This season was filled with so many amazing shoots in so many amazing places. Boston Common and the surrounding areas are so pretty, and even in the height of a weekend afternoon, you can still find little nooks to capture beautiful photos without swarms of people. I loved how Meghan and Bailey stayed true to their style in this session— when Bailey whipped out his sunglasses and asked when he could wear them, I got excited because I could see that HE was excited about it. I love how these turned out and here are a few of my favorites!

When the leaves are no longer on the trees, my favorite locations for engagement sessions are downtown/city spots! Especially around the holidays with the hanging twinkling lights, the vibe is cozy, the architecture provides interest, and long coats add texture. As long as it’s not freezing (so that noses aren’t running and extremities aren’t turning funny colors!), the off season can make for some of my favorite images. Here are some of my favorites from Alex and Benji’s December session, on an unseasonably warm day near 50 degrees, in downtown Detroit!

When I first chatted with Grace, one of the first things we talked about was the fact that I worked on both the East Coast and in Michigan. While she and Bo are going to get married in Grand Rapids summer of 2024, she desperately wanted engagement photos on Nantucket, where she and Bo summer every year and where Bo’s grandparents have a home. Luckily, our dates aligned and the week they were on Nantucket happened to be the week I was in Newport for a wedding, so I hopped the ferry (with the kids and nanny in tow!) and we made a day trip of it! We went to the Whaling Museum in the morning (highly recommend!), I photographed Grace and Bo in the afternoon while the nanny hung with the kids, and then we went shopping and had dinner before taking the ferry back to our hotel on the Cape. Even though it was raining, we still had an amazing day, and I LOVE how the photos turned out! A light drizzle isn’t always bad at the beach…it usually means its empty so no beach goers in the background! And no squinting because its overcast :) . Here are a few of my favorites from their session!

I met up with Patricia and Devin at the beautiful Dow Gardens in Midland for their engagement session. It was my first time at these gardens and they were an instant favorite! Seriously- such a stunning place for a shoot! And- there isn’t a permit fee to shoot there! We had a wonderful summer evening strolling through the gardens— here are a few of my favorites!

One of my favorite things to do is walk around downtown Detroit finding new streets, corners, and nooks with my couples to photograph them in. My goal is to find one new little spot or angle every time I shoot to keep myself challenged, work fresh, and make sure my couples have some unique shots in addition to every one’s faves (like Shinola!). I had so much fun walking around with Lexi and Jimmy, and we had the most pleasant November day. We even found a tree with leaves still on for a fall look! You would never know that this was directly next to a large construction zone. Here are a few of my favorites from their session!

When Ashley and Jake asked to have their engagement session at the new Roosevelt Park, I was so excited! It had just re-opened a couple of weeks earlier, and its always so fun to shoot at new locations. Detroit locations like the DIA can become crowded, so its nice to have more options. They did such a nice job with Roosevelt Park….the old train station is such a landmark and then the landscaping with all of the hydrangeas was so pretty! Excited to shoot here again in the future!

So many wonderful family sessions to share from this fall! One of my favorites was this one. I have loved watching this family grow from engagement, to wedding, to newborn, and now first year! The day of the session, the weather was not great- it was chilly and rainy. So, we opted to do them at the family home, and stepped out for a few foliage photos in the backyard in between rain sprinkles. Baby D definitely was happier inside, and so we did several inside next to the large windows for some natural light. Here are some of my favorites~

One of the nice things about working two regions is that I’ve made a little niche for myself- people who have connections to both. This is exactly the case with Daniel and Jean…they are getting married at Shinola in Detroit in 2024, but currently live, work and go to graduate school in Boston. We were able to do their engagement session in Boston this summer when I was in town for a wedding I was photographing over Labor Day weekend. It worked out perfectly, we got gorgeous weather, and I love what we captured. Here are a few of my favorites!

October here in Michigan was one of the rainiest, gloomiest Octobers we’ve ever had! Thankfully, November has been much kinder to us- warmer and sunnier- but for October, we had to think outside the box and find some covered locations. Thank goodness for the law quad in Ann Arbor on U of M’s campus! Not only is it beautiful, but its covered! The large arches paired with umbrellas made for the dreamiest photos. Here are a few of my favorites from Kate and Julian’s session!

I joined Davis and Ashley and their sweet pup at Cranbrook for a fun summer engagement shoot! It used to be really tricky to have shoots at Cranbrook, but now you can pay $350 to reserve a time for a session. Because Cranbrook requires reservations, the gardens aren’t overcrowded and overflowing with photographers and other people wanting to get photos at that iconic location overlooking the pond. It’s really nice to have the place to yourselves!

Midway through our session, it started to rain, but thankfully nothing too heavy and we were still able to grab the prettiest shots. I had so much fun with these two, and these are a few of my favorites!

