We are happy to announce that we are one of the top 3 winners in The Bliss Blog’s 2nd Annual Engagement Photo of the Year Contest!! Many, many thanks to all who voted and supported us! We love what we do and are so excited to do more of it!
Here’s the winning photo featuring one of our 2010 wedding couples, Meredith & Kyle:
Thanks again for your support! Much love to all of you!
March 9, 2010 - 1:05 pm - Congrats you guys! What an honor to win, although I think you should've gotten first place for sure. ;) Your work is always excellent. Can't wait to see more.
We are SO excited to announce that out of 400 photos, TWO of our images have made it into the Top 11 for Best Engagement Photo of 2009!! Thank you so much to all of our inspiring clients for working with us to get amazing images! Vote for #3 or #5 by clicking here!!!
#3:
#5:
Thank you so much for your support!
I’m so thrilled to announce the start of a new line of products: Engagement Guest Books! Forget about those boring, old-fashioned guest books that you’re never going to look at! Instead, show off your sweet engagement session pics in a gorgeous custom-designed photo guest book! Your friends and family will love being able to flip through your book and write notes and well wishes for a happy marriage. And when the Big Day is long gone, you’ll have this awesome book for your coffee table! Check out the sample:
Inquire with us if you’re interested in an Engagement Guest Book for your wedding! These custom-designed, hardcover books are also available for any of our portrait sessions!
March 9, 2010 - 1:06 pm - Well displayed my dear. LOVE it.
It’s not often that you come across individuals who stop you dead in your tracks and inspire you. We met the beautiful, ethereal, saintly Leona Jagels in December when we were doing a family session for her daughter, Mary Sue. We didn’t have much time to get to know her because it was a busy shoot with a gorgeous family of five! However, during the short time that she was there, I became intrigued by her. There’s just something special about Leona. As I dug around and got some information on her, I found that indeed, I’m not the only person she’s had this effect on. In fact, many people have said that they feel they’re in the presence of a saint when they’re with her. There’s just something special about this woman. Leona will be 88 this coming March. She’s a mother to 6 children, a grandmother to 12, and a great grandmother to 5. She was born and raised in Detroit and is a devout Catholic. At a glance, these are just facts and figures, but I supposed the real magic comes when you’re simply in her presence. Her spirit is full of peace and her joy is contagious. She exudes wisdom and steadfastness, but at the same time, is full of child-like glee and wonder. The following images are my attempt at capturing 88 wonderful years in a few, small frames.
Leona in the kitchen of her Rochester home, which she’s lived in for several decades:
Leona looks over a book detailing her personal history. It’s an heirloom that she created for her grandchildren:
Mary Sue is the second-to-youngest child, and Leona’s only girl. Behind them is a painting created by Leona’s daughter-in-law, Pati, who is married to her oldest son. The painting was a gift for her 25th wedding anniversary:
A devout Catholic, Leona prays the Rosary daily:
A section from a book called Momilies, mini “homilies” written for anyone who needs a mother’s advice. At one point in her life, Leona owned a Christian bookstore in downtown Rochester:
Leona with a painting of her late husband, Leonard Jagels. He was also born and raised in Detroit and the two were introduced by mutual friends. He passed away in 1983 at the age of 63:
Leona reflected in a photo of her and Leonard on a trip to the Middle East. They were laughing as they struggled to climb onto the back of camel:
Leona loves to laugh, and her joy and inner peace is felt by anyone who’s around her:
Leona and her 6 children at a family member’s wedding. Pictured from left to right: John, Mary Sue, Mark, Leona, Jim, Mike, Paul:
Radiant with life and love, Leona’s sparkling blue eyes dance like sunlight reflected on water:
Thank you, Mrs. Leona Jagels for inspiring me to photograph you, for being a light and a hope to the world. May we all learn from you and live to the fullest, embracing each new opportunity and inspiring those around us.
To see a slide show of her session and to link to her gallery, click here!
February 12, 2010 - 8:51 pm - We have always considered Aunt Lee a gift from God to our family. Her grace and warmth is something we treasure. She is really someone to look up to.
February 9, 2010 - 6:46 pm - How great it is to see pictures which bring back so many great memories. I am glad you were able to share them with us. Happy early birthday and many more. We love you very much.
February 9, 2010 - 3:55 pm - Incredible photography, capturing her beauty,her tremendous Faith and the peace Leona exudes. It brought tears to my eyes seeing her gracious, gentle smile and piercing blue eyes. May God bless your work.
February 9, 2010 - 1:26 pm - Aunt Lee has been an inspiration and a loving presence in my life since birth. She is one of the most generous and warm people I know. Her spirit and, especially, her friendship to her big sister (my mom) is an inspiration to us all.
February 8, 2010 - 10:13 pm - What a beautiful testimony to a lady I admire so much. She is one of God's special angels. I feel blessed to know her even though it is not as well as I would like. God bless Leona and her family. GREAT JOB!!!
