Taylor Hayden Photography

La Tulipe

2011-08-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

While I was living in Milwaukee, I had the privilege to work with the awesome Vicki Kunz of La Tulipe. It was a really fun experience being on the floral side of a wedding is totally different than the photographer side, I enjoyed it none the less! Vicki did all of the designs, I just helped her set up.

Ryan and Melanie Adkins

2011-08-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

This wedding was a wonderful reminder of why I love photography. The bridal party was completely relaxed and ready to have a good time. I think one of my favorite moments was when we were at the botanical gardens, I was taking portraits of the bride and groom and the entire bridal party was keeping them smiling with jokes. The reception, as you can see, was a blast and it was apparent the bride and groom had invited the people they were closest to and that all of those people support these two in their marriage. Congratulations, Ryan and Melanie I feel so honored to have been part of your day. It was a truly beautiful event.

Cassie and Jim

2010-01-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

I love these two, not only is she one of my best friend's from high school but she has modeled for me in the past! This was a fun session and we were able to do it before the serious cold wave came through. Congrats again you two I am SO excited to be in the wedding this summer :)

Sandra and Ryan

2009-12-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

Sandra contacted me about doing family photos of her and her brother for a Christmas present to their parents. The only concern was that they not look like engagement photos, I think we successfully avoided that! They were really fun, and managed to look good in the freezing temperatures!

Sean and Charlie

2009-10-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

When Sean first contacted me about doing these photos I was so excited! Charlie and I worked together at Best Buy a while back, so it was great to catch up with him and meet his lovely wife Sean. They requested a cemetery photo shoot and I was more than willing to comply! I really love the atmosphere of Hurd Cemetery which is in my hometown. We were also able to head over to Kensington for a less spooky setting. The trees were really at their peak and we had a great time at both locations!

Fenneuff Family

2009-10-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

It is always fun to spend time with this family, but the girls were especially entertaining! They weren't too sure about the photo shoot at the beginning, but by the end they were referring to me as their own personal paparazzi :)

Jonathan

2009-10-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

Fall in Michigan is beautiful, but rainy! True to form the day we were supposed to shoot DeWitt High School Senior, Jonathan's senior portraits it was raining on and off the whole day. We only had to take one short break and the rain held off the rest of the time. They turned out really great, and if I had to choose a favorite, I'd say I'm loving the one against the blue and gold panther wall!

Rachele and Ned

2009-09-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

I am so excited for this June 2010 wedding! I have known Rachele since eighth grade and I couldn't be happier for her and Ned. I really need to bring bug spray with me on photo shoots from now on, we were constantly under attack! We persevered and the pictures turned out great. I love that we were able to get some classic MSU photos, and I think my favorite photo is the one in front of The Breslin.

Berea, Ky

2009-08-31T14:15:00.001-07:00

I am really behind on posting stuff from my life! For my mom's birthday, I went to a quilt extravaganze in Berea, Ky., with her and my Aunt Sue. We had a really, really great time and it was such a wonderful little town with so many interesting and talented artists. We met one of the potters at Tater Knob Pottery and we also got to look at all of the quilts that were on display. It was especially exciting for me because I got to meet bell hooks, and have her sign a book. She displayed and spoke about her grandmother's quilts and the way that quilting brings women together and offers them an outlet for freedom of expression. The entire trip gave me an even greater appreciation for the amazing quilts my mom has produced this year.

Anna and Ryan

2009-08-22T11:49:00.001-07:00

I had a blast with Anna and Ryan shooting their engagement photos at the MSU Botanical Gardens. In spite of the sweltering heat, we managed to laugh almost the entire time. It was better super hot, than rainy which was a possibility. I really love a lot of these pictures, but I think the last one is my favorite, enjoy!

Meghan and Ken

2009-08-04T16:11:00.001-07:00

I joked with Megs during our photo session that the last time I saw her was during our high school production of West Side Story. It was so great to see her again and meet Ken, who seems like a perfect fit for her. I was really happy with the way the photos turned out, I have been super busy with preparing for moving so I'm just glad I was able to share a preview of these photos with everyone!

Erin and Aaron

2009-08-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

It was a lot of fun spending time with Aaron and Erin again! We were hopeful that the weather would cooperate, and it did! I love pictures, and this is just a sample I can't wait to share the rest of the photos with the happy couple :)

The Leigh Family

2009-07-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of meeting four generations of Leigh's last weekend. Carole has worked with and known both of my parents for years and I finally got to meet and her whole family. They have a really beautiful spot in Portland and some adorable grandchildren!