New, modern venues have been popping up all over Michigan lately, and the Marriott at Eagle Crest in Ann Arbor might just be one of my favorite new venues! From a photographer perspective, the nice things are you can have everything in one place! It makes it so easy to step out for portraits anytime, whether that be at getting ready, first look, after the ceremony or golden hour. Also, its on the lake, and its hard to beat waterfront locations (or those nice waterfront breezes in summer). The flow of the venue is so nice with cocktail hour outside and doors/windows that open…it never feels too crowded with so many places for people to go. Also the lobby and hotel rooms are modern, which gives us nice backdrops for getting ready photos. And lastly, parking is so easy! For those getting married in the Ann Arbor area, we all know how tricky parking can be but it’s not at this venue since it has a large parking lot. This is definitely a must see venue if you are looking for one in the Ann Arbor area!

Now on to Katie and Chris! These two are one of the most laid back couples I have ever worked with. At the same time, they were tuned it to what would make the day go smoothly and stress free. We worked together on their timeline, and even with a last minute “timeline emergency”, we were able to rework it so that no one felt the pressure the day of. When you are having a wedding Art Fair weekend in Ann Arbor, a timeline allowing for extra traffic is essential. The results of all that planning were lots of pictures with smiles, happy people and laughter. Even though I might have forgotten my sunblock (not something you want to do on a sunny day on a golf course in July, trust me) and walked away with a sunburn, I am so happy with the results. Congratulations to Katie and Chris! Here are a my favorites from the day.

Emily and Juan chose to go back to their proposal spot in the woods for their engagement session. Choosing a location with a sentimental value is always a great idea. I loved the classic look they chose too- wool sweaters and jeans always look nice! And lastly, how adorable is their sweet pup?! Can’t wait for their Ann Arbor wedding next year!

When I got the email asking me to do newborn photos for baby Vivian, I was beyond excited. I have photographed Haley and Derek 5 times: two engagement sessions, their wedding, maternity and now newborn photos! Its such a privilege and honor to be invited back into a family’s life time after time to capture their major life milestones. Baby Vivian is the cutest, and here are a few of my favorites!

These three are graduating in December, so instead of waiting until the snow fell and the bitter cold set in they decided to have their session in fall. We had a ridiculously warm fall day so there was no shivering in little white dresses happening. Bonus of doing a grad session in fall? NO LINES! We could easily walk up to Beaumont and Sparty and grab photos without waiting in the typical one hour plus lines that are typical in spring. So, congratulations to these three grads! Here are my favorites from their session.

Mary and Mark were married on the most beautiful spring day! They, their family, wedding party and vendors were an absolute dream to work with. Their venue, the Midland Country Club, was gorgeous and the food was excellent. I’m so happy with how their photos turned out and here are a few of my favorites!

When I graduated, graduation photos weren’t a thing, and I so wish they had been! It’s such an amazing life milestone to graduate from college, and it should be celebrated and captured! I would have loved to have photos like these to look back on as an adult far removed from college. What a fun way to celebrate!

I loved getting to know Mikayla and Macken! These two are headed to Belfast for graduate school in the fall, and I’m so jealous! They will get to hop around Europe in their free time! What an incredible next step. We were lucky all of the spring blooms came early this year and we were able to walk around the campus of MSU snapping photos with them in the background. I love how the photos turned out! Congrats again, you two!

My first full time week back from maternity leave has been a busy one with 6 portrait shoots, multiple wedding consults, an album design, timelines and now, gearing up for the first wedding of the year and 5 more portrait shoots! I am thrilled to be back and connecting with clients old and new! It was especially nice to have a session with these two- I photographed Haley and Derek’s engagement session and wedding, so I felt especially honored when they asked me to photograph their maternity and newborn photos! It’s always a humbling feeling when you are chosen to photograph a family’s life milestones. Can’t wait to meet their baby girl in June!

We photographed their session on the campus of MSU. The spring blooms are GORGEOUS on campus this time of year! I absolutely love how they turned out and here are some of my favorites!

Would you believe these photos were taken on a November day, and that it was 70 degrees?! Everyone is usually scared to schedule fall photos in November, but I’m telling you- November can be an amazing time for photos, especially the first week. Here are a few favorites from Janie + Brad’s Detroit engagement session at the Detroit Public Library and Detroit Institute of Arts. I’m so in love with how they turned out!

When the peony gardens are in bloom, there is no better location for an engagement session than the Arb in Ann Arbor! Seriously- every corner you turn is just more and more beautiful. There are flowers, woods, bridges, paths, river….so many photo possibilities! I’m so glad Adrienne and Peter reached out early to schedule their session at the peony gardens, knowing they are in bloom only for two weeks out of the whole year! Those two weeks, I feel as if I’m at the Arb every other day, and I’m certainly not complaining. So many gardens have barriers for entry, like permits or large fees. At the Arb, aside from difficult parking, it’s pretty easy access. I’m so happy with how these photos turned out! Congratulations to Adrienne and Peter on their engagement!