Sunriae Photography

04/25/2023

Something to consider for wedding season…

04/19/2023

Hello again. Time to get my act together and share some of the things that have happened with the business.
I AM open for business. I am now booking senior shoots, and have one wedding lined up. Just finished a new business head shot gig (will share in the future), and researching all kinds of potential photography opportunities.
I'll be posting some updated shoots soon. But now is definitely the time to get scheduled for whatever you have coming up this summer/fall!

04/09/2023

This. This is why photographers ask you to NOT take photos during the service. Let the professionals take care of it, friends. Please. For the love…

03/30/2023

Alexander William- you were one of my best models ever- you were down for anything. I was much less experienced when I did this shoot… but you rolled with it. This is how I remember you, Love.
Miss you.
Rest well.

02/20/2023

Hello friends!
Wanted you to know that yes, I am active as a local photographer. I have to update the page- it’s in the works!
But as spring peeks it’s head around the corner… it’s a fancy time to consider serior shoots, family shoot updates, a “remember when” or a newborn shoot… it’s a great time to grab a memory !
I also have a portable background, certain choices of colors, and lights for professional head shots. I can come to you, your office, or you can come to me for a great photo to update your website, CV, resume or LinkedIn page.
See you soon!

11/04/2022

❤️

05/03/2021

We try our best- but remember what the lens sees is an image- not reality.
Take the picture.
Capture the memory.
Remember you are taking them not for a magazine shoot- but to remember a special time or event in you lives. You really not taking them for a modeling agency- but for your family who loves you and thinks you are beautiful.
Take the photo.
Know your beautiful- inside and out.
Enjoy the moments and the memories, friends.

I recently did a photoshoot with to get a few new shots for my website. He was geeking out about the the difference in how things look depending on the focal length of the lens, which I found interesting due to how many of my clients experience photos to be one of THE MOST INTENSE body image triggers.

To demonstrate, he took these two photos of my face, and explained how a wide angle lens leads to distortions, which makes faces look kinda weird (L) but also makes bodies look thinner so photographers will sometimes use it to get “more flattering” body shots.

A telephoto lens on the other hand leads to compression, which makes faces look more or less “normal” (R) but has a widening effect which can make bodies look bigger, wider, or fatter. (Notice how much thinner my neck is on the left than on the right? Also I have no ears on the left.)

I found this all fascinating.

Essentially, photos aren’t a perfect representation of how we look, and there are dramatic differences in how we’ll appear depending on the equipment being used.

And yet, so many clients have been triggered by a photo, either hating how it looks (ie: “my arms look huge” or “I look so wide”) or expressing confusion (ie: “I think I looked one way and then I saw a photo and now I feel like I have no idea how I actually look”).

Photos have a way of triggering body hatred and for this exact reason: it shows a different image than our eyes see, and calls into question your own perception of how you look.

Maybe you think you look ok, then you see an “unflattering” photo and realize you were wrong. When we can’t trust our own perceptions, we often dive into obsessive body checking/ministering to figure out the truth. Am I actually fat/big/wide, or no? Am I pretty or do I look weird? Am I ok?

But photos are NOT objective facts, and they don’t capture you the way other people will actually see you.

For example, no matter the angle, my face will never look exactly like *either* of these two photos to the naked human eye.

Did you know this? Have you seen this?

And more importantly, what has your relationship been between body image and photos?

12/19/2020

Tyler (and friends). This was a beautiful fall evening (remember our great autumn this year??) so we took senior photos, "prom" photos, and some cute couple shots!

11/22/2020

"There are places I remember, all my life..." These are photos from a place I visited with my folks growing up. My "Aunt and Uncle" Lee and Joe Miller had a place near Sanford, MI. Part of the legacy of 2020 was relentless rain in the spring that helped destroy the Edenville Dam, sending a pounding flood onto Midland MI and elsewhere, and draining beautiful Sanford Lake. My husband and I has thought about retiring here... beautiful, affordable and full of memories.
These photos show what is left, nearly a year later. Such beauty. Such sadness.

11/09/2020

Hello, beautiful Abby ... what a privilege to shoot your senior photos!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=sunriaephotography&set=a.153046346521920

How fun to meet my girl Abby and her young man Colton for a senior shoot. Successfully overseen by Dad Chad, and finishing with a few snaps including mom (my friend, Heather), this was truly a fun shoot! Enjoy!