Blog
Here’s a piece I photographed for the current issue of Grand Rapids Magazine featuring executive chef and general manager of Forty Pearl (www.fortypearlgr.com), Taylor Boeschenstein and Alivia Rutkowski. Along with the Leelanau-based Brengman Brothers wine that they offer, Forty Pearl recently added a full food menu—a perfect place to visit once these COVID-19 lockdown days are over! Read the story at www.grmag.com/food-drink/leelanau-casual/
Kent County Credit Union in Grand Rapids’s growing Creston neighborhood is rolling into the new decade with style thanks to a facelift from McGraw Construction. The group photo at the bottom shows how the space looked before!
My first shoot with interior designer, Melissa Frederiksen, of Atmosphere 360 Studio (www.atmosphere360studio.com) at her latest project in Holland, MI!
This past February, I took a peaceful 3-hour trip in the snow up north to this impressive Lake Michigan waterfront home in picturesque Leland, Michigan, to photograph this super cool installation by Glass Flooring Systems out of New Jersey (www.glassflooringsystems.com). This home has a 3-story indoor rock climbing wall with a stairway alondside it with walkable glass floors on each of the landings. It was really nice to have the place to myself for a few hours to get all the shots I needed. You’ll notice I make a cameo in a few of the shots!
Plymouth Christian High School in Grand Rapids asked me to talk about what it’s like being a photographer at their annual career fair! It was a lot of fun to be a part of; the students were really nice, and the whole event was very well run. Maybe I inspired a future photographer?!
Favorite shot from my latest shoot with interior designer, Rachel Schergen, of Alynn Loft (www.alynnloft.com)! Rachel turned a mundane guest bathroom into a sophisticated space featuring aged brass and Navajo designer wallpaper. The resident curious cat jumped up on the vanity while I was working—a cat always makes a shot better! The cat is a Savannah, a hybrid cat that’s a cross between a domestic cat and a serval (wild African cat!).
Grand Rapids Magazine sent me out to take photos of Carol Moore who purchased the long-neglected Third Reformed Church at 1001 Hermitage St. SE in the East Hills neighborhood. She plans to take about 5 years to gradually transform the space into a community art center, with the help of donations. Carol is my hero for taking it upon herself to preserve awesome historic buildings like this!
Here’s some shots from my latest photo shoot with the good people at AHC+ Hospitality! This is at the JW Marriott-Grand Rapids’ International Ballroom which they recently finished renovating in time for the Wedding Showcase in January.
Here’s my latest shoot with McGraw Construction of the new office space for accounting and consulting firm, Korte and Kowatch, here in Grand Rapids. It’s fun to continually be exploring new places and spaces I’ve never been in, even right here in my own city! The office suite is in the 37 Ottawa buliding which was built in the 1880s as the Grand Rapids Refrigerator Company, and then enclosed in an aluminum exterior 100 years later. CWD Real Estate recently acquired the building and peeled off the “modern” metal exterior to reveal the original brick. Very happy to see this sort of renovation via restoration taking place!
I took a road trip down to Streator, Illinois, near the end of last year to photograph one of design-build firm, La Macchia Group’s, latest projects, a spiffy transformation of the Streator Onized Credit Union! Established in 1939, the credit union was originally housed within the Owens Illinois Glass Company, exclusively serving the company’s employees. The green glass features in the lobby are on homage to the credit union’s legacy. Membership has since expanded to the greater north-central Illinois region, and the credit union now sits right across the street from the historic glass plant which is still in operation!
