We started the day at a wonderful bed and breakfast where Leah and her girls were getting ready:

Leah’s ring had me wishing I had more time to do a proper photo back at the studio, however I managed this quick shot in the gardens just before jumping into the car to go to the ceremony (yeah, that’s my reflection on the lower ring )

An old fashioned trolley was their ride for the day:

A few quick takes of the gang sticking their heads out the windows as they pulled away:

While the guests enjoyed some appetizers inside, we took a few moments for some portraits in the garden, using more flattering light and angles to contrast the ones from the trolley:

Here’s Leah looking gorgeous, and her handsome husband:

Acting all grown up gets old soon, so we all went back to a more relaxed approach, letting individual personalities come out:

The summer heat was doing a number on everyone, so it was a mad rush to the AC indoors:

Leah and Greg cut their cake as soon as they entered the ballroom and proceded to the head table to enjoy the toasts:

I confess to being a big fan of first dances, and getting teary-eyed sometimes; their first dance as husband and wife was beautiful and romantic, adding an old-fashioned flair to the evening:

Dancing with their parents:

Greg had a lot of fun retrieving the garter from Leah’s leg and his antics had us all laughing:

Once the dancefloor was open to all the guests I had to work fast to keep up with all that was going on – it really was fun for everyone, and I am thankful no one pointed a camera at me when I did a couple of dance moves… could it be that they all thought I had tripped or something? Either way, I’m thankful there is no evidence of my dance skills!!

Even the little ones got into the action; check out this pint-sized rocker:

Leah did not mind the extra attention given by these two, hmm, dancers:

A couple more fun shots from the dancefloor:

A quieter mood in a corner of the ballroom; the ideal place for a few moody portraits as the night was winding down:

The close-up below is one of my favorite images from the whole day; it’s so intimate and warm. I can see it as a large format art print above a dresser or their bed:

We did a little self-portrait at the end of the evening, the first one turned out pretty good; the second one was supposed to be funny faces but somehow Greg just smiled and let Leah and me be the goofy ones!

Leah and Greg, you were so much fun to work with, and even when we were melting in the heat, your good spirits and great disposition made for a memorable day – Thank you so very much for being such a cool couple and allowing me to be part of the celebration. Your families and friends were loads of fun too. I hope all our paths cross again and again!!

Much love,

Joel.

Finally, if you received the password to the online gallery with all the photos from Leah and Greg’s wedding, clicking this LINK HERE will take you to the place where you can enjoy a lot more images.

The wedding had a wonderful local flavor as Anne and Dan made every effort to secure the services of local companies to provide for their wedding. From the flowers to the catering and music, there was a great Michigan flavor to everything.

Let’s get to some of the photographs from the day:

Anne and her girls got ready at her parents’ home in Grosse Ile.

The guys arrived early at the beautiful Westcroft Gardens, the oldest farm in Michigan owned and operated since 1776 by the same family, now in its 7th generation. It was originally owned by the Pottawatomie Indians and at one time it produced hay to feed the Detroit trolley horses; the farm was also put into special service in World War II to raise turkeys for the armed services.

If you are ever in the area stop by and enjoy some of nature’s best as you walk the historic grounds.

After the ceremony Anne and Dan went for a stroll through the gardens while their friends and family enjoyed appetizers and some live jazz music.

In keeping with using all local talent and products, the table seating cards were tucked in a little planter with a succulent, one of their favorite plants – every one got to take one home.

Everybody cheered as they made their way to the head table and shared one of many kisses that evening:

The mood was joyful and full of warm feelings:

These love birds were dancing in a space away from the crowd, but not too far to be found by my long lens:

Fashionable feet:

Dan had some crazy stories from his younger (reckless?) years with friends on top of the mound:

It was a warm day and guests took turns cooling off in front of one of the many fans that were set all around the tent; it made for some fun portraits:

Did I mention that romance seemed to be in the air?

