{The Limotte Family}

7, 5 and 3.

Gavin, Gillian and Gannon.

Joe & Jaime

The Limotte Family

I’ve never had more fun during a session. Three kids at very active ages with budding
personalities and early signs of sibling rivalry … I know this all too well …

It  brought me back to my own childhood. I was the only girl growing up
with two boys. It was fascinating to watch them
interact with each other because it was so familiar.

This family bursts at the seams with love, affection and energy. It was contagious.
You guys were an absolute riot and a breath of fresh air
and I enjoyed every minute of the session.=
I hope this is the first of many sessions we have together!

A Kalamazoo Baby, {nathaniel}

Finally, we welcome another boy into the BAMphoto Family!
While I do love all the little ladies I’ve been
photographing the past few years, it is a nice change of pace
to work with boys here and there!

Nathaniel Finn Sullivan was 5 weeks old when we met.

It was impossible to not to be instantly smitten with him.
His mom, Jenny had a gentle and kind nature.
His dad, Jeremy was comical and attentive.
They were so easy going and low stress for being first time parents.
I even found myself feeling more relaxed around them.

They were in town from Kalamazoo because Jeremy’s sister, Jaime
was throwing them a party to introduce Nathaniel to
the whole family!

I loved being able to capture Nathaniel meeting his Grandmother.
She was so excited and she was just radiating with
happiness to meet him!

…And it turns out that the world is a lot smaller than we think!
She actually lives in East Tawas, Michigan.
This is a very small town in northern Michigan on
Lake Huron.
My Grandparents, who passed away this past summer lived there
my entire life. When we mixed East Tawas and my last
name into a conversation, it lead to the question
of being related to John & Margaret Majka.
I felt faint to be quite honest.
It’s always been difficult to describe to others just how
special my Grandparents are…I usually just tell people that
they were 50% human and 50% pure angel.
…And to meet two complete strangers who knew them
while I was working was just incredible. I’ve
been thinking that it was their way of saying hello.
How amazing is that? Ugh, I’ll never forget it as long as I live.
I’m telling you, I know I’m on the right path because
things like THAT happen when I’m working. It’s remarkable.

Okay, okay, okay…back to the baby boy!

Jenny & Jeremy, he is so handsome and I wish you
both the best of luck on this new journey!
Thank you for letting me photograph those little moments.
I loved watching the interaction between the three of you,
and of your pup!
I look forward to crossing paths again in the future!

Whitney + Chad {tie the knot}


Chad & Whitney are a couple that inspires me personally.
They are loving.
affectionate.
kind.
gentle.
humble.
and head over heels for each other.
They got married on a beautiful April day.
The sun was shining, the breeze was fresh.
It was warm enough not to wear a coat which is a
blessing here in the midwest.
It could be 80, or there could be a blizzard in April.
It was an honor to photograph their wedding day, and the
combining of their families.

Whitney & Chad,
I wish you a lifetime of happiness and love, even though I
am positive that it’s already a guarantee.
You are truly beautiful people, and I look forward
to working with you in the near future!

Enjoy!

You’ll have to thank my favorite band….

So, I woke up this morning and checked my email…
It began buzzing much earlier than usual so it was
the first thing I did.
Dispatch {my 2nd favorite band of all time} announced
they would be releasing a new album after 12 painful years
of waiting…AND that they were going on tour AND that there
would be TWO shows in Chicago at my favorite indoor concert venue Aragon Ballroom.
You’re probably wondering what this has to do with you getting
a free session?

Dispatch’s music has been bringing ridiculous amounts of
joy to my life since I was 15. It’s the music I fell asleep to when
I was a teen, it’s the music I turn on when I need to celebrate,
{accompanied by Whitney Houston’s “I wanna dance w. Somebody”
It’s the music that comforts me.
It’s the music that enhances a great day.
It’s the music I shamelessly sing to in the shower.

And this news of their tour and album release was the best news
I ever could have woken up to (aside from Christina or Brooke telling
me that they are pregnant!)
It put me in a great mood, and I just wanted to share
that and make someone else feel good…
So like them on Facebook and thank them! ha!

So,

Brooke Forest Theriault of Illinois
&
Kristin Easter of Michigan
{yeah, you should know by now that there wouldn’t
just be one…}

let’s make some magic, on the house.

email me to set a date!

BAMphoto00 [at] gmail [dot] com

PAY IT FORWARD.
make someone’s day.


{ the ottersen’s }

A red brick love story….

I’ve had the pleasure of photographing little miss Everlee
since she was just a few months old.
It’s actually hard to believe that she’s two already…
She’s so smart, observant and just beautiful.
M & M’s, a dog named Cocoa & her Mama blowing
bubbles with her gum were things she loved
most during our session.
{Also known as parent-photographer bribery.}

Downtown Hinsdale was a perfect location.
It’s quaint and colorful…
they have red brick streets on some of the
side streets and I’m in love with them.
It reminds me of living in San Anselmo, California and my
parents driving me down the Crookedest Street in the World
in San Francisco.

When planning out the location in my mind,
I was just drawn to this red brick idea and couldn’t
let it go. And it immediately reminded me of the red
brick side streets in Hinsdale.
It couldn’t have been more perfect.
It isn’t often that I use locations more than once…
but this will definitely become a signature location.
A family location.

