THE BUCKLE

What does all this have to do with Icelyn's senior pictures?!? Well, literally the day after we took her pictures, I went to this store called "The Buckle" and glanced through their catalog. I was blown away by the pictures... Icelyn looked like she stepped right off the pages of the catalog. Don't believe me? Check it out at this Twitter link: http://bit.ly/OKCX4

Even though it was freezing cold, you'd never know it... Icelyn acted as if it was the perfect 70 degree day. But I must say we all felt much better when she put on her coat for a few shots - it's amazing how uncomfortable you can be watching someone be uncomfortable!

EXOTIC EYES . . .

When Ashley first came, I noticed one thing - her necklace! (syke - thought I was going to say "eyes", didn't you?) She was so gracious to tell me where she got it, even though she knew I might shamelessly copy her!

Actually, I DID notice that she has an extraordinarly exotic appearance, and it really shows in her pictures. Some of her expressions are actually the kind you see in high-end, fashion advertising! I wouldn't be surprised to see her in Vogue or W some day!

Her pictures are so unique - each one captures a different aspect of her personality. Once Ashley chooses her favorites, we'll be retouching them to remove her braces, and we'll post the new pictures so you can see. Can't wait!

SPLIT PERSONALITY . . .

Here's Tyler (can you believe two Tyler's in a row?! ) This Tyler's pictures are split right down the middle. He has several perfect studio headshots (for grandma?) and several "making of the band" shots that are WAY creative. He even has some bonus shots from his "second shooter" Nicca that are unbelievable! I'll post those when he sees his proof book. For now, here's a taste . . .

65 DEGREES . . .

We met Tyler at Townsend Park on the best day in October. Yep, he managed to schedule his senior picture session on the only 65 degree day in fall - SCORE!! There were lots of trees, leaves, and water for the perfect "nature" photo ops...

SMILE

That's what you notice first about Ian's pictures - his smile! He had one of the most relaxed smiles we have seen, and he made it easy to catch some natural-looking pictures. Of course, he had his fair share of the tough-looking, "don't mess with me" shots, too - but I think his smile was the best. You can't help but smile back!

BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE . . .

With the beauty of fall, comes the colder temps. Icelyn knows that first-hand! Thankfully, her pictures are beautiful, but she was FREEZING!

MULTIPLICITY . . .

Sometimes people's pictures amaze me, and Ashley is one of those people. Her proof book has so many different "looks" that it's hard to believe they're all the same person. Here's one shot of her, but wait till you see the rest!

RISING STAR . . .

This promises to be a fun senior year for Jake. He's the point guard for his team, and he's way involved in school. He was even elected to the homecoming court!

Jake has amazing eyes with loooonnnnng lashes... The closer you move in on his pictures, the more you see them. There was really a temptation to zoom in on every picture, but we wanted him to have SOME backgrounds! And, best of all, we wanted to catch some unique shots with his basketball. Can you believe all his different looks happened in a just a 2-hour span?

CUTTING IT CLOSE . . .

Chelsea's pictures started off at the river and the "blue bridge" downtown. When we arrived, we noticed strange things going on... There were guys in waders out in the middle of the river and machinery by the bridge. We didn't even realize we were cutting it close by taking pictures in downtown Grand Rapids with the start of ArtPrize right around the corner! Thankfully, "Nessie" didn't make it into the pictures--she would have been directly behind Chelsea in the river shots!

Chelsea's parents were so patient while we dragged them all over GR to get "fun" backgrounds. Rick, her dad, was even on crutches - now THAT's dedication! Luckily we ended at the old buildings where we could get a lot of different backgrounds in a small area. They watched all the action from the comfort of the van.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS . . .

Justin arrived with no expectations. He just wanted his pictures taken...

We, on the other hand, had great expectations. After all, he had amazing hair and a great smile! After he told us some of the stories from the time he spent on Outward Bound (a wilderness expedition), we quickly realized that he's a risk taker.

Justin was game to sit, stand, and be anywhere and everywhere. He was confident and made picture-taking easy. We applied some affects to his pics to give them variety. It's amazing how many different looks he has!

THE REST OF THE STORY . . .

Here's Ian - you can see what a likeable guy he is from this picture. But don't be totally fooled - he's also the keeper for his soccer team, and he can be tough... Stay tuned for the "rest of the story!"

NOT JUST ANY PROP . . .

His session started off pretty normal - "what outfits did you bring?" and "where'd you like to go?" and "did you bring any props?" - BUT that is where "normal" ended! See, Grant brought a prop, but it was definitely NOT normal. . . a shotgun is never normal!

We started off catching some pictures by the Rogue River. Grant smiled despite the mosquitos (which made it into a couple shots - thank goodness for photoshop!) Then we decided to jump into the cars and head to an old truck we scouted before. When he brought his aviators out, you could see his confidence emerge.

But, as soon as he brought the gun into the picture, you could see he was totally in his element! The only problem was, I was not. Matter of fact, Jerry asked him nonchalantly if the safety was on, and I practically tripped getting close enough to hear the answer. All I wanted was a demonstration highlighting the finer points of gun safety - was that too much to ask?! Thankfully, he knew what he was doing, and they got some great shots!

FEAR FACTOR . . .

If you read my post before about Liz, you'll remember that we were both a little afraid of spiders. In fact, even at the beach, we were watching for the nasty things in the grass and in the sand. But that isn't the only reason I named this post "fear factor..."

When we took Liz to her second location, she looked so gorgeous that Jerry and I were afraid we might have to defend her from the creepers driving by (and that's not easy carrying camera equipment!) Thankfully, we moved around to the back of the building where she could get her pictures in peace!

At the beach, the waves were huge! They made for great pictures, but we had to watch out for water coming in all the time. Matter of fact, Liz didn't realize it, but just as she moved away, a giant wave came up and covered the spot where she had been laying just seconds before! Jerry gave me the thumbs up, but I was nervous for the rest of the shoot! Who wants dripping senior pictures?!