Anne with her mom and a few friends sharing a laugh on the dance floor:

Anne and her younger brother Ryan, whose senior portraits you’ll soon see in this blog:

What a bunch of shy people

Towards the very end of the night, with many hours of dancing behind, the mood turned a little mellow as we enjoyed the warm glow from the torches and conversation with friends and family:

The last time I saw Anne that night, she was wrapped in the gentle warmth of a row of torches and looking quite beautiful:

Anne and Dan, it was an honor to document the joy, energy, fun and love that you and your family and friends share. The hours just flew by and I have many good memories of that evening – thank you for letting me be a part of this stop in your journey.

Much Love,

Joel.

Family and guests, if you were given the Event Key (password) to view all the images from the day click HERE.

I woke up before the alarm clock went off. I really wanted to sleep in a little bit but got up anyway. The morning shower felt somehow better than yesterday’s. I think I caught myself humming in there – I could not sing because my throat is a little sore. At 55 degrees it’s nice and warm outside but not sunny like yesterday. There were a few errands to run that took me longer than anticipated, and some drivers seem a little “off” which made things interesting on the road. I guess I found them amusing instead of annoying. I liked that. A lady on the phone was very nice and almost made me blush with compliments. It is great when somebody takes the time to let you know they appreciate your work. What else?  Lunch! It was a simple sandwich and some fruit. I really have no idea of why it was so good. Oh! And I’ve had a bit of a headache since yesterday. Still in a good mood. The day is far from over but I suspect the smile on my face will not fade away anytime soon…

I hope your day is going at least as smoothly as mine and I will be happy if tomorrow is half as nice as today. If not, I hope I am smart enough to keep humming in the shower, sore throat or not!!

We at Eclipse Studios are happy to share the photos from the Bella Donna’s Prom Fashion Show 2010.

First a handful of images from all the gorgeous girls and handsome guys that modeled the fashions on the runway:

And a goofy one just for fun:

Here is the cool video with quite a few more images that we could not fit above:

The hair and make-up was provided by VIP Salon and Spa . . . if they can do all of this in such a short time, imagine the amazing look you can get when you schedule an appointment with them!

And just in case you thought the whole event was just about the girls, we cooked a video featuring the guys too!

All of the guys clothing was provided by our good neighbors at Chelsea Menswear. You can coordinate your look with your prom date, and the staff at Chelsea can hook you up with all you need to look your best.

A big thank you to Crystal Gardens for the accomodations and their staff for doing a great job. It is always fun to cover events in their facility.

To see All of the images from the Prom Fashion Show, head over to the Eclipse Studios online gallery by clicking HERE.

Bookmark this space and you should be able to view them here sometime next week – there are so many great ones that part of the challenge is choosing which ones to post!!

If you also filled out an Application for the Senior Model Program at the show, you will be hearing from us soon. If you still have the form at home and would like to be considered get it to us asap – open spots will fill up soon.

We had lots of fun meeting you and talking after the show!!

We did a portrait session at home just a couple of hours before he was baptized:

He is so much fun to watch and this is one of my favorite portraits from that day:

He was waiting to get dressed and keeping me busy with all the funny faces he is learning to make:

Getting a little extra love from mom before the big event:

His outfit was handmade and very elegant:

Mom dyed the little shoes to match the details on the outfit and added some bling too:

Well, he was somewhat somber once he was fully dressed; I think he just wanted to look cool and all grown up!

Joanna and Larry with baby Joey ready to entertain all the friends and family that joined the party after the Baptism:

There are many other photos from all the fun during the party and the portraits of Joey with family and friends; to view them click HERE and you’ll be directed to the private online gallery (use the event key provided by Joanna and Larry to log in)

Joanna and Larry, it is always so much fun to see you and Joey.

Dinner was great and the cake was just fantastic! I even thought of coming back the next morning and asking for seconds!

