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?!

TIME OUT . . .

We recently took some time out and went to the beach. While we were there, Jerry and Kevin experimented and got some fun shots . . . they kind of have that "Hollister" look. Maybe Jerry has a future in fashion photography...

PMA . . .

She's the perfect example of Positive Mental Attitude. It was 94 degrees and windy, but Kaylee never complained - really - she NEVER complained! She was amazingly calm and patient while we ran around trying to see the camera in the brilliant sun and spilling her jewelry in the sand (YIKES). She even seemed fine with the 2,000 people (well, I didn't actually count them but there were a lot) on the pier!

Her second session (yep - TWO sessions - one with curly hair/one with straight) was much cooler and calmer at an abandoned building and the studio. She had the most amazing jewelry - something to go with everything! If you look close in some of her pictures, you may catch a glimpse. As usual, Jerry focused in on her smile, not the jewelry. Good choice, though, because her smile is beyond amazing!

VEGAS, BABY . . .

We were impressed to learn that Jake's basketball team (he's the point guard) has already been to Vegas for a tournament! Can you believe that?!? Here he is posing "grunge"... Wait till you see some of his basketball shots!

CELEBRITY STATUS . . .

Senior pictures can be very intimidating . . . Between trying to figure out what to wear, looking into a camera with a HUGE lens, and trying to pose naturally while strange people look at you, it can feel beyond awkward! Thankfully, those feelings only last a little while, especially with Jerry. He can be so goofy -- hey, I'm just sayin. . .

Kristie's session started out totally normal with her smiling nicely and posing carefully. Not sure why...maybe it was standing next to a dumpster (cropped out of the picture) or sitting in front of less-than-appropriate words written on railroad girders... but whatever it was, she started laughing, her eyes sparkling! At the end of her session, she even had another photographer (her friend) pointing another lens at her--talk about intimidating--she looked like a celebrity with all of us around! I saw another senior checking it out; I bet she was thinking, "wow, how does she do it?!"

TOO FUN . . .

This is how I described Nadia's session to everyone who asked - too fun! Matter of fact, I included one extra picture to give you a glimpse into Nadia's personality...the last picture is when she climbed up onto a window sill showing Jerry "some at-ti-tude." She is a blast!

We couldn't believe our luck when we found an artist from ArtPrize working on the coolest wall right by her photo shoot... The art was amazing with thousands of tiles and tiny mirrors making up a giant collage. If you get a chance, check it out at the Children's Museum. It was the perfect background and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch some amazing pictures!!