Midland, Michigan Senior Portrait Photographer | Eve Tuft Photography

Tag: Eve Tuft

Wooden Barns and Grassy Paths

The wooden barns at the Chippewa Nature Center here in Midland, Michigan are some of the most requested things in my senior sessions. Good thing too, because the wooden barns at the homestead are seriously near the best and most magical light. Last time I blogged, I showed you some pictures of the first half of Chloe’s session at the high school and at the Chippewa Nature Center. We stayed at the Chippewa Nature Center for a couple more outfits of hers. Her mom insisted that she wear red for at least one of her outfits. I’m so glad she did, because that color on her is the best! The blanket they brought also happens to be the perfect color for this shot.

See? Magical light by those wooden barns, I’m telling ya.

For Chloe’s last outfit, we headed down a path I had never been on until just a week before this. This path was beautiful and grassy and had beautiful light. We started taking pictures on the pathway, and we got these. Gah, I love the feel the bare feet gives the picture here.

Give me all the backlight!

At the end I asked her to get in her white shirt again since I thought it would go so well with some tall purple wildflowers we found. This location is just amazing for senior portraits.

Chloe, you are a dream to photograph, and I had the lucky opportunity to do it twice! Thank you so much for entrusting your senior pictures to me. Best of luck your senior year!

September 25, 2020
H. H. Dow High Sports Session

It’s been a hot minute since I took any sports pictures for my seniors. I forgot how fun it was to integrate a sports item in a shoot! Chloe here is a basketball and soccer player for H. H. Dow High School, and I loved that she wanted to wear her jerseys for her senior session.

Sports at H.H. Dow High School

We started off at her high school with her in her basketball jersey, and I just knew I wanted some shots behind the bleachers. Not only did they provide some shade, but they also added some amazing depth and visual interest. Gorgeous, right?

We also grabbed a few shots in the sunlight on the bleachers themselves. I love this next one.

Chloe quickly changed into her soccer attire, and we headed onto the field for some more sports pictures. She and her mom helped me move the net into some pretty light. Because honestly, it’s all about good light. Although having a good subject certainly doesn’t hurt. 😉

Chippewa Nature Center

After we finished up at the high school, we made our way to the Chippewa Nature Center. It’s seriously my favorite. The light there gets me every time. Speaking of which, I think now’s a great time to mention that Chloe opted to get her makeup professionally done. The MUA I use is http://www.beautybycathy.org/. She is amazing at doing natural makeup that isn’t too heavy or strong. She really helps compliment a girl’s natural beauty, and I strongly recommend that any girl booking a senior session with me get her makeup done professionally.

Also, I’m just going to say that I love the outfits Chloe brought. I can tell that she really chose what SHE loves and feels confident and comfortable in. I want all my seniors to feel like themselves and to feel confident for their pictures. This next one just might be my favorite from her whole session.

Next time I blog I’ll finish up her session. Stay tuned because there were gorgeous purple wildflowers involved. 🙂

September 10, 2020
Gorgeous Senior Session at the Courthouse and Downtown Midland, MI

The Courthouse here in Midland, Michigan is so uniquely beautiful. I love the architecture, the colors, and the little spaces all around it that make it such an ideal location for a senior photo shoot. A few weeks ago, I blogged the first half of Gabby’s session. She chose City Forest for her first location, and I loved that she brought her dog, Henry. For her second location, she wanted Downtown Midland. I love it when my clients choose two completely different locations for their photo shoots! The first place was all natural and green and earthy. The second location was more urban. Because of this, her pictures came out so diverse and varied.

The Courthouse

Gabby knew she wanted Downtown, and I asked her if she wanted some pictures at the Courthouse. She agreed, so we headed there first. My, oh my. This location along with her super cute dress were a match made in senior session heaven.

The courthouse offers such a fun and different location for senior sessions here in Midland. Look at that stone! And those colors!

I’m so glad we chose to come here while we were in Downtown.

Downtown

After we took shots there, we walked around the area and found a few other spots that photographed well. Really, Gabby photographed well, and I just posed her and let her show off her beautiful smile. 🙂

Note to self: The flowers lining the streets of Downtown look absolutely gorgeous in July.

