Half Hour Weekday Session: $375
Half Hour shooting time, located within 20 miles of Bloomingdale, MI.

Full Weekday Session: $600
One Hour shooting time, located within 20 miles of Bloomingdale, MI.

Areas serviced include: South Haven, Fennville, Kalamazoo, Paw Paw, Bangor, Allegan, Otsego, Plainwell

(Weekend dates are very limited, and an extra $100
Holiday Weekends extra $150)

All sessions include a link to all edited digital  images and the rights to print as well as print options and products to purchase.
All galleries will receive a minimum of 50+ digital images.
Engagements, Seniors, Newborns, Maternity and Family

The past couple of months we’ve just been settling in to being a family of four. I’ve been overwhelmed many moments by feelings of gratefulness and blessing, and I’ve also been overwhelmed by feelings of exhaustion. Our daughter has taken on the role of big sister so beautifully. She is finally spreading her wings a little bit and gaining some independence. Our little Mr Jaxson is cool as a cucumber, the opposite of his sister. I had heard about babies like him. It was an odd feeling when we brought him home and he just slept instead of cried like his sister. He came into the world basically sleeping through the night which is so phenomenal. I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall, but he’s just a happy, smiley, laid back little guy so far. It’s been a learning curve going places with two kiddos. It’s a little intimidating honestly and didn’t help that he was not a fan of his car seat until recently.

So while I’m busy raising these two little precious peanuts I am indeed still taking many, many photos. My sessions have shifted in the years. I originally got into photography many moons ago to photograph my dog, Kippy. I loved street photography and photographing life in the real world. While I enjoy the cute posed thing when I can get it, and I do have studio lights and backdrops and soft boxes and umbrellas, my camera just goes along in the diaper bag these days. I click fast and try to soak in the moments. Here is a bit of our past couple of months:

I read that dementia is often described as losing someone you love over and over again. In the past couple of weeks I am really feeling that loss. If she is in her own element and nothing out of the ordinary or exciting has happened she still remembers us. My grandpa doesn’t remember me sometimes. After a couple visits in a row it feels so hopeless. I didn’t expect to feel such a loss already, but I do. Some days he still remembers and it feels like the old grandpa, but I know the day is coming soon that his eyes searching and searching to place me and coming up blank is going to be the normal. He often lives in past memories, which used to be so annoying, but now it’s almost to a point that I wish he could remember them again. He’s lived in the past for awhile, and my grandmother can’t remember the past. It makes you feel like all those memories with her never happened.

My grandmother used to love to sing. His Eye is On the Sparrow and What a Friend We Have in Jesus were a couple of her favorites. My heart grew heavy one day thinking how Isabella would never hear her sing. One day last summer though grandma sang and sang to my sweet girl and my heart just burst. My grandpa loved to play his violin all the time. I remember late night jam session/hoe downs at their house when I was little. He can still play sometimes and I am so thankful. Izzy dances and dances and loves to hear him play.

Lately my heart just hurts as I feel like these could be the last of these days. They are coming to an end. Christmas was magical this year and I will treasure it as it may have been the last. The past couple of weeks though haven’t been great. I would like to think the holidays and just an unfortunate string of non-serious, but exciting incidences for them are what is throwing things off. Deep down I know it’s going to become more normal. My grandma generally remembers me. She doesn’t always remember Izzy, but I understand that. I would love to think she is always going to remember me, but something tells me based on my great grandmother’s battle with dementia that won’t be the case. When she does and she is “clicking” it is so great, but when she isn’t it feels like a loss…that keeps repeating itself.

My grandparents used to be so social, adventurous travelers with so many friends and a strong church family. A combination of friends passing on and people thinking dementia is contagious has made for a tough and lonely life for them in their latter years. It’s really has made me re-examine my relationships and time invested.

I say all of this to not only get it off my chest, but also to raise awareness of the disease. It isn’t contagious. It isn’t something to be made fun of. If you suspect a loved one has it, yes their jokes are hilarious, their forgetfulness is laughable but don’t take it too far. Don’t stop visiting these people because they don’t have it “together” anymore, or they offend you. I find it sad that all the time they invested in so many people is worth nothing now because they have lost their filter. It makes my heart smile when I hear someone tell me they regularly pick my grandma up for pancake breakfast still and help her get dressed. Thank you to you. Thank you so very much.

Color Splash Studio specializes in family, newborn, child, birth and wedding photography in Kalamazoo, MI and the surrounding area including but not limited to Grand Rapids, Holland and the Lakeshore.