2013 SENIORS:  I am scheduling senior sessions for the week of spring break (April 2-6)!  Great deal…$300 gets you a one hour session at a location of your choice (within 20 miles of Allendale), plus all your finished proofs on a CD with copyright permission!  Unlimited clothing changes, unlimited poses.  Be the first of your friends to show off your senior pictures!  Contact me for more details…info@pattisportraits.com or 616.293.1024.

I will be at the Lakeshore Bridal Event this Saturday!  I will be having a drawing, as well as the event itself will be having a Wedding Wish Giveaway.  One lucky bride will walk away with a lovely wedding package.  I would love to see you there, come visit me!!

Lakeshore Bridal Event
Saturday, January 14, 2012 12:00pm- 4:00 p.m.
Haworth Inn & Conference Center
225 College Ave Holland MI 49423

As I start a new year at Portraits by Patti, let’s take a look back and see how it all began…

My love for photography began in the summer of 2002 when I bought my first 35mm SLR film camera.  Yes you read that right, I said FILM.  I loved the feel of it in my hands and immediately realized the potential it carried for great images.  I buried myself in studying the art and discovered a hidden talent I never knew existed and my children became my subjects on a daily basis.  As my passion for the art of photography grew, so did my skills.  I wanted to share this with everyone…it was then that Portraits by Patti was born!

Through the years, I have had the pleasure of photographing many special moments…new babies, first steps, gorgeous seniors, weddings, and everything in between.  To be completely honest, some were enjoyable while others were not.  I think that is how many of us photographers got our start.  We pretty much photographed anything and everything just to be able to push that shutter button and get some experience under our belts.  And what a learning experience it has been!  I started out before everyone searched the internet for a photographer, and before digital cameras became the “easy” way to start a business.  I put many hours of dedication into perfecting what I do and in the process discovered what I love the most…weddings and seniors.

While my passion definitely started with children, I am changing gears with the new year and have decided to specialize in only wedding and senior photography.    Within the past few years, my wedding and senior business has grown tremendously and I couldn’t be more grateful!  I love photographing weddings and being there to capture every moment of their special day together, and I love seniors with their zest for life.  Both of these things give me such incredible joy and something that I very much look forward to in my schedule.  So what does this mean?  This means I will no longer be photographing newborns, children, or families on a regular basis.  I will, however, still have mini-sessions 2-3 times a year and hope to see some of my “regulars” on these specific dates.  And don’t worry if you hold a gift card or are a current baby plan member, I will still honor all of those things as well!

I know some of you are probably thinking “what the heck is she doing?”, and many of times I have asked myself that very same question.  But, I have thought about this for well over a year and it just feels like the right time to do what is best for me, my family, and my business.  The past three years have been so incredibly busy for me, I honestly don’t even remember much.  I don’t like that.  My kids are still young and I want to spend this quality time with them.  Freeing up my schedule will give me more time to dedicate to my wedding and senior clients (which they deserve), and more time to spend doing the things I love with my family.

Please don’t read this as if I’m trying to get out of the business.  I am definitely NOT trying to do that.  I am hoping that this actually helps me grow my business.  By specializing, I hope that people see me as someone who cares enough to dedicate my time to perfect those specific areas.  And I will leave the other stuff to photographers that have taken the time to perfect those other areas of photography.

I want to thank all my wonderful clients who have stood by me through the years and who have helped me get to where I am today.  I appreciate your business and all your kind referrals!  Please keep sending people my way, my entire business is based on word of mouth and I can’t do it without all of you.

Here is a recent picture of my family, who wouldn’t want to spend more time with that handsome man and those adorable kids?

Cheers to a new year!

Patti

John and Taylor were married on November 12, 2011 at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, MI.  I always love going to the castle and this time was no different.  John and Taylor have so much love for one another, it was such a pleasure for me to be there to document their day for them!

With the growing popularity of this little elf showing up on Pinterest, I decided to jump on board and get one for our family.  The basic idea of the Elf on the Shelf is that Santa sent out these elves to be his eyes and ears.  They sit and watch your kids and report good and bad behavior back to Santa every night.  When they come back to your house, they are  found in a different spot every morning.  This is where the fun for us parents come in!  Stay tuned to see what our little elf will be up to this holiday season…

Making his debut on 11/29/11, he looks so innocent sitting there.

Day 2 and he is already getting into trouble!

Day 3…

Day 4, replaced all the photos in the house with photos of himself!

Day 5, helping to load Cash’s food dish!

Day 6, Buddy followed us to Chicago for the weekend!  Here he is admiring himself in the hotel bathroom mirror…

Day 7, we woke up to find him on Jake’s headboard in the hotel room.

Day 8, back home and playing with cars, trucks and tractors.

Day 9, he likes Jake’s new barn boots!

Day 10, wrote his name in toothpaste on the bathroom mirror!

Day 11, movie night!

Day 12, Lego Star Wars

Day 13, hanging from the mistletoe!

Meet “Cash”.  He is the newest addition to the VanHuizen family.  We can’t wait to spoil him rotten!

Congrats to Rick and Megan, they were married yesterday in Lakeside, MI!