Aurora Studios

Update Regarding Weddings

2009-07-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

As of right now, we are only accepting wedding bookings that are referrals from previous clients. If you are a friend/family member of a previous client, please contact us for more information and pricing regarding your wedding.

Summer Update

2009-07-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to let you know that we’ve been extremely busy these past few months. We’re busy not only with photography, but we have a lot going on behind the scenes with our business. We plan to launch a new blog and website by the end of the summer. So, in the meantime, we are offering some awesome sales to make up for out lack of updating. If you’re a bride/groom to be or a high school senior, make sure to visit our contact page and submit your information, so you can be added to sales emails. Also, if you have Facebook, Myspace, and/or Twitter be sure to add us to your friends, so you can keep up on what we’re up to. Have a wonderful summer!

Carrie & Chad's Engagement Session

2009-06-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we met up with Carrie and Chad to do their engagement session. Here's just a teaser from their session.

Leah & Jeremy Got Married!

2009-06-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Here's just a couple of pictures from Leah & Jeremy's wedding on May 15, 2009 at the Greystone Mansion in Northern Michigan. We had such a wonderful time capturing their day, and we can't wait until the Trash the Dress Session. I'll have more pictures soon, and they will also be a featured gallery on our website.

Chris & Jennese Mackinac Island Wedding

2009-06-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we went to Mackinac Island located between the upper and lower peninsula of Michigan. To get to the island, you have to take a 16 minute (sometimes longer) ferry ride across Lake Huron to get there. On Mackinac, there are no cars or motorized vehicles, everyone gets around by horse and carriage, bicycle, or by simply walking. The atmosphere is so peaceful and quiet, you can find on secluded spot in one of the many parks, relax, and just leave the demands of life behind. Well, we didn't go to the island to sit back and relax, we went there with a mission--a mission to capture the wedding day of Jennese and Chris.

Nathan and I spent so much time with this great couple, and really had a lot of fun wandering the island for awesome locations for pictures. During their carriage ride, they stopped at some locations for pictures. This picture is taken on the walkway of Fort Mackinac (which you see in the background). During this picture, a crowd of tourist all gathered around cheering, offering well-wishes, giving compliments, and then all asking to take a picture of them with their personal point-and-shoot cameras! We couldn't stop laughing, all these people wanted to share in the joy of Jennese & Chris' day.

I'll have more pictures up soon!

I’m excited about this weekend for many reasons.

2009-05-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

First of all, it’s Jennese and Chris’ wedding on Mackinac Island. Of course, all of our clients are wonderful and we can’t wait to capture their beautiful wedding. But it’s exciting because this will be the first time we are capturing a wedding on Mackinac Island! On top of that, Nathan and I are staying overnight on the island, which is the first time we’ve done this.

This weekend also marks the ends a very crazy, hectic, kick-off to our wedding season. Sure we have more coming this year, it’s just this May was extremely jammed packed with weddings. So, we’ll have a little more time to work on some projects that are on our “to do” list.

On that list of projects is being able to work on our website and blog, which I’ve been meaning to do for a LONG time now. So, I’m excited that I’ll be able to update pictures, information, and just general things on both the site and the blog.

Hope you are having a wonderful year, and guess what it’s almost June!

Aubree & Rich Wedding

2009-05-23T03:42:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, we met up with Aubree & Rich to do their engagement session in Grand Ledge, Michigan. We had such a wonderful time with them and their son Dalton.

Today, we are capturing their wedding in Lansing! We're looking forward to having a great time with them again. Here are a some pictures from their engagement session. Wedding pictures coming soon!

Leah & Jeremy's Wedding!

2009-05-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

Today we're excited to be shooting Leah & Jeremy's wedding! We met this couple late last fall for their engagement session on the Empire Beach, which is right near the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. This morning we're at the hotel/spa meeting up with the bride and her bridesmaids. Tonight we'll be going to the Greystone Manor, located in Honor, for the ceremony and reception. Leah and Jeremy's engagement session has a blog post and is a featured gallery on our website. Wedding pics to follow soon...

Class of 2010--Intro to Senior Representatives

2009-05-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

This year we are doing Senior Representatives for the Class of 2010. These students are volunteering to do this for us, so we just want to take a moment to recognize the awesome people we have--

Alex--Orchard View High School

Brittany--North Muskegon High School

Jennifer--Mason County Central Senior High School

Meika--Hart High School

For more information, please contact us or one of our Senior Representatives.

Let the craziness begin!

