Family – elyn marie

2017

January 18, 2018 by elynmariephoto, posted in Engagement, Family, Personal, Portrait, Travel, Wedding

This was a year for me to find my voice. If you know me, that might sound funny because I’m quite a chatty person. Nonetheless, it’s taken work and time and patience to get to know myself and learn how to say what I really mean and not say what I don’t really mean. And how to take the photos I want to take and not the ones I don’t want to take (or can’t take!). Thank you so much to my community for supporting me and listening to me and giving me space to learn and grow. And thank you thank you THANK YOU to all my amazing clients. I literally would not be able to do this without you; you are what makes my job a dream come true.

This year I loved:

geometric landscapes
warm + soft colors
a photo for the sake of the memory + a story, not just the aesthetic
out of focus black + whites
dancing brides
crying grooms
a shot that looks like a still from an old french film
shadows
romance, romance, and more romance

This year I took photos in:

Dominican Republic
Whistler, BC
Seattle, WA
St. Paul, MN
Northport, MI
Leland, MI
Grand Haven, MI
Grand Rapids, MI
Fennville, MI
Coloma, MI
Sweet home Holland, MI

Cheers to send 2017 out and cheers to welcome 2018 in!

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Caspian

August 23, 2017 by elynmariephoto, posted in Family

The DeWaards became 5 this spring and let me tell you- it’s just what the world needed! Jason + Holli and their sweet three munchkins are a family who makes you feel like you belong. Their home is so welcoming, rarely without warm baked goods nearby. Eric and I have spent many evenings pouring out our hearts at their kitchen table over our favorite lentil curry and belly laughing about our favorite Office scenes together. Also, I’m going to have to spend every Monday morning with those sweet kiddos for the rest of my life because I know everything’s going to be ok so long as they’re in the world.

I’m so happy to have this family belong to my little corner of the world. And we love you lots, Cass kid!!

2016

February 24, 2017February 24, 2017 by elynmariephoto, posted in Engagement, Family, Personal, Portrait, Travel, Wedding

To be honest, I’ve written about 6 different first sentences to this post. This year was… everything at the same time. You know how you come inside from the freezing cold and can feel your fingers thaw? They tingle, throb and feel hot and cold at the same time. Your knuckles ache a little, and you know they wouldn’t ache if you hadn’t scooped some snow in your bare hands to toss to the dog. But you did, and they do, and that’s that. For me, 2016 was my life freezing up and thawing out again. Many photos from my year have hours of a story behind them. The last photo I took of my Paka before he passed away, Easter Sunday the week I came home after a major surgery, my younger brother’s wedding, our nephew driving the boat, the pregnancies and newborns… the whole of life in those photos. I love to share these photos with you, but I mostly need to share them with myself. These photos show me that there was life in that year. 2016 had light and growth and giggles and kisses and water and green and birth and good.

This year I loved:

a little bit of dark mixed in with all the light
the imperfect, out of focus, blurry black + whites
wind
that moment right before a kiss happens
almost-symmetry
children telling each other secrets

This year I took photos in:

Lancaster, PA
Seattle, WA
Chicago, IL
Ely, MN
Minneapolis + St. Paul, MN
Milwaukee, WI
Whitehall, MI
Detroit, MI
St. Ignace, MI
Grand Rapids, MI

And of course many, many, manymanymany photos were taken on the ever-lovely Lake Michigan in my sweet home of Holland.

I’ll stop writing soon, but must thank Susie Herwig and Kaitlin Grace Photography for second shooting for me; they are kind and talented photographers!

My last and highest tribute is to my husband. Eric believes in me like he believes in the ground beneath his feet. Don’t ask me how, but he does. This year he fought for me. Not only did he fight for our life together and my health, but he fought for my creativity and my joy. This is for you, Eric.

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Sam + Annie

February 10, 2015 by elynmariephoto, posted in Family

Sam and Annie are a couple of pretty wonderful people! They are two adventurous spirits who value friendship and the earth and creativity. They know how to celebrate life. It’s all thanks to Annie that Eric and I met, and I am so thankful for the friendship I have grown to have with them ever since. Doing their home and lifestyle shoot this winter was such an honor! This home is made of joy and love and beautiful things. Sam and Annie and their pooch, Art Garfunkel, made their first home together at the camp Sam worked at in West Michigan. It’s filled with driftwood and plants and artwork and good books. It’s one of those places that makes you want to slowly walk around and look at everything like it’s a museum, but then the next moment sit down with a steaming mug of coffee and converse about life and love and this beautiful world. It’s an environment that says it’s ok to just be you, but it’s also ok to grow and change. These are the things that Sam and Annie have put into their house to make it such a home; these are the things they will take with them to their next home and every one after that!

Thomas Family

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015 by elynmariephoto, posted in Family

October 2014

It has been quite the fall. We’ve had day after day of sunny, crisp, colorful, priceless, midwest autumn. Eric and I have filled our days with walks on the beach, home projects, coffee dates with friends, and bike rides around the neighborhood (when we have a spare moment amidst the multiple jobs, grad school courses, and homework, that is). It’s actually been quite a chaotic season. I love to look back, though, and appreciate all the small moments that have made up our fall so far.

Another thing I love about fall is the beauty I get to observe through my lens. The Thomas family is one full of energy and excitement and love- and believe me when I say they know what it means to have a family dance party! JT and Annie have always been a huge encouragement to Eric and I in our marriage, and we look up to them so much. Their awesome kids just sweeten the deal with all of their kisses and giggles and eternal imaginations. They were all so fun to spend such a crisp fall morning with and the post-photo-shoot donut run didn’t hurt either!

	Brett Wiersma on 2017
	carleigh courey on Fernwood
	Dominican Republic… on Dominican Republic
	Nf on Kristen + Sang
	Little Miss Travelle… on Dominican Republic