Julie and Baxter

2009-07-28T09:42:00.001-07:00

Saturday I went to Lansing to take photos of Julie's 11 month old Boxer/Pit Bull Terrier mix, Baxter. He has such a fun and charming personality, he loves people and all of his toys. It was really great to visit with Julie and meet Baxter and her bird AJ.

Contrast

2009-07-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

After a quick rain shower I walked around the yard with my macro lens and got some pretty shots of my mom's flowers. We also had dessert at the neighbors and stayed for a visit, Sette showed me all of the posters in her room and then wanted to see what it was like to use my camera. I let her walk around and take pictures with it, and she took a self portrait that I thought was cute. I hope her interest in photography continues to grow, she certainly enjoys it now with her own camera. It would be fun to help her learn more about it as she gets older.

Backyard bon fire

2009-07-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

I was home for the weekend to shoot some family portraits, those will be coming up shortly! We had a little fire in the new fire pit with the neighbors which is always nice. Lisette showed off her face paint, and Jules had attended a Harry Potter themed lock in at the library where she made her own wand. We also got to visit with Emily's parents who were in town from New England for a visit.

Then and Now

2009-07-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

Just to show you how our garden grows...here are pictures starting in the beginning of April, going through May and June until today. We started out with just seed packets and a lot of hope that everything would work out. After just over a month in the greenhouse we were able to move outside and with lots of compost and hard labor we got the ground ready for planting. You can see how much the plants have enjoyed being outdoors from the beginning of June when we didn't even have the squash planted to today when the zucchini plants are huge! We've harvested Kale and constructed two rain barrels which serve as containers for hand watering. The rain barrels are sitting beside our compost pile which has two containers to make turning it over that much easier. You can see a picture that shows part of the compost and the rain barrels behind the squash and melon plot. The other thing that we didn't have when we first got started was the youth plot in the garden which is now on the other side of our flourishing potatoes. They are growing peppers, tomatoes and beans on one end of their plot and squash, melons, radishes, carrots and beets on the other end. I brought home my first cucumber and zucchini from the garden, even though the cucumber was kind of a funny shape it was very tasty! The learning garden harvested about 90 radishes from our first crop, and one of our buddy gardeners, Sue, found that funky pear shaped radish hiding in her plot. We have a LOT of green tomatoes that should be ready really soon, they have flourished outdoors if you look at the first pictures when they were staked with little sticks compared to the pictures showing how bushy and tall they are now! Today we are battling some hungry deer and pesky moles, but these problems come as little surprise to us and we are working on natural ways to deter both. We are also always looking for more volunteers and one day hope to have a spot in the Ypsilanti Farmer's Market. It has been a lot of hard work and a lot of fun but our garden has grown in leaps and bounds in just four months!

Vinny and the raspberry bush!

2009-07-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Heather called me up one day and informed me that she had witnessed Vinny doing the cutest thing when she let him out that morning. He was gently stealing ripe raspberries off of the bush in the backyard! I got to see him later that day, and while he had discovered that it was just as easy to eat the berries on the ground we were able to get him somewhat interested in the raspberries on the bush too. Note to Heather: I hope you are still living it up in Ecuador, and I can't wait to see you when you get back :)

In the garden

2009-07-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

We are starting to see more and more produce in the garden each day! The sunflowers that are planted on the border of the garden are blooming and they look beautiful. Unfortunately, they are attracting some deer who must find them to be a tasty treat. We are taking measures to deter the deer and try to preserve our sunflowers. I can't wait to take home some zucchini and cucumbers :) The little lady bugs we are finding here and there need to invite their friends to help keep some of the pesky aphids on our tomato plants!

Tusker!

2009-07-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

Remember adorable puppy Vinny? I know, how could you forget him?! Well I had the privilege of meeting his best friend Tusker who lives across the street! Apparently they are quite the dynamic duo, unfortunately when Tusker came to play Vinny was at his grandparents house, because his mom Heather was focusing on packing for her month long trip to Ecuador (lucky her!). Anyway he is a little bundle of energy and it was great meeting him :)

Meet Jen and Sandra

2009-06-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

After over a week long delay due to computer repairs I am finally able to post the engagement photos of Jen and Sandra. I had a blast shooting their photos at the MSU Horticultural gardens. It had been way too long since I saw them last, but we had a lot of laughs. It was super super hot and humid out but they looked great :) I am really happy for them, and I can't wait for their wedding in Toronto in 2011.

Special til the end of June!

