Hiii! I’m Kim, a portrait and wedding photographer in Michigan. Two little cuties call me momma, one special guy calls me wifey, three crazy chicks call me sister, and I'm just over here hoping you'll call me your photographer!
I've loved photography for as long as I can remember, and considering I'm officially in my mid-thirties, that's a looooong time. It really started for me when I signed up for yearbook in high school and shot with a DSLR for the very first time. I was hooked. So, naturally, after graduation I bought my own camera and headed off to Grand Valley State University to study business. Wait... whaaaaat? Business?? Yeah... that only lasted a semester. I quickly changed my major to photography and proceeded to spend way too many hours in dark rooms. I took on photo jobs every chance I could and was blessed with the opportunity to assist a photographer in Traverse City who taught me the art (and hustle) of wedding photography.
(Ya girl's a bit chatty)
So, what is this "soul-sinking" thing you keep talking about??
My Grandma Jo used to remind me to take a step back and embed the fleeting moments of life into my memory, so that someday when I’m old, I can think back to those memories, whether filled with joy, stress or sadness, and relive my beautiful, blessed and sometimes messy life.
She named this act “soul-sinking”. It has since become a cornerstone in my life.
I believe photography is a way to bring life to soul-sinked moments. That photos not only remind us of an event, but also trigger a memory that is so deep — and so full of feeling — that we transport, if only for a moment, back to that original beautiful occasion.
For this lesson, I am forever grateful.
During the night after my 26th birthday, I slept through multiple calls from my family. We lived in Colorado at the time and my husband's aunt and uncle were visiting on their way to Arizona. My phone rang again at 7am. Through groggy eyes, I picked it up from the kitchen counter and saw the list of missed calls...voicemails. Aunt Robyn walked in, and with a worried sound in her voice she said my name and showed me a message on her phone from my mom... "Kari died."
I'm the middle of 5 daughters; Katie - Kari - Kim - Kandis - Kelsey. At only 27 years old, Kari was killed in a boating accident in the British Virgin Islands where she had been working for five years. Since 2015, we celebrate my birthday on January 23rd with a cloud of grief looming overhead. Jesus called Kari home on January 24th.
Because Grandma Jo taught us to soul-sink, we have countless memories intentionally preserved deep in our souls. Photos provide tangible access to those moments, and since God gifted me with a love of photography at a young age, Kari's life story is practically a picture book.
Missing her hurts...really, really bad... but we have hope like an anchor for the soul, firm and secure, and the promise of Heaven because our hearts are held in nail-scarred hands ⚓️ 🤍 🙏🏼 ✝️
a few of my soul-sinked moments
it's history
My mission as a photographer is to capture these moments, big or small, so that you can revisit them again and again throughout your life. Your comfort is of utmost importance to me and I want you to feel completely at ease as I document snippets of your life to create a narrative inspired by laughter, love, family and friends.
Your soul-sinked moments make up your history ... your legacy ... your life. Photos are a tangible, visual artifact that last for generations. My purpose as a photographer is to help you freeze time with beautiful, high quality images captured with artful intention. And, good gracious, it brings me so much joy to walk through clients homes and see precious moments we captured together sprinkled throughout their decor.
I'm passionate about raising vital funds for cancer research.
U CAN-CER VIVE FOUNDATION
My Heart
My husband and I are both from Charlevoix. We knew each other in school, but didn't start dating until December 2010. Four months after our first date, Cy went to Army basic training for four months. Upon graduation, he spent three weeks at home before shipping out to his first duty station - South Korea - where he would spend the next 12 months. In April of 2012, I went to visit him for three weeks - he proposed! We were married on August 19th and left for his next duty station - Fort Carson, Colorado - just two days later. Gosh, we're really rolling through dates here, but nearly exactly one year after arriving, we packed up left, Cy on deployment and me to Michigan to wait for him. I soul-sinked so much of that first year together that I feel like I can remember it more than most years in my life (thanks, Grandma Jo 🤍). There's something so uniquely special about military friendships, the instant bonds over shared experiences, and the lifelong relationships that we made - I am forever grateful!
Our daughter, Adalynn, was born in the fall of 2013, just two months into her dad's nine month deployment in Afghanistan. At seven months old, Cy finally got to meet his daughter. I could tell you countless stories about Adalynn and her huge heart, hilarious giggles, how adorable she was as a toddler and moments with her that shaped us as parents.
In 2017, our son, Cyril, was born just two days before Christmas. This boy shocked us from the second he entered this world at 11lbs 8oz (whaaaaaattt). Baby Cy is the sweetest boy who suffers from speech apraxia caused from a genetic disorder that includes NF1. He makes us laugh every single day with his silly sense of humor, and, boy oh boy, he will melt your heart with one of his grins!
This barely skims the surface of our beautiful life story. It's been a rollercoaster, with more highs and lows than I could even count, but God has been with us through it all. We are so blessed!
My history
I'm the middle of five daughters, and all of our names start with "K". My childhood was fabulous and I reminisce about it all the time. I grew up in Charlevoix, MI - aka Michigan's Paradise.
I spent my entire childhood surrounded by tons of family. My grandparents developed a magical haven on Lake Charlevoix where the doors were always open for visitors. Way Bay had camper hookups where my downstate aunts and uncles would live in the summer so that we could all be together. Any given summer night could have upwards of 50 people show up for dinner. It chokes me up to think about how much this place means to me and how deeply I miss it.
My quirks
One week after finding out I was pregnant with our son, I woke up and noticed that the left side of my face had significantly less mobility. Cy had already left for work, so what did I do? I called my mom, of course. She calmed my panic, we figured it was Bell's Palsy, but to be safe, Cy took me to the ER to confirm. Over the following few days, I became super sick; fever, pain and swelling in my left ear. Turns out, it wasn't Bell's Palsy after all.
I was diagnosed with Ramsay Hundt Syndrome and did not regain mobility until about four months later. I have permanent damage in my facial nerve as well as synkinesis, which causes my left eye to close a bit while talking and when I smile. Ask me to flare my nostrils, and we'll both crack up. The way doctors light up with curiosity when we meet for the first time, and gosh, the unapologetic honesty of children when they ask, "what's wrong with your eye?!" ... a few have even mimicked my smile when I'm photographing them, and I can't help but laugh. I love it, even though I miss my old face every single day. Everyone has a burden to carry, a thorn in our flesh, but Heaven wouldn't be so glorious if life on earth didn't have its ugly moments. I have far more beautiful blessings than I could even begin to count, so if I'm winking for the rest of my life, so be it 😉
My interests
My husband would be first to tell you that I'm a grandma at heart. So when I started collecting antique dishes and decorating our home with them, he wasn't the least bit surprised.
It didn't stop at decorating the house, though. Now I host an Instagram page and set fancy tables every chance I get! Follow along - @greenvintagedish.
Recently, I learned how to hand embroider. What's with this trend of millennial women skipping the midlife crisis and jumping right to grandma traits?! Needless to say, I'm here for it. There's also a special place in my heart for standing at a church pew with a hymnal in hand, singing the goodness of God to someone playing a piano.