laurelphotography.com

Mom | MICHIGAN CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:58:05 +0000

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom in Colorado! As a mother to 7 children, the patient listener of my growing up angst, and the woman who can cook anything from memory and sew things without using patterns (including parachute pants that I *might* have worn in a sixth grade talent show)… I love you and wish you Happy Mother’s Day.

And now a few from a recent Newborn Session. I just had to get these posted tonight for two reasons… 1) This mom happens to be a perfect example of motherhood to go along with my Mother’s Day post. This is her fourth baby, and she is so kind and in love with all of her kids. 2) I might have just been dying to show you an example of pictures that make me smile to myself as I sit and edit. Simple, pretty, peaceful pictures that make me smile…

What I Love |MICHIGAN CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:12:41 +0000

In this business we get asked a lot: “What is your favorite thing to shoot?” The possibilities for photographers are endless… weddings, landscapes, families, babies, food, high school seniors… the list goes on. While I have a love for most genres of photography, I would have to say my absolute favorite subjects to shoot are pre-teens. They’re old enough to take direction, but not old enough to take themselves too seriously. They are instinctive in their movement. They are silly. They are beauty in its most distilled form. What’s not to love?

By the way, a shout out to Travis at Boka Studios for the templates I use every time I post. They make blogging so much easier than the way I used to do it, and I love how they frame my pics. If you’re looking for new templates, go HERE to find them.

Spring Arrives | MICHIGAN CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:28:15 +0000

Meet my lovely friend, Spring. If you’re in Michigan you’re probably as surprised as I am to see her so early. Last week I barbecued, did all my runs on trails, and planted a few “cool weather” veggies in my garden. I also ate outside in the sun every chance I had… it was like Heaven.

This shoot that was planned way back when everything was still frozen. I had intended something where everything was dead and barely budding. Now I’m so glad we ended up with those splashes of green everywhere. Just another reason to love our very early Spring.

Thank you Allie. You are a gifted and beautiful model… and the perfect embodiment of Spring. Thank you Cortnie for tapping into your makeup and hair styling skills for this shoot.

Tour de Cure, Brighton, Michigan | MICHIGAN CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:28:28 +0000

Alex was 4 years old when he came into the room where I was playing a board game at my in-law’s house. He whispered in my ear excitedly “Mom! I saw on Scooby Doo that you can call a number to cure my Diabetes. All you have to do is call a number!” He had seen a commercial about Diabetes and mistook it as a simple solution for the Type 1 Diabetes he was diagnosed with at just 3 years old. I’m sure at the time he could still remember life before shots. I let him walk me to the living room to see for myself… mostly because I couldn’t bring myself to tell him “There is no cure for Diabetes.” Instead I nodded and said “I will look into it.”

Today Alex is going on 11 years old. He says he doesn’t remember life before Diabetes, but he remembers the hospital stay where this picture was taken.

The optimism I see in this picture is still there when Alex talks about finding a cure for Diabetes. Last November he raised the most money from his school for JDRF. He was so proud of himself that in a class journaling assignment he said his goal for the rest of the school year was to earn money for more causes. It was a vague goal, but I believe the purpose behind it was the same… It’s nice to feel like you are doing something to help.

That brings us to today. With every part of my soul I wish there was a magical phone number I could call that would cure this disease, or somehow ease the suffering it causes. There are people who are dedicated to the possibility of a cure for Alex and others who suffer from Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. One organization I have always been impressed by is The American Diabetes Association. This year our family and Travis and Jean’s family are joining Alex in Michigan’s division of Tour de Cure, on June 9th in Brighton.

Consider yourself invited to help in any or all of the following ways:

Click HERE and donate any amount you choose.

Click HERE to join us in riding along with Alex on June 9th in Brighton.

OR … Jean Smith Photography and Laurel Photography are teaming up to offer Mini Sessions with 100% of proceeds going to this great cause. Take a look at Jean’s cute flier, and email me at laurelphotographystudio@gmail.com to schedule your session. This is strictly first come, first served, and there are 5 spots available.

Julia in The Nevada Desert | MICHIGAN CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:46:06 +0000

I’m back from another great trip to Las Vegas for WPPI. This year was so different from years past. For one, I was lucky to be a part of the He Said, She Said Workshop with the talented duo of Travis and Jean Smith. I’ve been to a lot of workshops, and I have to say this was a unique experience. Between the two of them their knowledge and skills are… well, every phrase I can come up with sounds really cheesy. They’re just amazing at what they do. They presented this very complex art and industry of photography in a very accessible way. I wish their workshop was around when I was starting out, because it would have saved me a lot of time and frustration trying to figure things out myself.

Another highlight of the trip was attending the platform session with Jerry Ghionis… simply amazing.

I have more to blog about coming up, but for now I leave you with pictures of the lovely model, Julia…

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Newborn Sweetness | MICHIGAN CUSTOM NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:57:10 +0000

I’m going off the grid… on my way to Vegas for WPPI 2012. But just before I leave, I have to share two sweet babies from last week. Off to finish packing…

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Happy Valentine’s Day! | MICHIGAN CUSTOM CHILD PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:32:01 +0000

It’s Valentine’s Day… go kiss someone!

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Artistic Perspective | ART by LAUREL PHOTOGRAPHY

Laurel — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:23:20 +0000

Every now and then I start acting really weird… stressed, frustrated, anxious, overwhelmed. It happens when the Type A in me does battle with the hippie in me… For example, I need my surroundings gallery clean VERSUS I have four kids and I want them to explore their creativity and enjoy life. For the most part those two sides of me are friendly (well, maybe “cordial” is a better word?). We probably all have these internal conflicts… just let me think we all do so I won’t feel so alone. I also get like this when I’m excited about the future, strangely enough. There are changes coming to my business that will be more clear in the coming months… I’m not keeping it to myself to be secretive, I just honestly am still trying to make sense of it all.

After 11 years of marriage my husband has a sense for when this conflict is building (long stares out the window and bubble baths at 1am usually give it away), and he offers a solution. He sends me out the door with my camera. This time I headed straight to Ann Arbor for antique stores (Antelope Antiques & Coins, and Treasure Mart) and delicious food (Jerusalem Garden). I can’t even explain how much I love Ann Arbor. That city gets me.

The whole day was topped off by opening the files while listening to a steady stream of Sigur Ros, Bon Iver, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, James Vincent McMorrow… emotional, deep, soothing. And after this day of introspection I am at peace again.

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My Sam | MICHIGAN CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:35:38 +0000

Sooooo… let’s talk about how hard it is to see your babies grow up. My son turned 9 today, and this is the first birthday that he would rather spend with his friends than with his family (i.e. ME… okay so I’m taking it very personally). If I went into the room where he’s playing with is friends and picked him up and held him and told him how much I love him would that be embarrassing for him? Yes? Okay, I’ll keep resisting that urge.

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Gold | MICHIGAN CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurel — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:04:54 +0000

Happy 2012!!! Let’s kick it off with some images from today’s shoot. We were frozen solid after 15 minutes outside, and we didn’t get the snow we hoped for… but it was so WORTH IT!

UPDATE:

January-April is booked. I’ll open extra sessions for NEWBORNS and MATERNITY only.

If you are interested in a Spring 2012 session, please contact me as soon as possible so we can start planning. To request rates and information, click on the “contact” link above.

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