2009-06-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

I'm using my adorable kitty's face to get your attention! Book me now for any event in your life: new babies, seniors, weddings, family photos, furry friends or engagements and receive two FREE 8x10 prints on archival quality paper from my awesome lab in Grand Rapids, that's right I'm supporting the Michigan economy, somebody has to! Email me with any questions :)

I almost forgot...

2009-06-16T22:21:00.000-07:00

The other thing that has kept me busy, but content is the Giving Garden! Our garden is REALLY taking off and I can't wait to start reaping the benefits. Check out the beautiful and delicious French Breakfast Radishes that Lo is holding...yum! Lucky for us our neighbors on the playground were thirsty and curious, unexpected helpers are always welcome in the garden :)

Exciting Times!!!

2009-06-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have been a busy, busy, crazy person lately!! Here is a recap of where I have been: shooting engagement photos of Jessalyn and Matt in adorable Birmingham! (see below) and building a crazy new website which I am ECSTATIC about!! please take a look, www.taylorhaydenphotography.com, bookmark it, share it with everyone and their mother, and tell me what you think!! In addition to photo business stuff, I started a three day long workshop leading high school students in discussions about gender stereotypes. Let me tell you, they are smarter than anyone ever gives them credit for and I am really glad I decided to participate with Upward Bound! I also have a 14 page paper due...which I will be researching for the next two days and writing this weekend. On a personal note, Frank and I are officially engaged (I told you I was busy!!) as of Saturday :) Save the date for sometime in 2011.

The Smith Family

2009-06-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to the Smith Family, Val and Kevin are the proud parents of wonderful 14 month old twins Katie and Erin and their awesome Alaskan Malamute Scout. I had the good fortune to photograph them this weekend, and I am proud to say they were the very first clients of Taylor Hayden Photography. I hope they had as much fun as I did, and I hope everyone enjoys looking at their pictures as much as I do! This is a sample of my favorite images from the shoot.

Flora and Fauna

2009-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

I scoped out the MSU horticultural gardens with my mom over Memorial Day weekend for my new business venture that is slowly coming to life. I am planning on launching Taylor Hayden Photography by July 1st online and I already have families and couples booked for portraits and engagement sessions and I am in the process of booking my first wedding. I am really excited to start this next chapter in my photo life, I think it will be a fun way to use my talents and to get to know more people. Here are a few photos from MSU and some more from the yard at my house in DeWitt.

Both sides now

2009-05-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid children's books were my favorite thing, and the art in them really impacted me and I would be willing to say they shaped me as a photographer. Case in point, I used to have this book called Both Sides Now and it was the lyrics to Joni Mitchell's song illustrated by Alan Baker and it had pictures of a butterfly in it, which as anyone reading this that knows me knows that I love butterflies. Anyway I took pictures of a swallowtail butterfly this weekend and one of the pictures I got really reminded me an illustration in the book. So, here is my picture and here are the lyrics/story from that book.

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons evrywhere
Ive looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on evryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
Ive looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud illusions I recall
I really dont know clouds at all

Moons and junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As evry fairy tale comes real
Ive looked at love that way

But now its just another show
You leave em laughing when you go
And if you care, dont let them know
Dont give yourself away

Ive looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
Its loves illusions I recall
I really dont know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
Ive looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say Ive changed
Well somethings lost, but somethings gained
In living evry day

Ive looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
Its lifes illusions I recall
I really dont know life at all
Ive looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its lifes illusions I recall
I really dont know life at all

Memorial Day weekend

2009-05-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

I spent most of memorial day weekend helping my mom around the house, we finished the mosaic pot that we started on Mother's day. It turned out to be so cool, I cannot wait for our next undertaking which will be a table that needs a new mosaic top! We also went around to a bunch of different green houses buying flowers to plant on the deck and in the new mosaic pot. I love helping her plant flowers so I was especially glad that she waited for me to go. These are some pictures of one of the little greenhouses we stopped at in our travels.

Giving Garden

2009-05-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

We got a donation of more compost, and I remembered my camera this time. The garden is looking so great and it is totally ready to plant now, which...drum roll please...we are planting tomorrow!! I am so excited and I know all of our little seedlings will be so thrilled to spread their roots in solid ground. More pictures to come from the planting of the Giving Garden, so stay tuned! Until then, enjoy overall pics of the garden and of us working, as well as Lauren's van full of hay which we used to make pathways between the buddy plots and the learning garden!

Driving

2009-05-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

I got stuck in five o'clock traffic on my way to Detroit and snapping funky sky pictures kept me from getting too bored.

Anna and Lucy

2009-05-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Heather, Ryan and Vinny live above Anna and her beautiful kitty Lucy. I love their house and I really love Grosse Pointe Park, it has some really cute neighborhoods.

