THIS IS OFFICALLY THE OLD BLOG!

We have a brand spanking new blog! This isn't it. This is. It is beautiful and I love it. This blog will remain here for a while. I have repeated a couple of these posts over there as well.

Why are you still here? Go there... now!

2008 Boudoir Slide Show!

Thanks to a few new ladies allowing me to share their boudoir images with you - we now have a new version of the famous boudoir slide show to share with you! Again, thanks so much to all those who participated! These sessions wouldn't be possible without your willingness to share!

Enjoy the show!

** click here to watch ** (then get ready to email me about scheduling your own session!)

And because blog posts without images suck, here is one of the new additions to our boudoir gallery!

Jill + Kevin Are Married!

ceremony: Cathedral Of the Most Blessed Sacrament
reception: Gem Theatre
florist: One Enchanted Evening
brides gown: Demetrios
band: Even Exchange

Jill and Kevin know how to have a good time. Their reception band, Even Exchange, kept everyone boogying all night. I don't remember the last time so many people were constantly on the dance floor. I couldn't find a web site for the band but Jill told me that they play at Club Bart in Ferndale all the time.

Jill and Kevin are part of this awesome group of people that we have the pleasure of getting to know and photograph over the last few years. There were 3 couples there whose weddings we had photographed and one other friend whose t-shirt line, Detroit Retro Rags, we have worked with.


I love Jill's intensity:

Kevin having a good time with the guys getting ready:



I really love this shot:
Jill was bride perfection! I think her makeup was done at Flip Salon and wow, they did good:

The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament is one of the most beautiful churches we have in this area:

I never don't love this shot:

Sweet bridal party shot:

Some alone time with Jill + Kevin for posed shots:





Dancing in the theatre:

This makes me smile every time I see it:



Rings on ice cream!:

Erica + Andy Got Hitched!

ceremony: Redford Theatre
reception: The Gazebo
cupcakes: The Cupcake Station
videographer: Epic Motion

Erica + Andy. Wow. I think the four of us were a perfect match. The ceremony was at an old awesome theatre in Redford. It made an great backdrop for portraits (as you'll see I couldn't pick only a few to show!).

This might be one of my all time fav dress shots:



Erica + Andy saw each other before the ceremony to do photos. Here she is coming to see him:

They were happy to see each other!:


Super rad staircase shots:
I love this a super lot:

I also love this a super lot:

A moody indoor portrait:

Sweet unity candle shot:

Some canoodling during the ceremony:


Super cute:Since Andy is in the Navy, they have to move away from all their friends & family right away. I think that makes them a little sad. I love the emotion in this shot:

Watching their "love story" video from Epic Motion during the reception - one of may favs from the whole day:

Seriously, aren't they too much!?:
The BEST wedding dessert anyone can have? CUPCAKES!:

Rings on a Navy symbol thingy, I felt it was appropriately cool:

Erica + Andy - we love you. We wish you weren't moving away (so does everyone else, it seems). Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your day. You were incredible to work with and to photograph.

I Heart Awesome Compliments

We received this compliment from Keith (of Beth + Keith) yesterday:

"Jess/Nate we absolutely love the photos on the blog, you guys are the photographic dream team, thanks again"

I am loving the "photographic dream team" part and may incorporate it into our slogan.

Movie Review :: The Strangers

I love scary movies. I love them even though I close my eyes a lot. I closed my eyes A LOT during this one! As soon as I saw the preview for this movie, I knew I was going to love it - and I did. It's an incredibly simple movie, which I think makes it scarier. Those masks are incredibly creepy and I may be having nightmares about them for a while. It is exactly what it is. There are no surprises or plot twists happening here, just scariness and creepiness.

Nate and I both give this move 8 out of 10, which is pretty good for a horror film.

Beth + Keith = totally awesome wedding!

ceremony: Burgh Historical Park, Southfield
reception: The Mirage
flowers: Vivianos
cake: Iversons
DJ: the one and only Mary Ann Ross!
officiant: Miriam Jerris of the Wedding Connection

Beth + Keith are kick ass. I think we may now officially be the wedding photographers for all cool people everywhere. I feel a real connection to Beth + Keith because they, and their wedding, reminded me so much of Nate and I and are our own wedding. They are not afraid to be different and they not afraid of color. We took a few "normal" posed shots at their ceremony site, but after that, we went over to the Riverwalk and a super awesome graffitied abandoned building in the Eastern Market. Brides and grooms often feel bound by tradition on their wedding day, but not these 2, and I love them for it!

