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!
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!
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!
Danielle and Max were the first couple to book a 2023 wedding with me! At the time of booking, Danielle asked if they could do their engagement session at Silver Lake Sand Dunes. She loved a set of romantic dune photos she had seen on Pinterest taken in California, and wanted a similar look here in Michigan. Since they are getting married in Detroit, they wanted a totally different look for their engagement photos.
On the day of the session, we arrived at the beach and it was raining! Thankfully it stopped, and the good thing about going to the beach on a rainy day, is that it’s empty! We had nearly the whole place to ourselves! It was also cooler, so when we hiked the dunes (even though I almost died because it was so steep), we didn’t really sweat- which of course you don’t want to be sweating in photos! I absolutely love the results we got- the post-rain light and clouds were so beautiful. And honestly, you can’t beat sandy Michigan beaches…the sand is so clean and the water so clear. Here are a few of my favorites from their session!
Frances Park is on the west side of Lansing, about 20-25 minutes from MSU. There are bathrooms and easy, free parking on site. No permits needed. There is a gorgeous rose garden, river overlook, pergolas, and wooded nature paths. You can also go directly down to the Grand River. This park is amazing is summer once the roses are in bloom and in fall when the trees along the river have turned and you can see their reflections in the water. I absolutely love how shoots turn out at this park.
Located on the south of MSU’s campus are possibly my favorite gardens in all of Michigan. In spring, summer and fall, the gardens bloom with dahlias, hydrangeas, roses and more. There is an English garden, a pergola, a few ponds, and a mini apple orchard and vineyard. You can get so many different looks in just this one garden! Bonus is there is a tiny parking lot right on site, so you don’t have to walk far to the location. Only down side is there are no bathrooms anywhere nearby so if you are doing an outfit change, it has to be in your car. This garden rivals other gardens in the Detroit area that charge hundreds of dollars in fees. There are no logos or Sparty statues around, so it even works for non-Spartan alum :) . There is no shade at this garden, so it only works for golden hour sessions or on cloudy days.
Central campus is great for all four seasons! There is shade in this area along the river, so the light is a little more forgiving than the arboretum if shooting outside of golden hour. Parking at the main library is free in the evenings, though it can be more difficult to find a spot. Bathrooms are open during business hours in the library too. There aren’t as many flowers as the arboretum, but the leaves look incredible, especially in fall. There are evergreens for winter. The riverwalk and bridges look beautiful in photos, and the botanical gardens are right next to the library. There is a lot of walking in this area, so its a great spot for a casual outfit.
MSU North campus is by the Union and the old dorm buildings. The old dorm buildings provide for such gorgeous architecture, which makes an elegant background. There are also beautiful blooming trees, bushes and flowers on north campus. Bathrooms are in the union to change but parking is a little trickier. Beaumont Tower is right across from the Union too, but can become really busy, especially during graduation season. It’s easy to do a more formal outfit on north campus and then change into a casual one for central campus.
If you are looking for a beach/water summery vibe, but don’t want to drive to a lake, Rotary Park in downtown Lansing has a beach along the river! It gets a great sunset and I love how the photos turn out. It’s right on the river trail so there are lots of little nooks and a cool bridge to use too. Parking is super simple but unfortunately there aren’t public bathrooms for changing. This spot can be combined with shots at the Capitol building/downtown Lansing. Couples often start with a formal look a the Capitol and change into a casual one for the beach.
These gardens are so beautiful in summer! There isn’t any shade, so shooting at sunset is imperative, and the roses are in bloom in summer only. There is a cute little bridge and pond, a red brick path, hanging flower baskets, and beautiful roses everywhere. It’s a great summer spot for a session. Parking is super easy right on site but unfortunately no bathrooms.
The Capitol building provides an elegant backdrop for photos and looks best dressed up. Parking isn’t too bad (you can park on the street right out front at a meter) but there are no bathrooms. Do a formal look here and then move to Rotary Park for a casual one! This location is also great in early spring/late fall when there aren’t leaves on the trees since there is beautiful architecture to use as a backdrop.
For couples wanting a spot with a lot of color and a cute downtown vibe mixed in with a bit of nature, Old Town is perfect. Brightly colored buildings and the river trail make for fun photos. There aren’t many flowers, but the colorful buildings give the images a pop. There isn’t any shade, so golden hour or a cloudy day work best. Parking is easy (there’s a large lot on site) but no bathrooms for changing.
