Something Borrowed, Something Maize & Blue! | Michigan Wedding Photographer

Jennifer & Greg

It was so special to photograph Jennifer & Greg Kwiatkowski's Ann Arbor wedding back in August. Jenny was a student in the youth group I worked with when she was in high school, so it was so fun to be part of her special day. Nothing makes me happier than seeing girls that I worked with, find the amazing men that they dreamed of at 16. Jenny & Greg are a fabulous couple... not to mention smart - both U of M graduates from the College of Pharmacy! You will see this theme throughout the wedding (GO BLUE!).

Ann Arbor is such a cool backdrop for wedding photography and I had such a hard time narrowing down to a few photos. All the details were wonderful, locations beautiful and the bride & groom, stunning. Enjoy your extended Sneak Peek! 

[YOU CAN CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO VIEW IT LARGER]

We snapped a few portraits before the ceremony so we could focus on the 

fun afterward.  (Above are the Bride, Groom, Best Man and Maid of Honor)

Maize and Blue were the appropriate colors for these U of M grads.  

Jennifer's stunning entrance.  Her beautiful wedding gown was actually

her mother's wedding dress!  What a special moment for them to share.

Beautiful ring and even more beautiful bride!

...yea, it happened... but its pretty darn funny. It's what ya get in a college town.

Jennifer & Greg and their fellow College of Pharmacy graduates!  

What a wonderful accomplishment!

One of my FAVORITE pictures. Downtown Ann Arbor is full of 

gorgeous scenery everywhere you look.  We were walking from one 

location to another and I fell in love with all the ivy on the bridge.

The BEAUTIFUL U of M Student Union. 

(Do you see that amazing weather we had in the upper left hand corner?!)

The gorgeous (and yummy!) cake was done by Gwen's Cakes. (click the link)

Jennifer's grandfather entertained the guests with a toast & a song on his harmonica :-)

Such a fun group of guests!  No matter that it was 2:00 in the afternoon, the party was just starting!

What a beautiful (did I mention beautiful?) and fun August afternoon celebrating the marriage of Jennifer & Greg. God bless you two, in your life's adventure together! 

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your special day! 

~Kelly

Website Updates

HAPPY FRIDAY!

If you haven't been to the site in a while, you might want to see what's new. Especially if you are a client...you might, just might, see your beautiful face advertising my work!

A monsterous thanks needs to go to Anna Ellerbroek Photography for the picture of myself (finally... I've been avoiding this task for quite a while!).
I'm posting this, not to vainly show a picture of myself - believe me I'm forcing myself to do this, but to show off Anna fabulous work:




Have a fabulous weekend & enjoy some
good 'ol fall festivities...
(& eat an extra donut for me!)

~Kelly

Thankful in Many Ways | West Michigan Photographer

When I first started my photography business, I obviously utilized (read: pestered) a lot of family and close friends. Honestly, I never thought I'd ever have anyone outside of that little realm that would want me to take their pics! But lucky me, I met two Army families who were one of the first (if not THE first) clients who had no idea who the heck I was.

I met Lesli and her 6 month old, Easton, at a playground. I normally am not so chatty to random people, but I was on the prowl for new moms to invite to MOPS (a mother of preschoolers group) AND she had a fantastic southern accent! I knew she was not from around here. We were fast friends and a client many times over. Many of you probably know her now from her Markers & Mud business! I've taken their family pics since Easton was 9 months old and since then, he's gotten a little brother, Grayson. The two of them call my boys -- "The Guys". Which totally cracks me up.


Lesli introduced me to Alyssa and Ben and their little Lilah. You've seen her many times too! I have taken Lilah's pics since she was 1 month old! The one below was taken 2 or 3 days before they left Michigan...

Both of them have encouraged me so much in my photography (partly because they hired some crazy girl with not much experience... and then continued to use me!) And also make me so thankful for servicemen and their families.

Both families were moved from my West Michigan area... one to Colorado and one to Germany. Both dads are in the Army. I am so jealous of the photographer that gets to take over my job.
(I'm not the greatest at sharing! LOL)

I haven't ever known someone close enough to "experience" the life of a serviceman (or woman). You never really think about everything these families have to go through, even when they aren't in the center of a middle east fight. These dads make me more confident in the people defending our country and keeping us safe. Seriously. They are so committed to their families. And the moms (lesli & alyssa)... well, I stand in amazement at your flexibility and support you give your spouses. You put many of us to shame. Love you all and God bless you and protect you (as well as continue to give you children who are traveling well!!!)

Thanks letting me be a part of your families for a few years!

NOW..... Make sure you thank any servicemen or women that you encounter or know personally... like, now. Yep. Do it. They deserve it.




if you are still reading this, you haven't thanked them yet. Go on. Hit facebook or the phone or a notecard. :-)

~Kelly

A Grand Adventure | West Michigan Family Photographer

(click on image to view it larger)


A shot from this evening's maternity session... There is nothing more precious than new life! Best wishes to our cousins as they await their baby, Abigail.

Have a beautiful day!

