I have been so fortunate to work with the Choike (Jamie, Jan, Adelynn & Eleanor) family since Jamie & Jan tied the knot 8 years ago. Jamie & Jan welcomed sweet Adelynn into their family 4 years ago through an open adoption. This weekend, I had the opportunity to photograph not only Jamie, Jan, Adelynn, and her sister Eleanor, but also Adelynn's birth parents and birth siblings. We spent the morning checking out the fun exhibits at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum. What a beautiful display of FAMILY. The love felt and shared within this group of people is truly remarkable. 

Rosy Mound - Grand Haven Engagement 

Beautiful winter wedding at Kirk in the Hills & the Birmingham Community House. 

Shooting in the rain can be even better than a perfect sunny day. Ask any photographer. Once you embrace it, your photos can be better than you ever imagined. 

Meet Michael Veldt. At only 21 years old, Michael is one of Allied Mechanical Services youngest employees. When Michael was just 4 years old he was adopted from his birth country of Romania by his loving father, mother, 2 brothers, and sister.
 
Michael has had to overcome many challenges in life, but perseveres through these challenges while maintaining a positive attitude. One of these challenges was learning how to speak English at such a young age. Michael has also had to work through growing up with severe learning disabilities.
 
Prior to working for Allied Mechanical Services, Michael worked as a janitor at South Christian High School and at Meijer for two years. Over the past year, Michael has grown into his job at Allied Mechanical Services working toward his career in construction. Michael has always thought a career in construction would be fun. He loves that in construction you can demolish an existing building and build something from the ground up. In his person time, Michael has a passion for video games and art.
 
When asked why Michael likes being a part of the Allied Mechanical Services team, he said, “It’s a really fun and energetic place to work, and the people are all very kind.” When asked about diversity in the construction industry, Michael said, “We’re at the beginning stages, but I hope it continues moving in the right direction. The more people open their eyes and meet more people that are different, the more they’ll be able to understand others and see life from their perspective.”
 

I have been busy shooting completed and in-progress construction projects in West Michigan. Check out the photos below. (Click to see full photo)

Sweet family, beautiful afternoon. 

A beautiful morning capturing the love that radiates between Regina & Charles in downtown Detroit, where they both live and work.