Grandma puts on Beth's necklace:

Cool outdoor ceremony site:





Oh my goodness, I couldn't love this more!!:




I don't even know what to say... this is wedding portrait heaven:

I mean, really, what could be better? We were on the verge of creating some really intense portraits of these guys when our time was cut unexpectedly short. This was just the beginning of what we had planned and hope they will go back here with so we can finish what we started:

First dance:



How cool is this?! Engagement photo + Jones Soda = exciting!!!


Super rad cake (another non-white cake!! We are on a roll):


I dig this shoe shot a lot:

Early Booking Special for all you '09ers!

We like to reward those who care enough about photography to book early and make sure you get what you want. So, we are offering you '09ers a special deal!

Book any wedding package by the end of June and you will receive a 10% discount! You could save as much as $570.00. You could use the $$ you saved to fill up your car with gas.

So here's the breakdown (visit our wedding site for exact package details):

package a - 12 hours - standard price $5700.00 - your price $5130.00

package b - 10 hours - standard price $4950.00 - your price $4455.00

package c - 8 hours - standard price $4200.00 - your price $3780.00

package d - 6 hours - standard price $3600.00 - your price $3240.00 (package d only available on Fridays and Sundays)


This is not an offer that will last. You have one month. Only one month. Seriously. Save your money now or wait until later and don't!

Since posts really are no fun without an image, please enjoy this crappy photo taken of Nate + I with our friends Chrissy + Rob posing with our bowling balls after a night of bowling fun.

Are you Getting Married on New Years Eve?

We love photographing NYE weddings! We have this NYE still available and we don't charge extra for it either! Get in touch soon if your interested - this date always gets booked.

Here's a super fun NYE image from last year (Sara + Nate):

Sue + Mark are Married!

ceremony: First United Methodist Church, Birmingham
reception: Red Run Golf Club
flowers: Westborn Market
DJ: Paul Buck from Mike Staff
cake: Josefs, Grosse Pointe

Sue + Mark had one beautiful wedding! The weather may have been a challenge at first, but it changed it's mind when it really mattered and we got some gorgeous portraits done at the Golf Club. Sue wins my award for most kick a** dress so far this year! It was super awesome. It had this cut out back thing going on and it was super classy from the front and so sexy from the back! Anyhow, let's enjoy some images from this wedding:


Sassy ladies (LOVE the yellow BM's dresses):

One of my favorite shots of Sue:

Mark gets handsome:


Men on a parking garage:

Beautiful church:


Another fav from the day:

Pretty posed portraits from the Red Run Golf Club:

I looove the blues and greens in this shot:



Sue + Mark had a great first dance, very romantic:




This girl was VERY excited to have caught the bouquet:


We have been getting very lucky with a bunch of non-white cakes lately!

Owen the Boston Terrier

Owen is the pooch of our vets over at Little Friends of Ferndale (248.414.5363). He is always walking around the vet office in various outfits and accessories. He is a superstar with probably more friends than me. He may be the most famous dog in all of Ferndale even!

We were so excited to photograph him and his adorable expression. Yes. His tongue does always stick out like that. Don't you LOVE him?!


He sported his bow-tie:

One of my favs:



He lets his tongue hang on the floor:



So handsome!:

Allison + Toben are MARRIED!!!

Allison + Toben are amazing in every way. They are so genuinely accepting, easy going and most importantly, their love for one another is so obvious when you are with them. They get extra images blogged here because I love them so much!

ceremony + reception: Addison Oaks
flowers: Vivianos
dress: J Crew
cake: Sweet & Savory - 248.628.4210
DJ: Black Tie Productions
makeup: Angela C. Mikula - 248.563.8527
hair: Collette Spring for Escape Salon + Spa - 810.733.3030

Allison getting pretty:

Men getting pretty:

sweet shoe shot:

Soooo pretty:

Soooo handsome:

Allison + Toben did all of their posed images before the ceremony, which we love:

A fav of the day:



A few bridal party shots at Addison Oaks:





Addison Oaks has the best outdoor ceremony area:


They shared a very romantic first dance:


Their cake was awesome! Jut because it's a wedding doesn't mean the cake has to be white:

Rings on strawberries:

Such a beautiful venue:

Congrats you guys! You know we love you! Thanks for being so welcoming on your big day!

