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thanks for visiting the blog of STUDIO6.23 , a.k.a. ben and mindy peterson.

this is our wall for posting favorite pics from recent weddings or kid sessions. but somehow, a bunch of other randomness finds its way here as well.

we got married in 2000. makes it simple math to remember how long we’ve been married. and we’re crazy about our three kids.

i guess that’s why we shoot weddings and kids. it’s what we know — and love!

to keep up with our work or a bit of the peterson craziness, enter your email below or click the little squares that look familiar to you.

FOLLOW 6.23

what are grand rapids wedding photographers doing way out in boston?  shooting this hot, hot, hot couple of course.

our first engagement session in boston was such an incredible experience!!! lindsey contacted me to do their engagement pictures a few months ago, but the plan was to do them in michigan, when they came home this summer in july. but then….. ben and i were making a trip out east to do some other photo sessions, so we contacted them and said…. ‘how does boston sound for your session’? and i am so thrilled that we did them there….. what a BEAUTIFUL city!!! not to mention our ever soooo HOT couple. lindsey warned me a couple times that she may not be the best model…. WHATEVEEEEER!!! they both knew how to work it for the camera!

now for a little background setting…… lindsey used to be our neighbor, years ago, when i was in high school at portage central. her older sister, shannon and i went to school together and were friends, so it’s fun when you already have a former connection! :) love the blasts from the pasts!!! so fun! lindsey has also started a blog called wed michigan and you can check it out at www.wedmichigan.blogspot.com. she features some fabulous michigan vendors and has some great ideas and budget savers, as well!

i just HAVE to share a story since it’s a first for us! we sometimes trespass… yes, i know, naughtiness!!!! but seriously, some spots are too good to pass up…. i’m just sayin’. so we had already covered some major boston locations already, bunker hill, the U.S.S. Constitution and then we were ready for some urban photo love. as we were leaving the naval port, we saw this really cool loading dock in an empty parking lot. yes, there MIGHT have been a sign that said ‘keep out’, but it’s not like there was a fence we had to jump or anything like that…. so we thought it’d be okay for just a few minutes! needless to say… 2 park rangers came, with guns, and we thought for sure we would be arrested. after 15 minutes of some serious anxiety on my part, they just did a background check on all of us to make sure we didn’t have any warrants out for our arrests and they gave us a verbal warning. thank you, mr. park ranger for being so kind. and i didn’t ask them if they would take a picture with the couple for the memory…. oh wait! yes, i sure did. :) they did decline since we had been “detained” by them, but i had to at least ask! right?! we will definitely be more careful about our trespassing in the future! :)

and now… for the fabulous pictures! and p.s….. we are a COKE drinking family, not so much pepsi, but how could we resist the “HOT, HOT, HOT” sign. so a big shout-out to pepsi for putting that fabulous hot pink sign in the perfect place for an awesome shot! yeah!!! thanks so much brian + lindsey… you guys were so incredible and we had a blast discovering boston with you and hanging out!!! here are some of our faves……. ENJOY!!!

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3 Comments on this Post

  • anja said:

    I recently found your blog (through bobbi+mike), and I just wanted to say that I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your style :)

  • Shannon said:

    These are amazing! Not that I don’t think that my little sis is hot, but wow! Smokin’.

  • Lindsey Rietscha said:

    You guys don’t understand how absolutely AMAZING you are. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! These are so much more than we could have hoped for!!! We sorta are pretty hot huh??? Kidding :) Thank you Mindy + Ben!!!!

coolest shoes EVER

[sorry for the week away from the blog. 2 birthdays in the family, so we just had to take a mini vacation to chicago and LEGOLAND! but we're back to it now]

this winter we did a trash the dress, ’snow style’ and it was a BLAST!! shannon, jessie and denise were our smokin’ hot models and braved the cold without flinching. katie scarth came from detroit to apply the fabulous MAC make-up on the girls and she was amazing! if you need someone who is a true make-up artist, her digits are 248.941.5144. for the girls’ hair, ashlee keller did a phenomenal job! we wanted bold and a bit unconventional and she did just that! let me know if you need a hair stylist who is incredibly gifted and i’ll send you her info!!!

we started out at one of our favorite places, the richard app gallery in the cherry district. mindy’s rented it out for boudoir sessions, trash the dress and we shot a wedding reception there as well. talk about some crazy cool ambience without having to “decorate”…. this is the spot! and last, but not least, ryan prins was with us for the day behind the video camera – representing coastline studios – and captured all of the madness!!! john pottenger worked his magic and put together a sweet video of the day. if you haven’t seen it…. scroll down a bit and take a look! and if you haven’t yet booked a videographer…. john’s the man!

we will be offering 4 trash the dress sessions a year. you guessed it, one for each season! our next adventure will be announced soon and we will only have 4 to 5 spots available, so contact me if you are interested in our spring session! and it is not just for the trashers… we also love the “accessorizers!” and now for a few of our favs to get you in the mood to trash it……

trash the dress

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wedding photography isn't what it was back when we got married

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michigan trash the dress

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gotta love grand rapids

2 Comments on this Post

  • Jenny Duffy said:

    Hey guys! I just stumbled on to your blog. Are y’all in GR?? Great stuff! Love your style!

  • Katie Jo said:

    You guys rocked it out! Stunning as usual! Plus I love that song =)

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in case you missed it on facebook, we’re sharing this video of our latest “trash the dress” session. seriously, way too much fun for one day!!! and huge props to the beautiful brides for taking on a freezing michigan day in their dresses and open toed shoes. OH YEAH, BABY!!

thanks to coastline studios for hooking us up with this stellar video, ashley keller for the crazy funky hair and katie scarth for the fabulous job on the makeup. yowza! we”ll DEFINITELY be working you all again…and again…and again!!! brides — > if you haven’t booked a videographer yet, coastline is it. and ashley and katie know how to do it right. contact us if you need their emails. also, thanks to richard at richard app gallery — a great place for wedding receptions…and getting ready to trash some dresses!

SPRING “trash the dress” in the works! so go hit the vintage shops and ACCESSORIZE… before someone else clears em out! then give us a holler.

3 Comments on this Post

  • Don Stowe said:

    Quite impressive! I like the backdrop of the door opening in the red barn.

  • Aletha | Pearls Events said:

    Mindy – this looks like an awesome shoot! And you are so stinkin’ fun, I know everyone involved had a great time. Thanks for posting this! Love the new blog :)

  • Susan said:

    SOOOO COOL!!!!! when do we get to see the photos you took? Dying to see!