East Grand Rapids Class of 2020 Portraits

June marks that time of year for me…time for senior portrait sessions. I made a trip back to Grand Rapids a few weeks ago because the Class of 2020 holds a special place in my heart. I’ve watched these students grow up in my neighborhood since 3rd grade, the year we first moved to Michigan. When the rain started pouring down a few minutes before this session we got creative and ducked into a coffee shop, utilized the stoops and overhangs of local buildings and brought out the bright dotty umbrella. Here is sweet Olivia!

I always encourage parents to jump into a photo or two during senior sessions, sometimes they are my favorite frames of the day. :)

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Olivia was photographed by California based lifestyle portrait and editorial photographer Dena Robles in Grand Rapids, MI using Kodak Portra 400 on Contax 645 and Canon 1v. If you are located in Central Coast California OR in Michigan and would like a session of your own, please email me at denarobles@gmail.com

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Love Letter to Michigan

Dear Michigan,

Thank you for the many blueberry fields and the vast apple orchards.  Thank you for treating us to glorious perfect summers and the crisp brilliant autumns and the winter wonderland.  Thank you for the summer rain and the fireflies that follow. Thank you Michigan for the unsalted sea and the sand dunes and the long hot afternoons resting on your banks.  Thank you for the beautiful sunsets shared with family and friends. Thank you Michigan for your beer enthusiasm, your growing food culture and for the coffee shops where many a rant was shared.  Thank you for the street fairs and the artist community. Thank you for the makers, the bakers and the markets.

Thank you dear Michigan portrait clients for appearing in front of my cameras over the years and for trusting me enough with your memories to return for more and more and more again. Dear Michigan, thank you especially for growing up with my children and parenting beside me. Thank you for the lifelong friendships and the smiling faces. You are all missed.

Love always, me.

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Hello to Santa Barbara, CA! We’ve been in town for about 5 months now and are happy to make our new home here in California. We are already in love with the palm trees, the salt water, the mountains, the food and the people. We can’t wait to explore and discover what is in store for us in this next chapter. I look forward to making memories with new west coast friends, and welcoming visitors from our Michigan years. I hope to see many of you in front of my cameras both here in Santa Barbara and again in Michigan dear friends. For the lovely East Grand Rapids class of 2020, I will be back in Grand Rapids for a week in June 2019 to conduct your senior portraits just like we planned way back in 4th grade! Can’t wait to see you again. xoxo.