~Kelly

Dance Like No One is Watching

I can hardly believe my little baby is now riding the school bus by himself, enjoying 1st grade and playing soccer. Seems like just yesterday he was charming us with his dimples, while he was in that deep baby-dream state, just a few hours old. His first time clapping was watching cars go by. By 4 months he was jamming on anything he could play drums on. So funny all the character and personality you can discover about your child even at just a few months old!

The kid LOVES to move and watch things move. He still has a major obsession with anything on wheels (he's saving ALL his birthday money to buy his own Corvette someday. Or a K5 Blazer.) He still has a drum beat pumping through his veins... which is probably why can't STOP moving!!!

And... why this happens at EVERY wedding. One day I stayed to watch him at kindergarten in music class and they were playing a dance-dance-freeze type game. All the kids were shouting "go Ian! wow that's so awesome!" LOL Its basically a barrage of arms and legs going rightside, inside, upside-down and around again. He calls it break dancing... Its something inbetween that and karate. So don't be imagining some kind of twirly ballet fluff. This is serious business. LOL

This picture makes me want to stop whisper-yelling through my teeth at him, while traversing the aisles in the grocery store to
"STOP dancing... just WALK. p l e a s e. " (envision eye darts flying)

The kid dances like no one is watching everyday. Which is pretty awesome. Now I'll probably continue to ask him to walk through the grocery store, but only to save the lives of people who would rather not get a shoe or knee to the face, shin, or worse! (i'm telling you, the dances are totally inhibited!)

Hope you have a few minutes today to crank up the radio & dance like no one is watching. I'm sure our Heavenly Father is cheering you one (and probably getting a good laugh, too).

~Kelly

Brad & Megan | Michigan Wedding Photographer

[brad & megan]

I probably should have seen it coming. They're family. I got to witness their engagement...(see here) No, not the fact that they might hire me to photograph their wedding. What I should have known, was how hard it would be for me to pick a FEW pictures for the preview.
18 pages.
e i g h t e e n .
Not only because my cousin (Brad, the groom) and his wife beautifully grace almost every picture... but I have aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins in the back of mind saying "I wanna see this one!" and "you'd better choose that one." LOL


Alas, I've narrowed them down.
Because ultimately, its about [brad & megan].

High school sweethearts. Detroit sports fans to the core. Disney dreamers.
Most importantly, they love God more than anything and He is the center of their wedding and their marriage. Thanks again for letting me be a part of your big day!
Their wedding took place in my aunt & uncle's own home in Michigan. You will see the fabulous job my aunt did with all the gorgeous details! She thought of everything :-)

Enjoy the preview everyone!
(All images are watermarked & property of New Song Photography. Please do not copy, print, edit, etc. Links for proofs will be given to the bride for sharing & printing.
Thank you.)

Click on any storyboard to view it larger.




(that little guy below is my youngest son)











(Many early dates happened at this Dairy Queen for the Bride & Groom...
not too mention we all grew up begging for treats here!)

(if you know me, the Coke was calling mah name... probably why it served as centerpoint of this page! lol)


(any of you SNL fans need to click this pic and view a larger version to read the message on the bell!)

(yes, that would be my adorable son again...
but also those are my wonderful parents posing for the booth below him!!
Yes, they'll probably kill me for posting, but they were so cute!)
To view these little photo booth gems, via Elite Entertainment,
--->[click here.]

(i just loved how beautiful the lights looked as dusk fell)
(I'm pretty sure I see some bouquet planning going on here!)

What a fabulous, memorable evening it was! Special thanks to Jana Howell, for being my very last minute, second-shooter for the ceremony. What a life saver!
Also a big thanks to the owners of the Dairy Queen, John & Anna, for the yummy gift of ice cream!!!

Decorations: Lisa Pugh, party planning extraordinaire!
Location: Personal home in Wayne, MI
Photo Booth: Elite Entertainment
Photography: New Song Photography
Caterer: Fat Chef in a Little Coat (a seriously killer burger bar/buffet!)
Trolley: Tecumseh Trolley (our driver was really wonderful & especially gracious through all the crazy road construction!)
Ice Cream: Dairy Queen on Wayne Road! :-)

"I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours..." - Jason Mraz
Love you guys!~Kellyp.s. if family would like the spiral bound 8x10 album that these storyboards fit in to, please contact Kelly for pricing. Links for proofs and printing images will be given by the end of the month.

Beach Beauty - West Michigan Senior Portait Photographer

There are so many life moments that I get to witness through the lens of my camera.

One of the most fun, laid back events I get to capture is Senior portraits. And I finally kicked off the Class of 2012 with miss Haelee. Lucky me, I've watched Haelee grow up (I was one of her youth leaders at church) and become this beautiful woman! I had a blast the evening of her session, along with her mom and her cousin... the laughter flowed all evening.

To top it all off, the evening was GORGEOUS. I really couldn't have asked for better weather for beach pics. Enjoy the sneak peak... until the next ;-)

Congratulations Haelee!

God Bless ~
Kelly