Vinny, again!

2009-05-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

Heather, Ryan and Vinny relocated to Grosse Pointe Park and I visited their new apartment and took some more adorable pictures of Vinny who is now 4 months old. He is so hilarious and their new place is super cute :)

Summer school

2009-05-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

I am making a concerted effort to take more pictures this summer. Starting with a few of my favorite classmates from my first summer class. Dave and Nicole are two of my favorite people at Eastern and I met them both in the Fall in our Women's History class. I really like this class so far and it seems to be going incredibly fast. I just hope I find some inspiration to write my final paper...hmm I will keep thinking.

Sunday in BGKY

2009-05-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

On our last day, Frank and I were able to meet up with Elinor, Pauline and Charlie the family that I spent most of my last year at Western documenting. It was so great to see them and they looked just the same. Pauline was her same old spunky self, she asked me how old we thought she was and I teased her and said 80, to which she proudly responded that she was 96. I don't think my last year in school would have been the same without these wonderful people and I am so glad we got a chance to visit before we headed back up to Michigan. The drive home provided some mild entertainment, including the Touchdown Jesus.

Friday in BGKY

2009-05-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Frank and I drove down for a quick trip to Bowling Green May 15-17. Friday night we met Meg for dinner at El Mazatlan, where Meg and I shared a pitcher of Margaritas and lots of laughs. We discussed the concept of a reality TV show called Real Big Love which involved Meg and I both marrying Frank for insurance purposes making Meg and I sisterwives. Matt joined us briefly before heading back to the lab for the entire weekend to finish the EOY slideshow. After dinner we visited Sara at Spencer's which was crazy busy and fun.

Backyard at home

2009-05-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

While I was home for mother's day weekend, I snapped some pictures in my backyard. I love nature pictures (feel free to pass judgement all you Photoj's out there) because it is how I first became interested in photography about ten years ago. I used to head out to my neighborhood in Lansing armed my Grandfather's Canon tlb, which I still have and should throw some film in for old times sake.

Gus Gus

2009-04-19T14:31:00.001-07:00

Continuing with the animal/pet theme that my blog has had lately, here are some cute pics of my kitty. For all the trouble he causes meowing at me in the middle of the night, Gus sure is entertaining!

Happy Spring

2009-04-11T10:14:00.001-07:00

I hope the warm weather we have been having doesn't go away again, I can't deal with any more snow this year!

Vinny!

2009-04-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Heather and her boyfriend Ryan got the cutest puppy on the face of the earth!! I went to visit with Heather and Vinny and we took him down to the park to play around. It was beautiful out, which made up for the snow that we had earlier in the week. Vinny is an eleven week old Jack Russel Terrier mixed with Bichon Frise, and he has quite the personality already!

The Giving Garden

2009-04-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

I learned about a community garden from an awesome girl in one of my classes. A group of interested and like minded students are going to start a community, sustainable garden this summer on Eastern's campus and I am going to help out and learn a lot in the process. The first meeting I attended was in EMU's greenhouse where we planted some of our seeds so that we can eventually transplant them onto the plot when they are ready in a couple of weeks. I think this is going to be a great experience, and it will be one of my outdoor volunteering activities this summer which I am really looking forward to. The meeting only lasted about an hour and a half but I really needed the break since I was in the middle of writing a 20 page paper...ugh! I am finally finished with my paper, only to start reading through all of the research I have on another one, but as soon as I am finished with that paper I am done for the semester. My summer is looking pretty great so far, I am enrolled in one class in May/June and then one class that is a couple days in July but will require a lot of reading leading up to our classes. I am also seeking out a couple more volunteering opportunities and making plans to get a photo business going on the side with some awesome clients lined up already!

Memories

2009-03-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

My mom, sister, aunts and cousin took a trip Up North to celebrate my grandma's memory and went to mass which was said in her name. It was a really fun trip, we stayed in Petoskey on Friday and went up to St. Ignace on Saturday, and came home after mass that evening. We spent a majority of the trip in the car, and in restaurants, shopping and enjoying each others company. Here are some of my favorites from the trip.

Appalachian Cultural Project

2009-03-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome time in Whitesburg, I really enjoyed seeing everyone from Western, and I enjoyed being immersed in photo talk for an entire week. Here are some of my favorite images from the week. Be sure to check the website www.acpworkshop.org for what went on during the workshop, archives of previous workshops and for updates as the multimedia and picture stories are added.

