beautiful – True Light Images

The Oteto Women

August 21, 2017Posted in children, family, fashion, grand rapids, modeling, models, photography, UncategorizedTagged african, beautiful, family, grand, kenya, michigan, rapids, west, womenLeave a comment

There is nothing like coming across genuine, honest, from the soul, people.
There are times when it just flows, and you have this natural and sincere connection.
It is like a breath of fresh air.
That is what it was like working with the Oteto family.
I had an amazing time with this family and getting to know them.
Even with a rain shower in the midst of our overcast day, it was a fun and fulfilling experience.
I truly appreciate and treasure this opportunity to be able to photograph these beautiful women. Their beauty truly resonates from the inside out.

Rose is expecting her second child and while all of her sisters were available she wanted to take photos to commemorate the special occasion.

Mother Dorothy and her daughters Mariam, Julia, Carra, Gianniana, Rose and her three granddaughters donned traditional Kenyan Maassai jewelry (the Oteto family is Luos) with beautiful bold prints.

Thank you Rose for entrusting me to capture your vision and congratulations on your growing family!!

Seniors Class of 2017

September 7, 2016April 7, 2017Posted in children, city, college, families, family, fashion, grand rapids, modeling, models, parents, photographer, photographers, photography, photojournalist, portraits, senior, Uncategorized, west michiganTagged african, american, beautiful, black, child, children, city, class, cute, daughter, family, fashion, female, girl, gorgeous, grand, grand rapids, images, life, light, michigan, model, modeling, people, photographer, photography, portfolio, portraits, pretty, rapids, teenager, true, west, womanLeave a comment

So I have not been as busy as I would like, but I did have the chance to photograph a few awesome seniors.

They are the class of 2017 and they are poised to take over the world. Beautiful, bright, amazing young ladies!!

I am so honored that I had the chance to capture your senior photos for you!

Enjoy your senior year! Take it all in. In the blink of an eye time passes and it becomes a distant memory you wish you could hold onto just a bit longer.

CONGRATULATIONS Elora, MaKayla, and Jacqueline!

Caius and Latesha

August 27, 2015August 27, 2015Posted in babies, boys, celebrities, children, city, clothes, fashion, grand rapids, magazine, michigan, modeling, photographers, photographyTagged adorable, african, american, babies, baby, beautiful, black, bond, boy, child, children, cute, editorial, ethnic, family, fashion, gorgeous, grand, handsome, love, magazine, male, michigan, model, modeling, mother, photographer, photography, photojournalism, portfolio, preschool, rapids, son, westLeave a comment

One of the many rewards to being a photographer is being able to watch the little ones you shoot grow up.
I have done quite a few shoots with Caius and am honored to have been able to document and create memories for him and his wonderful mother Latesha since he was a newborn.

This three year old has such a big, fun personality. An absolute joy to be around!

Natalia – Class of 2015

August 5, 2015August 19, 2015Posted in celebrities, children, city, clothing, families, family, fashion, grand rapids, magazine, michigan, photographers, photography, photojournalist, portraits, seniorTagged 2015, african, american, beautiful, biracial, black, children, cute, daughter, fashion, female, grand, grand rapids, michigan, photographer, photography, photojournalist, portraits, rapids, senior, west, west michiganLeave a comment

This beautiful young lady is my goddaughter (though I call her my niece).
I am so proud of the intelligent, strong and compassionate young lady she has become.
Stay strong, keep moving forward and always reach for your goals. (Yes totally cliche but I mean it).

Congratulations Natalia!!
I love you!

Allison and Andrew

March 14, 2015Posted in business, city, couples, engaagement, fashion, grand rapids, love, magazine, michigan, photographer, photographyTagged adorable, beautiful, city, couples, dowtown, engagement, forever, grand rapids, happiness, love, michigan, photographer, photography, sweet, westLeave a comment

There is absolutely nothing better than seeing two people in love.
I love engagement sessions for that reason. I love the energy from the couples that I photograph at the beginning of their journey towards forever.
Allison and Andrew are a prime example of that. They exude love, happiness and just a bond that is evident when you meet them.

