The Detroit Athletic Club has the most cozy, elegant vibes. One minute, it feels like you are in a French Chateau walking up the grand staircase. The next, you are in front of the warm, candle lit fireplace. The windows and furniture in the Reading Room provide the prettiest light and texture for photos, and then you step outside on the terrace and you have all of Detroit in front of you. It’s no secret that my favorite venues are the ones you don’t have to leave- where you can have everything in one place, rain or shine. With the DAC, I never have to worry about a rain plan for my bride + groom’s wedding day portraits. Whatever your vibe is- chic or classic- it can be captured at the DAC. Here are some of my favorite photos from Samantha and Chris’s winter wedding at the DAC.

Grad sessions are so much fun, but here are some tips to help your photo session go more smoothly!

1. Before your session, make sure to iron your gown! Wrinkled gowns are pretty noticeable in photos, so make sure to spend 10 minutes ironing it beforehand. Your photographer will not photoshop out any wrinkles.

2. Pick up two bottles of champagne per person in your group! This allows one bottle for a group spray at Beaumont Tower, and then another bottle to do solo shots at another location.

3. Wear a comfy pair of shoes and pack your dress shoes to change into. Campus is big! You can swap shoes back and forth and you trek around campus.

4. Bring a bag or a wagon to haul everything in. You’ve got shoes, your gown and accessories, champagne….it’s a lot to carry! If you have a large group, a wagon will be so helpful and easy the day of your shoot.

5. Carefully consider what outfit you’ll wear under your gown. Are you going to do photos with the gown open? Do you want a professional headshot? If so, make sure your clothes are ironed, bra straps are hidden, and nothing is too low cut. Or, bring an extra top to change into. Pack a collared button up you can throw right over your dress. Also, consider colors- you don’t want your outfit to clash with your gown. You also don’t want it to clash with your friends’ outfits!

6. The last tip is an important one- if taking photos the last few weeks leading up until graduation, make sure to arrive one hour before your appointment time to wait in line if starting at Beaumont or Sparty. The lines here can be anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour graduation week! Nice days will be very long as well. Pack your patience!

Alex and Benjy were married in March at Planterra in Michigan. If you are getting married in winter or early spring, I can’t imagine a better venue than Planterra. Planterra gives you summer vibes in the middle of winter with all of it’s greenery and natural light. All photos an be taken on site and you don’t have to go anywhere! It’s seriously a dream in winter when snow and poor road can conditions can make traveling slow. Alex and Benjy planned the most romantic celebration with so many candles that the venue was glowing. Here are some of my favorites from their day!

It's almost that time again and I can't wait! There's nothing like the smell of freshly sprayed champagne wafting through campus, cheers and shrieks as the champagne sprays (or doesn't spray!), and hearing all the excitement about young grads' plans for post-graduation. If you're an MSU grad, I would love to capture photos of this amazing accomplishment for you so get in touch! And here are some favorite's from Emma's grad session, Class of 2025! Congrats, Emma!

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!