This next one is a favorite of mine.

We took a few more pictures in Gabby’s last outfit and wrapped up with some extra urban locations.

Here’s what Gabby said of her session:

“Eve did a great job taking my senior photos. I brought my dog along to one location because I wanted him to be in them with me, and she was very accommodating with him. I was shocked when I saw the pictures afterwards because they were even better than I expected. Overall it was a fun experience and Eve Tuft was enjoyable to work with.”

And here’s what her mom said:

“Eve is fantastic! We had a great experience taking our senior pictures with her. She is very professional and fun! Our photos are beautiful and great quality. We highly recommend her!”

Gabby and Christine, thank you both SO much for entrusting me with Gabby’s senior session. I loved getting to know you both better.

August 11, 2020
A Senior and Her Dog

I just had my first session of the year a couple weeks ago, and it was wonderful. It was also the first session I’ve done where a senior brings along his or her dog. I loved it! Since Gabby was bringing Henry along, we knew we’s need someplace that allowed dogs. She chose City Forest, and it was the perfect location. All day long we watched the weather because it threatened to rain. The clouds were ominous even as we drove to meet up. I thought for use we’d have to cancel, but Mother Nature was good to us. We even got a bit of sunshine later on. 🙂

Gabby’s dog Henry was nervous at first, but we were still able to get some beautiful portraits of the both of them together. I mean, look. Seriously perfect.

What you can’t see here though are the billions of bugs swarming around (I totally got attacked by a grasshopper) and the 300% humidity. I’m pretty sure Gabby has the best hair to have handled it so well.

We took several more with Henry, and this next one may very well be my favorite of the two.

Like I said, it was so hot and humid, but you’d never know it from these pictures. Gabby changed into her second outfit, and I loved the flow of her dress and the color on her. She’s a dancer, and every movement she made was so graceful.

Hold up. This next one is my absolute fave. We caught it just as the light started peaking through the clouds at City Forest. These classic portraits seriously get me every time.

Gabby also brought along a jean jacket to wear, and it really helped to diversify her outfits by pairing it with this dress.

Next time, I’ll be sharing the second half of her session. The location and her outfits seriously came together so well! See ya then!

July 22, 2020
Do I Need to Bring a Prop to My Senior Session? The Pros

“Do I need to bring a prop to my senior session?” You may have been wondering about this for your own session. And it’s a valid question since many seniors love to bring things to their photo shoots that represent their hobbies and interests. In this post, we’ll take a look at the pros to bringing props with you for your session.

Prop Pros #1

One pro of bringing props to your senior session is that it gives your hands something to do. When a person has something for their hands to do or hold, it helps them feel more comfortable and less tense. This helps them look at ease in their pictures. They’re bound to love them more if they look comfortable.

#2

Another pro is that the senior will get professional quality pictures with things that mattered to them. A beloved instrument, a pair of running shoes, a soccer ball. Time stops still, and the focus is on the senior’s passions and interests. I love how Nicole brought her running shoes to her session. Just throwing them over her shoulder like this tells the viewer she’s into running. And how fun will it be in 20 years from now when these shoes look dated??

#3

And I can’t pass up posting one of my favorites ever with a senior and his prop. We went to Dow Gardens for the first half of his session. We ended up at the Chippewa Nature Center where he wanted pictures with his harp. As soon as I had him start playing it, it was like he was somewhere else and had left us behind. A pro here then, is that props can feel like such a part of who you’ve become. It’s like having a dear friend with you in your picture. I played the flute from 6th grade through college. I remember one year in college I dropped it off to be cleaned, and I couldn’t believe how much I missed it! It was awful waiting those two weeks until I had it again.

#4

For the last pro on this blog post, bringing props to your session can help add to the atmosphere depending on the location we’re at. Grant wanted pictures with his trombone at his high school. We took so many here near the football field and on the stands, and I really think having him pose with his trombone helped pull the scene together. Below, Nicole looks so stunning in the fields of flowers. Adding in her viola makes the scene even more picturesque.

While there are many pros to bringing a prop, there are also cons. Next time I blog, I’ll share some of those with you. We’ll be in touch!

February 25, 2020