Stephen & Allison {Engaged!}

Let us officially introduce to you the 2013 winners of our Wedding Giveaway Contest...

<<<drumroll please>>>

...Stephen Hasselbach and Allison Cody!

This amazing couple entered our contest at the beginning of the year and worked their tails off with posts, requests, messages, pleas and huge amount of effort to rank first in our giveaway.  So many of their friends and family also worked hard to help gather the votes that boosted them into first place quickly, and helped them hold that position throughout the length of the contest.  I'm sure Stephen and Allison are extremely grateful for their help!

This past week Kevin and I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting up with Allison and Stephen in Bridgewater for some super sweet engagement portraits together, and with Bentley (their new baby ... er, I mean ... puppy).  The farm we headed to for the session was GORGEOUS and offered a ton of great locations for the pictures.  Unfortunately, the sun set way too fast (as it always tends to do), but we were still able to get some incredible evening and nighttime shots together.  Our session was only driven to an end by the mob of voracious mosquitoes!  We all got eaten alive.

Stephen and Allison are a wonderful couple and we loved getting to know them over the course of the evening.  Their wedding is going to be a beautiful affair and we can't wait until next spring so we can photograph them again!  Congratulations again you two!  We hope you enjoy this little glimpse of your portraits.  :)

~ Kevin & Heather

Robert & Kendra McCraight {Married!}

This wedding is not to be missed!  Jeri Donovan of Loving Embrace Weddings did an amazing job coordinating and putting together all of the details of Robert and Kendra's day.  And what a beautiful event it turned out to be.  Even though the weather was dark and threatening all day, the wedding went on beautifully and without hitch.  The rain clouds split as they approached Weller's Carriage House in Saline, Michigan and literally dumped inches of rain both north and south of the wedding, but only drizzled for a few moments before the ceremony.  Any bride would be anxious about her outdoor wedding planned on such a rainy day, but Kendra kept her composure and her friends and family helped keep a relaxed and calm feeling throughout all of the preparations.  Kendra would have had quite a few reasons to lose her cool the morning of the wedding (lost jewelry, broken down vehicles, imminent rain storms ...), but instead she absolutely glowed and was the perfect radiant bride!

Special thanks go to the following people/companies for creating such a perfect day:

Venue - Wellers Carriage House in Saline, Michigan

Wedding Coordination - Jeri Donovan of Loving Embrace Weddings

Hair/Make-up - Luminosity Salon in Saline, Michigan

Officant - Pastor Bob Herper

Live Flute & Harp Music - Nagy Duo

We loved getting to know both Robert and Kendra, and we were thrilled to be a part of their very important day.  Thank you Robert and Kendra for asking us to be a part of capturing and preserving your memories and emotions forever.  <3 

~ Kevin & Heather

Josh & Ashley {Engaged!}

We were excited to be able to photograph Josh and Ashley's engagement portraits because, although most people aren't aware, Josh is a HUGE and integral part of ignited Photography.  Last fall we put out a help wanted post looking for a office/administrative assistant and went through an in-depth process of interviewing people.  We received a great response to the ad, and we talked to a lot of really great individuals with great skill-sets and abilities.  It became very challenging for Kevin and I to determine who was the perfect fit for the position and for our business.  After much prayer and discussion, we decided to hire Josh as an editor instead of the office assistant we originally thought we were looking for.  Josh presented us with some great skills and abilities as an already established graphic designer, but was also extremely open to learning how to edit and match our style of work.  From the very beginning we could also tell that he was a hard working, dedicated, God-fearing man.  We now trust him with our business, appreciate his abilities and gifts, and value his integrity in his work ethic, personal life and future goals.  I think we hit gold with him!

In November when Josh started talking about wanting to ask his girlfriend, Ashley, to marry him, we were very excited to get to be a part of the whole proposal and celebration.  We joined a bunch of their friends on a very (very!) cold evening in February to document the surprise he had planned for her in downtown Ann Arbor.  It was a beautiful evening and we had fun getting to know both Josh and Ashley better through the experience.

Josh and Ashley's wedding is quickly approaching in September and we are really looking forward to be able to be a part of their wedding day.  We are happy to repay Josh for all that he gives to us and the company.  Ashley is such a beautiful, genuine and fun person and we are so excited for the two of them and their future together!  After looking through these teasers from their engagement session, I think you'll quickly understand how much fun and love there is in their relationship.   There is no doubt in our mind that their's will grow to be a beautiful marriage that stands the test of time.

Congratulations you two!

~ Kevin & Heather

Emily Hunt {2014 Senior}

We love Emily!  Emily has been a friend of ours now for a few years and we just absolutely love her and her entire family - they have been a tremendous blessing to us in many ways.  We met the Hunt's when we homeschooled and they attended the same co-op as us.  Shortly after meeting them, they began attending the same church as us and both Emily and her older sister Elizabeth, joining my worship choreography team on Sunday mornings.  We have teamed up to lead worship together, to choreograph dances together, to assist and inspire Elizabeth's photography projects together, and so much more.  So of course we were honored when Emily requested that we be in charge of her senior portraits.

Emily opted to split her session into two mini-sessions so that she could have a bit more variety with her environment and seasons.  Also, during that last year of high school a lot can change and there can be a definite difference in a senior from the beginning of the school year to the end.  With 2 mini-sessions, there is the opportunity to capture the changes in a beautiful way.  The teaser images in this blog are from Emily's first mini-session last week.  Stay tuned in the winter/spring months of 2014 for the rest of her images.  :)

~ Kevin & Heather

Chris & Shannon {Engaged!}

Chris and Shannon are two of the kindest, sweetest individuals ever!  We met up with them at Spicer's Orchard in Hartland for their engagement portraits and immediately felt connected with them.  They are quiet, calm and a lot of fun to be around!  We absolutely loved how we were able to see them visibly relax and become more comfortable in front of the camera as our time together went on.  It was a perfect example of why we love engagement sessions so much - it is so valuable to be able to have the time to connect and to really get to know each other, so that on the day of the wedding there are no nervous jitters regarding photography.  There are so many other things to fill a couple's mind on their wedding day and we're glad to help them relax as much as possible throughout their day.

It was so intriguing to be able to share in one of Chris' biggest pastimes for part of his and Shannon's e-session.  Chris is a pilot and a flight instructor so it was no big deal for him to fly his plane over to the Fenton airport for the portraits.  The airport was neat and there were so many things that made the evening perfect - the couple, the location, the sky!  The night was truly unbelievable and I do believe we kept saying so the entire time.  lol

Shannon and Chris' wedding is coming up later this summer at St John's Catholic Church in Fenton with their reception at the Coyote Preserve in Fenton as well.  This will be our first wedding to photograph at these two locations and we are so excited to experience them both with Chris and Shannon.  We know their day is going to be absolutely perfect!  Meanwhile, enjoy these teasers of the soon-to-be newlyweds!

~ Kevin & Heather