Livalee Maebelle Deau

2:30am Wednesday morning, Kellen’s contractions started at 10 minutes apart… We were up all night just trying to stay comfortable. Our plan was to spend 90% of the labor in our home before heading to the hospital for a natural, unmedicated birth. Kellen and I assembled the best support system we could think of to help us through the process and we couldn’t have done it without them! A big thanks goes out to Anna Nieboer, Heidi Wolfe, Ingrid Williams, and Amanda Walker. We all worked in shifts to support Kellen through 32 hours of labor before heading to the hospital at 9:00am and successfully delivering Luellen’s little sister just 90 minutes later at 10:30am on Thursday morning with no medication and minimal intervention. Because of our support system, I was able to take small breaks to document the process. Here’s a glimpse into our endeavor…

Riley + Jessica's Southwest Michigan Engagement Photos

Riley and Jessica met me at the Portage Creek Bicentennial Park last weekend for their engagement session. We had a beautiful spring day with lots of sunshine! It’s funny, I always get the same spiel from couples right before we begin the shoot. Usually something like, “We’re awkward and not very good at having our picture taken” (most people are not very comfortable in front of the camera). So my job is equally divided between getting couples to loosen up, have fun, making them laugh, and taking their photos at the same time. Well, I clearly didn’t have any trouble getting real laughs and smiles out of these two, scroll down to see a few highlights from the session!

Portfolio Overview

Weddings and engagement sessions

Event Photography

Art Prints

Drone Photography

Senior Photos

Family Portraits

Theatre Photography

Headshots

Kelly + Kristen's Boyne Mountain Engagement Session

I love Northern Michigan! So anytime I get a chance to photograph a wedding or engagement session up there, I jump at the opportunity. I met Kelly and Kristen up north at Boyne Mountain Resort for their engagement photos. I was anticipating an overcast day, which is great for portraits, but was met with full sun. We hiked into nearby woods in search of shade and scenery and we were not let down. We came across a forest full of snow covered pines, and a beautiful stream. With the help of some paracord tied to a snow covered branch, I was able to simulate a little snowfall for a few photos. After hiking out of the woods, we headed back to the ski lodge where we took more photos near the fireplace and in a quiet little library. Check out a few of the highlights…

Julie + Cole's South Haven Engagement Photos

Julie and Cole couldn’t decide on how they wanted their engagement photos to look, so we scheduled two sessions! Their first session was in the Fall on the Kalamazoo Mall, just a bit different than this second session out on the frozen pier of South Haven. Julie and Cole’s wedding is in September with the ceremony at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kalamazoo and the reception at Cityscape on the Kalamazoo Mall. Here’s some of the results from our cold day in February on Lake Michigan…

Katharine + Collin's Grand Rapids Engagement Photos

Katharine and Collin met me in Townsend Park in Cannonsburg for their late fall engagement session. A light snowfall halfway through the shoot was a huge bonus! These two were naturals and really didn’t need much direction from me. Check out a few highlights from the session..

Megan + Drew's Kalamazoo Wedding

Megan and Andrew were married earlier this month at Niko’s Landing in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Andrew may have a visual impairment but it’s clear to see the love between them! It was a cold winter day in Southwest Michigan but that didn’t stop us from doing their first look on the Portage Bicentennial Trail, and a few portraits of the entire wedding party! Check out a few highlights from their wedding day!

WMU Theatre - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Sometimes I get to do really cool things for Western Michigan University, like photographing their theatre performances. The clothing and scenic designs are created by the students and both are stunning. For me, this type of work is similar to photographing weddings because It’s fast paced, challenging to capture, and you only get one chance to get the shot.

This is from their recent performance of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” written by Jethro Compton and based on the short story by Dorothy M. Johnson.

Rena + Gabriel Southwest Michigan Winter Engagement Photos

Rena & Gabriel froze their butts off with me on this shoot! We started at Milham Park in Kalamazoo, which is basically a photographers playground. After playing around for a while in the park, and taking warm up breaks in the car, we drove out to her Mother-In-Law’s house in Marcellus, MI where we took advantage of some beautiful pines, a stream, and an old shed. Looking forward to their wedding in July!

Kellen's Maternity Photos

Kellen and I had a small window of opportunity to take some maternity photos out at my parents property in Plainwell yesterday. With our first pregnancy, we waited to find out the gender until our little Luellen arrived and we enjoyed the surprise so much that we’ve decided to do it again. We’re really excited to find out who’s in there! I was only allowed to release a few but here they are…