Retro Mommy and Son Moments

Pin Up Mom,Vintage Car,the Golden hour

Mommy and Me Retro Summer Session in Lexington, MI

   Oh Linsay- you doll. And Elliot- you little handsome busy body!
   These two were adorable, all the way around. The way they looked, their personalities, and how they interacted with each other.
   Mom knows the pin up style- she did her own hair and makeup and already had her outfit nailed down before we even met up! Little man, he kept us on our toes and laughing- making stick and rock lemonade at their picnic, helping mom drive, and his silly toothy little smirk when he would pop his head around corners!
   I live for these moments! They aren't posed, they are unexpected, and they are always the best! You can't plan for perfection, it just happens!
   What makes me even happier is Linsay is freezing a moment in time, not only for herself to look back on, but for her son too! I imagine him pulling these images off his mother's walls 50 years from now to have and hold in his own home, passed down again and again, even down to his children who will love seeing their father at this moment in his life That's what art is about. Not about the facebook likes or shares, but about a legacy you're family can physically hold on to and embrace emotionally.

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If you're loving the pin up look you should also check out the Beauty Gallery, which is FULL or gorgeous pin up collections!

See more adorable family shoots in the Nearest and Dearest gallery!

To see some more cuteness... Check out Stacy's Vintage Family Photoshoot

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Watch their story unfold in the short behind the scenes film below:

Marysville Rustic Summer Wedding

A beautiful Summer Wedding in Michigan

the classiest rustic themed wedding you've ever seen

   It’s a hot summer morning, the sun is baking the Earth, and hidden behind a hotel door is 2 rooms full of beautiful girls running back and forth in oversized button down shirts with flawless hair and makeup.
   In the middle of them stands a Bride... calm, stunning, and smiling.
   A few doors down holds a room full of men, standing, fully dressed, relaxed, with a bottle of Jack pulling the room together on the bathroom sink. Amongst them is a quiet and handsome Groom.
   It’s Avery and Randy’s Wedding Day and we’ve just arrived at the hotel, right before everyone does the finishing touches and we leave to have the Bride and Groom see each other for the first time.
   The First Look between Avery and Randy was something that looked as though it was pulled from a fairy tale, and the First Look Avery did with her Father was nothing short of a fairy tale as well.
   The family piled in and out as we did Family Portraits, right before leaving for Bridal Party pictures.
   The boys teased Randy as they all took turns getting photographed with him for the big day. The girls stayed cool in the AC. After the boys showed off their best poses and bombarded Randy we got the girls out and it was their turn. Every single girl different, every single girl stunning. We photographed them 2 at a time while the rest fussed over Avery’s dress and their good / bad sides in between shots.
   Right before leaving everyone climbed up a hill, heels flying, and we got the whole crew together.
   The ceremony was lighthearted and personal with Randy and Avery reading their own vows out loud, which lead right in to an amazing reception. After dinner we watched the emotional dances between father and daughter, and son and mother. If you want to cry with people you’ve just met- watch these dances up close and feel their emotion spill out of them...
   It’s something that gets me every time, and I always walk away feeling so privileged that I am there, witnessing that moment,  and so thankful we were asked to be a part of this day and allow it to stand the test of time through photographs.

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Want to see more love stories unfold? Check out the full Love Gallery

If you like this wedding.. Check out Jen & Zach's Barn Wedding

For a more a vintage feel check out Cory & Erica's Gatsby Themed Wedding

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Underwater Summer Beauty

An Underwater Photography Session

A beauty session shot 4 feet under water in a pool

The way hair slowly twirls and fights time.
The way the sun rays break through the surface of the water to dance on the skin.
This is the magic that underwater photography brings. 

Take that visual journey with me.

These images reflect the softer side of underwater photography and the absolute beauty I am slowly becoming obsessed with.
Part 2 where images transition from color to black and white show a darker side of my experience, something with more grit, something that feels less peaceful and more like a photograph you found hidden in your grandmas attic and wonder- who were those people?

I can’t end this story without talking about all the HILARIOUS times we had while trying to accomplish this session.
First- it’s a hot, sticky, summer day and I have 15+ yards of fabric for each girl to drape all over herself, almost resembling a horrible 90s prom dress that I PROMISE them will look fabulous once floating in the water- fingers crossed.
We pin, pull, and tuck, and then head out to the pool.
I’ve rented an underwater camera, and despite all the negative things I’ve read about shooting in a pool, I’m confident we’ll still get something beautiful. Instantly... I find out every article I had read was so so so right. The chlorine causes a foggy mess when more than 3 feet away from your subject and what you are left with is either failure, or breaking personal space boundaries. I decided to invade personal space.
The girls who were brave enough to trust me with this vision were amazing, amazing models. Not only did they fight with unruly fabric, they also went under water and attempted to keep calm, open their eyes, and vogue in order for me to get the shot.
My assistant was in the back keeping the tulle in line, cleaning the pool of beetles and being the moral support I needed when it felt like things were maybe going to be a waste of time.
I was fighting with a fogged up, uncomfortable snorkel mask about every 10 seconds, swimming practically on top of my models. Iif I wanted to be below the model I had to release all my air and sit at the bottom of the pool for as long as I could while they fought and floated back and forth for as long as they could. My hair... well, we won’t go there but that was something else. haha
And then just the typical pool things- water in your mouth, water in your nose, chlorine in your eyes. Underwater Photography is a whole new animal.
But the whole vibe of the day honestly kept this project together. We had 4 young women all bobbing in a pool together, no makeup, hair a mess, horrible fashion sense, and it felt freeing. So I thank them for that!

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Love the feel of this shoot? Check out Audrey's Artistic Pillow & The Pond Photoshoot

Beauty & Water go so well together, check out Mackenzie's senior photoshoot on Lake Huron

View The full Beauty Gallery and Senior Gallery

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Watch the BTS video so you can see for yourself! Its hilarious and sums up the day- summer, pool. beauty, lots of laughs.

The Burning Shack Trailer

An indie short film

A journey through ones self to find life and freedom from within, and to not turn back.

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Hidden
Inside Herself
Was Freedom

To Fight Her Heart
Or To Follow It?

And Truly Live...

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This trailer sets the stage for what we will be releasing next- The Burning Shack : a still film. Still film is a term I made up. It pairs still photography frames with the concept of a moving movie storyboard, along with an original poem created specifically for the project.

Very rarely do we get time to create pieces for ourselves around here. But I guess when we do, we go all out.
This is our FIRST short film, everything else to date has been made up fully of photographs or have been used to showcase the portrait work I do. This is the FIRST project where the filming was totally separate from the photography, we just worked off the same story line and concept.

Concept and Vision- Autumn Carufel | AJBC Photography Photographer
Videography- Taylor Walsh | AJBC Photography Assistant
Video Editing- Autumn and Taylor of AJBC Photography
Model and Wardrobe- Audrey Huggard
 

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Now released:
See the full "still film" of The Burning Shack here!