Category Archive

Well first let me say that I have posted a bit out of order these days and I must backtrack to include this AMAZING wedding.  For those of you who remember my guest blogger a few months back (you can view part1 HERE and part2 HERE) their wedding was SOOOO worth the wait.  Both foreign service officers back from a year in BAGHDAD, this party was full of emotion, passion and just pure LOVE.  Love for family, love for friends, love for each other and just love for life.  They have truly experienced the hi’s and low’s this past year and this party was the beginning of a new chapter in their lives and I wish them all the happiness in the world, they soooo deserved a great party and they for SURE got it.   Julie changed late in the evening into a traditional (and HOT, I might add) red chinese dress!  The details were gorgeous, the ceremony so moving and the bride and groom just simply put… HAPPY!  Bless you both on your journeys wherever they may take you and I look so forward to seeing you again!

Off for a little vaca now, check back this weekend for more!!!!!

If you already have THANK YOU!!!!!

I have been nominated for BEST PHOTOGRAPHER in the WDIV Best of listing. I can’t tell you what an honor it is for me to be considered along with some of the amazing talent around town as the BEST photographer in Detroit. Please feel free to place a vote for me and my amazingly talented assistants in the contest. You may click HERE to place your vote for our studio. I believe you have to login and confirm your vote thru an email. Thank you in advance if you place a vote, I can’t tell you how much it means to me!

(please note you have to sign in to vote and then reply to an e-mail from them before your vote is counted!)

Trying to get a few weddings blogged before leaving on vacation, so check back daily.  Renee and Dustin were married at The Townsend Hotel and it was an absolutely stunning wedding.  Starting with a beautiful candlelit ceremony to the rocking party featuring the Killer Flamingos, everyone had a great time.  Thank you both and your families, especially Mark, for the wonderful energy and love you have, it is so clearly evident in the photos below that everyone truly enjoyed themselves.  A FEW of my favorites, there are SOOO many others I can’t wait for you to see.

Beautiful wedding, gorgeous details, stunning bride, handsome groom all the makings of a perfect day.  Because this post is SOOO long, I will keep this short.  I had such a lovely time with these 2, they made my job so easy.  They look like old Hollywood movie stars!  Thank you both so much for allowing me to capture images I hope you cherish FOREVER!

I have so many GORGEOUS weddings and engagement sessions to blog and i have 4 weddings in 9 days and am leaving for vaca for 10 days. Before vacation I hope to get a few from my AMAZING Baghdad couple Dave and Julies wedding from June 29th, as well as Renee and Dustins killer party at the Townsend on July 5, 2008.  So please bare with me as my posting will be slow until beginning of August, for the other July soirees. First up a little sneak peek of the breathtaking details from Anna and Michaels Meadowbrook Wedding June 28, 2008. Check back on Monday for a HUGE post with more.

I have been nominated for BEST PHOTOGRAPHER in the WDIV Best of listing. I can’t tell you what an honor it is for me to be considered along with some of the amazing talent around town as the BEST photographer in Detroit. Please feel free to place a vote for me and my amazingly talented assistants in the contest. You may click HERE to place your vote for our studio. I believe you have to login and confirm your vote thru an email. Thank you in advance if you place a vote, I can’t tell you how much it means to me!

Hope everyone had a happy 4th.  So guess what we did for the 4th of July?  We got a 3 year old pug from The Michigan Pug Rescue.  Backstory:  my kids have ALWAYS wanted a dog (especially Vivienne, see below), but with the busy season upon me, a puppy was not something I could handle, and not sure I could EVER handle.  I knew we all loved Pugs, so I did a little research, asked around and met a neighbor at the studio who had a pug and told us where she got it.  I will tell you that my experience with the application and interview process with the Nathans (the pug rescuers) was just amazing!  They were thorough,  without being intrusive and they wanted the best for our dog.  It was weird after we left their home we felt like family.  Just a great experience all around.   If you are interested in adopting a pug or know someone who is, please contact them, it is a WONDERFUL organization to be a part of.  So ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, meet Edith!  After Piaf, Massey, Head and Bunker.

