Patricia and Devin's Summer Engagement Session at Dow Gardens in Midland

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!

Jake and Ashley's Detroit Engagement Session at Roosevelt Park

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!

Fall Family Portrait Session in Grosse Pointe

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~

Daniel and Jean's Summer Engagement Shoot at Boston Common

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!

Davis and Ashley's Summer Cranbrook Engagement 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!

Chris + Katie's Summer Wedding at the Marriott at Eagle Crest in Ann Arbor

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.

Newborn Vivian- East Lansing Newborn Photography

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!

Fall MSU Graduation Photos

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.

Spring MSU Graduation Photos

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!

East Lansing Spring Maternity Photos at MSU

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!

Janie + Brad's Fall Detroit Engagement Session

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!

Adrienne + Peter's Ann Arbor Engagment Session at the Peony Gardens

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!

Megan + Brad's Spring Dearborn Inn Wedding

Megan and Brad were originally supposed to be married in April 2021, but indoor weddings were still restricted in Michigan at that time, so they decided to postpone until spring of 2022. They ended up with the most gorgeous weather- sunny and no humidity, in the 70s with a light breeze. There were pink and white blooming trees everywhere which really made the portraits look extra beautiful.

They started their day getting ready at the Dearborn Inn and then headed to St. Hugo of the Hills for their ceremony. St. Hugo is such a beautiful cathedral. Then, it was back to the Dearborn Inn for portraits and the reception. I absolutely loved this wedding and how the photos turned out. Here are a few of my favorites!

Danielle + Max's Silver Lake Sand Dunes Engagement Session

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!

Clare + Eric's Spring Wedding at the Lafayette Grande in Pontiac, MI

Clare and Eric were my first wedding of 2022! With the wedding boom that is 2021-2022, I’ve gotten to photograph at many new venues, and it was my first time shooting at the Lafayette Grande in Pontiac, MI! I absolutely loved the architecture inside and out, the brightness of the space, the chandeliers, large staircase window, and the food was excellent, too!

Clare and Eric had a classic style with pops of spring color, and I absolutely loved the florals that Olive’s Bloombox created for their wedding. The bouquets and centerpieces were stunning! A big thank you to my second shooter Amanda for capturing all these beautiful detail shots of the table settings and centerpieces.

From our arrival to the first look, portraits, ceremony and reception, everything went smoothly, which doesn’t always happen in the wedding world! The rain stayed away until portraits were over, and we stayed on time for the entire day.

It was such a pleasure to work with these two recent med school grads, and I wish them luck as they move across the country for their residencies! Congrats Clare and Eric! What a fantastic start to 2022!