This blog post is introducing two new things that I am very excited about!  The first is Jayne!  Some of you already know Jayne.  She has been apprenticing with me since November.  I photographed Jayne’s family portraits last October, and in November she approached me and asked me if she could apprentice with me.  Since then I have been training her, and now she is officially working for me!  I am very excited to have Jayne as an addition to my business!   Jayne will be helping me edit, scheduling presentation appointments, and holding mini sessions….

Mini Sessions are the second new thing I am going to introduce!  Jayne will be holding and photographing a few mini sessions this summer.  The first Children’s mini session is scheduled for June 9, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at Spring Grove Park.  What is a mini session you ask?  Well, here are the details:

- No Session Fee!  When you schedule your mini session, you will pre pay for a “Mini Session Collection”.  This will include 1 – 8X10, 2 – 5X7’s, and 8 wallet prints for $60.00

-Your mini session will be 15 minutes long, and you will have approximately 10 proofs to choose from.  Your proofs will be uploaded to your own private online gallery for 7 days, in which that time frame you will choose your image for your prepaid Mini Session Collection.

- You may purchase additional prints from your mini session at 25% off regular print prices and collections. (discount does not apply to greeting cards or albums.)

- Children only please, and you may schedule one for each of your children!  If it is raining on June 9, the scheduled rain date is June 11.  If it is raining June 11, we will contact you with further plans.  Pre payment is due at the time of booking.

So, call today to schedule your mini session! 616-437-5603.  Spots are limited!

What could be better than 3 boys and a dog???  Michael came for his one year old portraits, and brought along his cousins and Grandma’s dog!  Grandma wanted a portrait done of all her babies… including the newest puppy!  So, when the cousins came to visit in Grand Rapids, they made an appointment for a children’s photography session!

This past weekend we had a service project at our church, Lee Street CRC. My husband and another man from church have been working on getting things set up since November, and this past weekend was the big weekend. We had people from our church volunteer to work on houses in our church neighborhood. I was the photographer for the event, and all I can say is that God is amazing!

We had 6 houses lined up, with about 75 volunteers. The stories of the people who’s houses we worked in were all different….
-An elderly brother and sister who just couldn’t do yard work any more…
-A single mom with 2 kids who’s house was going to be condemned if she didn’t get it cleaned out.
-A woman who’s house rained inside every time it rained outside…. we had a storm Friday night, and she was up all night emptying buckets every 15 minutes….
-A single mom who’s house was foreclosed, and she needed help packing her things.
-Two families who just needed help cleaning, painting, and doing yard work.

We started the service weekend on Friday night with praise and worship time, and a spiritual message that challenged us all. Our speaker for the weekend was the amazing Joline DeHeer.  Our Praise and Worship leader was Scott Albers from 2nd CRC of Allendale.  Saturday morning we had breakfast, devotions, and headed out to work. WE WORKED HARD! The conditions of most of the homes was something I have never seen first hand before….. I don’t want to go into too much detail here, because I don’t want to offend anyone. I’ll let some of the pictures speak for themselves.

Saturday night we gathered back at church for dinner, sharing, and more worshiping.  We also heard another message about what God can do with us, and he wants to use us.  We all have talents that God can use.  Sunday morning we met for breakfast, had personal devotion time, then finished the Serve weekend with our church service.  

Sometimes I marvel at how God works. We think we are going in to help others, but we are the ones who are blessed by it. We think we will be a blessing to to others, when in fact it is them who bless us.

Here is a video that I made to show at our church.  It shows what we experienced and felt this weekend….. how does God want to use you?

Well, I have some new things that I have been working on, and I am so excited!  If you all remember, I won a new website a while back with a bloopers contest.  (Thank you to all who voted for me!)  So, I finally have the new website complete!  I decided that instead of replacing my current website with a new one, (I still LOVE my current website) that I would separate my wedding work from my portrait work.  This will make the navigation with each area of my two websites easier!  Along with the new wedding website, I also got a new wedding blog.  So, here are the new additions to my web presence!

Kari Douma Photography Wedding Website

Grand Rapids Wedding Photography by Kari Douma Blog

Tori came in for some senior portraits in the Studio.  We debated whether or not to do some outside, but it was a good thing we didn’t because it was bad weather the day she came!  We had a great day getting those inside shots though!

Here are some of my favorite of Tori!

Graham cam and had his 6 month portraits done at The Studio!  I photographed Graham’s mom and dad’s wedding 2 years ago, and now I got to meet this little guy!  He was such a sweetie… and full of smiles!  His mom couldn’t wait to see the proofs.  Now that she has seen them, I thought I’d post some on my blog!

I just want to tell you all about something new and exciting that is happening at The Studio!  I am now projecting your images HUGE on the wall for you to see!  How does this work you ask?  Well, here is how it works…

After your session we will set a “presentation” appointment for you to view your images.  You come into The Studio and relax!  I will get you coffee, water, or soda, and then the excitement begins!  You will see your images projected onto a 6 1/2 foot screen, set to beautiful music.  Then, I will help you sort through your images one at a time… comparing, cropping, seeing different options, to help you decide what will work best for you and your home.   It is fun, relaxing, and the ultimate viewing and purchasing experience!  When you order your prints at your presentation appointment, you will receive 25% off your print order, so it is a double bonus for you!  You will get help with choosing your images, and you will save money!

I have been doing this for about a month, and my clients love it!