Thank you to Scott, Christine and Everlee for being
so loyal, supportive and for constantly sending new
clients to me. This business truly is all about word of mouth.
Because of clients like you guys, I won’t ever have to worry
about outsourcing my marketing and that is so
incredibly valuable.
You have a beautiful family and I am so honored
to be your photographer.

Enjoy!

Dan + Valerie { tie the k n o t }

Valerie & Dan are unlike any other couple I’ve ever
worked with. They remind me of my own relationship…
two opposite people, keeping each other balanced.
She’s a soft spoken horseback rider and school counselor.
He’s a witty reporter for the Kokomo, Indiana Tribune Newspaper.

couldn’t resist, this is my favorite photo
of the day.

I had the honor of doing their engagement photos and
photographing their wedding.
What has been sticking out in my mind the most about
their wedding day, were these moments when Valerie wouldn’t
be paying any attention to me, and she’d have this expression
on her face that was so calm, modest and exquisite.
It was breathtaking.
And of course, Dan & his groomsmen were entertainment all on
their own. I love small wedding parties.
You can actually get to know each person on certain level and
I love that…I love knowing who I’m photographing.
I’d also like to thank you all for your patience!
You guys handled my “ONE MORE” fibs very well.

Best part of the wedding:
The DJ’s & I ate dinner together, and we went back and forth
about whether this particular crowd was going to be
on the dance floor or not.
Usually, you can tell as soon as you walk into a room full of people,
what they’d do if Twist & Shout came on…we couldn’t tell with this crowd!
Oh, but we were fooled!
I’ve never been more impressed by a couple’s wedding guests!
The only time the dance floor wasn’t full, was when the first
dances were on. It was incredible!
They had a fabulous group of people to celebrate with!
Okay, I lied…
best part of the wedding was BY FAR, the fact that it was March 24,
and it was 64 degrees.
Everything was in bloom.
The grass was green.
And the storm clouds (which went right past us)
made for an awesome backdrop.
Thank you global warming.

So Dan & Valerie,
here are a few photos to tide you over until your photos
delivered to you next week!
I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon!
I also hope someone got a video of your dad’s toast, Valerie!
Best toast ever.

Enjoy!

Trey + Ty = a brother story

This was my first time photographing brothers.
I should have been ready for anything, but I wasn’t!
Trey & Ty were a burst of energy and a ball of
rugged boyish play.
By the time the session was over, we all needed naps!
Boys will be boys…

This was also my first time shooting in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
{if you haven’t been there, you should add it
to your list of places to go. very cool city.}

It didn’t take me long to find the locations
I wanted to use for the shoot.
Each location appealed to their imaginations,
which added so much to the session.
Trey’s baby blues, and Ty’s one-year-wonderment
made this brother session one I’ll never forget.

Enjoy!

Ashley + Bryce + Charlotte = l o v e

This was a session that even a couple weeks
later was doing a serious number
on my heartstrings.

Just before Bryce’s deployment, they found
out that Charlotte was on her way.
It was a long pregnancy and long first few
months of life for Ashley & Charlotte but it was more than
worth the wait.
Ashley was a trooper to say the very least.
I can’t even imagine going through a pregnancy and childbirth
without my husband by my side.
She never complained, and she kept a positive attitude through it all.
It was amazing to be able to see (from afar) how
strong of a woman Ashley has become.
She’s the most wonderful mother, friend and wife.

On March 3, they welcomed home Bryce after a long deployment.
I didn’t think a moment could get more special than the
honor of photographing Charley when she was born,
but this was a remarkable experience for me.
Ashley is one of my closest girlfriends, and it was
such an honor to have been able to capture even just a glimpse
of the love between this new little family.
Watching them interact together, was enough
to make even MY hormones go through the roof!
Bryce fell into his role as a Father like he’d been doing
it his whole life. Charley adores him and it’s clear as day.

I love you guys dearly, and I am so happy that you’re
all finally reunited, and that you both finally get to
enjoy the incredible little girl you created, together.
I look forward to celebrating and photographing
your wedding celebration.
May the coming years be the best years of your life.
Love you all.

{ Austin }

Austin is one of my favorites.
I’ve never met a little boy quite as charming or
sweet as him.
His manners are better than
most adults…and his baby blues
melt everyone’s hearts.
…and I happen to love his parents,
who happen to be two of my best friends.

{ Elizabeth Ellis }

Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were.
You wonder what’s to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go
of what had been, and look ahead to what would be.
Other days. New days. Days to come.
The thing is, we didn’t have to hate each other for getting older.
We just had to forgive ourselves… for growing up.”

I could quote Wonder Years for nearly any kind of situation.
It’s definitely in my Top 3 favorite shows ever.

Enough about me, more about Elizabeth.
[i just think of the quote above when i do senior photos
because it's what i thought of when i got mine done.]

I always feel so lucky and changed as an artist
when I photograph someone who is even more
beautiful on the inside than they are on
the outside. You get this vibe from Elizabeth
long before you even speak to her.
Her eyes and smile let you know the genuine and kind person she is.

Elizabeth, I wish you the best of luck in your
future endeavors. I can only imagine how
many great things you’re going to accomplish!
even if you do decide to go to Michigan State! Ha!
Thank you for being wonderful, exquisite and so kind.
The world needs more people like you!