2009-05-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I said that my goal was to blog each day for an entire month…what that’s saying about the best of intentions? Anyways, I don’t even think I made it an entire week! So, here I am to try again. This month should be a great a month to attempt this feat, because of all that we have going on!
We’re only 4 days in to the new month and we’ve already done so much. Saturday we finished with our Senior Representative photo shoot. We’re so happy to have such great reps! Sunday, we did an engagement session for Aubree & Rich who will be getting married later on this month. And with those shoots, we’ve officially kicked-off our wedding & senior season! I’ll of course be blogging about these shoots later in the week.
May is a month of change here in Michigan. We see flowers and trees start to bud and bloom, and the days start to be more sunny and warm than cold and dreary. Well, May is also going to be bringing about some changes at Aurora Studios Of Photography! We will be revamping our entire website this month, possibly even adding a new web address—just for our Seniors! This complete website overhaul is a work in progress, so please be patient with us.
We have some great things coming up in the days and weeks ahead. We’re working on some awesome projects that we’ll announce a little later on, so watch for those. We hope you have a wonderful May and visit often to view our updates!

Senior Reps...

2009-04-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

We are still looking for some senior reps for the Class of 2010. For more information, see this post.

Invitation...

2009-04-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

The invitations for the weddings we have scheduled this summer, have started to arrive in our mailbox! I'm attaching a picture of just one and it's only the outside, just because I loved it so much. I will post more pictures soon of other invites :)

Senior Representatives

2009-03-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

We are looking for Class of 2010 Representatives. Here's the info about it, email us if you're interested!

Class of 2010—We’re Searching For You!
We’re looking for Senior Representatives, to represent our studio at your high school.

Representatives Benefits
• Free Senior Sessions—one needs to be completed by May 5th, others can be completed when weather warms up—a parent/guardian must be present at all shoots
• Every referral earns you purchase points towards your own pictures
• 10% of every referral’s picture sale (you receive a minimum of $10)
• CD of low resolution photos to use on Myspace, Facebook, your iPhone, etc.
• Top 3 representatives (based on number of referrals) receive a $50 Visa Gift Card
• Plus other discounts, contests, and offers to be announced at a future date

Representative Duties
• Have a Senior Session complete prior to April 15th
• Show your Session photos to other students
• Pass out personalized cards to students for their own session

Miscellaneous Notes
• Representatives are eligible to have another Senior session later on in summer, if they wish
• Representatives and parent(s)/guardian(s) must sign a model release, so images may be used in promotion
• Representatives positions are filled on a first come basis
• Number of representatives is based on the class size; however, there is a maximum of 2 representatives per high school
• Representatives are needed for all schools (public & private) within a 30 mile radius of Muskegon
• Representative are not obligated to purchase anything, all referral cards, low resolution files, sessions and other promotional material will be provided at no charge—some promotional items will be yours to keep, others will remain property of the studio
• Purchase points may be used toward the purchase representatives Senior Session photos only. Points are not redeemable for cash.

To Apply
• Send an email to aurorastudios@hotmail.com that includes the following
• Your Name
• Your School
• Approximate number of students in your graduating class
• Best way to contact you—email, phone
• Best day to do the shoot
• You must have a parent/guardian permission to participate in this program—they will need to sign a form that gives us permission to use your pictures for promotional purposes

If you or your parent(s)/guardian(s) have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks,
Nathan & Emily Boardwell

Twitter

2009-02-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

So, I missed a day of blogging...sorry about that but I have a serious migraine today and it started yesterday.

Well, I'm just going to talk about Twitter real fast. I just signed up and really know nothing about it. However, yesterday, I was watching the morning news (I'm not going to name names) but the male anchor said to that the viewers "could send a twitt". Now, I can't say that I've heard anyone refer to it as a "Twitt", most say "Tweet".

So, it made me feel better that other people are as uneducated about Twitter as I am :)

Road Trip Planning

2009-02-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

Nathan and I will be heading to a photography conference later on this month. The conference is being held in Las Vegas, and we are going to take a huge road trip while we are out there. We are still figure out the details, but we do know that we are going to visit Death Valley, the four corners, the Grand Canyon (North Rim), Hoover Dam, and Nathan's brother. We're excited about this trip and are finalizing all the details. I'm working on trying to figure out exactly how to use Twitter on my Blackberry, so that I can send in pictures while we're out there... So, we'll see what happens!

Look what came in the mail today!

2009-01-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

So, I found a package in my mail pile today, and I opened it to find the material I ordered to make a birdcage veil! I'm so excited to try this. I found some instructions on the internet on how to make one, and I'm hoping to use the veil in an upcoming shoot. I've attached a picture of the material. Also, I found this material on this site for a reasonable price.

Blog for February...