Krista and Joe, it was great to meet all your family and friends – they brought so much enjoyment to the wedding. Seeing you laugh all the time and sharing the good times with all of those around you made my job so much fun. I cannot wait to start designing you an album that reflects all that emotion. Thank you for the evening, your kindness and boundless energy!!

For those of you who enjoy a short movie, we made a little video with some of our favorite photos from the day:

If you prefer to browse the photos at your own pace, here are a few for you to enjoy and share:

Krista getting ready with all her girls lending a hand:

In the meantime, Joe and the guys were ready to get things going:

These images have a great story behind them, but that will remain between the guys and me…

Everybody arrived to the reception ready to have a great time, and we managed to get this group portrait on the fly:

We were so lucky to have Krista’s Grandma host the reception at her beautiful home – such a gracious host!

Here is dad, an avid photographer himself, practicing the craft on the newlyweds:

Krista and Joe started the evening with a combination grand entrance/little dance to the cheers of friends and family:

The cutting of the cake is a tradition I am always happy to witness, as I know it won’t be long before all that sweet goodness makes its way on to the tables!

The toasts were a time to remember shared experiences and an opportunity to create new ones filled with love and laughter:

The Detroit river provided a beautiful background, and the dock gave Krista and Joe a little one on one time:

The first of many dances and they owned that floor:

The changing evening light of a late summer day in Michigan, added a little bit of magic to an already very special day:

The dance floor was always ready to handle wave after wave of party people:

Click HERE to view the complete gallery of photos from Krista and Joe’s wedding (you will need the “event key” provided by  Krista and Joe to access the system).

Here in Michigan, planning an outdoor wedding is a bit of a dare. We got lucky on this one and I still get a little grin on my face when I think that we almost folded. Here’s to all the brave couples who do not let a little weather uncertainty ruin their day!!

This last photo is the one they choose for us to custom design their Thank You cards, and one of our trademark shots that gets requested very often:

Megan and Barry, it was great fun photographing your wedding and hanging out with your friends and family.

We made you a little video, with some highlites from the day – we hope you enjoy it:

Finally, to view the password protected gallery with all of your wedding day images, click HERE.

Joel Hernandez.

Bridal portraits can be a lot more fun than the most traditional ones, and even though you don’t have to climb a bridge, it’s good to know we’ll be there with you if you feel so inclined!

I like this little sequence below and I can see it as a large Gallery Display on the wall – it will be killer!

This image, done right under the bridge, while we could hear the heavy traffic overhead just cracks me up, so I had to give it my “super hero” treatment:

I was checking out another area when I spotted them completly engrossed with each other, so I managed to capture these two love-birds in a beautiful moment; the light was just perfect:

We got back on the road searching for a cool urban spot to continue the session, and ended up here:

My favorite from that spot is the one below; it has that great mixture of urban-funk with a little bit of old-world appeal, or at least that’s the best way I can describe it!

We drove to another area, and when the lone weeping willow grabbed our attention, we just had to do our version of  “The Garden of Eden” minus the whole apple and snake thing; the canadian geese on the grounds were wild enough for us…

We wrapped things up with a Cityscape by the water:

I leave you with a little video with some additional images that just would not fit in here without making this entry super long, so check it out. It is under two minutes and fun.

If you are a friend or family member, and received the access code from Rebecca and Larry, click on the link below to view all the other photos from the wedding, including the group and family portraits.

Click here for private gallery

Hey Larry and Rebecca, you guys were a blast to photograph and I consider myself lucky to have shared such special day with you!  Thank you for being cool and fearless!!

Joel Hernandez.

We are open during the Wyandotte Street Art Fair going on from Wednesday 08th to Saturday 11th. Stop by and say hi, cool off in the air conditioned studio and take a bottle of cold water with you.

This link will take you to the website with all the information; we hope it is useful in planning your visit and choosing your favorite artists to see:

http://www.wyandottestreetartfair.org/

We hope to see you soon!!