Eve Tuft is a Photographer specializing in Senior Photography in Michigan in the cities of Midland, Bay City and Saginaw

Senior Session Location: Miscellaneous Midland Location

February 14, 2019

I’ve just finished my series of favorite locations in Midland my seniors like to choose for their sessions. I’ve covered Dow Gardens, the Chippewa Nature Center, Downtown Midland, and Bay City State Park. We really have some beautiful and unique options here in Mid-Michigan. Today I’m going to do my last one for now, and it is a miscellaneous location. While Dow Gardens and the CNC are a photographer’s dream to photograph, I can take your pictures just about anywhere outdoors and get some really beautiful and amazing memories captured. Midland and the surrounding areas are amazing that way. You want your senior pictures taken at a park? Great! In your backyard? Let’s do it! Over on some property your parents own? Sounds good!

One Example for a Miscellaneous Location

One of my favorite locations in Midland to take my kids is Larkin Park. Man, we just love that place. We took our own family pictures there a year and a half ago. It’s especially beautiful in the fall, but then again, all of Midland is. 😉

Last Autumn when I was taking a posing class online and needed to get out and practice with some models, I thought Larkin Park would be the best place to go. I love Dow Gardens, but I wanted a miscellaneous location this time around. These beautiful models were happy to accommodate. I don’t think anyone would know the location just from looking at the pictures though, and we were able to find some really beautiful spots with some absolutely gorgeous light.

So, the moral of the story (or the post) is this: You don’t have to take pictures where everyone else is taking pictures. As beautiful as the Chippewa Nature Center is, if you don’t want to go there for your senior session, then don’t! If you’re aching to go somewhere else, let’s do! And we’ll end up with something amazing.

Senior girl smiling while looking over her shoulder | High School Senior Pictures

In the picture above, you can see the covered pavilion and fence in the background, but I think very few people would even know where this was taken.

Brown haired senior girl leaning up against a chain-link fence and smiling at the camera at a miscellaneous location | Eve Tuft | Michigan Photographer

Who knew that baseball fences could make such beautiful bokeh in a senior portrait?

Senior girl wearing two different outfits for her session side-by-side | Michigan High School Photographer

Yep, you guessed it! Both of these pictures were taken at Larkin Park, less than 100 feet from each other.

Senior Girl sweetly smiling while looking down | Midland, Michigan photographer

This just goes to show that you can get an amazing variety of gorgeous pictures wherever you choose.

Senior Session Location: Bay City State Park

February 6, 2019

Continuing in the senior session series, up next is Bay City State Park. There’s a funny story about this place. I have lived in Midland for about four and a half years, and the very first time I even made it out there was last year during the summer. !!! I know, right?? My husband and kids and I went one warm summer day as soon as he got home from work, and we seriously had the best time. Then, at the end of last summer, I had the chance to photograph a senior out there. It was good to be back. The reason why I was at Bay City State Park was because I was invited to be a part of a project. It’s called ‘The Traveling Dress Collective’. You can read about it all on this blog post.

So! Let’s delve into why you might want to choose Bay City State Park for your senior photos! First off, it’s a flippin’ beach. What’s not to love about that? With this location, you get pathways, tall reeds, a sandy beach, and waves and water. You can either be in front of the water, be in the water, or not even have water in your shot at all. My favorite? All of the above. I think that’s what I love most about this place – the fact that you can get so much without having to get back in the car to go to another location.

This location is a popular choice for teens. I can’t wait to get back there in a few months. Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll have many, many more sessions there under my belt. You know. If it would ever warm up here in Michigan! 😉

Senior Session Favorite Location: Downtown Midland

January 30, 2019

I’m back with my new blogging series of favorite locations for your senior session! And today I’m blogging about downtown Midland. To be completely honest, I’ve only taken a total of two sessions there. It seems like Dow Gardens and Chippewa are the more popular options for this area. And really, I adore those places too! They give so much variety for your senior session, and they are such a unique spot here in Mid-Michigan.

BUT! Let’s not overlook what downtown has to offer.

Something that I look for when taking pictures are leading lines. Staircases make amazing leading lines. Take a look! Those stairs immediately draw your eyes in directly to my beautiful subject, placing the focus exactly where it should be. The following two pictures have both stairs and railings which help bring your eyes to my senior as well.

A senior girl sitting on stairs downtown in Midland, Michigan | Senior Photographer

A high school senior holding a pair of shoes across her shoulder for her senior pictures | Midland, Michigan photographer

Another thing that makes shooting in downtown unique are the alleys! This senior specifically asked for some grunge in her shoot, and boy, did Midland deliver!

