The Shore Photography

Senior Photography: South Haven, MI

Tonya — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:36:15 +0000

High school senior photography sessions in South Haven, MI are SO much fun! Who wouldn’t love photographing this absolutely gorgeous senior. Not only is she stunning but she is super sweet and has this amazing smile. On top of that, she and her mom were fantastically organized with wardrobe and accessories. Thank you for such a fun, easy night behind the camera…

And the girl can pose! Watch out Gisele, there’s a new girl in town.

We headed to The Shore and had fun with the ~~glamor fan~~ wind.And she kept up those amazing poses and smiles till the sunset. Perfection!

South Haven, MI Family Photo Session: Super!

Tonya — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:16:31 +0000

I know. I know. It’s been a LONG time since my last blog post. I’ve been super busy with my kiddos and my schedule just hasn’t allowed me to work or blog much. However I occasionally get an email and there is something in my gut that says…just do it. And the timing is right and things just fall into place.

And that’s exactly how I met this adorable family in South Haven during the Blueberry Festival. And when they told me they were staying in the Doll House, I knew we were going to create gorgeous portraits worthy of gracing any magazine cover.

The kids totally rocked the sibling shots!I told you they are adorable.Yeah, she stole my heart with her little pixie looks and gorgeous grin.We also headed to the North Shore beach to record these special memories.

South Haven, MI Photographer: Tonya Marie

Tonya — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 02:54:19 +0000

People always say, you must have so many photos of your kids. And I do. But I actually don’t get a chance to photograph my children as often as I would like. I’m so busy with portrait sessions during the summer that I rarely turn my lens in their direction. Let’s face it. It’s not easy to get to have your little ones dressed, camera ready, and in a good mood all at the same time. Speaking of little, my oldest isn’t so little anymore! Yikes. Where does time go?

I like this portrait because you can (barely) see both lighthouses in the distance. The beach grass, Lake Michigan, the little patch of sand, my handsome guy…what a great view!

He’s a squinter. And I used to hate it. Photographers like to see eyes! But it’s who he is. His eyes are VERY sensitive to light so I’ve learned to embrace it. And I adore his squintyness.

His expression in this image…well, it’s just him. And I love it. And yet, it makes me sad too because he looks so grown up.

But then I caught this. The anticipation before that first wave laps at your feet.

And I see the kid in him again. The little boy who I know won’t be around forever. So I’m going to soak up every moment of his childhood that I can.

And enjoy those moments. Where things are still carefree. And you can yell at Lake Michigan and nobody stares.

Beach Photos by The Shore Photography

Tonya — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:58:58 +0000

This was a busy session with two gorgeous girls on the beach in South Haven, Michigan. Toddlers can be challenging to photograph and Miss G certainly made me work to get these amazing portraits. Yep. She’s an energetic, on-the-go, things to do, conquer the world kind of girl. She’s also adorable with her red hair. And those deep blue eyes just melt your heart.

And her new sister, Miss E, is super sweet. She may have the opposite personality of her big sister: more laid back, happy to watch the world…she even fell asleep at the end of our session. I think her big sister wore her out!

Family Beach Photographer: South Haven, MI

Tonya — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:55:38 +0000

This family contacted me months ago (5 months to be exact!) to schedule their session on the beach in South Haven, MI. Through emails back and forth I knew this would be a busy and fun session with two brothers…not quite 2 and not quite 4 years old. When I first met them, I had to stop myself from going on and on about how cute they were with their gorgeous hair and intense eyes because well, that would be weird. And they are boys. So instead we talked about snakes, monkeys, and bugs. We walked along North Shore Drive. We played ball. And we captured beautiful summer photos.

I just adore this brother portrait.

This much cuteness should seriously be illegal. How could you ever say no to this little guy?

Older brother striking a pose for me. Future heart-breaker for sure!

And we finished on the beach with an amazing sky! I’ve got to mention what a great job their mom and dad did. It takes a lot of patience when working with such active kiddos and they handled it like professionals. Thank you for being such a fantastic family.

~Signed your photographer who is secretly hoping you schedule another vacation in South Haven so I can photograph your family again.

South Haven, MI Photography

Tonya — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 04:31:46 +0000

I often say I have the best clients. And I really do. They schedule months in advance. We carefully plan clothing. And get to know each other over email exchanges before meeting at the beach. But once in a (great) while I’m sweet talked into a last minute session. Why do I take a last minute session? I’m already booked. My schedule is full. But sometimes they say just the right things. And everything lines up perfectly. That’s what happened with this session. Beautiful family. Beautiful morning. Beautiful portraits.

The Shore Photography in South Haven, MI

Tonya — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:16:13 +0000

I met this gorgeous family at the beach in South Haven, MI for their portrait session. And I think I must be the luckiest photographer in the world because not only are these sisters simply adorable but they all did an amazing job in front of the camera. I also have to give a lot of credit to their parents who were wonderful to work with and did a fantastic job with clothing selection. Thank you to their entire family for making my job so much fun.

The image below shows what happens when everything lines up just perfectly!

And here’s the whole family. I told you they are awesome and it totally shows in this portrait.

The Shore Photography: South Haven, MI

Tonya — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 02:23:46 +0000

The beach in South Haven, Michigan was the perfect setting for a photo session with The Shore Photography. This handsome guy has been in front of my lens since he was a few days old. It’s been a pleasure to watch him grown into an active, adventurous, and oh-so adorable boy.

South Haven Family Photographer

Tonya — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:43:14 +0000

This sweet family contacted me a few months ago to do their photo session while they were vacationing in South Haven, Michigan. Really, what could be a better time to do family portraits! Schedules are tossed aside. Lots of playtime on the beach. And plenty of fun to go around…even if you do get locked out of your cottage during your session! When photographers think of their dream family…this is it! Everyone was simply delightful. And gorgeous!

One thing I truly enjoy about working with families is observing the dynamics. Families are SO different. I hope that my boy and girl get along as well as this brother and sister duo.

Sometimes we also do “off-the-beach” photographs as well. This one was as easy as hopping off the beach onto a little patch of grass for some colorful shots.

Make sure you check back to this blog post…I might get a chance to add another image if I can tackle a few more things of my to-do list.

The Shore Photography in Saugatuck, MI

Tonya — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 02:29:24 +0000

Back in April I received an email from a prospective client interested in a photo session on the beach. She mentions she is from St. Louis and will be traveling to Michigan for her family vacation. And…she is a photographer (click here to check out her wonderful work). I admit I was a little nervous shooting for another photographer but once we met and got to know each other, things just clicked. Haha. This family is just so full of life, adventurous, and super sweet. They all were an absolute pleasure to photograph.

The first portrait below with the letters…Robin’s fabulous idea and I LOVE how it turned out.

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