Pink in the morning

2009-02-23T09:17:00.001-08:00

When I was growing up if I wanted to know if the weather was going to be good or bad, my mom used to say, "Pink in the morning, sailors take warning." Since I have been home for "spring break" we have gotten about 5-6 inches of snow. Sunday morning I woke up to Gus parading around my room, chirping at the birds and this beautiful pink/orange/yellow mural on my wall. It was a good indication since it snowed on and off all day yesterday. In case you are wondering you can also tell when there will be good weather, the other half of the saying was, "Pink at night sailor's delight."

logo

2009-02-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

Warrior women

2009-02-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a little collage of the cast of the 2009 Vagina Monologues at EMU. The performances are this weekend and I am really excited!

Women's History Month again

2009-01-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

I revised the poster, and I like this version much better!

Vagina Monologues

2009-01-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

I am performing in the Vagina Monologues again this year. It has been a wonderful experience so far, and I am really glad I decided to audition. I have met some awesome people, and as always it is for a great cause. All of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to a women's shelter in Washtenaw County, and from what I understand the shows at Eastern always sell out. Here are a few shots from one of our rehearsals.

Women's History Month

2009-01-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

This is the other thing I have been working on for my assistantship. We needed a poster to advertise the Women's History Month activities at Eastern this year. My friend Nicole came up with the theme and I ran with it. Hope you like it, and to my friends on this you should feel proud to represent WHM 2009 at Eastern Michigan University!

Home

2009-01-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

I had a short but restful break. Here are a couple of shots from Christmas Eve and just a self portrait that I shot out of boredom. I hope 2009 is treating everyone well so far.

Wintry mix

2008-12-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Last night Gus provided me with more entertainment than usual. He was quite perplexed by the snow storm that we got because he could hear and see the snowflakes hitting my bedroom window but, no matter how hard he tried, he could not capture any.

Holiday time

2008-12-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

I have been terribly remiss and have not been posting...sorry! I have been busy writing papers, and have been down with a little cold this week. Things are going well, Thanksgiving was fun and it was a much needed break. I can't wait for the semester to be over, here is Gus wishing you a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanuka next to his favorite little Christmas tree that he likes to chew on...he is crazy :)

End of the Season

2008-10-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

My parents and I headed up to St. Ignace this weekend for a wedding just before the season officially ended for the town. We had a nice visit with family and it was neat being Up North so late in the season. We aren't usually up there in the Fall and even though most of the leaves had changed it was still really beautiful. We got to go to our favorite breakfast spot, Java Joe's, one more time, and the wedding and reception were fun. It is always interesting watching the girls waiting for the bouquet to be tossed, and this time two of the little girls were fighting over said bouquet. We stayed at my Uncles' motel on Lake Huron and woke up Sunday morning to a huge storm front rolling in.

Haab's Restaurant Anniversary

2008-10-20T12:17:00.001-07:00

Haab's Restaurant in Ypsilanti celebrates their anniversary on the third Monday of October each year. They lower the prices on their menu to reflect what guests might have paid in 1934 when the restaurant first opened.

The life of a cat

2008-10-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

My cat has become more and more entertaining recently, I think I'm just easily amused. Anyway, here are a couple of him in his favorite cat house, which if you have a cat and you don't have one of these I recommend it they are about $8 from Ikea. There is also a shot from the Laugh Lounge an event that Campus Life puts on for students with local comedians.

Change we need rally - MSU

2008-10-07T09:05:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday I got to see Obama in East Lansing. He came and spoke on MSU's campus, I skipped class to be able to go and it was really awesome. He was in Lansing once before and I missed it so I was determined to go this time. Frank got us tickets, and armed with my 200, we waited 3 hours in the cold somewhat rainy weather to hear him speak. Thousands of people crowded around the stage on Adams Field. Most of these are from when I was waiting for him to come speak. It was the first time I heard a presidential candidate speak live in my life, and I am really glad I had the opportunity to do it. I hope everyone registered to vote, the deadline has passed in Michigan. I'm not sure what it is in other states, but if you haven't registered yet DO IT! And if you are, don't forget to get an absentee ballot...it's really simple, I sent for mine and a week later I have already voted!

Playing dead

2008-09-28T15:23:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry! I know I keep posting ridiculous pictures of my cat sleeping, but he is so cute. I was working on my computer, and I turned around to find him sleeping upside down, even his tail is sticking up :) Perhaps I am too easily amused, but hopefully you are all enjoying these pictures of him as much as I do.

