The Middle or The Beginning?

I’m never not shocked when July 1 rolls around. June is almost always a blur for me with the start of wedding season and non-stop shoots dotting my calendar. And yet here we are, looking at July and I don’t know how we are here already. It feels like both the start of, and middle point, of summer.

I am keeping this month’s Substack briefer than my past articles have been but I have enjoyed the practice of writing again enough to continue this through my busier seasons. So here we go!

June had my team and I photographing nine weddings and had us hopping all over the state. I also started photographing family sessions and seniors in force and it’s just been so good. I also keep pondering really turning my photography focus to really leaning into more home sessions and why those are so slept on, but I am saving that for a future article.

But while we are on the topic…have you done a home session with you and your family, or with your person? What about just enjoying an afternoon at home with your cat or a loved dog? A parakeet? If you haven’t done one, would you?

With June being so busy, sadly, my art practices of painting and pottery take a back seat. Editing takes priority and I’m often gone so much that being able to slow down and grab a paintbrush or a hunk of clay is not often in the cards for me. I did make it to the pottery studio to make just a few things and play with some new glazing ideas I thought could be fun.

I also dropped off a few new pieces over at Dune Saugatuck, if you happen to stop in there. I also am testing out a few new prints I’ll be sharing soon as well from some paintings I did earlier this year.

Where do you stand on the ‘jorts’ (long shorts) trend? Personally…I’m a fan. And I have literally been living in this pair. I get stopped every time I wear them and they are comfortable and perfect for this current heatwave.

If you are a reader, you probably have either read, or haven’t had people shut up about Yesteryear. While it wasn’t my favorite book I’ve ever read, it’s a fun and fast read and been the most fun to download with my friends about it.

I recently discovered this sparkling tonic while I was in Saugatuck a few weeks back and am addicted to this! It’s not too sweet, a little herbacious, and filled with functional and tasty flavors. And it’s made right here in Michigan.

And lastly, I am continuously on the hunt for functional (ie pockets) and cute dresses to photograph weddings in and this silk dress hit all of my marks. It’s darling, has pockets, is washable, also breathable (silk feels SO good in this humid weather) and looks pretty for a wedding. Why should you care? Because it is just a good and easy frock to dress up and down at a super good price point for a silk dress. I love the chocolate brown color too! This is a great dress for a family photo shoot, a baby or bridal shower or wear sneakers with it for an easy casual outfit.

I really don’t even want to think about the next season, but fall is eventually coming and the reason that I bring that up is that I will be putting out my fall calendar sometime (hopefully) in the next month and will be sharing that soon. So if have been waiting to book with me for that season, it’s coming!

I also am going to be doing a home session giveaway sometime in the next few months as I really do want to start offering more of these.

And that’s it! Have a great upcoming holiday weekend everyone. I’ll share again soon.