a privilege it was to capture this family on camera. It never ceases to amaze me that kids in the same family, coming from the same gene pool, can end up with so very different personalities. I love it.

Family {W}

2011-11-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

I am so happy with how these turned out. We went to my favorite park, which has the perfect mix-up of scenic backgrounds - railroad tracks, water, trees. This was a fun, creative group of people who were willing to try some unique pose. The fall colors are amazing right now, and helped make for some beautiful photographs.

Family {C}

2011-11-09T22:49:00.001-05:00

Notre Dame

2011-11-04T10:15:00.001-04:00

A couple fun shots from Notre Dame when I was there a few weeks ago. It wasn't my first time on campus, exactly, but it WAS my first opportunity to walk around and really check it out. It's a really beautiful campus. The first picture is the famous Golden Dome, as I was standing right below it. The sky was a beautiful blue, and the sun was shining right on Mary giving her a beautiful glow. The next pic is the inside of the dome, standing right below. Beautiful art work.

Family W

2011-11-03T08:58:00.000-04:00

Another gorgeous family portrait session - four teenagers! (That'll be me in about 10 years) They were delightful to work with, and I look forward to working with them again in the coming years.

Family Z

2011-10-26T18:57:00.002-04:00

This was my 2nd time photographing this family. The first time was last year around Christmas time. They are dear friends of mine, and what a joy it is to watch their family grow. Love you guys!

Family C

2011-10-24T22:24:00.000-04:00

This family, all the way from California, has one daughter at ND and another at USC. They all congregated on the campus of Notre Dame for the big football game on Saturday, each wearing their own college sweatshirts. What fun!

Baby T

2011-10-20T08:22:00.003-04:00

Family M

2011-10-12T12:39:00.002-04:00

Happy Fall!

2011-10-09T17:40:00.000-04:00

Family H

2011-10-08T22:20:00.000-04:00

Homecoming Pre-Dance Pics

2011-10-02T08:33:00.000-04:00

Dancing Feet

2011-09-27T10:36:00.002-04:00

vingate camera

2011-09-14T15:53:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to have landed this SLR film camera from the 70's! My sweet friend Lisa found a bunch of her grandpa's old photography stuff, and she gave it all to me. Some of it I can't use (or don't know how), but some of it is 35mm camera accessories. I'm excited to go buy some film (for the first time in 10 years) and try this baby out.

a day at the zoo

2011-09-03T21:59:00.000-04:00

Mr. and Mrs. H

2011-09-03T18:44:00.003-04:00

Today I was privileged to photograph a very special couple, my in-law's. I have known them for, oh, about 8 years now, and it has been truly a blessing to know them. They are wonderful people who have been married over 25 years, and I look forward to knowing them for many more years ahead.

Oh, and this gorgeous butterfly decided to show up for the session too.

Family W

2011-08-22T15:23:00.001-04:00

I had the privilege of photographing this gorgeous family. We went to a nearby Botanical Garden, and I loved how the ladies' bright colors matched the flowers. I've already posted a few pics on Facebook. Here are some more, some same, some different.

Just For Fun

2011-08-20T20:16:00.000-04:00

I actually took these at the last wedding I shot, but since they're not very "wedding-y" I wanted to give them their own post.

C & A: A Country Wedding, Part 2

2011-07-31T21:36:00.000-04:00

I officially love photographing weddings. I haven't done very many, so that could change in the future. But I love weddings in general. They're so full of hope. A starry-eyed couple, pledging to love each other forever, through better and worse, having no idea what the "better" and the "worse" will mean for them. It's so beautiful. I always think of my own wedding, and it seems like we were just kids back then. I love to watch these kids standing on the threshold of a new chapter in life. And it is such an exciting honor to be the photo-journalist recording this, one of the most important events in this couple's life. The official beginning of their life together.

This particular wedding was SO MUCH FUN. It was the perfect blend of "country" and "beautiful." The bride wore cowboy (girl) boots with her traditional elegant wedding dress. The scenery was amazing- woods, log rocking chairs on the porch, long gravel drive way (pretty much my dream home). The decorations were flowers and candles under a big white tent. The ceremony was the traditional procession of attendants; minister, vows, rings. If I could re-do my wedding, I would copy this one as much as possible. I am in love with this couple. They are so photogenic, they made my job really easy. Besides that, they are friendly, tons of fun, and totally head over heels for each other.

This photo was requested by the groom. It's a family tradition through several generations. How fun is that? I would love to see all the photos side-by-side.

C & A: A Country Wedding, Part 1

2011-07-30T13:20:00.000-04:00

While the bride was getting ready, she let me borrow her boots and rings. I couldn't wait to share these:

Wedding: E & A

2011-07-25T22:48:00.001-04:00

It was an absolute joy photographing the wedding of this beautiful couple. Congratulations to you both!
(If you want to see a few more, click the link to the right to view my Facebook page.)

this is right after the kiss - so cute!

cute feet! (I love pictures of feet)

Mr. and Mrs.

Family G

2011-07-15T16:17:00.000-04:00

I love this family. This is the same family who's newborn pictures I took a few days ago, but we realized we didn't get any "whole family" shots, so I went back for a mini-session today. I knew M & R before they were married. I love to see families grow!

Baby I

2011-07-13T22:50:00.000-04:00

A little peek at this precious new baby, just 3 days old in these pictures!

Down on the Farm

2011-07-11T07:54:00.003-04:00

We joined a CSA this year through Rise Up Farms. I LOVE it! I love getting fresh organic veggies every week straight off the farm. On Saturday they had a pot-luck dinner for everyone/anyone who is involved. It was fun to meet some new people and enjoy dishes made mostly from our farm fresh veggies! My husband was a little bummed that there was no meat. I was ok with it. Next time we'll bring a dish with meat for the non-vegetarians in the group.

I love that we can have a picnic using mostly non-disposables.

One of the farmers made this beautiful bowl. Another guy who was there made this awesome stone table.

Love to see our veggies growing!

MMmmmm, tomatoes!

Love this sweet baby bird!

summer

2011-07-10T15:33:00.000-04:00

"regular" (no effects)

"1960's" effect

"cross process" effect

Baby Z

2011-06-29T11:38:00.000-04:00

I'll be honest, this was a tough shoot. We were crunched for time, and little Z-man was ready for a nap, and determined not to look at me let alone smile for me. But we made it work, and thanks to mom and dad's entertainment, we were able to come out with some really great shots.
Thanks guys for letting me do these! I hope you love them as much as I do.

Maternity Portraits - Cassie

2011-06-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

This is my brother and his beautiful wife. We were on a little family reunion vacation last week, and I asked if I could take some maternity shots for them. So it wasn't an official "shoot," but I am excited about the way these turned out. What a beautiful family! Can't wait to meet my little niece in a few months!

the beach

2011-06-23T14:23:00.001-04:00

Some pics of our morning at the beach on Lake Michigan.
It was a chilly, foggy morning. Only about 55 degrees, and yet the girls still felt like swimming.

Roses

2011-06-13T21:19:00.000-04:00

I bought this rosebush about three years ago. It started out small, of course, and every year it gets a little bigger and fluffier. This year the flowers were amazing. They clustered in about 4 flowers at the end of each branch, and they were SO BEAUTIFUL! The thing I love about these roses is that they change colors! They start out orange, then turn red, then darker red, and then they fade to white before the petals finally fall off. Also, it'll bloom about 3 or 4 times throughout the summer. I have a pink rosebush that's mixed in with our hedges (I have no idea how it got there), and it's really beautiful too, but it only blooms once a year. I LOVE rose bushes. I love the smell, the look, everything. I would like a few more. But for now, I am really enjoying these roses.

in full bloom

2011-05-14T09:14:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned I LOVE spring? I really enjoy summer and fall, but there is something so rejuvenating about winter finally coming to an end and the earth coming back to life.

love this lone tulip in a field of "weeds"

love smelling the flowers all over town

a bouquet of tulips from my bulb garden

Baby F, and Family M

2011-05-03T18:50:00.000-04:00

Remember Ashley? She's the woman who gave me the honor of doing my first maternity portraits. That was a few weeks ago. Last week I had the honor of doing their baby/family portraits. I'm really happy with how they turned out. I was a little nervous because they were outside in the sun and wind, and Little Guy wasn't too happy about it. But with a little help from my new friend Picnik, we managed to turn out some pretty great photos. I hope the McGhans are happy too!

I'm kind of in love with this one.

2011-04-29T15:53:00.000-04:00

... and this one's cool too. Photoshop.

Eggs!

2011-04-26T10:02:00.000-04:00

Playing with Picnik.
While I like editing and making cool artistic looking photos, I love the purity and simplicity of the original image. I feel like all the editing takes away from the beauty of the natural capture. So here I'm showing both.
I like the edits better on the 2nd one. It's not too different, just softened the color a little bit, and added the "matte" around the edges.

playing with photoshop

2011-04-13T21:18:00.000-04:00

I'm still learning how to use Photoshop. I found some neat features while poking around tonight. The first two are pics I've taken recently, flowers from my yard. The last one was taken a few years ago, but was also from my yard. It's one of my all time favorites.

2011-04-11T09:23:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been posting too much over here. I've been focusing my creative energy on my Picture-A-Day series on my "family" blog. Just wanted to share this lily. We had just about given up on it because it sat in its pot for about 2 or 3 years and did nothing but sprout this tiny little bud on top of the bulb. Then all of a sudden, this year, it just shot up. Every day it would grow at least an inch, and now it looks like this! there are about 3 huge flowers at the top of a 2-foot-tall stem! It's absolutely gorgeous, and I'm glad we didn't give up on it after all.

Maternity Portraits - Ashley

2011-03-21T09:02:00.000-04:00

I took these last week on a beautiful early-Spring day at High Dive park in Elkhart. Ashley was about 35 weeks along, due the end of April. She is absolutely beautiful, and it was so fun doing these pics for her. It was my first maternity shoot, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. I'm looking forward to doing new born pics for her in a month or so!

narcissus

2011-02-23T09:25:00.000-05:00

food pantry

2011-02-17T20:34:00.002-05:00

I did an interesting photo shoot tonight. A friend of mine works for an organization that helps families in the community. Her organization did a service project helping put together soup mix packets at a local food pantry, and she asked me to come take some pictures of them "in action." It was a unique creative challenge for me, and I took the opportunity to get a few "artistic" shots while I was there.

Valentine's Gift

2011-01-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am really pumped about this. It's a little spin on the awesome Word Art that has become so popular. These would make fantastic gifts for anyone who is even a little bit interested in Sign Language.

"I {heart} U"

"I L Y" (for I Love You)

"I Love You" completely spelled out with finger signs.

cozy cup of tea

2010-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I took this last weekend on a date with my love. We were walking around outside, and went into one of our favorite restaurants for a snack, and I warmed up with this lovely chamomile citrus.

pretty lights

2010-12-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

what do you think

first snow

2010-12-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

We had our first big dumping of snow this week (10 inches or so over 2 days). The kids were praying for a snow day, but to no avail. I always love the first snow of the year, it's so beautiful and exciting. In a few months the beauty will wear off and I'll be ready for Spring again, but for now, I'm enjoying this.

Zimmerman Family Portraits

2010-12-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

This family is so adorable, they made it really easy to do their pictures.

And what a beautiful little girl!

mountain forest

2010-12-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

I believe this photo was taken near our campsite at RMNP.

mountain road 2

2010-12-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

This is the same drive as yesterday's pic. Just a different view. I love the random little shack in the middle of no where. Looking at these photos makes my heart race with longing to be back in the mountains again.

mountain road 1

2010-11-30T10:23:00.000-05:00

in August I took my family on a trip through the Rocky Mountains. I miss it. So I'm going to do a few scenic mountain posts this week. This one was taken in Colorado, outside of RMNP, on our way to Utah. It was the most beautiful drive.

Christmas Series: 8

2010-11-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Series: 7

2010-11-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Christmas Series: 6

2010-11-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Series: 5

2010-11-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Series: 4

2010-11-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Series: 3

2010-11-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Series: 2

2010-11-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

Christmas Series: 1

2010-11-22T12:18:00.000-05:00

word art gift ideas

2010-11-19T11:08:00.000-05:00

Need a gift idea? Word Art is a great gift for teachers, parents, friends, or anybody you want to show your appreciation for.
You can have each letter printed individually (to frame yourself), or an entire word on one page.
See the Word Art tab above for pricing and more information!

frosty morning

2010-11-17T14:17:00.001-05:00

These were taken a couple weeks ago. We were heading to the car to go somewhere, and I had to run back inside and grab the camera.

My husband bought me the mums for our anniversary, and even put them in the ground for me!

I love the changing of the seasons. You still have the green grass left over from summer, the yellow and brown leaves of fall, and the frost warning us that winter is soon coming.

Szobodi Family Portraits

2010-11-12T10:30:00.000-05:00

Kitch Family Portraits

2010-11-12T10:28:00.000-05:00

Thompson Girls Portraits

2010-11-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

patchwork quilt

2010-11-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

the arrangement of these mums reminds me of a patchwork quilt.

giant gourds

2010-10-30T06:00:00.007-04:00

I always thought gourds only came in tiny sizes.

But a recent trip to the pumpkin patch taught me that they can also be huge!

These gourds looked like giant green apples with watermelon skin.
I've never seen gourds like these before.

pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere

2010-10-29T14:48:00.000-04:00

last week we took the kids to a local pumpkin patch to get their pumpkins.

corn field

2010-10-27T06:12:00.001-04:00

late fall

2010-10-26T06:10:00.000-04:00

wagons

2010-10-25T06:09:00.000-04:00

apple orchard

2010-10-24T06:07:00.000-04:00

hayride

2010-10-23T06:04:00.000-04:00

apple picking

2010-10-22T08:03:00.000-04:00

road in the woods

2010-10-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

windmill

2010-10-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

changing leaves

2010-10-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

feet

2010-10-13T09:48:00.000-04:00

rocky mountain high

2010-10-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

orange mountain flowers 2

2010-10-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Yellowstone hot springs

2010-10-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

country road

2010-10-07T12:00:00.003-04:00

orange mountain flowers

2010-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

red mountain flower

2010-10-06T12:00:00.003-04:00

the grand canyon of Yellowstone

2010-10-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

cute mushrooms

2010-10-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

layers of Yellowstone

2010-10-05T11:19:00.000-04:00

mammoth hot springs at Yellowstone

2010-10-05T11:18:00.000-04:00

golden sunrise

2010-10-05T11:16:00.000-04:00

yellowstone at dawn 2

2010-10-05T11:14:00.000-04:00

crate of gourds

2010-10-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

mountain sunrise 2

2010-10-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

mountain sunrise

2010-10-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

thistle

2010-10-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

purple flower

2010-10-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

storm on the prairie

2010-10-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

buffalo territory

2010-10-02T06:00:00.007-04:00

this was taken at Yellowstone at about 6am.

(same picture, different editing)

a day at the park

2010-10-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

corn stalks

2010-10-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

pumpkin pair

2010-09-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

another oldie but goodie! this one took 2nd place in my local newspaper's fall colors photo contest in 2008.

the pumpkin patch

2010-09-25T10:39:00.003-04:00

an oldie but a goodie, i'm bringing it back for fall. i think this pic would make great note cards!