I feel like I’m repeating myself each and every post about how AMAZING each of my couples are, but it is the truth. James and Lauren are no exception, I loved them from the second I met them and was soooo looking forward to capturing their wedding! What a wonderful day of friends and family, dancing and an amazing band that rocked the house! Thank you both for tracking me down, I am so honored to have been a part of your day. Enjoy a sneak peek!

HEATHER SAUNDERS PHOTOGRAPHY the studio!!!! Finally we all have a place to meet and work and create amazing photographs, relationships and customer service! Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with me during this INSANELY busy time in my life. This is the height of wedding season and moving into the studio during this period has been a challenge, so please know when you visit, it is a work in progress.

We are located in Royal Oak, at 1116 Catalpa (which is 11 1/2 mile road) between Woodward and Washington. If you are interested in coming in to visit give me a call 248-229-6810. Thank you again for all of you who have had to wait a day or two for phone calls and emails to be returned. I’m back in the swing of things! Can’t wait for everyone to come in and see it!

Alison and Michael were married on a beautiful hot summer day at the magnificient Gem Theatre.  We had such a fun time shooting portraits just as a Tigers game was getting out!  Lots of applause from an audience of 300 or so walking down the street makes for some fun photos!  Thank you both so much for really working the old hollywood glamour,  I loved spending the day with you both!   Enjoy several of my favorites from your day!

The GORGEOUS bride!

The handsome men!

The rest of the festivities!

I have mentioned before how much I love working with Ryan Koral, the owner of Epic Motion.

His work is so inspiring and he is just a really wonderful, authentic human being, something I think is really hard to find these days. If you need a wedding videographer or know anyone who does please pass along his info, you won’t be sorry!

Friday I had the pleasure of photographing Sarah and Garys big day!  The bride was radiant and elegant with a  simple sophisticated old hollywood feel.   A day full of rain broke just after the ceremony so that we could go outside and have some fun, I love it when mother nature gets my message about no rain during my shooting schedule!  The evening was a gathering of family and friends filled with joy and laughter!  Thank you both for being so much fun and putting up with my need to shoot, shoot, shoot!  Enjoy several of my favorites below.  I decided to do a little “vogue magazine retro” with the processing,  just for you  Sarah!

June 7th (can you believe I had a Saturday off?) My husband and I took our 11 year old son to see The Raconteurs for his birthday and for his 5th grade graduation. The Raconteurs are a band that consists of Jack White (from the White Stripes) and Brendan Benson (solo artist originally from here) and Jack and Patrick from the Greenhornes. My husband played drums for Brendan Benson on his debut album ONE MISSISSIPPI (sadly not in print any longer) We were able to go backstage after a FABULOUS show and hang for a bit. Since Jack and Brendan are former Detroiters, they had a lot of family and friends backstage (Meg was there too!). The fun point of this whole story must be envisioned thru an 11 year old boys eyes…we were backstage chatting with Brendan (whom he has met) and in the middle of our chat, Jack White came up to Harrison and said “Hey, I’m Jack, whats your name?” while sticking his hand out to shake. Harrison was in TOTAL shock. (I sooooooo wished I had a camera, but the moment was something I’m glad I saw with my eyes instead of thru a lens.) Anyways Harrison shook his hand and told Jack his name and he told him “Harrison, thats about the coolest name ever!” and walked off. Say what you will about Jack White (you either love him or hate him i guess) but he totally went out of his way to introduce himself to a kid who has such passion for music and life. He made his entire week and when he is 40 years old he will tell his children this story. Thank you Jack White. 

Harrisons Backstage Pass!

Just wanted to check in and let you know that I haven’t posted because I didn’t have power for 3 days this week which set me back a bit, my apologies!  Check for fun posts next week, I’m going to attempt a post a day!  Yikes!  I will have 2 awesome weddings this weekend to post, a Raconteurs review and post about our backstage adventures and a tribute to my son as he moves on from 5th grade to middle school, whaaaaaaa!   Have a wonderful weekend and check back next week!

