Elijah and Jackson: Two-Year-Olds at Grotto Park in Grand Rapids

Last week I got to have some great fun with a couple of adorable two-year-olds, Elijah and Jackson. They aren't brothers, but they might as well be, because their families are very close and these two are great friends! I had the privilege of photographing them at Grotto Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is a small, often overlooked park next to the Veteran's Home and across the street from Riverside Park. I like this park because it offers a lot of backdrops in a small, easily traversed space. There's water, bridges, beautiful trees, and plenty of benches. You may have seen some of the images created at an engagement session I did in Grotto Park back in the fall.

I started the session with just Jackson. This kid is just the cutest! He sat still for a minute or two, but then it was time to explore everything.

Luckily, I could tell right away that I was going to need a quick shutter finger for this session! I switched to taking a series of images at a time so that I could capture more. Just in time too! Once Elijah showed up, things started to get wild! While Jackson was interested in climbing every hill (whether it led to the busy street or not!), Elijah just wanted to be IN the water. We couldn't allow that in 50 degree weather, but he did get to hang out on the banks and throw some rocks in! Thanks to their moms I was able to get a couple of images of the two of them together as well.

A long day for the boys and their moms! Once a pair of sunglasses and a baseball got tossed towards or into the water it was time to calm down and call it a day. Thanks for the experience guys! Let's do it again soon!

Interested in your own Child Session? Visit my website: www.faeyephotography.com.

Boudoir Parties! Join the fun!

Due to popular demand, Faeye Photography is instituting Boudoir Party packages! I know how nervous everyone can be about having their photo taken in...uh...less than modest circumstances, which is why I have and will always encourage clients to bring along a friend to their session for encourage them and make them more comfortable. But often the session ends with the guest wishing they could have a session of their own, which spawned this new venture.

Great for birthday and bachelorette parties, boudoir parties allow the host to invite between 4 and 10 women to the location of their choice. The women get to hang out and party, encourage one another, and boost their own body image! Each woman gets 30 minutes of shoot time, with unlimited outfits, poses, and shots as their time allows. The images are edited and color corrected within 4 weeks of the party and uploaded to private online galleries for viewing and ordering. Once clients have chosen their favourite images, they will receive a complimentary, custom designed mini album set (wallet sized albums, one for you, one for your significant other!). They will also be able to order any of our other albums, prints, or other photo products. If the party is in honor of a birthday girl or bride-to-be, that special guest can choose to upgrade her album package to a custom designed 5x5 soft cover album with 10 pages of her favourite photos!

Packages:

Level 1 Base Package($50 per person):

• 4-10 women
• hostess provided location
• 30 minutes per person
• mini album set for each participant
• unlimited images, outfits, and poses as time allows
• all images professionally edited and color corrected
• images viewable in private online galleries
• "guest of honor" album upgrade

Level 2 Signature Package ($75 per person):

• 4-10 women
• modern hotel suite location (photographer provided)
• provided "sexy snacks" and sensual cocktails
• 30 minutes per person
• mini album set for each participant
• unlimited images, outfits, and poses as time allows
• all images professionally edited and color corrected
• images viewable in private online galleries
• "guest of honor" album upgrade

Level 3 Penthouse Package ($100 per person):

• 4-10 women
• downtown hotel suite location with a river view (photographer provided)
• champagne and chocolate covered strawberries
• 30 minutes per person
• mini album set for each participant
• unlimited images, outfits, and poses as time allows
• all images professionally edited and color corrected
• images viewable in private online galleries
• "guest of honor" album upgrade

A La Carte Upgrades

• Make-up Consultation: $20 per person
• Hair Consultation: $50 per person
• Stripper Pole: $20 per person

Contact me today to schedule your party!

Destination: Michigan

Living in Michigan, I often underestimate our tourist trade. I forget the appeal of our incredible Great Lakes shoreline, our hundreds of lighthouses, and our beautiful parks. I took most of our benefits for granted. I have had the advantage lately of being reminded, however. Last summer I shot a "destination" wedding on Lake Michigan's shore. The bride and groom traveled more than 3 hours from the south east side of the state to get married on the beach in Grand Haven. Before that, I took family portraits on a beach in Muskegon for a family who was in town for the weekend. Destinations don't have to be grand and over the top. Are you taking a family vacation in Michigan this year? Whether you're a Michigan native traveling to a different area of the state or from elsewhere visiting Michigan with fresh eyes, why not schedule a destination photo shoot? I can document you at your favorite Michigan location in beautiful photographs you'll be proud to show off in your home for years to come.

