This girl wanted snow and a red coat…she had a vision!  I have to admit it was my first shoot in single digit temperatures and 25 mile an hour wind!  I loved it!  
It was so worth it, don't you think???

Senior portraits should give us a glimpse into the real you.  This fall I had the opportunity to photograph some seniors with sports interests to showcase!


Heather doesn't like her "serious" face, but I think she looks fierce!

Alex IS serious!  Bowling since he could walk, Alex has a collection of bowling balls and shoes that is only matched by his collection of ribbons and awards! 

Even though he's serious about his sport, Alex loved goofing for the camera and showing his true colors…PINK!  :)  What a great young man supporting a great cause!  Real men wear pink!

2014 High School seniors in the Bay City, Essexville, Michigan area.  Garber High School, Bay City Central High School, John Glenn High School, Bay City Western High School, All Saints Central High School, Pinconning High School.

This year's pricing has been revamped.  It is priced to allow you the opportunity to save money if you prefer to edit/retouch your own photos.  If I do the retouching, the price is about the same as last year - no increases!

WHY DOES IT COST SO MUCH TO HAVE MY PICTURE TAKEN?

It costs very little to have your "picture taken".   To have a professional portrait created takes planning, preparation, and some old-fashioned work!  Photography - work?!   I never dreamed that photography could be so much work either when I started out!  But it is work that I love!  How fun it was when I did it for free – but I wasn’t very good back then to be quite honest!  I have spent the last 4-5 years studying, practicing, and investing in software and equipment to help produce better images.   Sadly, I find I must charge to be able to continue to invest and improve my craft.  I will always do some charitable giving, and I find I really do enjoy that work the most!

Pricing is based on many factors. While I may spend only an hour or two to capturing your portrait images, I have been excitedly planning and preparing for your day - selecting backdrops, locations, cleaning lenses, and charging batteries, etc. There are many costs associated with professional quality photography that you may not be aware of, including: 

1) the cost of maintaining a web site. My web host takes a percentage of every print order.   Also,

2) as a member of the Professional Photographer's Association of America I pay fees which  provide for insurance that can't be purchased anywhere else.  

3) Upgrades in software and equipment insure that there is no failure during a photo shoot or in image storage.  

4) For every hour spent shooting pictures, you can assume that another 10-20 hours is spent editing, posting, and ordering products.  Every image is tediously retouched to smooth and soften skin and brighten and enhance the eyes and teeth.  Stray hairs are removed.  Sometimes background elements are removed to keep the focus on the subject.   

5) Photoshop textures, backgrounds, templates, actions, and filters are often used to add interest, and all of those must be purchased.  

6) I attend seminars and webinars as often as possible – to learn how to use all those cool photoshop plug-ins and tools! 

Like any other industry, photography is constantly evolving, and high school seniors want to be on the cutting edge!  That what makes it so exciting for me! You never really know for sure what you're going to end up with until you get back in the "lab" and start "working the clay" to see how you can most effectively enhance the beauty that was captured in the camera!  It truly is an art and is never boring!  Every senior/subject is unique and beautiful and my job is to bring out their absolute best and create a portrait that they will be proud to show to family and friends!

LOOKING FOR A DISCOUNT? I pay $20 for every referral who purchases a portrait package. You can literally get your senior package for FREE!

This high school senior is a great looking guy and a lot of fun to work with!  He's a busy man with all the sports activities he's got going on but we were able to get some quick shots in before practice....

High school senior photography in Bay City Michigan 2011-2012 Seniors

Can these beauties really be high school seniors?  I love photographing them!  Wow!

High school seniors involved in the arts - awesome pictures!