I often get asked if couples are allowed to do an outfit change at their engagement session- the answer is yes! I actually encourage it for a few reasons. FIrst, it’s an opportunity to show your style. Second, you may end up loving how one outfit photographs over the other (but not have clue prior to the session). Third, it gives you a bigger variety of photos with different uses. You may want to use an elegant one for a Save the Date, but use casual ones to frame in your home. Stacey and Jarrod went for an elegant look at the DIA and Detroit Public Library that ended up on their Save the Dates. They did a casual look downtown, too! If you don’t want to do a full on outfit change, a few quick ways to change your look are to add or swap an item you are currently wearing. For example, add a scarf, swap flats for heels, switch a sport jacket for a cardigan. No changing required, just a couple quick swaps to get a different look!
Lauren + Nick’s engagement session ended up being some of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken in Ann Arbor! Because it was December and we had no greenery, we stuck with the law quad and Nickel’s Arcade for cool architecture for our shots. It was definitely cold, but we had some sun! I absolutely loved the green dress Lauren wore…it really popped against the muted color of the law quad architecture. Their jackets and jeans kept them nice and warm in their casual outfit…I’m always a proponent of doing an outfit change- some casual, some more formal. You never know what you might like better, and some outfits photograph better than others. No matter what kind of style you choose, solid colors almost always photograph better. Here are a few of my favorites from their session!
Here are a few of my favorites from Charlotte + Otto's engagement session at the Detroit Public Library! Charlotte and Otto wanted classic, and that’s what we tried to do with this location and natural posing. Their chosen outfits- a sport jacket/khakis/loafers and a navy wrap dress/heels- added to the classic look.
But I also wanted to talk engagement sessions in general today! The new thing is to have your proposal photographed and then take photos immediately after. With this new fad, occasionally I have engaged couples contact me looking for a wedding photographer, but tell me they don't need engagement photos since they had some taken at their proposal.
However, it's SUPER important to have your engagement photos taken by your wedding photographer! It's like a dress fitting, cake tasting, hair and makeup trial....you need a "trial/experience" with your photographer, too! Especially since we are the ones with you for 8+ hours on your wedding day (more than any other vendor except a wedding planner or videographer). We get to know each other, help you feel comfortable in front of the camera, find out if you have a good side or any imperfections you want hidden with posing, learn poses you love and don't love so we don't spend time on ones you dislike on the wedding day, and I could go on. Basically- an engagement session is a must do, and really should be done with the one who is shooting your wedding! All photographers work differently, pose differently, edit and light differently. It’s good to know how your wedding photographer works.
One question people sometimes ask when they are on the fence about an engagement session, is “I live out of town- how do I fit in the session when I only come in town briefly for visits?”. The answer is that many of my clients actually are not local! Since engaged couples who live out of state often have to come in for tastings, fittings and trials, not to mention bridal showers, holidays and friends’ weddings, it’s typically not a problem to squeeze a session in, and when I know you are in from out of town, I try to be more flexible with scheduling. Rarely does it not work. And if all else fails, there is always the week of the wedding when you’d be in town anyways! It really is worth making happen. And the bonus is you’ll have some photos of the two of you wearing casual clothes in a different location and possibly season, and some prints you can display at your wedding/showers or to make a guest book with. There isn’t really a downside to doing an engagement session! And I’m pretty sure most photographers agree ;) .
Every one is always asking me for suggestions for shoot locations, so I had to blog Emily + Eric’s Ann Arbor engagement session because this location is one of my summer faves! It’s not crowded (I was the only photographer there!), so unlike the Arb, it’s a little off the beaten path. It’s also free- no permit required! Probably because it isn’t swarming with photographers. Once locations become overrun with photographers (because unfortunately some don’t clean up after themselves and their clients), permits and fees usually follow. Aslo- parking is super easy! There’s a lot right at the entrance!
This location, County Farm Park, has it all: woodsy paths, wooden fences, gardens, flowers, pergolas, lamp lined sidewalks, and beautiful green space and trees. It’s my favorite in the summer, but I’ve also used it in the fall (although the gardens are no longer in bloom). This location is also special to me because it was in my neighborhood when we used to live in Ann Arbor! My son Julian and I would walk it weekly! So, I definitely know this park well. Here are some of my favorite images from Emily and Eric’s July session!