This is a big post with BIG images, my blog has decided to cooperate today! We had such an amazing time with Summer and Rob. The day was just heavenly, the most amazing cloud filled sky, a stunning bride, a groom that knew how to have fun with the camera, and the brides parents had the same experience of getting married 33 years earlier, AMAZING! I could go on and on, but with so many images, I want to keep it short. Thank you Summer and Rob, for filling my day with such joy that was just a pleasure to capture.

I had sooo much fun with Seth and Lorelei shooting their engagement session!  We spent a quiet Sunday morning at Cranbrook, my favorite!  Gorgeous light, a dip in a fountain and lots of LOVE!  The makings of a picture perfect day!  Thanks guys, can’t wait to capture the wedding in July!

What can I say, what a day!!!! You may remember this couple as the winners of my first ever blog contest earlier this year, you can check out their winning image here. We had such an amazing time with Jenn and Steven. With the occasional glitch around every corner that day (bride recovering from pneumonia, little dress malfunctions, little DJ malfunctions…) this wedding never missed a beat. The true love these two have for one another was clearly evident and we had such an amazing time with them. We got to work with the AMAZINGLY talented and just all around fantastic human being Ryan Koral of Epic Motion who has a sneak peek reel on his blog from this wedding, check it out. Thank you Jenn and Steven for allowing us to capture SO many gorgeous images, you really worked it, I hope you LOVE them as much as I do! Below several favorites from our day.

I was so looking forward to shooting Kate and Omars wedding, since having such a FUN time shooting their engagement session last year, and boy I was NOT disappointed. We had so much fun and they were up for anything. The day included, but was not limited to; hilarious groomsmen, beautiful bridesmaids with killer shoes,  shooting a few portraits with a bunch of hideously beautiful colorful prom dresses, my groom running in a millwheel like a gerbil (with NO prompting from me I might add) and quite possibly the most HILARIOUS toast I have ever heard ( or seen, it involved interpretive dance). Thank you both so much for being so great. A few of my faves from your lovely day!

Well I’ve been slow to blog and please except my apologies.  I have BIG news that will explain why life is a bit crazy at the moment (and NO I am not pregnant), so thank you for your patience.  WAY back on May 9th, we officially kicked off our season with Kevin and Charlyn.  Amazing couple, wonderful family and terrific friends.  Thank you both for a wonderful time, I enjoyed so much meeting you.  A few of my favorites below from their day!

Well wedding season is in full swing, so we have alot of fun things to share with all of you! I shot 2 FABULOUS weddings this weekend and will have blog posts about them later this week. A new custom blog is in the works, hoping to launch in late July, it will feature HUGE photos and a gorgeous new look! And since I didn’t get to posting a Kauai travel post, I did want to mention that if you are looking for an incredible travel destination or honeymoon spot, it is absolutely breathtaking! I would like to reccommend a place to stay. My husband and I rented in Hanalei on the North Shore an incredible house from the Hanalei Surfboard House. The owner, Mr. Simon Potts is a former record company executive from England and his taste for retro island is impeccable! All the comforts of home and not in a stuffy hotel room, who knows you may run into someone famous. Tell him I sent you or that you saw it mentioned on my blog and be sure to inquire about the “Love Shack”, it rocks! Stainless appliances, HUGE shower, comfy mattress, Killer flat screen, a crazy cool CD and DVD collection.

I will leave you with a shot from the interior of the “Love Shack” and one of my faves from the first wedding of the season with Kevin and Charlyn! Check back soon for more!

I received a gorgeous invitation the other day from a client and the postage was a photo from the engagement session we shot together! I know everyone knows about it, but it is such a great idea and looks custom and personal on anything that you are sending! If you are interested let me know, I would be happy to send one of the photos to you free of charge to use as a stamp!

