It’s been a long time since I’ve done any kind of “best of” post. We were blessed with winning a number of awards, various trophies, and being published in a few magazines so I thought it would be fun just to run through some photos that helped get us where we are. All of the glory that we have received is from God’s blessings…we’re not that good.

Let’s start this off with one of my favorite images from 2009. Cory and Barb had an amazing wedding reception at the Knollwood Country Club in West Bloomfield. For their wedding photos, we setup a photo session at Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills. This was a pretty overcast day with flat and boring light so to get a dramatic image, we created the overhead light. The crackly wall was a perfect backdrop.

Mike and Lindsey had their wedding at Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Township, MI. They wanted some really cool and edgy photos so we took them offsight for their shoot and headed to a downtown location. It was a bright sunny day and the sun was creeping over the top of the building to give us this dramatic sun flare:

I love the look of the flare so much that sometimes I create it when it doesn’t exist. Billy and Melissa and their wedding ceremony and reception at the beautiful Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. We did a lot of their photos at Lovett Hall and Greenfield Village which neighbor the museum in dearborn. This particular photo was taken on one of the stages in the museum shortly after Melissa was dressed and ready to see Billy for the first time.

Being able to use light creatively has saved us on many occasions. We photographed Bryon and Caitlin’s wedding at the beautiful Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, MI. When we shoot in that area, we often like to go to downtown Northville, MI for photos but when it was time for photos of Bryon and Caitlin, the weather turned miserable and we were stuck doing all their wedding photos inside. It forced us to think outside the box and find ordinary locations where we could use dramatic light to give the photo impact.

Other times when we need to shoot inside are for winter weddings. We photographed Kirk and Lisa’s wedding at the amazing Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in Grosse Point, Michigan. We had some time to do some photos of them before the ceremony while at the church. The location itself didn’t offer much in terms of great backdrops so we again found ourselves thinking outside the box with our use of light to create this fun image that played with shadows.

This is probably one of our most talked about photos that we’ve done because it’s on the verge of being a little too sexy. We’ve had a number of requests to do a photo similar to this.
Scott and Kelly also had their wedding at the Inn at St. Johns in Plymouth. They were lucky enough to have a beautiful day so we headed to the nearby Millrace Village in Northville, MI for their photo shoot. I loved the stone wall and the old wooden bench and it made the perfect scene for this sexy photo.

This photo has always been one of my favorites. Ryan and Melissa had their wedding at the stunning Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, MI. Melissa was wearing one of the most amazing wedding dresses we’ve ever seen by Monique Lhuillier. We did a short photo shoot with Melissa and I loved this little window that we found that had beautiful soft light coming through. It was the perfect light and perfect pose to show off that amazing dress.

Our other favorite dress was worn by Lindsey. This was a dress by Roma Sposa. It was perfect, soft, flowy, and light. It was a spectacular dress. When we were doing photos with Lindsey, we wanted to do something very different with her….something out of a magazine…something unpredictable. We found this really cool textured wall in downtown Utica, MI and we put a towel on the ground and hoped that she would be ok sitting down. We were in an alley after all. However, she was a great sport and had no problem doing anything we asked which helped us to get this photo which is blown up to a large canvas in our studio.

Since the last few have been beautiful brides and beautiful dresses, lets continue that theme. This is a photo of Laurel. Her and Russel had an amazing wedding at Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Township, Michigan. They were one of the sweetest and most humble couples we’ve ever worked with. Laurel’s parents have a beautiful home with some amazing architectural elements to it so we decided to use them. This is a photo at the front door of their home.

Let’s switch gears a little bit. One of the things that can make a great photo is the location. When there is a location that is meaningful to the couple, it makes the photo much more powerful.
Ethan and Sarah were getting married in Golden, CO and had a place up in the mountains. This photo was shot from their driveway with the rolling hillls in the background.

On a similar note, Amanda and Chris were married in Port Huron, MI where both of them are from. We wanted to have some type of landmark in their photo that would represent the location so we went down underneath the Blue Water Bridge that leads to Canada. Their wedding was one of the most memorable we’ve done. The location was Amanda’s parents backyard in one of the largest and most extravagant tents we had ever seen. With a cool breeze and the gentle lapping of the waves, it was an idyllic setting.