Happy New Year! I kicked off 2021 (and aren't we ALLLL glad it's finally 2021?!) with Olivia + Mark's winter engagement session at MSU in East Lansing. Typically, when I think of winter engagement sessions, I think of bitter cold and dreary. But we had the most beautiful winter day! There was fresh snow and it continued with flurries, giving us possibly my favorite winter engagement photos ever. If you're newly engaged and thinking of snowy engagement photos- let's do it! Get in touch and we can watch the weather for some wintery MSU engagement pics!
It’s cold and dark and gloomy outside, which is when I like to start blogging summer sessions… to remind me of the warmth and blooms and golden sun that is summer.
This session was one of my favorites of 2020. Haley and Derek chose to reschedule their August 22, 2020 wedding to August, 2021 due to COVID. However, they wanted to do something special on their original wedding date. They already had their fall engagement session in 2019, but decided a second engagement session on their original date would be a great way to celebrate. They got all dressed up, went out to dinner, and then headed to downtown Lansing for some photos at the Capitol building and on the rooftop of a parking garage with a view of the city.
Then, after an outfit change, we headed to Frances Park. It is a hidden gem in the Lansing area and has a stunning rose garden and river overlook. It’s one of my favorite parks to take portraits…and it’s free! Free parking and no permits!
I’m so happy I still got to celebrate their original wedding date with them, and happy that they had something special to do! What a great idea! And I’m so looking forward to their 2021 wedding!!!
Shelby and Kevin have a similar story to my previous post featuring Tiffany and Tad. Shelby is also a front line worker in healthcare and contracted COVID, causing us to reschedule three times. I particularly felt for these two, because Shelby had reached out to schedule her engagement session months in advance to guarantee they would have a weekend slot during peak fall color. While we still got gorgeous photos using the architecture of the beautiful U of M Law Quad, I still feel for our frontline workers like Shelby, who continue to make sacrifices and put themselves in harms way, altering their normal every day life, so that they can save and care for others during this pandemic.
They may have waited until late November for their session, but we got the most gorgeous day- sunny and near 70 degrees! I was so thankful that the weather cooperated for Shelby and Kevin, and that we were able to capture these gorgeous photos. I can’t wait for their June wedding next year!
Tiffany and Tad’s engagement session wasn’t supposed to be a winter engagement session. It was scheduled during the last week of October, when the trees were still full of colorful leaves. Sadly, it had to be rescheduled twice because these two are frontline workers- healthcare workers at the hospital- and tested positive for COVID the morning before the shoot and had to cancel. They ended being quarantined for three weeks, but thankfully emerged unscathed. The postponement ended up working to their advantage, as their previous two dates had 40 degree weather, but the date that finally worked had a surprising 70 degree temp! While the leaves on the trees were gone so we didn’t get that fall color, we were so warm and relaxed, and were still able to get beautiful photos by using the stunning U of M architecture around Ann Arbor.
Thanks, you two, for all that you do for our community during this pandemic!
If you had asked me in college/photo school if I planned on being a wedding photographer, I would have laughed. “Too stressful! I don’t like the industry- why spend that much on one day? I want to be a photojournalist! I want to travel!” is probably what I would have said in response.
Upon graduation, I visited my career counselor at school. She asked, “Well what do you want to do?”. I said frankly and honestly, “I have no idea.” She said, “Well how about weddings? With weddings, you photograph everything: landscape, people, moments, food, portraits, night, day, indoor, outdoor, groups, individuals, details, different lighting….basically everything! Shoot weddings while you figure out what you want to do, and you will hone your skills and be able to shoot anything and everything when you’re done” This was probably the best career advice I’ve ever received in my life.
That was 2009. Today, 11 years later, I am still photographing weddings. And I love it. It was nothing I expected it to be as a clueless new grad in 2009. It’s an industry that I’m proud to work in- run by nearly all small businesses, artists and institutes of culture. It’s a happy job- everyone is happy on their wedding day! I smile while shooting and I smile while editing. I have traveled all over photographing weddings- from the church where Jackie and John F. Kennedy were married in Newport to DC, Philly, Boston, NYC, Detroit, and more.
But the biggest reason I love this job is the significance- the moments I capture will be cherished and passed down. That’s a huge responsibility, one that I take seriously, and one that I am happy to take on. My photos will be loved and make other people smile and laugh and cry.
When I received this email from Hannah last week after delivering the engagement photos from her and Martin’s engagement session on Martin’s grandma’s property, I teared up immediately. Because this is why I do what I do.