Step Show

2008-09-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

I never took the opportunity to shoot a Step Show when I was at Western, but I did not pass up on the opportunity when the assignment came up here. I had a really great time shooting this step show, it was a cultural experience for me which I loved. I am learning a lot about the campus and the different people represented here by shooting for the paper which is really good for me as a journalist. Something weird happened though, when I was walking in to this event and maybe some of you could offer me some insight. First of all, the place had every EMU police officer in or around the building which I found to be quite racist. So when I was trying to get in, the police officers kind of hassled me asking for a press pass, which we don't have and then my student ID. Fortunately, they let me in, but right as I was walking in one of them kind of laughed and said, "Oh, and Obama will be here in abut 10 minutes." I'm not sure what he meant by that, my first thought, was no...he's in Mississippi for the debate and then my second thought was, was that some sort of racist joke? I've talked about it with some people here, it just still doesn't sit right with me. I guess there is not a way to make logic out of racism. Aside from that, I really enjoyed myself and got to see some really interesting performances.

Turtles and toes

2008-09-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

I shot the all-campus picnic at Eastern, and surprise surprise free food brought out some interesting people. I am a sucker for dogs so I hung out with this couple and their four-year-old Haley who was ever hopeful for a bite of food. Then I hung out with the musical entertainment for the event. These guys were very interesting, they said that they didn't have a name for the group officially, but that day they were thinking of The Chris Smith trio. Chris Smith is the guy jamming on the keyboard, the other guy was from Midland, small world. I just loved their expressions in this image, too bad I didn't get one I liked of the drummer because he had a unique look too. I hung out with Alex that photo editor at the Echo and his roommates, the one who's toes and tortoise are featured is Rob he also shoots pics for the paper. It was nice to meet some more people and I think I am going to enjoy working on the Echo this semester. The best part is it satisfies the journalist in me while I pursue other avenues in education.

Life's rough...

2008-09-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

when you're a little cat. Just a cute one of my cat, Gus, taking a nap. He rests up during the day so he can terrorize me while I try to sleep at night. He's good company though, so I can't complain too much.

Keepin busy

2008-09-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

I am really glad I decided to start shooting for the Eastern Echo, it keeps me shooting and therefore, it keeps me busy. The first three are from a piano/violin concert performed by a father and son duo. They were intense guys, I had fun and enjoyed listening to classical music. The other is just a feature I found on campus of a kid snoozing before class, he told me he gets to his art history class early so he can get take a nap because he needs. I hope everyone that checks this is doing well, and don't forget to register to vote/get your absentee ballots!

Fast-a-thon

2008-09-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

During the month of Ramadan Muslim people fast, at Eastern the Muslim Student Association held their second annual fast-a-thon. This year they invited non-Muslim students to join them fasting yesterday from 5:40 am to 7:40 pm. For each non-Muslim student, money was donated to the organization Food Gatherers of Ann Arbor. I got to go to the meal where everyone broke their fast it was a really fun experience.

It feels like fall

2008-09-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

It is starting to get chillier at night and the leaves are just about to turn. I love Fall, it is by far my favorite season. Here are a few from the past week or so. A feature I shot of sorority girls that live next door on their way to a party. Gus in his favorite spot in my apartment and a swallowtail butterfly in my parent's backyard.

Pease Auditorium

2008-09-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

I have been watching construction progress on Pease Auditorium since I got to Eastern. I suggested that we do a story on the status of the construction project in the school paper, and they decided to go with it. This isn't the picture that I initially saw, but it will have to do. It turns out that they are supposed to be done with construction on the building in about a week, so it was a good idea to do the story :)

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the summer is actually officially over. I had such a blast this weekend, it seemed like it flew by. It was wonderful seeing Cass, and meeting Jim I wish we could have spent more time together. After lunch with them, I headed Up North. It was a long drive but I finally made it and the sunset was phenomenal. The rest of the weekend we basically stayed in the water all day. It was so gorgeous, and the weather was the best it has been all summer. The girls loved the beach, and so did I. Monday morning we got up and walked the Mackinac Bridge. It was really neat, and now I can say I have done it. There were tons of people, I am still proud of myself for walking all 5 miles! It was horrible leaving Monday because the weather was perfect, again. We took one last swim after the Bridge walk and packed up the cars and left. My mom, sister and I are planning one more trip before it gets too cold. I have my very first class as a Grad student tomorrow, wish me luck!