This is another wedding where the location was really important to the couple. David and Karlynn really wanted the wedding photos to show that they were in Lansing so we took this really fun photo with the state capitol building in the background. This was another photo we loved so much, we have a large canvas print hanging on our wall in the studio.

Wyatt and Kelly got in Detroit and had their wedding reception at the Detroit Athletic Club in downtown Detroit, MI. Both of them were really excited to have some aspects of Detroit in their photos. This photo was shot up on the rooftop looking down into Comerica Park where there was a baseball game going on. The lights from the stadium provided a really unique element to the photo.

I love this photo because it’s fun and different. Evan and Mary were also married in Detroit and they had their reception at the beautiful Roostertail right on the Detroit river. The view from there is outstanding as the whole venue is surrounded by glass so there is lots of amazing evening light that comes in. For their photos we were downtown and wanted to do something fun and different with the bridal party.

One more Detroit wedding. Cliff and Arneshia were married at the Rattlesnake Club which is also right on the Detroit river. The club is a very unique venue best known for the amazing dinners. We were doing Cliff and Neshia’s photos downtown and we were just about down when I had an idea. I loved the moody storm clouds in the sky and I wanted to do a photo that would look really dramatic with no distractions. I took them into a parking lot and I remember Cliff questioning my judgment and wondering what kind of photo I would be able to get while laying on the ground in a parking lot. After he saw the photo…it became an instant favorite. It always feels good when a client thinks you’re crazy but loves the end result!

Mike and Tori had a memorable wedding ceremony and reception at the Michigan League on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. 90% of their guests were from out of town and they had a LOT of guests!! Mel Ball and Colours performed that night and they had the dance floor PACKED the entire time! I always loved this photo because of the band, the lights, the crazy party, etc.

Speaking of crazy parties…Mark and Christina had a wild wedding reception at Penna’s in Sterling Heights, MI. The dancing started off with a bang and kept on going. At one point money was being thrown in the air and we captured this cool shot of the two of them dancing with the money falling.

Abe and Angela also had a wild entrance to their wedding reception at the Diamond Center in Novi, MI. It was by far the largest wedding we had ever photographed with over 700 people. Not only was it a big crowd, but it was a dancing crowd and they definitely had a good time! This photo was taken as Abe and Angela were announced into their reception.

Another crazy crowd and fun entrance happened at Tara and Nate’s wedding at the beautiful Meadowbrook Mansion in Rochester Hills, MI. They also had a party crowd and despite Tara’s broken foot, she tore up the dance floor. They had an amazing ceremony and reception on the grounds of the mansion which made it really convenient for the guests to go right from the ceremony, to the cocktail hour, to the wild party!

Sometimes just to mix things up, we’ll take photos at odd angles just to provide a unique perspective. This is another photo from Russell and Laurel’s wedding. At some point at almost every wedding, I end up laying on the ground but it always leads to some cool photos. For Russell and Laurel’s photos we took them to downtown Mt. Clemens and found some really neat spots to get some creative images.

On a similar note, here’s a photo that I liked a lot shot from above. Mike and Erin’s wedding ceremony was held at St. Hugo of the Hills in West Bloomfield, MI and their reception was at the Italian American Club in Livonia. It was very rainy that day and when the rain cleared, it was hot and muggy so we did some of their photos inside the church after the guests left.

Sometimes the venues themselves can help provide some beautiful photos. Matt and Beth got married at the amazing Grosse Pointe War Memorial which is a beautiful historical structure right on Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe, MI. We did their photos shortly after sunrise on the back steps and I love the architecture from the building behind them.

Matt and Adrianne had their wedding ceremony at their church in Troy, MI but their reception was held at the St. Clair Inn which is on the waterfront of Lake St. Clair. We had a perfect sky and a calm day so we went out behind the building to the nearby docks and took some photos of them.