I finally had the pleasure to meet Heather and Stephen the other day. After weeks of emails and phone calls, I was so thrilled to meet them in person! Stephen and Heather live in NYC and I am soooo looking forward to the amazing celebration of love, food, wine, friends and family that they will be having in August. Stephen is the Executive Chef at the Tribeca Grill in Manhattan so needless to say the food and wine are going to be FABULOUS! As if the reason for celebrating isn’t fabulous enough! I forgot to mention the other special guest star in the photos is the ADORABLE Lulu, who granted me with the honor of taking a few close ups! Thank you again you guys, I really had a great time and can’t wait to see you both again! Cheers!

I had a great session with Rob and Summer last weekend and wanted to share. I LOVE when couples aren’t afraid to get out into the cold, sometimes its just such a nice change of scenery. I love greenery, but boy do I love blue skies, crisp wind, dead grass and muddy snow! We had a great time and they were amazing during my “survivor” series of portraits! Thanks guys.

While the work can be exciting and interesting, living in Baghdad is not without challenges. We eat in a military mess hall. None of the meals are prepared in Iraq. Rather, they are cooked in the U.S. and shipped to Kuwait, where they are brought in by convoy to Iraq. Sometimes, due to convoy delays, the only greens at the salad bar are pickles. Trying to eat healthy is a real challenge here (not to mention trying to get in shape for the wedding!). We also live right near the helicopter landing zone. The helicopters fly right over our trailers at all hours of the day and night; sometimes they are so close that the trailers shake. Times are really tough when the mortars are falling. We have both spent more time than we care to huddled under our beds or in concrete duck and cover bunkers. People have died. On Dave’s birthday, in August, I was 20 feet from a mortar that exploded.

While decision-making can be tough from a war zone, being so close to life and death, working side by side with men and women in uniform, and others who are truly working “the front lines”, Dave and I have come to appreciate more simple things, and especially each other. Dave and I hope we make it out safely so we can celebrate with our loved ones. Being in Baghdad has reminded us that we have much to be thankful for.

- Thank you so much Julie for your story and I look SOOOO forward to FINALLY meeting both you and Dave this summer, its going to be quite the party! Add a comment to either of these posts to let Julie and Dave know we are thinking of them, and be sure to check back in July when I will be posting some of their big day photos!

Julie and Katie Couric

Julie and David

My fiancé David and I will be married on June 29, 2008. Before the wedding, however, we have to complete our tours in Baghdad, Iraq where we are working at the U.S. Embassy. I work in the Public Affairs section and David works in the Economic section. As career foreign service officers, we will spend our careers serving at U.S. Embassies all over the world. Prior to arriving in Baghdad, I served in Beirut, Lebanon (and was responsible for evacuating over 15,000 Americans during the war in the summer of 2006); Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Jerusalem. David served in Washington and Sanaa, Yemen. Planning a wedding from a war zone has been a challenge, to say the least. When I read wedding websites and blogs, I sometimes feel envious that I am missing out on all the extras that come with wedding planning—shopping with my mom and sisters, brunch with the girls as we pick out bridesmaids dresses, shopping for decorations, flowers, jewelry, shoes, going to stationery stores to feel paper samples, tasting wedding cakes, planning a shower. I have not yet tried my dress on—in fact, my sisters and mom went out and bought it for me. I hope it fits, and can be altered quickly (in the two weeks I have before the wedding)! All of the wedding planning has been done via phone and internet. I have had to trust friends and family to help me make decisions on colors, styles, fabrics as I don’t have the luxury that you all have of being able to go into stores and looking at things. While most days I can be a bridezilla “Dave, what do you mean you can’t tell the difference between mango and persimmon!” I have definitely come to appreciate so much more about us, life, and all the accoutrements that go with planning the biggest gala of our lives (did I mention we are expecting 300-350 people?).