“If you recall, we chose to take our pictures at “the Farm,” which was Martin’s grandma’s house and now serves as a central meeting place for the Brown family. Her and her husband bought the house back in the 1950s. The house was actually the second to be built in Jackson County back in the 1800s.
Before our pictures, we visited his grandma in the hospital downtown. We were so excited to tell her that her home would be the back drop of our photos. She was so incredibly sweet, with her response being “I need to buy a dress,” even while stuck in hospital bed at the age of 92.
Unfortunately, they shortly discovered she had suffered an ischemic stroke from which she would never completely recover. By the time we visited her the next Thursday, she had been moved to a hospice home and started to decline.
I wanted to let you know it meant the absolute world to me, Martin, his family, and his grandma to be able to show her our “sneak peek” photos. She had trouble speaking in her condition, but her face lit up seeing us so happy in a place very familiar to her. She was in awe of how beautiful of a backdrop you created with the place she called home for over 50 years.
Martin’s grandma passed away surrounded by her sons on Wednesday, October 28th. Although this means she won’t be there when we get married in June, we feel at peace knowing she was able to celebrate little things with us, like our engagement photos.
So in short, thank you again! The pictures are absolutely wonderful. We’re even more excited for next June!
Take care,
Hannah”
Here is the sneak peek that Hannah and Martin shared with his Grandma, taken on the property of her home…
Alissa and Rob originally wanted their session to take place on Belle Isle, but the island stopped issuing photo permits for 2020 due to the pandemic. So, we decided on downtown Detroit (Z-lot and Grand Circus), with the goal of getting as much fall color in the photos as possible. People don’t usually think of city locations as being great spots for fall photos, but they are! The trees turn color in cities too, and the leaves mixed with the architecture makes for stunning, unique color. In fact, cities are really the only location that look fantastic in all four seasons. Here are a few of my favorites from their shoot…
Morgan and Matthew were my first 2021 couple to book! They booked in 2019 and opted for a two year engagement when most have a one year engagement. Little did they know that it was a blessing in disguise, as many 2020 weddings were rescheduled. They are getting married at the University Club next year and I can’t wait!
In addition to having their wedding on MSU’s campus, they also decided to have their engagement photos on campus too! They chose the Children’s gardens and the Horticulture gardens. Because it was summer, all the flowers were in full bloom, including the roses. No other garden can beat an MSU garden— they are seriously the best gardens in Michigan for photos— and they are free…no fee at all, and easy parking! Even if you aren’t MSU alum, Spartan signs are absent from the gardens so you can still use them without any guilt :) .
This weekend I took over 2,000 photos and had 3 engagement sessions and 3 family portrait sessions! This is a typical weekend for a photographer in October. We photographers joke that October for us is just like April for accountants....every one would like a service at the same time and so we have to jam pack our weekends so that all of our clients can get that fall color for their photos.
While we had to reschedule Erica and Grant's first session due to rain, the second date ended up being perfect- sunny and not too cold! People always ask me what to wear, and Erica and Grant chose the perfect outfits- solid, textured sweaters in earth tones. Erica also threw a scarf over her sweater for a third, different look!
I love how these turned out-- you can't beat the fall color on MSU's campus! Even if you aren’t alumni, I always recommend MSU’s campus for it’s beautiful gardens. As long as you don’t take pictures with Sparty, no one can tell you are on campus ;) .
I can’t believe my last blog post was a year and a half ago…In normal times a year a half may see little change. However, in 2020, this past year and a half will be one of the most memorable in history. There is a pandemic and the entire world shut down for months. The wedding industry came to a complete halt. It’s been a year like no other.
However, by summer things started to feel like normal and I even photographed some weddings! And this fall has felt like every other- packed full of weddings, engagements, and family sessions. I am SO thankful to be busy this October. I don’t think I will ever take feeling busy for granted again!
This month I had 7 engagement sessions and many of them were in downtown Detroit. I didn’t grow up in or near Detroit, and feel most at home in Lansing (which actually feels like a small version of Detroit to me!). However, this city has really grown on me! My clients have opened my eyes up to so much and I love wandering the streets and finding little nooks to shoot it.
Today I am sharing some of those images wandering around Detroit with Bea + Nick. Aren’t they so photogenic? After viewing a few, Bea said I made them feel like models and it makes my heart feel so happy to hear that! Can’t wait for their wedding next year!
