Photographing at an old airport hanger has been on my mind for a long time now. There are actually two in the area and every time I drive by I think what an awesome backdrop for a guy! It wasn’t until the other day when the owner of our building came in and told us a story that it really inspired me to try and convince someone to see what I see. The owner of our building (actually there are two, a father/son duo) stopped by the other day to see our improvements and see how things were going at JEM. As we were talking, I noticed he was wearing a jacket and a hat with an airplane on it. I asked him about it and was engrossed in his response for the next 20 minutes or so. He proceeded to tell us that back in the 80’s he flew a single engine plane with a group of other single engine planes around the world! That’s right, AROUND THE WORLD!!! I was so amazed and couldn’t stop asking questions. What an experience! Right? Just the listing of stops and places he visited was amazing. I bet we could spend days together and not hear all the stories. So that gets me to Derek, a senior at Woodmore High School. He trusted me enough to meet me at this very old airport hanger for these portraits. He took all of my instructions so well except the smiling part. It’s alright Derek! The straight/tough face looks great on you!!!
Thanks Derek for letting me be creative with your backdrop and trusting me. I know you must have questioned the location at least once. Thanks for bringing your closet of clothes to pick from too. 
I have had the pleasure of photographing these two for quite some time now. Each and every time I’m with them I leave saying, “what nice kids”. I know they probably hate it when I say that and it makes me sound old, but they really are nice kids. Meet Danielle and Jonmorgan who both will be graduating from Anthony Wayne High School. They are fraternal twins and for anyone that knows me I have a special place for them as I have a twin brother also. We met in downtown Grand Rapids a few weeks ago for what was supposed to be a mini senior session but of course my camera and I get going and I can’t stop myself for getting all these fun shots.
Jonmorgan I can tell you’re going far in life. Your personality and sense of humor is awesome and your ability to talk to people is such a great trait.
Danielle. Oh Danielle. You have no idea how beautiful you are. So there’s this song out there, its called Ohio. In the song a girl is nicknamed Ohio. Ever since I’ve heard this song I’ve always wanted to be called Ohio (for those of you who don’t know me, I love nicknames). Of course I’ve never been called this but I think I’ll pass this nickname on. You look like an Ohio to me Danielle!! Don’t worry, it’s a compliment. An all-american girl with a smile that lights up a room. Did I just embarrass you? Ok, I’ll stop now but I’m still calling you Ohio.
Thank you to both of you. Have a great time this year!
This girl is stunning. Emily is the girl that if I were in her high school would be voted most likely to succeed (though I just met her and I never told her I was going to put that on the blog, I got the vibe). Emily, you are intelligent, beautiful and down to earth. Those are some awesome traits for a high school senior. I loved roaming around Botanical and photographing you! You have a contagious smile and you take a breathtaking photograph. It was, as I thought it would be, difficult to choose which ones to share.
You can tell a lot about a young man by the way he treats his mother. Here at JEM we get the nicest senior boys and Noah is no exception. He was a great subject to photograph and I think he needed the least direction in posing of any boy I have ever photographed. Seriously Noah, your a natural. So last week we started here at the studio and ended up at Clay High School with a couple stops in between. Noah is obviously a soccer player and has gone to State for hurdles. I have a feeling he will be getting a scholarship. As we headed to the track it brought back some blurry memories of when I was a ‘hurdler’. I use the noun loosely as my technique and the correct technique never quite matched up. Seeing Noah swiftly leap over the hurdles only confirmed that I made the right choice and switched sports. Noah, I know it will be a great senior year for you!