2009-01-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

When the ball dropped this year, what did you resolve to do? How are you doing on those resolutions? Did you thrown them out the window or did you already forget what you resolved to do?

Well, honestly, I can say that by this time every year, I’ve either completely forgotten what my resolutions were or just thrown them out the window. But this year was different! Instead of making a bunch of resolutions at the beginning of the year, I’m making monthly resolutions. I figure why should I put so much pressure on myself at the beginning of the year? Why should I wait until a New Year to make more resolutions that I can’t keep? Each month is another step closer to the New Year—so why not use that as a reason to make new resolutions? Sure I had resolutions that encompassed more than a month, but I broke them into sections for different months, so by the end of the year I’ve accomplished that resolution. Besides, I want to feel as though I’m accomplishing something—so by having smaller goals each month I feel as though I’m accomplishing more. Also, if I throw something out the window one month, I can just pick back up the next month!

So now, with January almost gone, I’ve revisited my resolution list and one resolution for February is that I will try to blog at least once a day for the month of February. Now, the blog topics might be personal, funny, something I thought of, weddings, engagements, or something just plain dumb. No matter what I’m at least going to attempt to do this, so I can get better at blogging and this year I won’t go months between blogs!

So, with this blog begins my February’s Resolution—wish me luck!

Emily

Leah and Jeremy's Engagement Photos

2008-12-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

A little while back, we did an engagement session for Leah and Jeremy. It started raining right after we started shooting. We got completely soaked, but kept on shooting. Leah and Jeremy are an awesome couple and very in love. If you would like to see all the photos from the session, they are a featured gallery on our website. Here are some of the photos of their session...

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sale!

2008-11-26T04:23:00.000-08:00

We are having a sale on our wedding packages from Black Friday (November 28th) to Cyber Monday (December 1st). We will be email the deals to everyone who is on our mailing list. If you are not on our mailing list, please contact us at aurorastudios@hotmail.com to receive the deals.

Website

2008-10-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Our website is currently undergoing an update. We are updating everything and will have all new pictures and information. Please check back to see the new stuff soon!

It's been a long time...

2008-10-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

I knew that it had been quite a while since I last blogged. What I didn't realize is that it's been since July! Wow... So much has happened since then. I'm sorry for not keeping up on it all.

We've been doing a lot of shooting since I last blogged. What have we been shooting you may ask? Well, lots of weddings, along with some engagement sessions, a few trash-the-dress sessions and just some general nature/outdoors type pictures. I will try to post up some pictures of the sessions we've done in the next few days.

So, until then!

Website

2008-10-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

For the past few days, our website has been down. We had a couple of technical "glitches". As of this morning, the website is up and running. Hopefully, all the problems have been sorted out.

Stacey & Nic are getting married!

2008-07-25T03:42:00.000-07:00

Today, Stacey and Nic will be getting married in Fruitport (Muskegon area), Michigan. They are planning to have an outdoor wedding--provided the weather cooperates, which it should. We are excited about the location, it will provide a beautiful backdrop to this wedding. We post some pictures soon!

New Website

2008-07-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

Our new website is launched!

Sam & Craig are getting married!

2008-07-12T05:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain... And it wasn't just rain, there was thunder and lightning, strong wind, and it was pouring rain. Well, I pulled up the WZZM13 weather (we love Hally) and it looks like the storm may be passed by the time Sam & Craig get married today. So, we're crossing our fingers, and trusting that our prayers for perfect weather during the wedding will be answered. So, that when we get to Grand Rapids, Michigan to capture Sam (Samantha) and Craig's wedding, it will be a perfect day. Especially since they have so many locations planned.

Aubri & Jason are getting married!

2008-07-12T04:12:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to put this post up. Aubri & Jason actually got married already...we captured their perfect day on June 28th in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They had a beautiful sunny day. We did some awesome location pictures, and we'll be uploading them soon! So, stay tuned. Below are two pictures from their engagement session back in the fall. We went to Saugutuck to the old grist mill and then over to the park.

Guys...

2008-07-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

I was reviewing some pictures from a couple of weddings we did not too long ago...and found a few pictures that were funny to me. What is interesting is they were the guys in the pictures that were funny. Just take a look--

Jennifer & Travis got married!

2008-07-05T04:54:00.000-07:00

In mid-March, at the Michigan State University Brook Lodge and Conference Center in Augusta, Michigan, Jennifer & Travis got married. Jennifer along with her mom, sister, and nieces all got ready inside the Brookside Cottage. This cottage is one of the hotel buildings located on the grounds. We then walked across the bridge to the conference center to get some of the family pictures done prior to the ceremony. Then we walked around the grounds and got some pictures done outside on the grounds. It was a beautiful March day, the sun was shinning, most of the snow was melted and it wasn't too cold. The ponds on the grounds were somewhat still frozen over and the ground was extremely mushy, but it was still beautiful.