A high school senior girl sitting on some stairs in an alley downtown in Midland, Michigan | Portrait Photographer

A senior girl sitting on some stairs holding her ukulele in an alley in Midland | Michigan senior photographer

The different architecture also makes downtown a fun place for your senior session. I love how the sidewalks, buildings, lamp posts, and even the traffic add a certain vibe to these photos.

A high school girl in a green dress standing on the sidewalk in a downtown area in Michigan | Midland High School Photographer

High school senior girl posing while standing up on some cobblestone | Bay City, Saginaw, Auburn Photographer

Downtown Midland also offers an AMAZING variety of textures. Brick, cobblestone, wood, etc. are all available, and the result is beautiful and breath-taking. I’m so glad this senior wanted these elements in her pictures.

Senior girl squatting against a brick wall downtown in Michigan | Midland Senior Photographer

Senior girl in a green dress in front of beautiful church doors with her arms crossed | High School Portrait Photographer

If you’re ready, let’s book your senior portrait session today, and we can have an awesome time exploring all that Downtown Midland has to offer.

Senior Session Favorite Location: Chippewa Nature Center

January 23, 2019

Last week I blogged about a location I love here in town, Dow Gardens. This week I’m sharing another location with you that I absolutely adore: Chippewa Nature Center.

My family and I have lived here for over four years. We’ve been to Dow Gardens many, many times. But it wasn’t until a year or two ago that we discovered the beauty of Chippewa. We were shocked that we had never made it out there before, but we decided to make up for lost time by visiting often. When the weather is warmer, we go to the CNC weekly. We love walking the trails (even when we get lost). We love throwing rocks into the ponds. And my kids especially love seeing all the animals there.

Family memories aside, the Chippewa Nature Center is an amazing location for taking your senior photos. Why, you ask? Because of the variety! Like Dow Gardens, the CNC has SO much to offer for a different look for each picture. You want some rustic-looking barns? You’ve got ’em! You want trails, greenery, wildflowers, and dirt roads? You get those too. The possibilities are endless.

I also love the CNC for how much it changes with each season. Pictured below are sessions ranging from hot July to cool October, and they look like they were taken in a completely different location because of the season. Which look do you prefer? With the Chippewa Nature Center, you can have them all.

Red-headed senior girl posing next to a fence at the location of the Chippewa Nature Center | High School Photographer in Michigan

Senior girl standing next to a brown fence in the sunlight for her high school photos | Saginaw Teen Photographer

High School girl standing in a field of wildflowers with a barn in the background at the Chippewa Nature Center in MidMIchigan | Senior Photographer

A red-head teenager sitting in a field of wildflowers for her senior photos | Michigan Portrait Photographer

Beautiful girl wearing a dress outside in a field of wildflowers holding her viola | Midland, Michigan Senior Photographer

Senior boy playing his harp in a field surrounded by tall grasses | Michigan high school photographer

Senior girl standing outside with a barn in the background | Midland, Michigan photographer for seniors and high school teenagers

A teenage girl sits next to a barn outside for her senior pictures | Auburn portrait photographer

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Senior Session Favorite Location: Dow Gardens

January 16, 2019

For those of you who are familiar with my work, it will come as no surprise to know that my absolute favorite location to shoot at here in town is Dow Gardens. Before we even moved here four and a half years ago I heard about it and read about it online. Acquaintances I had never even met before told me about it. Once we moved here and got situated we went. It quickly became a Tuft Family Favorite.

As we’ve continued to visit Dow Gardens, we’ve come to realize that it is so much more expansive than we originally thought! I often take my four children there, and we have so much fun exploring every trail. It’s one of my favorite spots in Michigan.

But I think the reason why I love it best for senior pictures is because of the variety! The bridges! I sure love those red bridges. The trees, the gardens, the flower beds! Oh, and I recently fell in love with a green barn I had never taken much notice of before.

Another good thing about this location is that most, if not all, of my seniors are familiar with it. They know what’s there. They know what it has to offer. And they are attracted to its beauty and variety. They know exactly what they’re going to get when they have their pictures taken there.

If you’re trying to decide where to get your high school senior pictures taken, I would highly recommend this place. It really is my favorite location for my seniors. Even if so many other seniors get their pictures taken there, the variety Dow Gardens has to offer is astounding, and no two pictures need ever look alike.