Hello new apartment

2008-08-28T17:10:00.001-07:00

Finally, finally, finally I have moved in to my new place in Ypsilanti. After moving three times in three months, it seems like it took an eternity to get here! Gus is settling in well, and I am right across the street from campus. I applied to be a staff photog for the student paper here to keep myself shooting and to get to know people/the campus better. Tomorrow, is Grad Assistant training and then lunch with Cass who I haven't seen in way too long. Then I am heading Up North with Frank, my family, and the Fenuff family to walk the Mackinac Bridge for the first time in my life! I am so looking forward to this vacation it will be the first official long weekend of my summer :)

Last stuff in Midland

2008-08-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here is what we ended up going with for Cosmic Canine Cure, it could have been a lot better, but I'll settle for a three picture package. I was really looking forward to my last assignment: Hilarious Pet and Human Tricks. Sadly, it was canceled due to a lack of interest so I headed over to the 15th annual Midland Dulcimer Festival and got a couple shots there. One is of two guys jamming in between acts and the other is the couple who started the whole thing 15 years ago. I was kind of disappointed, but that's how it goes. I had so much fun in Midland, and hopefully my time there isn't over...we shall see!

Higgins Lake

2008-08-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Delta 88

2008-08-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Brett and Krista spent some time in Midland two weekends ago, and we had a blast. From the trip to Bay City to the trip to Higgins Lake it was wonderful to spend time with them, and with everyone at the lake in spite of the cold. The last photo is by the infamous Kevin Benedict.

Last month in Midland

2008-08-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

These are some of the shots from my final weeks in Midland. The first photos are from the Farmer's Market in Midland, which is amazing. They are not so great but the story idea I got out of it is. Briana will hopefully be shooting it, so check her blog in about 5 or 6 weeks for it! The other photos are from before the Demo Derby at the Midland County Fair.

Home again, home again

2008-08-06T06:11:00.000-07:00

I went home one more time this past weekend to spend time with the fam, and our neighbors. But before I went home I shot a really sad memorial service for a guy in the Airforce who died during training and he had only been gone 2 months. Then I went to something completely different, a country star look a like contest at the Bay City Pig Gig. Hank Williams Jr., Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw and Toby Keith were the contestants, Toby Keith won. What a day.

Beach, birds, bees

2008-08-01T08:32:00.001-07:00

Frank and I spent Sunday at Sanford Lake Park and Dow Gardens. I shot a feature at the lake and Dow Gardens was really amazing.

Mom's Birthday

2008-08-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

I left work Wednesday and met my family at Carraba's in Lansing for my mom's birthday. After dinner we went home for cake and ice cream and the Fennuff's came over. Emily made my mom this amazing card with paper doll versions of both of our families. My mom loved it and you'll notice the Taylor doll has a gigantic head which the little girls thought was hilarious. My mom just finished the quilt that she made of all of my grandma's shirts and showed it to the girls when Jules said, "I think Gramma Lu would have been really proud," which was really sweet.

More Fick/McLosky Wedding

2008-07-26T18:38:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple more from the wedding and a random frame I saw as I was walking out of the hotel.

Military wedding

2008-07-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am shooting a military wedding for the paper. The couple is really great, they are from Midland dated for two years and got married today. Joe lost his left leg from the knee down in Iraq in October, it's so sad because he's only 24 and another soldier died during the blast. Here's some of my favorites from the rehearsal, getting ready and the wedding.

River days and Relay for Life

2008-07-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a pretty typical Midland Saturday, lots of good deeds going on and lots of fun for the family. Here's what I shot at Relay for Life and River Days.

Fur faces

2008-07-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures from a story I started in Midland on the Cosmic Canines, a group of dogs that visit the hospital to cheer up patients. It needs a lot more work, but I am really enjoying it so far. There is also a picture of Gus in the box that my camera came in, he's such a goof. The one of Marley shaking off was when he decided that rather than walking in a little puddle of water he would jump into a bog. He is so brilliant. The other one is from an assignment in Gladwin, where they had a festival called Fun Days and a Tacky Tourist Costume Contest. These were the three lone contestants,

Time flies

2008-07-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

This was a story about how State police are trying to encourage people to report any plants they think might be Marijuana, last month in the UP they found 9,000 plants worth $1,000 a piece. I really think the design was successful and the story is important because this summer a kid in the Midwest was out squirrel hunting and accidentally stumbled upon a field of marijuana and was shot and killed by someone guarding the land.

This is Paleo Joe and his cat Saber, Paleo Joe helped discover a Camerasaurus in Utah last month. He is relatively famous and in his spare time cleans 150 million year old bones in his home with the help of his cat, who he refers to as his assistant.

Fourth of July, obviously.

These three guys unicycled from Midland to Bay City, about 22 miles, to raise money for their church.

This was intermission of Shakespeare in the Park on a 90 degree day, the lady on the left is applying sunscreen to one of the actresses from Midland.