Whenever we go to a wedding reception, I like to photograph the room before all the guests get in their and put down their coats and drinks. Steve and Alicia had a fun wedding ceremony and reception at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, MI. I did a long exposure in the room and it brought out lots of fun colors from the up-lighting in the room which I then enhanced as well. I loved the color in this photo:

When we photographed Rob and Rebecca’s wedding at the Inn at St. Johns in Plymouth, MI it was a beautiful day with moody clouds. The Inn at St. John’s is a gigantic complex and I wanted to capture the whole venue along with the sky so I went all the way out to 5 mile Rd. to capture this photo.

This photo is extra special for me because it is the cross hanging in the chapel at our home church of Kensington Community Church in Troy, MI. This cross was hand carved by an amazing artist from our church name Mirca. I loved the dramatic lighting coming down.

When going to a wedding, we always love to photograph the details in the most creative ways possible. One of our favorite details is always the wedding rings. Chad and Jen had a beautiful wedding reception at the Partridge Creek Banquet Center in Clinton Township, MI. During the reception, we borrowed their rings to do some creative photography. Cheridy found these letters that we combined with some backlighting to create this photo.

Keesha and Bobby got married at Beacon Hill Golf Club in Commerce Township, MI
We did a lot of their photos in downtown Milford and when we were with Keesha while she was getting ready, we found this amazing backdrop for their rings which was actually her shoebox. Keesha loves color and style so this image was right up her alley.

One of the things that we look for when shooting weddings is colorful backdrops. We love shooting in downtown areas because it’s easy to find lots of variety of colors and textures with different wood, siding, brick, glass, etc. Eric and Jenny were married at the amazing Royal Park Hotel in downtown Rochester, MI and we took them around Rochester for their pre-wedding photo shoot.
I just love the bold red color from this building.

This photo has always stood out for me and I use this as an example that shows off our style. As mentioned earlier, we love looking for color and texture and finding unique backdrops. We know that our clients will think we’re a little crazy so we usually warm them up to some of our off-the-wall ideas during their engagement shoot. While shooting Scott and Kelly’s engagement photos, we took a photo of the two of them against an awesome green backdrop…which happened to be a dumpster. They thought we were nuts until they saw the resulting photo. It was one of Kelly’s favorite pics from the engagement shoot. On the wedding day we happened to be nearby another dumpster and this time Kelly requested a dumpster shot. This ended up becoming a double page spread in their wedding album.

We’re always looking for unique and different locations. Russ and Delicia ended up being the perfect couple for us because they were into something artsy, unique, and different. This was a wedding we shot out in New York this past summer and Delicia wanted a cool photo with a wall and some graphiti on it. We found a pretty dingy alcove and after moving some trash bags out of the way, we were able to create this really fashionable shot which they ended up using for their wedding thank you cards. This may be too out there for some people, but Russ is a DJ in New York, and Delicia is a dancer and a model and they really wanted something out there and different which we definitely had a lot of fun with!

The Detroit Opera House is summed up by the words “classic elegance.” The decor is exquisite and the theater which turns into the ballroom is very spacious and extravagant. Last year we photographed Bessie and Sina’s wedding there and our jaws dropped when we walked in and saw the room. It was magnificent! I love the spotlights through the auditorium that provided really unique lighting on the whole venue.

Walking through the hallways and seeing the stunning chandeliers made us realize that we were a part of something really special!

The event we photographed their in 2009 was on the same night as a Detroit Tigers game. Comerica Park is right across the street and it made driving and parking very difficult and confusing for a lot of the guests so make sure to check the schedules and have a plan in place in the event of a game.

We loved the open feel to the room and the food was terrific!

Since it’s downtown, there are lots of neat places to go to get some of the most creative wedding photos you’ve ever seen!!

The tudor style mansion at Addison Oaks provides the feel of European excellence. The country atmosphere and lush grounds provide a beautiful setting for your wedding.

We have photographed a number of outdoor ceremonies in their courtyard which provides a quaint atmosphere to get married outside while always having the option to move inside in case of weather concerns.

The main dining room provides ample space and is surrounded by glass walls which provide plenty of natural light for your wedding reception.

The grounds at Addison Oaks in Leonard provide a beautiful natural backdrop for wedding photographs:

OR, for a more urban style photography session, we could go into downtown Lake Orion which is nearby.

