The warmer weather must have everyone thinking about their Tonya Marie Photography portrait sessions…especially seniors and families! Thanks for all of the emails and calls. I will have some dates, more info, and a little something special specifically for Forest Hills seniors that I will post in my next blog. So keep checking in.

I’m also excited to share two more images to finish up my most recent family’s sneak peek. Can you believe this gorgeous girl is only 9 years old. Just look at that beautiful blond hair!

And what could be more fun than a family jumping portrait!

I’ve been so lucky to meet the most amazing families as a Celebrating Adoption photographer. And the family I met yesterday, was no exception. This super busy family has 5 adorable, active, and amazing kiddos. Yes, you read correctly…5 kids! I was exhausted just thinking about how you fit them all in one vehicle. And I can’t even imagine what it was like getting them all dressed and ready for their portrait session. But their Mom and Dad handled everything like true pros! More to come from this session later this week…I have lots of emails and scheduling to catch up on.

I had the pleasure of meeting this happy, loving, and absolutely adorable family through an organization I’m involved in called Celebrating Adoption. Celebrating Adoption is a national organization of professional photographers who volunteer their time and expertise to help adoptive families celebrate adoption through portraits. Families who have adopted within the past year qualify for a complimentary portrait session and there is a list of participating photographers on the website linked above.

I met this busy family with two beautiful children: 22 months and 9 months in Holland, Michigan for their session. And it rained before, during, and after the session but Mother Nature cooperated long enough that we captured some amazing photographs.

Here’s Mr. Happy…very content with life.

This cutie was a little tired and made me work hard, but it was so worth it!

And here you can see the awesome clouds coming in off Lake Macatawa.

When I was contacted for this session, I knew it would be a challenge: five little kiddos age 4 and under with the goal being a portrait of them all together, looking at the camera. I’m not one to typically shy away from a challenge, so I said “Let’s go for it”. While this session may have been better described as an event, it was so much fun and very rewarding. What’s better than arriving to a session and having to ring the doorbell twice because the piano “music” was so loud I wasn’t heard on the first ring? And being greeted with squeals of “TONYA’s here!” and receiving a gigantic running hug?

This type of event session requires careful orchestration and a little bit of luck…side note to Mother Nature: my famous homemade oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies are in the mail. Thank you for not raining on us! Everything was perfectly planned: I picked out the clothing (see image below), beefed up my bag of tricks and we accomplished our goal. We captured a portrait with all five children looking at the camera. I repeat, we captured a portrait of all five children looking at the camera. Now I can’t show the portrait here…that will have to wait until after the gallery is complete. But you can enjoy a sneak peek!

Here are the outfits we selected from Janie and Jack. This was part of the planning which started back in February.

This little big guy was seriously on the go!

A super smile and a parasol.

The sweet sibling shot.

And finally, the gorgeous grandparents.

Harry Potter? Or I forgot my pocket protector? Either way this kiddo has quite the sense of humor. And these silly portraits are guaranteed to make you smile, if not laugh out loud.

Vibrant, warm, and beautiful are just a few words to describe this amazing family that I had the chance to photograph in Michigan. I’ve been working with so many families lately and I truly enjoy seeing the different dynamics and personalities all come together.

I knew I loved this shot the second I pressed the shutter release button. They were watching the kids playing near the water.

I know exactly how busy this bunch is with a 3 and a 4 year old. Isn’t this portrait gorgeous in black and white!

And I just love the expressions here…so happy!

This past weekend, I met with a super sweet and gorgeous family for an early morning portrait session just north of South Haven, Michigan. The light was perfect with just a hint of fog and a light breeze. The session went amazingly well especially considering when I arrived at the beach, I could see my breath in the chilly morning air! This extended family session consisted of 6 adults and 4 kiddos ages: 4, 4, 3, and 1. Stay tuned to meet the parents (and grandparents) later this week.

Doesn’t she have the best smile!

And I got the feeling this handsome guy doesn’t sit still for very long…

And what’s not to love about this future heart breaker and his red crocs! I personally love red shoes and have at least 3 pair myself.

And the youngest, with those amazing baby blue eyes and soft wisps of hair just starting to fill in.

Looking this awesome at 8 months pregnant should be illegal. Seriously. Just look at that beautiful belly and not a single stretchmark in sight! I’m super exited to meet (and, of course, photograph) the baby when she arrives. See you all soon!

Aren’t the markings on her belly fantastic!

8 moves, 4 houses, 3 states, and 2 kids kids later, my husband and I are celebrating our 10th annivesary today. We’ve lived in Holland (MI), Shaker Heights (OH), Maple Heights (OH), Austintown (OH), Kalamazoo (MI), Grand Rapids (MI), South Haven (MI), and we’ve finally settled (fingers crossed) in Angola, Indiana. It certainly has been an interesting journey, and at times stressful, but I wouldn’t have wanted to share it with anyone else. So here’s to another decade of marriage…I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us.

*Us in our silly anniversary portrait: Now and Then

Perfect weather and a perfect location made for an awesome portrait session with Mr. R and family. We had the chance to explore some land complete with old barns and farm equipment…talk about a photographer’s dream! Though there was one thing I forgot about and that is just how fast one year olds can be. This handsome guy certainly kept us all on our toes and it was absolutely worth it!

I love this portrait below…just look at how big that tree is!

And look at this amazing red hair and that absolutely adorable grin. Love it!