stop motion. 2014.

i've always tried to focus on the important milestones on these end-of-year posts. but this year, it's been particularly hard to put this together without sharing a very personal side of us with the rest of the world. we take our business to heart, and our photography work is most definitely as personal as it comes. so it only makes sense while you all open up and share your personal story (day) with us, that we should open up and share some of our story as well. 2014 has proven to be the most challenging year of our lives. we were elated at the prospect of growing our business, adding new services (a photo booth), starting new ventures, and, not to mention, working with the best clients ever. but we were most excited to be growing as a family, and adding a +1 to our home. however, life had something else in store for us.

the day we said hello and goodbye to our little jude was the hardest day of our lives. it left us empty and heartbroken. but it also left us with the resolve to do better, to be better, and to have gratitude for the things we do have. we were overwhelmed by the outpour of love and support by our friends, family, and clients. and above all, it lit a fire in our hearts and bellies, causing us to focus on what's most important: each other, and those cameras in our hands.

in the months after losing our son, we turned to photography as a way to cope and focus on better things.  we created some of the best work to date, and decided to focus more on giving back to the community. 2015 is already starting out with a bang, focusing more on philanthropic work with the creation of the illume collective, and lining up some amazing weddings for the upcoming year. we're excited to see where life takes us this year. in the mean time, here are some of our favorites from last year.  here's to life, laughter, family, and focusing on what's most important, love.

stop motion. 2013.

holy smokes, this has been one epic year of travel! it started in late winter on a trip to the oregon coast, then off to las vegas for our annual WPPI conference and a quick trip to the grand canyon (we fell in love with arizona!).  we celebrated our 10-year anniversary as a couple hiking the sleeping bear sand dunes and kayaking lake superior on michigan's upper peninsula.  our clients took us to chicago, cooke forest, and a north carolina vineyard wedding off the blue ridge mountains.  and finally, the year ended with a trip to maui on a family vacation that we will never forget. however, being away so much made us realize just how lucky we are to have our home here, surrounded with so many loving friends and family.  we are so thankful for your unconditional love and support, and for the best clients we could possibly ask for.  not to mention, we love coming home to the purrs and snuggles of two adorable kittens we adopted this year, alfie and miso.

on a professional level, we tried to push ourselves to the limit with how we approach photography. our  motto has always been to give the best customer service above all else.  but this year, we really wanted to push that more and take on a collaborative approach.  we saw each project as a way to work with our clients, molding their ideas with our vision and style.  the results have been so rewarding for both us, and them.

below is a sampling of work done for aperture this year, as well as a few personal photo projects sprinkled in from our travels.  also, please click here to see one of our favorite engagement sessions we've done thus far - a stop-motion movie "save-the-date". we hope you enjoy these, and we cannot wait to see what 2014 has in store for us!

love, h & p

stop motion. 2012.

whoa, how are we almost one month into the new year already? we can hardly believe 2012 has come and gone. it was a year we definitely won't forget. aperture has grown exponentially. we've met some of the most amazing clients who've given us the opportunity to shoot in new york city, lakeside, in the woods, in a vineyard, on a vegan farm by lake erie, right under chagrin falls, as well as tons of other little picturesque towns across the midwest. we've also taken up a few more personal projects this year. paul is now playing in two bands, and is setting up his screen printing studio. hristina has started to put together her darkroom, and is working on travel grants and setting up gallery exhibits for a series of personal projects for 2013.

we are so incredibly blessed with our family and friends, who are a force of constant love, support and inspiration. and a special thank you to all of our clients, past and present. we wish you all a new year full of happiness, wonder and absolute bliss. we couldn't do any of this without you... below are a handful of our favorites from 2012. h & p