Senior Session- 1 amazing teen with 6 different personalities

A senior session with diamonds and guns, mud and dresses.

   It makes me happy when I meet a girl who can push boundaries but not be afraid to give back. A girl who can wear diamonds well, but doesn’t freak out when she falls in mud. A girl who can look like a lady in an evening gown but can out shoot the boys in the woods.
   That’s Tiffany- exactly.
   Not to make me sound old, but she’s a reminder to me that there’s still girls out there that are going to grow up and lead this world and make it a better place. There’s still girls out there that people can be proud of.
   Her shoot took us 2 different days to complete due to the fact we went from spinning in circles in a brand new prom dress in front of a handmade backdrop I had made, to grabbing guns and boots and hiking down the muddiest hill I’ve ever seen! We also grabbed amazing coffee in Croswell and climbed around some old buildings in Goodells. We were literally all over the place!    I LOVE shoots like these. Because shoots like these aren’t really shoots. They turn in to fun days of exploring with new friends.
   Check out what we did on our little adventures together:

(OH! And scroll down to the bottom to see what everything thing looks like behind the scenes on BOTH days of our shoot!)

There are so many looks to this session if you love the glamorous prom dress outfit check out Janelle's Senior Photoshoot!

For a more outdoor country feel check out Tayler's senior session!

Check out our full Senior Gallery

Check out our behind the Scenes video too of BOTH days we shot!

Naked on the Back Roads of Vegas

creating vulnerable fine art

How Jena Malone and Brooke Shaden taught me to strip my life down and be free.

   A few months ago I picked up the oversized As If magazine with Jena Malone on the cover. The photograph was extremely intriguing. That was the only reason why I really cared. Sure… Jena's character on the Hunger Games was kinda interesting, but not enough for me to really want to learn about her as a person.
   And then I read her interview.
   And then I was wrong.
   In it she talked about how horrible Hollywood can be and sometimes you just need to take your top off.
   I thought to myself… isn’t that kind of a typical Hollywood answer though? Let’s all just get naked!
   Then I kept reading.
   She herself was interested in photography, nature, exploring… actually being a very intriguing character herself. And then it got me thinking.
   What would it be like to roll around in the dirt naked? Or take a walk outside, naked.
   Because you’re presently all living in 2016 and the world is totally corrupt and overly sexualizes everything, I can see how you might think, as I did, that this is a bit much. Then I thought about it more as an instinctual thing, more caveman like, more natural, and then I realized. I got her point. Sometimes you just have to strip it all away away and be simple.

   Fast forward a few months after that when I attended WPPI in Las Vegas. Sin City. Ironic? I think not.
   I took a class with the amazing and inspirational Brooke Shaden. The class was on making vulnerable art.
   Now, we learned a lot in the class, but the main point was- what is it in your life or at that moment that makes you feel vulnerable? Embrace that, show that, share that, and you may just get someone in return opening up and living vulnerably.

   Vulnerable is defined as: susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.

   How many times do we open our selves up for attack?
   I’ve always been a pretty honest and open person, especially with my art, so I feel like I may actually do it more than most. Not because I want to be attacked but because I have a NEED to express myself. And because my mom always taught me to be proud of who I am and take nothing from anyone, vulnerability wasn’t always a bad thing.
   But… I did realize there’s one thing that makes me vulnerable both emotionally and physically and that’s nudity.
   Clothes physically protect us from harm. Clothes emotionally protect us from harm. Yet I find myself, when wanting to make RAW art , that clothes get in the way. They cover us up and give us a completely different view of people.
   Think about it- don’t we judge people on their clothes and hair right away? Not in a bad way, it’s just a way that allows us to communicate to the world who we are. Imagine if clothes were gone and all I had to judge YOU on was… you. ONLY who you are in your own skin. Pure emotion and truth.
   Feeling vulnerable yet? Yeah… I am.

   So… My husband and I rented a car, drove miles and miles in to the deserted mountains of Nevada, and I became vulnerable and free.
 

   Envisioned and Edited by me. Shot and perfected by my husband.

