grand rapids

Welcome to the World <3

Well I am 25 years old and am no where near ready to have a baby but I couldn’t be happier for one of my long time best friends, Kali, for bringing her first little one into this world.

Blakely Kaye entered this world on June 2nd after making her mom go about a week past her due date. She is absolutely beautiful and Kali and Brad couldn’t have asked for a more perfect and healthy baby girl. Blakely gained two big fur brothers that mom said love looking over her every day. Mom and dad are over the moon about her. Just look at how adorable she is!

Excited to watch this little one grow up and watch her parents grow with her. Congratulations Kali & Brad ❤

Thanks for reading!

-KB

The Future Mr. & Mrs. Russell

Malerie emailed me last fall about scheduling her wedding for October of this year. I met with her a few weeks after and we were able to talk about their wedding day and the dream that she hopes it will be. We booked her date and then started planning for their engagement session. After their engagement date getting rained out the first time around we were finally able to get a new date set for last week. It was a hot June day, filled with mosquitos and ticks, but that didn’t stop us from capturing the love that these two share for each other and their dogs.

These two really show what true love is. I had them fill out a little questionnaire so I could get to know them a little better prior to their session date. I was able to learn so much and really incorporate their style into their session.

Malerie and Nathan have such a sweet “how we met” story. They met at a party when she was just 16, they exchanged numbers and never thought they would really see each other again. Years later they were able to reconnect and the budding love story began! ❤

A few awesome things I learned about these two was their love for the outdoors. One of their favorite things to do together is fish and camp, especially up north. They love exploring our beautiful state of Michigan as a couple along with their pooches. They also volunteer to foster dogs while they look for their fur-ever homes. They have fostered 14 altogether already! How cool is that?!

Along with fostering 14 pups over the years, they have fallen in love with 3 of their own. Their little family is just the cutest and these pups can’t wait for their humans to get married.

We are looking forward to your fall wedding Malerie & Nathan. We are honored and excited to be the ones to capture it ❤ You’re such beautiful people inside and out.

Thanks for reading!

-KB

Why Seniors?

Well I’ve been sitting around all week trying to decide what to write about. I just couldn’t think of anything that would really be all that meaningful to our Senior week this week. As it comes to an end I have finally decided what I wanted to tell you about.

Why Seniors? Why do we enjoy photographing seniors?

A lot of the seniors we get to work with are full of life and happiness. They are spunky and usually just learning about who they really are. They aren’t afraid to be themselves especially in front of the camera and I just LOVE that about seniors. Photographing them during their final year of high school is such an amazing thing. For those that do multiple sessions, we really get to see the difference from the beginning of their high school year and watch them transform into little adults while they prepare for their future endeavors.

Learning the differences of photographing boys vs. girls is also a lot of fun. Some of these boys when we first meet them you can just tell that their moms are making them do this. That doesn’t stop us though, we still have them laughing along with us or even at us by the end of their session haha. Once you can get a smile to crack out of a senior boy, you know you’ve won him over. Other senior boys just love getting their photos taken. Even some that we wouldn’t expect! As long as we let them be themselves, we are always having fun by the end!

Senior girls. Oh man, senior girls. Always absolutely beautiful and always making sure everything is on point and perfect with their attire and posing. They enter the studio with bags or hangers full of different outfits waiting for us to pick out the perfect ones to go with the locations we have chosen. All of the girls we get into the studio absolutely LOVE having their photos taken. Whether they are used to their friends photographing them or have been waiting for this moment for a few years, their true self always comes out in front of my camera and it is always so much fun!

Another favorite part of photographing seniors that I love is the planning process. Once our seniors reach out to us, we send them a questionnaire where they get to tell us all about themselves. We ask them what their favorite activity is, favorite movie, even their favorite place to eat. We want to know as much about them as possible so we can make their senior experience as amazing as possible! I also encourage them to ask questions about us, we want to make sure our seniors are as comfortable spending a few hours with us as possible. We use the information provided from their questionnaire to customize their sessions down to which piece of jewelry will go best with that floral shirt. Creating that amazing session that fits your every want and need will give you the best images possible.