It seems like this summer is going by really quickly. I am having a blast at the paper and today my favorite thing that I have done since I've been here ran. Since my last post Nathan has started at MDN and he is doing an amazing job, I have found a place to live in Ypsilanti and I found out yesterday that I will be doing more editorial type stuff for my assistantship at Eastern, so I am excited. I also got a 5d (finally hooray!), FYI I am selling my 20d if anyone is interested. I hope everyone is having a great summer and I am so impressed with everyone else's blogs and the work that they are doing at their internships it makes me want to be a better photographer, although I'm not sure my work reflects that. I think this Fall at Western will be an exciting year since everyone has been hard at work shooting this summer, keep it up and I miss you guys :)

I have a staring problem

2008-07-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

Today at lunch with Tony and Amy, Tony scolded me for staring at a group of people that came into the restaurant. Then at dinner Frank asked me what I was looking at as I studied a large family that had just been seated. My staring problem isn't a problem for me, I consider it to be people watching, and as Tony said it, I'm just doing my job. I can't help it, I have really loved staring at people since I was little, and I think being observant makes me a better photographer, and a rude person at the same time. I wish I had really amazing pictures to go with this blog post, but I don't. So, I'll just upload some more 'pretty' pictures from Kensington Metro Park this weekend. And one that I shot last weekend, I like how the mom is peering in at the corner of the frame, I think I had a children's book that had a mother hen peering down at her chicks much like this mother. The boys were 2 and a half year old twins, and quite animated about the planes.

Stuff that I've shot in Midland

2008-06-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

Just some kids painting a sign for this thing called safety town. Safety Town is for incoming kindergartners to drive big wheels through and get tickets if they drive recklessly or too fast. We covered it last year so we just decided to do a feature of kids repainting the buildings in Safety Town.

This was an assignment to shoot an archery event that was for charity. The guy pulling the bow out of the fake deer was quite interesting. He wouldn't stop giving the kid behind him advice and I think the kid was getting annoyed. Also, when they pulled their bows out of the targets he would announce that they had "target turds" on them and needed to be cleaned off...

The USA women's softball team came to Midland and played the Lady Explorers. The top photo is Cat Osterman winding up for a ridiculously fast pitch, she was amazing. The bottom one is Lady Explorer Brenna Przeslawski swinging and missing, the story of the game. USA beat the Lady Explorers 14-0.

These ladies got to tour the new fancy restaurants at The H hotel along with about fifty other people. The restaurants are really cool, but I will probably never go in any of them because they are super upscale.

Here's more of what I've shot so far.

Stuff that I've shot in Midland

2008-06-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

This was on my first assignment, which was supposed to be pictures of a canoe race, which I got, this was just a fun feature. The guy on the right built this canoe over the past six weeks at the Nature Center with money endowed by the lady in the canoe.

Good old memorial day, these guys were pretty funny.

These two pictures are from a wedding at a nursing home in Midland, they were the funniest couple and it was the sweetest situation. I did a soundslides you can see it go here http://home.ourmidland.com/multiMedia/soundslides/tendercare/

This was bizarre, it was called the Children's Cheering Carpet. It was this projection screen on the floor that an Italian company brought to Midland. The screen reacted to touch and had different shapes that moved around and made different sounds.

Aside from editing Tuesday through Friday I have been shooting as needed. Here is some of the stuff that I've shot so far.

Up north

2008-06-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

We went up north this past weekend for my gramma's memorial. It was good to see all of my family, but hard just the same to go through with the services. The Fennuff's came up with us and we had fun with the girls.

It's been a while

2008-06-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't been updating because I have been incredibly busy. In the weeks since I last updated, I turned 22, got a new computer and a cat. We filled Brett's position and will have a new staffer here in two weeks. These are pictures of Gus, my new cat, and Tony, Amy and I went and had drinks to celebrate my bday.

Memorial Day

2008-05-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

I shot for the paper in the a.m. and then went with Boomer to Wixom Lake and Bay City for the afternoon/evening. We rode in the pig which is always funny. I'm gonna miss his crazy antics, oh well I'm sure scooping bat guano in Appalachia is far more exciting than little old Midland.

More pictures from Midland

2008-05-27T17:04:00.001-07:00

I have driven home and back twice and these are just some pictures from. Also, the roses I bought at Van Atta's aka Better Homes and Gardens according to Boomer.

first post

2008-05-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

Since I don't really have a home for some of my pictures I thought a blog might not be a bad idea. These are just some pictures from when I was home on Sunday.