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View all my Self Portraits

If you like this one check out my self Portrait Shedding Layers & The Revolution

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Check out this short video of us behind the scenes on our adventure!

engaged couple celebrates their love with snow and coffee

A Winter Engagement session in Pure Michigan

We cool down with Mother Nature and snow then warmed up at The Exquisite Corpse with coffee

   I remember the first time I spoke with Casey on the phone about her wedding. She was so bubbly, so sweet. I was SO excited to meet her in person.
   A few weeks later she and her fiancé Evan came to the studio and I was right. She is the sweetest, and Evan is just an all around kind guy as well. She looks as him with the most adoring eyes and he smiles back with the most accepting smile.    So as you can imagine, photographing them was a breeze.
   It went like this- You two. Be in love. Snap, snap, snap. Ok, moving on. Repeat.
   Ok, so maybe it wasn’t EXACTLY like that, but their chemistry is obvious and their personalities were naturally meant to hold hands forever.
   Once I did some digging I found out Evan played a ton of musical instruments, so I really wanted to incorporate that side of who they were as well. The bride to be is always easy to highlight, they’re always gorgeous and full of love. So they shine, as Casey does. But sometimes guys can hide behind that.
   Their relationship appears to very equal, where you know they have mutual love and respect for each other, both of them putting each other on a pedestal of identical heights. So I wanted this to be a celebration of both of them, equally.
   Take a look at these love birds and what we did! Snow, kisses, dancing dips, coffee, guitar, piano… It was SUCH a beautiful day!  

And be sure to scroll to the very bottom to see their day in motion! A behind the scenes look of them in love, during their session with us!

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View our full Love Album!

Like this winter love story? Check Check out Zack & Jen's Engagement Session!

For a more vintage look check out Cory & Erica's Love Story!

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An inside look at Casey and Evan's Engagement Session!

Model builds her first portfolio with uniquness in mind

Port Huron, Michigan beauty builds her model portfolio with ajbc photography

An outdoor fairytale shoot to a
sexy yet subtle studio shoot

   Meet Jen.
   Isn’t she fabulous?
   When you hear the word "model" and you see someone as gorgeous as Jen you probably get a little intimidated and assume a lot of things. Let me tell you- probably all of what you assume about this little lady is all wrong.
   Jen is one of the nicest, most low key girls I’ve ever worked with! She can get dolled up and still put on some big boots under her dress and climb through the woods with me.
   I met Jen only 1 year ago (even though it feels like ages ago) when we photographed her Engagement Session at the very beginning of 2015. In the Summer of 2015 we then got to shoot her Farm Wedding! In the late Fall Jen came back to model for of a commercial shoot I was doing with Bartlett Arborist Supply.
   Fast Forward to late Winter / early Spring 2016 ( I don’t really know, this year’s weather has been so crazy!) and she decided to take the leap and build her modeling portfolio with AJBC!
   I am always so excited to watch women pursue their dreams, in anything, but when it comes to fashion and photography, well then, it’s extra fun for me!
   Jen knew she would be wearing red, and she knew she wanted to do something fairytale like. Oh, ok, twist my arm. We hiked a good 1/2 mile back on some state game area and took advantage of what Mother Nature gave us, especially for our flat area! This was the perfect blend or dark and beauty! What’s awesome about this part of the shoot is- in real life Jen is constantly smiling, a real genuine big smile. You put her to work as a model and she transforms. Instantly. And as soon as the shot is done, she goes right back.

Keep scrolling for Part 2!

   Part 2 was something simple in the studio. JUST her. No fancy location, no over the top dress, just her and her beauty. She was comfortable with me and wanted to see how far she would be able to push herself when it came to something more soft and sexy for when the time came that she was asked to model this look. Well, let’s just say she did just fine. haha

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Check out our full Beauty Album

If you love the beautiful fairytale feel check out Katie's Magical Photoshoot!

For more gorgeous boudoir shoots check out Tricia's session!

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   Take a look behind the scenes of our Fairytale Model Portfolio Shoot with Jen!