We arrived in Baghdad in June 2007, just as summer temperatures hit 120 degrees, and just as attacks on the International Zone were increasing. We travel into and out of Baghdad via military aircraft (C-130) and via a helicopter from the Baghdad airport into the International Zone (also known as the “Green Zone”). We are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) that weighs a ton whenever we travel. We live in a 10 foot by 20 foot metal trailer (think of a garden shed in the backyard) we call our “hooch,” that becomes a sauna in summer, an ice box in winter, and does little to shelter from rain and sand.. While we live in a trailer, we work in a palace—Saddam Hussein’s old Republican Guard Palace. Our work is interesting—I get to handle all aspects of our interaction with media and journalists, and Dave gets to work with Iraqis on helping develop their economy. I handle all the media for the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and therefore get to meet a lot of well known journalists and television personalities. I lent Katie Couric my blazer and pearls when she was in town, and got to help set up a CNN interview with Angelina Jolie during her visit to Iraq.

Stop by tomorrow to read the second part of this great story!

Julie and Dave next to their “hooch”

Julie and Angelina Jolie

I am pleased to announce that I am going to feature a guest blogger bride next week for the very first time. Planning a wedding can be a challenge, but the challenges before this couple living and planning from Baghdad will astound you and make you realize that planning a wedding should be filled with more joy than stress. Please check back next week as it will be an interesting and inspirational tale of LOVE, WAR, and ANGELINA JOLIE! NO seriously, hoping you will check back and take the time to read and post a comment to let them know we’re thinking of them. Happy Thursday!

So I finally got around to posting a few sunny travel photos of the beautiful Riviera Maya, Mexico. I shot Laura and Mikes wedding there on February 9th, I can’t believe its been over a month already! The El Dorado Royale is a beautiful all inclusive resort, with a fabulous beach, relaxing spa, several incredible pools and fantastic food! If you are interested in a honeymoon destination or even a destination wedding, I reccommend you check into this little piece of paradise. Hey, I could come too (to a wedding of course, not the honeymoon, i charge extra for “that”, hee hee!)

I’ve been a little busy editing away and album designing, but I will try to post some travel photos from Kauai and Mexico later this week. In the meantime I thought i’d share Neal Rubins column in the Detroit News last week about the mishap in Kauai that one of Kathleens beloved bridesmaids suffered! Thankfully she is back home and on the mend!

Danialle and Kathleen

Words cannot express the amazing time, couple, location and new friends I was blessed to photograph in Kauai last weekend. I know there are alot of you dying to see the pix from the trip, but as you can imagine I have 1000s to go thru and process. I still haven’t even finished Mexico yet. My trip was amazing, the trip home was long and to top it all off I had a HIDEOUS toothache and literally 4 hours after stepping off of an 10 hour flight, I was at the surgeon having 2 teeth pulled. So bare with me as I’ve lost a few days to recovering from jetlag and toothloss, whaaaa for me (I know patheotic)! So here is just a sneak peek of the beautiful location and the incredibly amazing and SO IN LOVE couple I got to spend time with. I look forward to spending more time with them in the future! Love you guys! Mucho Mahalo!

The evening of:

The evening after:

I have returned from my AMAZING trip to Kauai to shoot John and Kathleens wedding, more on that in the near future….
I just wanted to let you know that we now carry Save the Date and Thank You card templates in several different design styles and more to come! If you are interested please contact me for pricing and style information. This is an example of one we just did for Elizabeth and Matthew.

I will be traveling to Kauai Feb 13-21 shooting Kathleen and Johns wedding at the Princeville Resort! I am so excited to share this experience with all of you so check back in a few weeks or so….

I can not even begin to tell you what an amazing weekend i had with the Shryock and Cowell families and friends in Riviera Maya, Mexico! They treated me as another member of their family and I must tell you I wanted to be adopted by either (or both) of them. The weather was HOT AND STEAMY and coming home was quite a SHOCK! So I thought I’d post a few shots to warm us all up again…look for more in a few weeks, this is just a preview!

First we went for a little engagement session fun in a beautiful little town called Playa del Carmen.

Then for the big day, a sunset wedding on the beach! Words cannot possibly describe how beautiful it was….