Good News!!!!

I got some good news tonight. In a monthly photo contest I entered, two of my July images won awards...and one was given the July "Best In Show"...a first for me.

The image on the bottom was second place for a group photo and the image on the top of Kristy and AJ was first place for Bride and Groom and Best in Show for all categories.

Jenny & Jeremy - A Rainy Michigan Day

Jenny & Jeremy were featured back in June during their engagement session...well it was wedding day and I am guessing they would have preferred a hot Austin, Texas day as opposed to a hot humid and rainy Michigan day. It was still a beautiful wedding at Gino's Surf, just indoors instead of outdoors. We did get the sun to come out for a little while, and the wind to quit blowing long enough to get a few nice shots outside.

Jenny & Jeremy, enjoy life and enjoy your honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta.

Kimberly & Howard at the River Birch Lodge

This has got to be the most unique place in the metro Detroit area. The River Birch Lodge in Hartland was the venue of choice for Kimberly and Howard. I was just amazed at the natural beauty of this lodge (if you can call this modern day frontier style mansion a lodge). There were no bad places to shoot on the grounds. We had a ton of fun with Kimberly, Howard and the whole wedding party.

The day was brought to life by the exquisite wedding planning of Lindsey Nartker. Lindsey and her staff know how to get things done and she will go on my recommend list, for sure. http://www.lndevents.com

River Birch Lodge - http://www.riverbirchlodge.net

Kristy & AJ - Early American Wedding in Livonia

Kristy & AJ picked a unique location in Livonia, the city historical museum, to have their wedding. What a cool place to get married. They had a beautiful wedding in the museum chapel and then were surprised by a white horse and carriage to transport them around the village. The carriage and horse are provided by Ann Arbor Carriage http://www.annarborcarriage.com. Denise was our driver and gave us two enjoyable rides (one of the perks of being a wedding photographer). Kristy and AJ then were off to the Burton Manor for their reception and a fun time had by all.

Tarrah & Seth's Big Day

Tarrah & Seth finally made it official, after dating since high school, the two Lapeerian's (that's the name for someone from Lapeer, MI) finally made it official. The Roseville wedding and St. Clair Shores reception was an evening to remember for all. I had a chance to get some really nice moments with the bride and groom after the wedding.

Food Photography....I don't think Mike shoots food

Chalk this up to a fairly new experience. I've shot some food when I was in school and at wedding receptions, etc. My new client, Matt Prentice Restaurant Group, has asked me to photograph their venues, events and chef's creations. This was my first go around with the chef's creations part. I was pretty happy with the result, mainly because it was something new and because Chop House VI is a fairly dark restaurant and most of my food photography in the past had been done with natural light with some fill. Chef Jason was a blast to work with and the food (in between different plates to shoot) was wonderful. I'd highly recommend Chop House VI for a date night with someone special.

Kimberly & Howard Explore Cranbrook

I've done the dogs during the wedding day, but now I've officially done a dog at an e-session. Bella was the star for the first 15 minutes and then we entered Cranbrook thru a different entrance. Well I found a whole other area that is great to do pictures. Kim and Howard seemed to have fun exploring Cranbrook with me while I was shooting some really nice personal moments for them. Check back in a couple of weeks to see their really unique wedding and venue that is coming up on Aug. 1.