Fairytale Wedding by Port Huron, MI Wedding Photographer ajbc photography

Audrey and Adam.
A young couple who came to us with the most easy going of attitudes. They were getting married and needed it captured beautifully. End of story. They told us the theme was fairytale, and we thought to ourselves, "That's cute. But like most couples, aren't all weddings meant to be like a fairytale?"
Whoa. I will fully admit we were wrong and 100% underestimated the amazingness of their Fairytale (and yes I capitalized it bc it was THAT legit!)
We walked in to an explosion of magic everywhere. Every Disney fairytale you've ever heard about was there, all hand made and put together by the bride and her mom. 
Take a look!

Even when you stepped away from the reception hall, reality was still graced with that magical feeling. True, beautiful emotions were floating around as everyone scrambled to get ready and hug one last time before entering the ceremony. 

When we had just 1 hour to break away and get outside we took them to a local place we had found that looked as though it jumped out of the pages of a fairytale written 100 years ago. The vines, stained glass, and old bricks were just what we needed to make their story that much more real. 

Back at the reception we watched them start their new lives together. Love literally bounced all around that room. It was so strong and true I'm not sure how we all didn't cry. The whole day was truly touching and I'm SO glad we were a part of it. 

A Fairytale Wedding held at Crystal Gardens / Angry Bull in Port Huron Michigan photographed by AJBC Photography Wedding. 

If Country Chic is more your style, check out this Country Farm Wedding we did last month! 

Double Exposure In Camera Art with Port Huron, MI Photographer - AJBC Photography

As humans I feel as though we have a really important role to play in Nature.

We shouldn't fight it, or be above it, we should be one with it. 

See, alone, we are still a part of the Earth, it's hidden inside us, it makes up who we are; we are strong individuals who hold unique traits, shapes, stories, and souls. Just like Nature, we grow, we root ourselves, we look up to the sky, and one day we all exhale with both feet on the ground, forever planted. 

But when we seek to live and indulge ourselves in nature, we no longer stand alone, and that is a very beautiful thing. Beauty in a way we may never fully understand, for the vastness of it goes beyond just ourselves. 

It's raw at every level. 

And it lets us know we can become a part of something bigger, with no judgements, just simplicity at it's purest and most beautiful form. 

This series demonstrates that coming together through Double Exposure of Human and Nature. 

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All Double Exposure images were done IN camera, no editing or photoshop work has been done to achieve these looks. 

(This print above available for purchase in my Fine Art Store!)

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Meet Raquelle. 

My main purpose of the shoot was to get beautiful Double Exposure images that told the story of Human Exposure and Nature. But once I saw how gorgeous she was all on her own, I knew we had to at least get a few shots showing that. Nothing distracting, not even professional hair and makeup, or a specific wardrobe. Just her and the camera. Natural Beauty.

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I can never help myself from going outside though. And as of late, I really know where my heart belongs when it comes to who I am when I create, and Nature plays a very large part in that. I don't know what I would do if clients confined me to a studio for the rest of my days. 
Who wants to miss out on natural, literally, all the way around, natural beauty like this? 

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Want to see some more cool stuff?

Check out this other Double Exposure Piece we did WITH the help of photoshop
And feel free to hop on over to Pinterest to check out all of our recent sessions, outdoors AND in studio! 

Cut the tags out- knowing your self worth as a woman and not a number

A couple days ago I stumbled across this post on my facebook newsfeed, which I quickly shared to my personal page. 

Found on facebook- original source unknown

I paired it with my thoughts that were similar to "this is really stupid for a lot of reasons." Mostly because I felt as though this chart was completely unrealistic on every level. 

I got A LOT of feedback. 

Things like-

"And what the hell were they thinking when they added ZERO as a size? Are we supposed to aim for invisibility?!"

" ...Even at a size 12 I never had the flat tummy that this image shows. But, I also know my worth and it has nothing to do with my pants size nor the number on the scale. ...I've struggled with my body image for years until I realized I was more than just a body. I'm witty, well read, an amazing cook/baker and driven woman which is something a number on a label or scale is never going to say."

and lastly-

"Cut the tags out..."

And then it hit me.  We, as a society, as women, as individuals need to cut the tags out. 

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So I ask you- When you're no longer a number, what are you?
I want you ALL to answer that question in the comments below for me. 
Because you owe it to yourself to know, to maybe brag a little, be proud, and most importantly, let other women know you're living outside the number society has pinned on you, and they can too. 

Who are you when you cut the tags out?

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I'll start...

When I cut the tags out I'm left with being an artist. I frequently live my life dirty. Paint, dirt, dust, grease, sawdust...  I'm an explorer, a writer, a builder, and a damn hard worker. I will keep up with the boys. I will drink beer with the boys. I will shop with the girls but I refuse to get my nails done because they will end up destroyed at soon as I get home. I have a farmer's tan and yes I own a baby tractor. My closet consists mostly of super cheap clothes because I don't understand name brands. My hairdresser informed me that my husband and I have the same haircut, and I'm ok with that, because my hubby is super hot, so maybe that makes me super hot too. I have no clue how to be sexy, it makes me uncomfortable and giggly. I'm confident because my mom taught me to be proud of who I am and urged me to be different. And that had nothing to do with tags. Cut them out. 

And as I said before in The Revolution about societies standards on women ...

Fuck your beauty standards

Port Huron, Michigan Photographer specializing in the beauty of women- ajbc photography

making memories to enjoy 70 years from now

   There’s nothing quite like a bond between a grandma and granddaughter. Capturing the simple moments in life to look back on years down the road seem like a great idea now, but 20 years from now, 40 years from now, maybe 70 years from now for your grandchild… the word “great” will be an understatement. You and they will truly cherish the ability to look back on a younger version of yourselves and how connected and happy you were at that moment.

   Angela wanted to capture exactly that in a way that was truly them. When they get together they spend time at the beach, and just enjoy each other. So that’s exactly what we did here. We went to the beach, and just… lived, freely and beautifully, so they could look back on those moments for years to come.

Port Huron, Michigan Family Photographer- Beach Session