Memphis High School Senior Session

open spaces at sunset-
a freeing Senior Session

A new mom celebrates life and Senior year with her family

   A family of 3 walk in to my studio. Mom is a Senior in High School and coming to plan her Senior Session. Dad is here to be supportive and take care of little baby girl so Mom can have her time. And baby girl just lays there with those big eyes that make you melt. I instantly fall in love with them as a family, and then we take beautiful portraits together.

    I guess that’s the shortened version of this whole story, and straight to the point- I just adore these guys!

    Paige is so impressive. She’s in the busiest stage of her life as she is about to graduate from high school, she power lifts and does cross fit, and on top of all that she’s a fantastic mom (and new fiancé- yay!)

   Paige had two requests for her session.
First and most important for her portraits- that feeling of being Free.
Something light, whimsical, open spaces.
Second- incorporating her mom's (who had passed) Senior portrait in to her session.

    At a time where most Seniors are going through phases of thinking about themselves first, it seemed that Paige’s attention would always shift from herself back to her family. I wanted her to take this moment for herself, to take time to celebrate her, because at no matter what age, mom’s need and deserve that. This was HER time to shine. It was OK to JUST think about herself. But I get it now. When some Senior’s want to include their sports, hobbies, cars, instruments because it’s what’s most important to them at the time and represents who they are, that’s exactly what Paige wanted to do too, incorporate what meant the most to her at this stage in her life. So I let her.

   And this is the amazing beauty that happened...

Don't miss out on the gorgeous short film we put together of Paige's Experience too!

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Check out the full senior gallery

Want to see more outdoor shoots check out Janelle's senior session

To see more cute family sessions check out Linsay's fun day

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We create our own "Through the Looking Glass" moments

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Watch the video to see an AJBC fairytale unfold- 

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Photographer- AJBC Photography
Poem- Autumn Carufel
Assistant 1- Taylor Walsh
Assistant 2- Jake Carufel
Model- Lauren Cross
Wardrobe and Props- Lauren Cross Designs

Belle Isle Conservatory, Detroit Michigan

(Below: Poem written out, followed by individual portraits found in the above film.)

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There is a truth in this world that I refuse to believe. 

The truth that everything has to be exactly as it seems.

Because, you see, I am a dreamer, and I am a collector. 

I am a believer and I am a fairytale wrecker.

But not in the way that you probably think I am.
I don’t sit down and destroy books of fiction. 

I sit down and give those books vision.

I open the pages and give them eyes.
I open suitcases and watch as hopes come alive. 

Because when I was a kid I was told fairytales aren’t real.

You can’t blame my parents, it’s just how the rest of the world feels.

But me, I knew different.

Me, I knew more. 

Me I knew wanting something that was impossible was just through a hidden door. 

A door I would find eventually in my life.

Where plays and toys and make believe...

Would slowly show itself to me.

But as something new. Something real.
Something I could touch
and something I could feel. 

And no I’m not too old to feel this way. 

I say you’re too old, for taking my dreams away.

So go back to a time where all you wanted was to be free.

And start realizing your head is the only thing that makes it so it can’t be.

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Photographer- AJBC Photography
Poem- Autumn Carufel
Assistant 1- Taylor Walsh
Assistant 2- Jake Carufel
Model- Lauren Cross
Wardrobe and Props- Lauren Cross Designs

Belle Isle Conservatory, Detroit Michigan

The back story:

2 years ago I posted on facebook that I wanted to do a creative shoot. That's how I met Lauren. She said she might be interested so I quickly stalked her on facebook. Her look was unique and gorgeous, so I knew she would fit the part. But then I started realizing she was also an artist, a maker, and a collector. We had similar loves for old and grungy things, so we decided to meet. I drove to her house in Marysville where she showed me room after room after room full of beautifully old and rough pretties! 
And then she took me to the back corner of the basement to show me The Door, and an idea was born. We spent the next hour developing the story- a girl playing make believe finds a door, enters it, and then finds herself transported in to this land where her daydreams are now her reality. 
I think I secretly live through my photography, because that's all I want out of life- magic, all the time. 
We kept in touch, passing back and forth ideas and photos. My schedule FINALLY allowed for me to fit the shoot in! My husband Jake, my assistant Taylor, and myself drove to Marysville where Lauren allowed us to gather up her precious treasures and take them to our first location. The sun was shining, the weather was perfect, and right away I KNEW, I just knew, this was going to be one of my favorite things I had ever shot. 
We filmed, photographed, laughed, and left with plans to meet again a week later, when we would haul the heavy antique door down the road, down a hill at 8 am, balance it on the roots of an old tree sticking out above the water, and then drive to Detroit. 
Because we had photographed at what looked to be a more modern conservatory for our "make believe in real life" scene  I wanted to go to a much older, much more original concept of a conservatory for our "entering the fairytale world" scene, and so it came that we traveled an hour + together to The Belle Isle Conservatory in Detroit. Belle Isle is beautiful and not only was it a wonderful place to end our shoot and tell our story perfectly, it allowed us a day to just enjoy something new and unique together, which is becoming more and more important to me with every shoot I do. 
It used to be just about the photos for me, because that was what I was taught portrait photography was. Now it's about the whole experience. Because if not for the experience, then for what?
Afterwards we shopped in Ferndale and got some tasty sushi and quietly drove back home after a long and creative day. 
It took me another year to sort through it all, find the time, and get to a place where I could properly put it all together. 
Our video we filmed is still not done, but I am ecstatic to release these images accompanied by a poem I wrote for it. 
And to think, it all started with an old door.  