We spent the holidays with Gabe’s family in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. There are some adorable kids in his family so naturally, we photographed them! How could we resist? For this set of images, we took a very loose, au naturel approach. It was great to capture the people we know and love in their environment, all defenses down. So, enjoy some of our favorite family pictures featuring beautiful baby Brenna, precocious and precarious Micah, the absolutely adorable Anja, and the new Australian Shepard puppy, Cedar.
To see the full gallery, click here!! Then just scroll down to “Gundale Family Portraits.” The gallery is password protected, so please contact us if you’re interested in viewing.
January 20, 2010 - 10:19 pm - Haha!! Yes, the dog and the kids are super-duper adorable! Thanks for the lovely comments!!
January 20, 2010 - 9:58 pm - i want that dog!!!!!!! LOL!!! seriously, amazing pictures! cutest kids ever! i love the 1st one and the 5th one down. amazing.....
January 20, 2010 - 5:21 pm - Great Shots! Beautiful kids and that dog is AWESOME!
Simple. Elegant. Timeless. Lovely. These are the words that come to mind when I think of this couple. Clarisse has such a lovely face and stunning profile. Her classic beauty brings the 1940’s to mind. These two are beautiful, fun and smart: Ryan is an engineer and Clarisse is in law school. They enjoy sports, drinking beer, watching animated films, and most importantly, being goofy together. We’re so looking forward to photographing their big, fun, Polish wedding this coming August! Taken just a week before Christmas, we had a blast hanging around downtown Rochester and catching their gorgeous engagement images. We’d like to thank the following businesses for lending us their awesome spaces: 4th Street Mercantile, Rochester Mills Beer Company, and the Rochester DDA for those INCREDIBLE holiday lights downtown! Enjoy their charming photos and don’t forget to check out the slide show and full gallery below!!
To see the rest of their images, click here to view their slide show and link to the full gallery!!
January 26, 2010 - 1:22 pm - Hi Mark, Thanks for your comment :) We shoot completely manual on full-frame cameras. For the night images, you do need to use a tripod and just experiment with shutter speed and aperture until you get the right combination. Hope that helps!
January 26, 2010 - 1:05 pm - I'm friends with ELisa and I was wondering how you took the Rochester Photos? What were your setttings? I wanted to do that exact thing but didnt get a chance to try it. thanks so much M
Introducing the beautiful and fun-loving Ortiz family of Rochester Hills. It was such a treat to photograph this incredibly gorgeous, dark-haired family on a lovely, snowy, December day! We want to thank P.S. Cosmetics in downtown Rochester once again for doing a fabulous make-up job on Mary Sue. This family really has a good time together and their laughter, love, and faith is evident to all who are around them. The three daughters; Emily, Anna, and Melissa, (one in high school, one in college, and one world-traveler) were an absolute riot! Especially the little one…she kept us and the rest of the bunch laughing most of the day! Mary Sue and Fernando have much to proud of in raising such delightful girls. Without further ado, here are a few of our favorite highlights from their session!
To see their full gallery, click here!! Then just scroll down to “Ortiz Family Portraits.” Their gallery is password protected, so please contact us if you’re interested in viewing.
January 3, 2010 - 9:49 pm - I've never seen a winter shoot like that before...what a BEAUTIFUL family!
January 3, 2010 - 7:34 pm - Wow! I love the winter shoot! These people are gorgeous! Great job!
Thank you everyone for a wonderful year! We wish you all a fantastic holiday season and a very blessed 2010!
With much love and gratitude,
Jen & Gabe
Darcy and Ryan are true lovers of life. Laid-back, fun-loving, and easy-going, we had a lot of fun and laughs with these two, despite the frigid December weather! We’re so looking forward to photographing their warm, July wedding this coming summer! Darcy is in nursing school, Ryan’s an engineer and together they enjoy skiing, beer, wine, and their cats! We had a riot hanging out with them at the Russell Industrial Center where several of our friends have art studios and gallery spaces. The Russell is full of character and is just so…Detroit. Enjoy their pics and be sure to check out the slide show and full gallery below!!
To view their slide show and link to the full gallery (under the “Order Pictures” shopping cart icon), click here!!! Enjoy!
December 17, 2009 - 8:33 am - This couple is lucky, the Detroit setting is AWESOME! -Even in the winter. Great photos guys.
This is literally the CUTEST thing I have EVER seen!!! Click the link below and…brace yourselves.
December 16, 2009 - 2:23 pm - Haha!!! Love it!
December 16, 2009 - 12:42 pm - So so so so so so cute!! Ari flipped out when she heard it, came running up to the computer screen, and started whining along. :)
December 15, 2009 - 11:20 pm - Ok, I had every intention of saying you have gone too far to post this on your blog...but I must admit he was pretty cute.
by jhillebrand
1 comment
add a comment link to this post email a friend