After the ceremony, Jennifer & Travis had their receiving line/cocktail hour over at the Doctor's Cottage. This cottage lies in between the conference center and Brookside Cottage. After a short time of mingling with their guests, Jennifer & Travis went back to the conference center for some family pictures, then headed out onto the grounds for some more pictures. Jennifer only had a pair of slipper like shoes on her feet, which quickly got soaked from the mushy ground, but she smiled through it all and kept on going!

During the cocktail hour, the conference center got converted into the reception. The staff at Brook Lodge worked so quickly, they got all the tables set-up, a dance floor down, and all the centerpieces and food were ready to go. It was amazing.

We just finished editing their proofs, so we thought we'd post some of their wonderful day!

Jessica & Keith got married!

2008-07-05T04:37:00.000-07:00

In late February, Jessica & Keith got married in Charlevoix, Michigan. Their wedding was held in a small town church located in Charlevoix. There reception was held in Petoskey, at the 4-H barn in the fairgrounds. You may be thinking a 4-H barn and fairgrounds, but let me tell you, it was a beautiful location and you'd never even think that you were in a barn, let alone on the fairgrounds! There was snow on the ground, just as Jessica planned, but the sun was out, a beautiful blue sky just made for a gorgeous day.

Jessica and Keith along with their entire wedding party were troopers! After doing some pictures at the church, Jessica and Keith walked around the block from the church, into downtown Charlevoix for some pictures. Then we all climbed aboard the bus and drove a block or two to the Charlevoix Lighthouse. The entire wedding party trekked through the snow (high-heels and all) to get some pictures out by the pier. Then back aboard the bus to a undisclosed (read: not really sure where it was) location for some more outdoor pictures in front of a pond with a fountain, that amazingly didn't freeze over. Aboard the bus again, the entire group was signing karaoke and some (Kerry...) were 'dancing' in the aisle! Then the bride and groom went over to the hotel and checked in, but there was beautiful window that overlooked the hills and we took some more photos of them in front of the window with the view. Finally, it was off to the reception! Wow, it was an awesome day!

We're posting some of the proof editing that we just finished up.

Lauren & JJ got married!

2008-07-05T03:45:00.000-07:00

On Easter weekend, Lauren & JJ got married at the Perry Hotel in Petoskey, Michigan. Even though this was a holiday weekend and a 4+ hour drive for their family and friends, they were joined by approximately 40 people for their special day. Since it was late March and Northern Michigan, of course there was still snow on the ground and it was very cold. But, their ceremony was held in front of one of the fireplaces in a lobby at the Perry Hotel; which made the perfect setting to this winter wedding!

Lauren & JJ wanted to do several pictures outside, so we put on our winter overcoats and headed outside! Actually we headed outside several times, because they wanted some pictures after the wedding outside the hotel under the hotel sign, some at sunset, some with the full moon, and then we had a couple ideas/places to get some pictures. Even with the snow, the wind coming in off the bay, and the cold temperatures they were able to smile for some beautiful pictures. We also did some pictures inside, because the Perry Hotel is an amazing location for a wedding!

We're posting this now, because we just finished their online proofing and thought we would share some of the pictures.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate our country's independence, we'd like to thank all of our brave service men & women for the sacrifices they have made. We hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

2009 Pricing

2008-06-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

We have revised our pricing for the 2009 year. We will be releasing it within the next few weeks. Now is the time to book if you are still looking for a photographer for your wedding.

Stephanie & Corey are getting married!

2008-06-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

We will be shooting Stephanie & Corey's wedding today in Muskegon. It's a little overcast, but that will be ok, since we will be heading down to Lake Michigan for some beach pictures. Below are some pictures from their engagement session back in May. We went up to the UP and did these right on the Lake Superior shoreline, in Presque Isle Park (outside of Marquette). It was very cold, there were flurries and you can still see the snow on the ground. These two braved the elements to get some great shots!

New Website

2008-06-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long time coming, but we are finally getting a new website! This site will feature more galleries, have online proofing right on the site, and just better looking and better organized. We are in the process of finalizing the overall look and feel of the site currently, but we will be launching the site shortly. Of course, we never could have done this without bludomain.com!

On a similar note, we of course had to start a blog since we are getting a new website :) What's a new website without a blog!?!? We plan to use our blog to keep everyone informed on what is going on with us, so check back for frequent updates!

We are so excited about our new website and we hope that you love it too!

Em