Michele + Tom :: engagements

Michele + Tom are perfect! They are fun, easy going and so nice to be around. I cannot wait for their wedding! They brought their pooch Bailey to the session and I fell in love with her.

Isn't Bailey a super cutie?:



I am loving this one:

Poco the Pug! aka I have the best job ever!

Seriously, photographing pooches is probably one of the best jobs ever! We got to meet Sara + Nate's little baby pug, Poco, last weekend. Sara + Nate were married on NYE and named Poco after their honeymoon (I think... am I wrong?). :)

Poco popping out of box (one of my favs):


This face is unbelievable:


Another top fav of the day - very pooch glamour:

OK, another fav! I love them ALL:


I would have trouble leaving this dog each morning:

So, there you have it. Maybe the cutest pooch ever? I think so.

The Kote Family :: studio portraits

Tracy and Arthur brought their gang in for some casual studio portraits last week and we came away with some killer images! This is one good looking family! We did a little bit of everything, family shots, kids alone, kids together, pooch portrait...

The adorable Kote Family:







I couldn't love this one any more:

She was very photogenic, and I loved her wardrobe:

I also am in super love with this one:


And finally, mom + dad:

Images From the Mothers Day Mini Sessions

Nate and I would like to send a big thank you to all of the wonderful families who participated in our Mothers Day Mini Sessions last Saturday! We are also sorry to all of those people whom we couldn't fit in - we hope to do this again in the future though, so keep your eyes open!

Here are just a few of the wonderful people and families we got to spend our day with....

click on the images to view them larger

Baby Nate a few months ago:

Baby Nate now:




Shawn + Daune, who were married last year, welcomed Baby Avery into the fam:


She has amazing eyes:



Cindy + Knut's little man Riordan:



Baby Addison a few months ago:

Baby Addison now:

Pictures with grandmas:



Andy + Erica (who are getting married in a couple weeks):



Dont ask!:

Mothers Day Mini Family Portraits :: LAST CHANCE!

Tomorrow is the very last day to schedule your mothers day mini session for this Saturday! We have a total of 4 sessions available. Click on the image for all the details.

We have had entire families scheduled to all come in together, just the kids getting a portrait for mom and mom's and dad's with new babies getting a quick family portrait of the three of them. This can be whatever you want it to be!

My Brothers Wedding Album (really, it's my sister in-laws)!

My sister-in-law, Becky, ordered her album a while back and it came in a few days ago - super cute! She chose the Hanamuko Book in purple. No one ever picks a color! I know that black is safe but look at how terrific a color looks! Anyways, here are some images of the album:

front (PURPLE) cover!:

Inside spread:

Always one of my favorite details in this album, all the flipping and folds:

Another cool cut-out detail:

Last but not least, my cat, Moose, hanging out in the album box while I photographed it:

Look At Our Cute House!

This is our first spring owning a home. When we moved in last fall we planted some tulips (which we have never done before due to being renters). Well, they are here! It looks SO cute! There are also some other things that are coming up that we did not plant, like peonies. It's very exciting to watch things start to bloom and make our house look super cute!


We really like these spikey tulip things:

Mary Ann Ross (worlds best dj) Has a New Site!

Our wonderful friend (and our own wedding DJ), Mary Ann Ross, has a new kick butt web site for your viewing pleasure. She has stepped outside the box of boring homemade looking DJ sites and given you something fresh and modern - just like her! Please go check out her beautiful new site (I am jealous and now want my own new site)! You may recognize a lot of the images on there as well - that's because a few of them are ours!

If you don't yet have a DJ for your wedding, go to her site immediatly. She is the best of the best. I always tell people that if she hadn't had our wedding date available, I would have chosen a new date. That's not a joke. We have seen a billion DJ's and can tell you with confidence that Mary Ann is it.

www.maprodj.com

Mothers Day Mini Family Portraits REMINDER!!!

