Welcome
 
 
MEET RAYNA
GRAND HAVEN, Michigan PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER
Based out of Grand Haven in West Michigan, I specialize in wedding, lifestyle, and family portrait natural light photography.
From a young age, there's always been a part of me that knew I was put on this earth to make people smile. I took God's call quite literally and turned "creating smiles" into my full time job! I believe photography is the art of not only capturing life's special moments, but a method to make them, too. In each photography session, I take great care to foster an easy going environment for a joy filled experience full of real moments, and real smiles.
MY INSPIRATION
I feel most myself when I'm in my favorite places- places untouched by man. Laying in the grass, looking up through the trees and seeing light be filtered through the leaves, listening to the wind rustle. These are also the places that leave me feeling the most inspired. I take that feeling with me through all of my art, emphasizing the natural beauty and talents that accompany every single human being. To me, God's most beautiful creations, people and the earth, are at their most beautiful when they remain untouched and true to themselves without any alterations- just like my favorite places.
HOW I GOT HERE
I've always felt the need to be creative. In every stage of my life I've found ways to display my imagination through art. I grew up on a farm outside of a very small Kansas town where I had rolling hills and the most vibrant skies right in my backyard. I credit where I was raised as my inspiration for creating. Watching my parents outpour the work ethic and faithfulness they did that comes with running a family and a farm has stuck with me through the years and plays a large part in the personal drive I apply to my own life's work. I am so thankful for God's hand in blessing me with the people and places he did.
WHY I DO IT
After a session, I always leave more energized than I was when I got there. Photography gives me the opportunity to partake in my favorite things - being introduced to the sweetest people, finding beauty and joy in the small things, making others smile, and getting to travel around amazing places. I hope to never stop learning through photography and these experiences. I strive to always be improving my craft in an intentional way. I believe photography is a path that allows me to express myself and make art for the good of others. That's something I'll never be able to get enough of.
7
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
20+
PUBLICATION FEATURES
20+
FIVE STAR REVIEWS
A LOVE LETTER TO MY FAVORITE
PLACE
The view of the rolling hills at my family farm in Kansas.
SAYING
"I will see the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living."
PAST TIME
Anything that involves being creative or being outside!
MOVIE
Stand By Me.
SEASON
Spring! Could not live without the excitement of seeing the first blooms of the season.
FOOD
Ice cream! A hundred times ice cream. I am definitely a "sweet treat" girl.