Addison Oaks does a great job of making sure your wedding and event stays on schedule and I also remember that they have one of the most amazing dessert buffets I’ve ever seen!!

The Michigan League is a wonderful place to have a wedding on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.
Built in 1929 it has lots of charm and historical elements. The Michigan League Ballroom can accommodate between 200-500 for weddings and events.
I love the warm natural woods on the floors and walls along with the tall windows that allow lots of beautiful natural light to come in.

The large dance floor can accommodate a fullsize band and allow space for a huge party to have a good time!

The ballroom can also accommodate a ceremony.

The outside of the building is classic University of Michigan architecture:

Walking around the building itself provides lots of photo opportunities with a cute garden, the bell tower, and other architectural details.

Ann Arbor, MI provides LOTS of fantastic places for wedding photography:

When you see the bobble head, you know it’s time for another photography class!
The last class went really well and there were a number of people that didn’t make it in because it was full so we decided to schedule another one immediately.
The last six classes have sold out so if you are interested in taking the class, sign up as soon as possible.

The next class will be March 7th:
All the details (what’s covered, cost, etc) can be found here:
http://arisingimages.com/learn/basic_class

Photo class serving Rochester Hills, Rochester, Auburn Hills, Pontiac, Oakland Township, Shelby Township, Waterford, Farmington Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, Macomb Township, Mt. Clemens, Sterling Heights, Warren, Roseville, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Madison Heights, Royal Oak, Southfield, Birmingham, Oak Park, Detroit, Novi, Northville, Plymouth, Ann Arbor, Wixom, West Bloomfield, Ann Arbor, and all of Southeastern Michigan and Metro Detroit.

I just posted our latest newsletter with some info on our next photography class and a promo and some new stuff.
Check it out:
http://arisingimages.com/miscellaneous/newsletters/newsletter_025/

I just created a new highlight video that shows off some off some of my favorite work from the last few years:

This afternoon we had a fun shoot with the Piggot children. Last mothers day, we had given our church a number of gift cards to put into gift baskets that were going to deserving mothers and this was one of the families that came from that.

Yesterday Jeff and Molly had an incredible wedding with their reception at the outstanding Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, MI.
It was a beautiful winter day with snow on the ground but warm enough to go outside for some photos. Molly had a permanent smile on her face all day.
Blossoms florist did an amazing job with all the flowers and we had the pleasure of working with Jason from Mike Staff Productions who was shooting the video.

The last few days I’ve been working hard to create beautiful paintings from some of my travel photos. I’m really excited to show the latest pieces.
In a few days, I’ll be offering a service to take YOUR vacation photos and turn them into one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

This first one will go in our living room and it is a 55″x100″ canvas wrap.
If you want to be able to zoom closer to see all the detail and brush strokes, click here:
http://arisingimages.com/painting/amalfi/amalfi.html

Town of Amalfi along the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy.

Here’s the original:

This next one will be a 55″x183″ canvas wrap that is split up into 3 panels. This will be by far the biggest piece that I’ve ever printed and it will go in our living room.
It is a photo of Cliff Palace which is an ancient Anasazi Indian cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park in south western Colorado.

Here’s the original:

This made me laugh so much I wanted to share it. I recorded Mayz singing a bunch of different stuff on my iphone and distorted it using the “voices” app. He was singing these songs all normal but the app made it sound really funny:

This afternoon we got together with Sydney to do some head shots to help her acting career. I’ve known Sydney since we lived on the same hall freshman year of college. We got reconnected when Cheridy and I shot her wedding last year. She is a woman of many talents. In college I remember her being an accomplished musician and now she is working full time as a lawyer. Since she has so much free time (just kidding), she decided to take up acting when the movie industry started coming to Detroit. Just in the last year, she already participated in 7 movies. 3 of those she was a stand-in and 4 of them she was an extra and has got to work on some really cool movies with the likes of Toni Braxton, Al Pacino, David Schwimmer, and Clive Owen. Now she’s ready to move past being an extra and is ready to take on speaking roles.
Go Syd!!!