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If you loved the Concept of "The Door" then you should also check out "The Pillow and The Pond" and The Burning Shack- they are some of my favorite projects to date!

Check out the full beauty gallery here

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Senior Session- 1 amazing teen with 6 different personalities

A senior session with diamonds and guns, mud and dresses.

   It makes me happy when I meet a girl who can push boundaries but not be afraid to give back. A girl who can wear diamonds well, but doesn’t freak out when she falls in mud. A girl who can look like a lady in an evening gown but can out shoot the boys in the woods.
   That’s Tiffany- exactly.
   Not to make me sound old, but she’s a reminder to me that there’s still girls out there that are going to grow up and lead this world and make it a better place. There’s still girls out there that people can be proud of.
   Her shoot took us 2 different days to complete due to the fact we went from spinning in circles in a brand new prom dress in front of a handmade backdrop I had made, to grabbing guns and boots and hiking down the muddiest hill I’ve ever seen! We also grabbed amazing coffee in Croswell and climbed around some old buildings in Goodells. We were literally all over the place!    I LOVE shoots like these. Because shoots like these aren’t really shoots. They turn in to fun days of exploring with new friends.
   Check out what we did on our little adventures together:

(OH! And scroll down to the bottom to see what everything thing looks like behind the scenes on BOTH days of our shoot!)

There are so many looks to this session if you love the glamorous prom dress outfit check out Janelle's Senior Photoshoot!

For a more outdoor country feel check out Tayler's senior session!

Check out our full Senior Gallery

Check out our behind the Scenes video too of BOTH days we shot!

Model builds her first portfolio with uniquness in mind

Port Huron, Michigan beauty builds her model portfolio with ajbc photography

An outdoor fairytale shoot to a
sexy yet subtle studio shoot

   Meet Jen.
   Isn’t she fabulous?
   When you hear the word "model" and you see someone as gorgeous as Jen you probably get a little intimidated and assume a lot of things. Let me tell you- probably all of what you assume about this little lady is all wrong.
   Jen is one of the nicest, most low key girls I’ve ever worked with! She can get dolled up and still put on some big boots under her dress and climb through the woods with me.
   I met Jen only 1 year ago (even though it feels like ages ago) when we photographed her Engagement Session at the very beginning of 2015. In the Summer of 2015 we then got to shoot her Farm Wedding! In the late Fall Jen came back to model for of a commercial shoot I was doing with Bartlett Arborist Supply.
   Fast Forward to late Winter / early Spring 2016 ( I don’t really know, this year’s weather has been so crazy!) and she decided to take the leap and build her modeling portfolio with AJBC!
   I am always so excited to watch women pursue their dreams, in anything, but when it comes to fashion and photography, well then, it’s extra fun for me!
   Jen knew she would be wearing red, and she knew she wanted to do something fairytale like. Oh, ok, twist my arm. We hiked a good 1/2 mile back on some state game area and took advantage of what Mother Nature gave us, especially for our flat area! This was the perfect blend or dark and beauty! What’s awesome about this part of the shoot is- in real life Jen is constantly smiling, a real genuine big smile. You put her to work as a model and she transforms. Instantly. And as soon as the shot is done, she goes right back.

Keep scrolling for Part 2!

   Part 2 was something simple in the studio. JUST her. No fancy location, no over the top dress, just her and her beauty. She was comfortable with me and wanted to see how far she would be able to push herself when it came to something more soft and sexy for when the time came that she was asked to model this look. Well, let’s just say she did just fine. haha

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Check out our full Beauty Album

If you love the beautiful fairytale feel check out Katie's Magical Photoshoot!

For more gorgeous boudoir shoots check out Tricia's session!

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   Take a look behind the scenes of our Fairytale Model Portfolio Shoot with Jen!