MICHIGAN WEDDING & LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHER

Hi, I'm Jason. Thanks for stopping by my blog. This is where you'll find stuff that's happening with me. You'll find photographs of my incredible clients, projects I'm working on, things that interest me, along with personal "stuff" - like photos and stories of my ridiculously cute daughters (Maddie and Macy), our new son (Max) and my best-friend/wonderful wife Beth.

I love what I do. I love that I get to be a part of something so significant in people's lives. I love that I get to be a part of the moments, the events, the stories. Whether it's a wedding, a family, a high school senior, or a newborn baby, I find the stories of our life compelling, and this is a place where I can share them with you.

For more about my story, click here.

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Sunday

Apr292012

KYLE + KRISTEN | APRIL 28, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 4:43PM

Super excited for these two! Just a sneak peek for now :)

JASON ATEN |

A FULL HEART

Friday, April 13, 2012 at 11:53AM

Right now, I'm traveling from New York City to Chartotte, NC to photograph wedding #2 this year. I've been in the city for 2 days, sharing with photographer, and there are few things I love more. And yet, as I'm surrounded by few million people, I can't help but think about the four people who have my heart. In particular, I can't stop thinking about this little guy - Max. In just 2 days, he'll be six months old.

Are you kidding me? Six months old? How on earth did that happen. How on earth did my son suddenly go from a newborn to a six month old little man. At the same time, how on earth did we ever live our lives without the fullness that comes from his never-ending smile. How on earth did we ever imagine our future without this little guy traveling this adventure with us.

Since he's joined us, we've moved into a new house, moved our studio to our home, started a ton of projects, finished a few, and raced through one of the fastest paced stretches of our life. He's been along for the ride, and is truly the most chill kid I've ever met. His mother and sisters adore him, and I'm having the most fun of my life with him and Maddie and Macy.

I can't wait to be home again after 5 days on the road - but at least as I think about our life - my heart is full.

JASON ATEN |

HOT COCOA AND POLAR EXPRESS

Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 8:34PM

We're sitting down with Maddie tonight watching "The Polar Express," and it seemed like a perfect night for a little homemade hot chocolate - not to be confused with that powdery stuff they call "cocoa."

If you've never had hot chocolate made the real way, you should try it sometime.

You'll need some dark chocolate shavings. Williams and Sonoma sell them, and I really like these from Crate and Barrel

Poor a little milk into a saucepan. Add three tablespoons of chocolate for every 8oz serving you want to make, and warm over med-low heat.

Once the chocolate has melted into the milk, add the rest of your milk (8oz per serving) into the sauce pan and let warm until you reach your desired temperature. On our stove, I set the burner to 4, and it takes about 10 minutes.

That's really it! Now, simply pour your hot chocolate into your mugs (it really does help if you have cool Snowmen mugs like these!), and top with whip cream. We like to add either chocolate chips or crushed candy cane as a garnish. Keep in mind that your hot chocolate might be very, well, HOT!