Cannot wait until the wedding you two!
Congratulations!

616 Design Studio collaboration

March 14, 2015March 14, 2015Posted in business, celebrities, clothing, fashion, magazine, michigan, modeling, models, photographer, photographyTagged beautiful, cheeks, cute, deux, ethnic, eyewear, girls, glasses, modeling, models, photographer, photography, pretty, sunglasses, womenLeave a comment

Jamie Smith, owner of Deux Cheeks Eyewear and 616 Design Studio, and I collaborated on a shoot at the end of January. As usual it was a blast.
The two models, Jessie & Angioly, did a quick mini session as well.
Cannot wait for future collaborations.

Be sure to check out www.deuxcheeks.com for some cool, custom eyewear!!

Grand Rapids Power Weekend

March 11, 2015March 11, 2015Posted in business, clothing, fashion, fashion show, models, photographer, photographyTagged african, american, beautiful, biracial, black, business, catwalk, city, class, clothing, cute, daughter, ethnic, fashion, gorgeous, grand rapids, michigan, models, photographer, photography, Power, show, WeekendLeave a comment

October 17 and 18, 2014 there was a fantastic event held.
The Grand Rapids Power weekend.
Kristian Grant and Michael Buxton put on this wonderful two night event.
The first night was a mixer for everyone to connect and enjoy the evening.
The second night was a fashion show that showcased fantastic fashion and some great local models.
Both of these nights were a blast. The energy was amazing and everything was flawless. Hopefully there will be more events like this in the future.

Lucas Family – Gender reveal

March 10, 2015March 10, 2015Posted in babies, children, families, family, infants, maternity, michigan, modeling, models, photographer, photography, portraitsTagged adorable, babies, baby, beautiful, child, children, daughter, expecting, family, father, female, gender, girl, gorgeous, mother, photography, portraits, revealLeave a comment

THIS WAS MY FIRST GENDER REVEAL SESSION, AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
IT WAS BITTER COLD AND WE DID SOME ON THE FLY LOCATION SCOUTING BUT SOMETIMES THAT JUST MAKES THINGS EVEN MORE EXCITING.
I AM EXCITED FOR OYUKI AND ALAN AS THEY ARE EXPECTING THEIR SECOND CHILD!
AMAYA IS GOING TO BE SUCH A GOOD BIG SISTER!
CONGRATS TO THE LUCAS FAMILY!

Olivia

November 13, 2014November 13, 2014Posted in babies, children, families, infants, michigan, photographer, photographyTagged adorable, autumn, baby, beautiful, books, child, cute, daughter, fall, girl, grand, guitar, infant, life, love, michigan, mother, music, photographer, photography, pretty, rapids, westLeave a comment

What a sweetheart this 6 month old is.
I love babies and she definitely stole my heart.
I have known her mom since we were itty bitty so it was special for me to be able to capture a few photos for her.

Olivia already has an affinity for music (she loves listening to her daddy play the guitar) and books.

These photos were shot back in the beginning of October.

Tori

November 12, 2014November 13, 2014Posted in ballet, children, dance, fine arts, photographer, photographyTagged academy, adorable, american, athlete, ballerina, ballet, beautiful, child, children, city, cute, dancer, dancing, en pointe, family, girl, grand, grand rapids, michigan, over, photographer, photography, rapids, shoes, teenager, top, westLeave a comment

I have had the privilege of shooting this beautiful 14 year old for about three years I do believe.
She is such a talented and gifted dancer with a heart of gold.
It is a joy working with her and her family. They have been such a big support through my growth as a photographer, and it is so appreciated.

I always wanted to do a trash the shoe session, and this was just as fun as I thought it would be. Her shoes were what us in the ballet world refer to as “dead”, meaning little to no support and very uncomfortable, hence why we were able to have her en pointe, on concrete. She was a trooper through it all and the photos are wonderful.