We have 4 time slots left for our Saturday, May 3 Mothers Day Portrait Special. Please get int ouch with ASAP to scoop one up! (you know your doesn't want flowers...again).....

Stacy & Jonathan :: the engagement session

Stacy + Jonathan met us downtown last weekend for a photo taking adventure. We started off in Hart Plaza (one of our most fav places to shoot) and then we rode the People Mover around for a while. Each People Mover stop has a different art installation (mostly tile) and they are so much fun to photograph in!


one of my favorites:

The People Mover is almost like real mass transportation!:
This might be a new "best engagement image ever" contender:

Introducing :: baby Cameron!

Another past mod4 wedding client baby! Meet baby Cameron! He is the first baby of our past clients Kathleen & Steve. He is a handsome little man.




Babies in sweaters = too cute:

I am loving this one:

Introducing :: baby Michael!

This is Michael. He is only 2 tiny weeks old! He is the first son (well first baby) of our past wedding clients Michael & Bernadette (of 7-7-07 fame). The three of them came down to our studio last week to create some adorable portraits of their little guy and the family.




I heart this one so so so much:


How cute is this?:

Congrats Mike & Bernie! We couldn't be any happier for you guys and can't wait for you to have 14 more babies!

Class of '09 Seniors.... ITS TIME!

It's that time for all you '09 seniors to start planning your ever important senior photos. We are, for the first time, scheduling senior portrait sessions for this spring and summer. We are still looking for a few girls & guys to give away a free session to, so if you are interested, email me (info@mod4.com) with your info and a photo. To be considered for the free session, you MUST be available within the next couple of weeks.

We are also offering standard sessions for all '09 seniors as well. Call to schedule your session by the end of May and you'll receive a $50.00 iTunes gift card with your package!

Mothers Day Mini Family Portraits

Click on the ad to read all about our Mothers Day Mini Family Portraits:

Erin + Stefan Got Hitched!

venue: St. Johns chapel + atrium
cupcakes: Cupcake Station
DJ: Bob from Mike Staff

Erin + Stefan were married at St. Johns on March 29. We hit it off with them, I believe, because we share a love of easy going-ness. They were both so chilled out that day - Erin was the one telling her bridesmaids to calm down before the ceremony - that's unusual! Erin + Stefan also danced with each other almost all night. I know this seems trivial but you'd be surprised how many couples spend NO time together at the reception. My last awesome fat about Erin + Stefan is that they went to Tokyo and Hong Kong for their honeymoon! How cool is that!?



Ooooo, I heart this one a lot:

Cute shot of Erin on the balcony overlooking the chapel:

Seriously, she is so cute!:

This little girl LOVED checking herself out in the mirror:


Classic St. Johns shot:


A new St. Johns favorite of mine:

Their first dance was upbeat and adorable - it was a Madonna song!:




OK, this is 3 towers of mini cupcakes! I am a cupcake addict and this was the most exciting thing I have EVER seen!
Can you even believe this?! One of them was red Velvet (my fav):

Of course: rings on mini red velvet cupcakes:

Rings on cool square hole in the wall in the atrium:

Congrats Erin + Stefan! We had a wondrous time with you and your friends & family! We can't wait to see some honeymoon pics!

Liz + John :: engagements

Liz + John (BJ) are also super awesome. Sometimes I think we might be some of the luckiest photographers around because our couples are unique and actually want to do things a little different. They also brought their ginormous dog, Ace, who unfortunatly suffered the effects of a less than perfect haircut.



Adorable family portrait:
They like to laugh, we like that:


A BIG BIG time new favorite:

Dana + Jon :: engagements

Simply put, I heart Dana + Jon a lot. They are super awesome and their wedding will be super awesome.

Cool wall across the street from our studio:

LOVE it!:

There is a bit of a height difference:

Carly + Franks Awesome Album

Ooooo, it's so nice! Carly + Franks album came in and we had to show you some photographs of it because it is so nice! The cover is a fabulous chocolate brown leather with custom reddish-orange page gilding.



Here are some of my favorite pages from the album: