Port Huron Winter Senior Photoshoot on frozen Lake Huron

Michigan Photographer captures Senior
on the ice of Lake Huron to mimic Iceland scenery

   Your Senior Photoshoot should leave you with stunning portraits, but it should also be an experience that truly stands out when you look back on your twelfth year. I can't bare to think it was a day that you look back on and you say- we went to some park and I changed my clothes a few times and then we were done. I need your experience to be more that that- something exciting, thrilling, unique, something you wouldn't normally do, and of course something that expresses who you truly are.
   Celine's shoot was exactly that. How many times do you go to the beach in the winter? How many times have you crawled in between two huge pieces of ice and just released your inner fashionista? Or what about standing on top of a frozen over break wall and just letting the wind take over? Not to mention how perfectly her fair skin paired with the fresh snow in the second outfit making her a modern day Snow White.
   I’m always so thankful for adventurous souls like Celine! Right away she said she wanted the whole shoot done in the Winter, she was not shying away from the cold or the snow, which we don’t hear a lot! Winter shoots have such a sense of whimsy. It was so easy to capture beautiful moments, especially with her sweet personality.
   This shoot was so natural, so effortless that we didn’t have to spend a lot of time out in the cold. Just be yourself, let go, be free, and we can get what we need without you turning into a popsicle on set. Celine also opted to add in our Hair and Makeup package, so all she needed to do the day of her shoot was show up in comfy clothes while our in house stylist took care of everything! Super easy and a little celebrity treatment.

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Check out our Full Senior Gallery!

For more effortless beauty on the beach check out Jessica's Senior Session!

For more beauty in the snow check out Aubrey's Senior Photoshoot!

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Port Huron, MI Winter Maternity Photoshoot

Dramatic Red Dress Outdoor Couple Maternity Shoot

   There are 2 ways you should show up for a portrait session-
1- As you are. But RAW. Don’t hide any part of yourself, be ready to release your true , natural self.
2- As a new side of yourself you’ve never seen before, experience yourself in a new way.
   For Syme and Ryan’s Maternity Shoot they opted for number 2. When we first talked on the phone Syme told me she wanted to go all out for her Maternity shoot so she was breaking loose and doing everything she would never do for this moment in her life. She hates winter, she’s not one for dressing up... so of course she opted for a Winter shoot, in the snow, and she was even going to wear a floral crown. 
   Fun fact about the first time Syme and Ryan met- Syme was wearing sweatpants and a Tupac shirt. My day was made when I heard that, as she’s standing in front of me, polar opposite, looking like an Iceland Snow Mermaid in this red dress that fits her perfectly and also screams a lil Jessica Rabbit! She’s this little thing with a beautiful, bold personality to make up for her short height. Ryan is more quiet and sweet, but the way he looks at her and the way she smiles at him lets you know- these two are the real deal.
   Our first meeting was hilarious, talking about how magical their shoot was going to be that all the forest animals would probably run out of their dens to circle around her like this woodland Goddess, which, yes, she’s not that big into nature, but if that happened, she said she wouldn’t complain. We got a bit carried away.
   So, of course, the day of their shoot the snow melted. In a panic my creative brain kicked in and I knew I just needed something to mimic that whimsy feel. I found a hard pile of plowed snow in the corner of a parking lot and that’s what we used to create our magical snow mermaid shots. Sometimes you just have to trust the photographer’s vision.
   They went from spinning and dancing in the pine trees, to elegantly swaying with the wind on the icy beach shores, to lastly cuddling up on top of a snow pile.
   It was effortlessly stunning, it was true, it was love, and it was just in time bc that itty bitty, sweat pea of a baby came earlier than expected, less than a week after this!

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Check out of Full Maternity & Couples Gallery!

For another stunning outdoor maternity shoot check out Claudia's Session!

Their are so many ways to flaunt that baby bump.. check out Larisha's Boudoir Maternity Session!

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10 Tips to help you prep for your Senior Photoshoot

   You are a Junior. Or perhaps you're a mom of a Junior! Next Year is Senior Year. It’s a BIG deal. It’s the LAST year. And you’re thinking to yourself- where do I start- I’ve never done this before!?
   First of all- don’t freak out! I know Senior Portraits are a HUGE part of the Senior process and you’re stressing out but I promise you, we’re going to make this not only easy, but memorable, adventurous, and beautiful.

So let’s get to it- 10 tips to make your life easier when booking your Senior Photoshoot with AJBC Photography.

1- Figure out your Look / Season:

June and July- if you want to avoid the heat but take advantage of that summer golden glow.
Aug and Sept- ideal if you plan on getting in the water or want wild flowers
Oct and Nov- Fall colors come alive and temps cool back down.
Jan and Feb- if you’re daring and want snowflakes or “icebergs” on the lake.
April and May- if you’re super last minute or love the bare trees and spring blossoms.

2- Then figure out your Timeline: 

Typically Senior Photoshoots happen late June thru Early November (but we do photograph them all year!) July - Sept is quite busy but October is by far the craziest. You’re going to want contact us 2 months prior to your desired shoot day for June - Sept and 3 months for October. We shoot Monday thru Thursday both am and pm shoots.

3- Find out your School’s Yearbook Timeline:

Some high schools allow you to submit a professional portrait to be showcased in the yearbook. Contact your school to find out if that’s available and when the turn in date is. We’ll need at least 3 weeks from our shoot to have your images edited, viewed by you, and ready to send in so allow yourself time. Many schools also require a composite shot, which they may supply a photographer at your school, but we can make sure your composite stands out by doing them in the studio!

4- Get in our system

After we chat about how you envision your portraits we'll send you our Welcome Pack along with our Photoshoot Collections Guide to look over. A $50 deposit is then taken, which goes towards any of the collections, and that gets you in our system and starts your booking process! We take care of the rest!

5- Start to put together your outfits:

Your wardrobe is SO important, it's the first place we start when figuring out how to help you visually express yourself. It sets the foundation for your shoot. If you feel clueless, don’t worry!  As part of your experience here we hook you up with our exclusive Style Guide to help inspire you! Number 1 tip though- think outside the box!! Be a little extra for your shoot to punch it up a bit! And don’t forget the fun details! If you’re still stressing, don’t worry, that’s why we have style guidance, which varies depending up on the Collection you pick!

Also be sure to check out thes blog we put together for you--->
5 Fashion Tips for your next Photoshoot!
Fashion and Beauty Trends for 2018

*You can also add on our Designer Wardrobe Package to any Collection, where we personally shop for you, choosing pieces based on your unique style, vision and body type, to then spoil you with 2 designer wardrobe pieces for you to wear during your shoot.

6- Location

This is our favorite step and one you don’t really have to worry about if you don’t want to! Once we know your personality we can pair that with the perfect location to showcase the style you’re going for. If booking our smallest Collection, In.Style, the AJBC Studio has both an indoor and outdoor shooting space with a ton of natural and chic options! If booking our Vogue or Couture Collections know that we have spent literally hundreds of hours over the years scouting unique locations off country back roads and scouring back city alleys to bring you anything other than over used landmarks. Lastly, If choosing our top Collection, the Vanity Fair Collection, it covers up to 4 hours in travel time to a unique destination that we promise will look more like a far off land than Michigan.

7- Hair and Makeup:

Some of you have this step covered, but some of you, the last thing you want to worry about is having a bad hair day and a crooked cat eye! We have Professional Stylists that will provide everything you need to make you fab the day of your shoot- you just simply show up! Our Hair and Makeup Packages can be added to our smaller Collections, and is of course included with our top 2 Collections!

If doing your own Hair and Makeup for your shoot check out this blog we put together --->
Makeup Tips and Hacks for a Poreless, Flawless face!

8- The Shoot- prepare yourself:

I don’t mean get organized, well, do that too, but what I mean is be prepared to do things you probably have never done before!
We believe in giving you an amazing experience just as much as we believe in giving you high quality portraits. Prepare yourself.
Our shoots are fun, they’re gorgeous, they’re high end, but they also come with a grand sense of adventure and getting out of your comfort zone- it's time to be a little daring, darling. Nothing good has ever come from hiding who you are, we’ll naturally pull that out of you! And when we say adventure, I mean it. You might be on the side of a cliff, up to your neck in the lake, or cat walking thru a huge drainage pipe. That uniqueness sets your session apart from everyone else.

9- The Art:

We are artists for you first, photographers second. Our brush is the camera and our finished painting is your prints. So be thinking about what you want to do with your portraits now, and years to come. Will you be hanging a few up in your home, does family need prints, what about wallets to pass out or open house invites!? Every Collection we offer comes with BOTH physical and digital art, so your Instagram feed can stay fresh now thanks to the digital fad, and your experience can be preserved to enjoy by future generations later thanks to the power of physical print. 

10- Trust

Trust that we got you and we’re here for you EVERY step of the way. Our all female team welcomes you into our AJBC family for a persoanlized experience unlike any other. This is a very exciting and precious time for you that only happens once, and you don’t have to do it alone! So let’s start planning.... What are you waiting for!? Go tackle step 1!

Nik- The Guy Senior Shoot that will be hard to top

Guy Fall Grunge shoot by Port Huron Senior Photographer- ajbc photography

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 I’m so happy to FINALLY be putting up Nik’s blog! It's been an amazing secret we've been hiding since the Fall. He was so natural in front of the camera, Nik’s personality was fun, genuine, and contagious, so from the get go, it was a blast!
   For our first look we wandered out into the woods. Nik’s first outfit was this comfy yet super stylish mustard yellow sweater and piercing green eyes matched perfectly with the golden hour sun and changing fall leaves! Not only did he nail this killer look... we also got so see his absolute adorable side with his adorable pup tagging along.
   With Nik he pulled off so many looks.. from a stylish good lookin’ Port Huron High Senior to.. oh hey whats up, GQ Model. For Nik’s second look we hopped in the car, and headed to Downtown Port Huron for a more grunge look. He was rockin’ ripped jeans, black T, and a flannel... simple yet perfect for the look we were going for! Between alley ways, vape smoke, abandoned buildings at the newspaper storage room we got some rockin' shots! Edgy and not what you would expect from a typical Senior shoot, which I'm totally all about.
   This is proof a guy shoot can be equally magazine worthy as a girl shoot.. Normally everyone is obsessed with the Senior girls but Nik's making guy Senior shoots look pretty kick ass right about now. Nik either needs to get into modeling or fashion styling because he nailed everything about it!

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Check Out our Full Senior Gallery! 

If you like this woodsy outdoor looks check out Matt's Senior Session!

For a more grunge session check out Dylan's Senior Photoshoot!

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