One year ago...

One year ago I stopped playing the role of a pawn in the rat race.

One year ago I started writing the rules to my own game.

One year ago I walked out of the "office" for the last time and stopped wasting an hour driving morning and afternoon to a job that I had previously enjoyed but now dreaded to go to every day.  

Now I wake up in the morning, eat breakfast with my kids, drive them to school, tell them I love them before they head off for the day, and then head home again to our in-house office and sit by my best friend and love of my life to work through our day together.

There have been sacrifices.  We spend many evenings and weekends away from the kids while photographing our clients - almost every weeknight and weekend in the late summer/fall.  There've been sacrifices financially.  The budget is super tight - but the investment that we can have in each other, our family and the legacy that we will leave beyond through our kids is so worth it.

Heather and I love what we do.  We each have our roles in our business.  We love our clients and we love taking care of our clients and getting to know them.  Most of all we love laughing, living and working together.  Every.  Day.  One year ago today we made a very difficult and scary (perhaps even dangerous) decision and I don't regret it for a second.

No, that's a lie….I regret not doing it sooner.  

Don't let fear hold you back from doing what you know you should do.

Kevin Autry - photographer and small business owner

Photo credit goes out to Jill Lenkowski of Two Ring Photography.

Tiffany Robinson {2015 Senior}

Tiffany is such a beautiful and naturally photogenic girl and we absolutely fell in love with her contagious smile as we photographed her Senior Portraits a few weeks ago! In fact, narrowing down the image selection to pick a few teasers was nearly impossible because in our experience, Tiffany doesn't know how to take a bad picture. Thank you for a fun session Tiff, and keep smiling that smile!

The images in this blog post are a few of our favorites of Tiffany.  Check out the rest of her images on our proofing site here.  Thank you and enjoy!

Ken & Brittney {Married!}

I give Ken and Brittney credit for being the most enduring bride and groom to date. As it got closer and closer to Brittney and Ken's wedding day, the forecast was looking less and less optimistic. And for the wedding day, Ken and Brittney had to put up with on and off rain showers from beginning to end. However, this did not slow them down or stop them from doing the outdoor portraits and ceremony they desired. We started at the MSU botanical gardens in Lansing, Michigan and then made our way to Howell to a lakeside park for more portraits. Even with uncooperative weather, Ken and Brittney still had a beautiful day to remember and we enjoyed being a part of it. 

James Wright {Portraits}

In a couple days, my adorable cousin James will turn 3 months old. It was so unbelievably fun to see him again and take some portraits of just how much he has grown! At 3 months, we are starting to see babies smile and talk, and James definitely did both! We were also able to capture some family pictures of Wayne, Liz, and James together. It is always a great time to visit with family and today was no exception. I can't wait to continue to watch James grow into a handsome young man. 

Thomas & Courtney {Married!}

Thomas and Courtney lucked out with a very pretty and sunny day for their wedding. We started off the day at Studio 9 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. However, a sunny day in May can sometimes mean a sweltering day, and that's exactly what is was! In fact, it was so hot that I'm sure Courtney felt like she was melting! But, with the help of her personal fan, she was able to handle the heat; even though the church, National Shrine of the Little Flower, did not have the air condition working well! Throughout the rest of the night, Courtney and Tom had a wonderful time. The prettiness of the day made for some stunning and dramatic images; and because Courtney is so creative and detail oriented, not a single detail was missed. In fact, she had crafted or arranged almost every decoration in detail at the reception. We wish you the very best, Tom and Courtney, and thank you for choosing us as your wedding photographers!