So why seniors? Thats why. Its just what we love to do.

Thanks for reading! Pay your deposit for your senior experience by midnight tonight (June 9th) and get a $50 credit to spend on your products or another session fee! Let us give you one of the best senior experiences around!

Traverse City dates are available. Let us know in your inquiry so we can get you those dates!

-KB

Selecting a Senior Photographer

It seems like everyone is a photographer these days so your options can be overwhelming when it comes to finding the perfect fit for your senior portraits. A lot of time and consideration goes into this decision and it should not be taken lightly. There is more to factor in than just price when you are on the hunt. Here are a few things to look into when researching your options:

Make a Connection

Feeling comfortable around your photographer can make or break your photos. Awkward, stiff, uncomfortable posing does not flatter anyone. It is so important that you get a good vibe from your photographer and trust their expertise. Read their bios, give them a call, stop in for a consultation! You may feel vulnerable standing in front of that camera and you need to know your photographer has got your back.

Style

Are you drawn to their images, do you follow them on Instagram? Do they have a strong cohesive style that you can identify? Is their style going to look good in 3, 5, or even 10 years when your parents are still showing them off and they still hang all over the house.

Expertise

Let’s be honest we always want to look our best when we see our images. Does your photographer know how to give direction and control light to show you in the best way?There are no Snapchat filters that can be added to these images, so make sure your photographer can work in any necessary situation and has the right professional equipment to do so. Do their images show shadows or uneven skin tones? Are they in focus and sharp or grainy and fuzzy?

Experience

What kind of senior experience does the photographer offer? Do they shoot for volume (lots of sessions)? Or do they shoot for quality and detail? Are they easy to communicate with? What kind of reviews do they get? Does everyone have the same experience and same poses and images? Or do they go out of their way to make you feel unique?

At Brick Street Studio we don’t believe in the traditional senior portrait, we like to create a kick ass experience that you can relive through our artwork for years to come. We want to showcase your personality and spirit in every single one of your images. We have a timeless style, we showcase bold colors, a high contrast, and matte finish, a style we have been fine tuning for the past 8 years. Unlike standard portraits we craft sessions with our clients, meaning we send out questionnaires and actually talk, not just text, with you to get to know who you are and how you envision the session. We take on a very limited number of clients so that we can give everything we’ve got to each session. To learn more contact us at brickstreetstudio217@gmail.com or (616) 523-4400 to schedule your free consultation today.

Check us out on some of our other platforms:

Website

Facebook

Instagram: @brickstreetstudio217

Thanks for reading!

The Lopez Boys

I have been photographing this family since before these boys even came into this world. It’s crazy to believe that Shannon is about to have her third boy and I’ll have the opportunity to photograph him as well! I can’t wait to meet the little guy.

For the last three years I was convinced the twins didn’t like me. They never wanted to smile for me and they ALWAYS cried when they saw me. BUT this time was different. It was a nice May Saturday and the sun was shining. It was a little windy but that was alright, we made it work. Shannon had signed up for a Mommy & Me session only to turn it into a full session surrounding their family. On this day, these two didn’t cry when they saw me, they didn’t turn away, they ACTUALLY SMILED! I got smiles. I cannot even believe it. They gave me big cheeses and continued to do it throughout the session.

We strolled around downtown Ionia on the beautiful brick Main Street and stopped at a few random places throughout the hour we spent together. Shannon wanted a “city” look so we did the best we could in this small town of Ionia utilizing the brick walls and alley ways. They turned out beautifully! I sent Shannon the gallery and she was ecstatic to see them, she said “These are exactly what I envisioned! Perfect!”

Happy birthday to these two cuties, I cannot wait to photograph them for years to come. I especially cannot wait to catch their faces the moment they get to meet little brother.