Planning a destination trip or event somewhere other than Michigan? I'll travel anywhere you will! Remember to book a photographer based on their work and professionalism, not necessarily convenience. Just drop me a line with your proposed location, date, and shoot type, and I will send you a custom quote!

Mr. & Mrs. Angel and Terry Jackson

I had the great privilege of spending my New Year's Eve 2009 photographing the wedding of Angel & Terry Jackson. The wedding was beautiful and unique, giving me the opportunity to shoot things I'd never seen before. Their kids are absolutely darling and kept many of us entertained all day. These two are surrounded by their loving friends and family (so many that this is the largest wedding party I have ever worked with!) and their unwavering faith in God. I had a great time ringing in the New Year with them, and wish all of them the very best.

Mr. & Mrs. Emily and Michael Warari

The day after Christmas I had the awesome privilege of photographing the wedding of Emily Hop and Michael Warari. They were married at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Wyoming, and their reception was held at English Hills Terrace on West River Drive. It was a beautiful occasion, and they are one of the sweetest and most in love couples I have ever met. Emily was a beautiful bride, and everyone could tell that Michael thought so most of all!

Holiday Cheer!

The holidays are full of great photos of family and friends, and I am blessed to have some of the best around. I also didn't find a shortage of fun holiday themed photos to take around the brightly decorated homes of my grandmothers. I hope all of you also had an eventful holiday!

The Palinsky Sisters

I had the great pleasure on Tuesday of capturing the beautiful Palinsky sisters! We braved the snow and ice to do a fun shoot at the Wharton Center in East Lansing. A more fun pair of siblings I have never met!

Millenium Park

So yesterday I ventured out into the winter weather to walk around Millenium Park in Kent County. It's a beautiful place, and I'm sure it's gorgeous in the spring! I even found a few things to shoot. There were some swans, but I didn't have a long enough lens with me to catch them in action. Winter can be beautiful too!

Boudoir: The Fun New Trend

As a photographer, I am seeing (and loving!) a great new trend in photography: boudoir. Whether you're a bride (or groom!) to be wanting to document yourself for your future husband or just a woman wanting to feel beautiful and sexy, this is a darn good way to do it! For some it is a beautiful, sexy gift to give their fiance for their wedding, their significant other for Christmas or a birthday, or even their husband on a significant anniversary to prove they've still "got it". For others it's an opportunity to see themselves through the eye of a professional photographer and their equipment. Either way, it's an amazing experience. I don't airbrush, I just bring a different set of eyes to the table. Every one of us has something beautiful, mysterious, or sexy about us, but our own hang-ups get in the way of other people (or even ourselves) seeing them. That's where photographs come in. Women and men alike are often surprised at how good they look in a relaxed boudoir photograph...what better gift to give yourself and/or your significant other than a confident, relaxed portrait of what makes you unique and beautiful?

Each shoot is completely customizable based on who you are and what you want out of it. What you wear (and how much you wear!) is up to you. So is the location, props you use, and almost anything else you can think of. Can't come up with all this on your own and need suggestions? I'm happy to help with any of those questions and also offer makeup consultations for those who need them.

Don't want to go it alone? No problem! Bring a friend and have some cocktails and much more fun during the shoot! Or take it a step farther and help us organize a boudoir party! You bring the friends that would like to participate, we get a snazzy hotel room and take turns shooting each of you with the rest of you their to cheer each other on and have some laughs.

What's the best part? I'm offering highly discounted rates on the first 4 scheduled female boudoir shoots and the first 5 scheduled male boudoir shoots. That's right, we shoot men too! No reason for the ladies to have all the fun! As a matter of fact, I'll even do a "couples" boudoir shoot, the more sensual portrait session option for those interested. Contact us today, and let your confidence soar!

Emily and Michael: Engaged!

Thanksgiving weekend I had the great pleasure of shooting Emily and Michael's engagement shoot at Palmer Park in Wyoming. They're a beautiful couple, and shooting them was a lot of fun. I think we made the best of the cold, and got some really cute shots out of them trying to keep each other warm! They're getting married in less than a month, and I just can't wait to be there!

Liz and Jeremiah: Engaged!

I had the awesome privilege of photographing a great couple on the campus of GVSU. Jeremiah and Liz are so cute and in love, it was probably some of the most fun I've ever had at a shoot! Enjoy you guys, and I think you're great!

Andrea and Forrest: Engaged!

I had the great pleasure recently of shooting engagement pictures for a great couple, Andrea and Forrest. They chose two awesome locations in Muskegon, and we had a blast, laughing through the whole shoot! They're getting married in July, and I can't wait to be there! Enjoy you guys!