Tag Archive for: Leelanau County

Stephanie and Ryan had a day of absolute perfection at Crooked Creek Ranch in Leelanau County.  We’ve had so much rain this fall, I was worried we were going to get hit again, but instead we got gorgeous fluffy clouds, a rainbow, and a harvest moon to die for!  These two wonderful people had an ease about them and a quick smile for all, that reminded me of long-time friends.

That sneaky moon took forever to rise.  The cloud bank that rolled through, hung on the horizon and delayed the rise by almost an hour.  As our contracted time was over well before that moon came up, we stopped up the road to grab a photo of just the moon, with all intentions of creating something unique in post production.  These creative pieces are always my favorite.  I get to manipulate elements of reality into a version that I see in my head.  I love exaggerating the size of the moon – big and dreamy.

Pete and Beth were married at noon among their closest friends and family with a Hawaiian theme to their day.  We many not be on island time here, but West Grand Traverse Bay sure comes in a close second!  The theme was topped off with the phrase “I Lava You”, which comes from a cute song about the volcanic islands forming.

Little-mister Brett turned ONE!  I had a fun afternoon with this little doll and his parents!  His mom made a gorgeous birthday sign for our photos.  We discovered that grass is fun to eat, airplanes are in the sky, and water and sand feel great on toes.

 

I am so excited for Sarah and Dustin’s wedding next June!  These two have wonderfully easy personalities that makes it so apparent how in love they are!  We met at my “office” (a.k.a. picnic table at the beach) to discuss wedding details and watched a fog bank roll into Glen Haven.  Michigan weather is so weird some days.  We started with foggy beach photos and then went a mile up the road to the DH Day barns, where there was no fog (yup, a mile away is completely different weather) and we had some glorious summer sun to play in.

I always love seeing the Herman family!  I’ve gotten to see the girls grow from little girls to young ladies.  Grandma and Grandpa are as spunky as ever and everyone seems to be happy and doing well!  And Justine, let’s talk about this young man you have!!  He seems like a great dude!  Maybe we’ll see something shiny for your left hand in the future?  LOL – no pressure!

My little buddy Blake really doesn’t understand what is coming his way VERY soon – – – a SISTER!  He has had the unwavering attention of his wonderful parents for almost 2 years now.  And I must mention that he might have turbo boosters in his shoes!  He is a very happy (and speedy) little boy.  I am so excited to meet little sister in the near future!  I know she will be just as happy a little doll as her big brother!

Paula and Chris might just be the happiest couple I have ever met!  These two have an ease between them that is contagious!  I can’t wait for their Homestead wedding next year!

 

Fei and Hui were up for even more photo fun a few days after their wedding.  We tried for sunset at Pierce Stocking drive in Leelanau county, but there was a storm coming across the water from Wisconsin.  We didn’t have much color, but we did have some pretty evening clouds over the water.  Despite the lack of sunset color, it was still a beautiful night at the dunes!

Megan and Steve were married at the Homestead in Glen Arbor on a beautiful sunny summer day.  Her color choices were great for the season.  And they had a gorgeous sunset to end their evening!

Andrew and Nichole were married at the Glen Lake Reformed Church in Glen Arbor and then hosted a reception at The Homestead.  We had made great plans about where we were going to go for photos that included the beach, Inspiration Point, the Narrows, and a few other local gems, BUT a few weeks before the wedding, Nichole broke her ankle.  I was so incredibly bummed out for her, knowing that we would have to tone back our plans quite a bit.  But it all worked out just fine!  We chose the marina on Crystal River and just made use of the parking lot at the church.  We had lovely weather for a Michigan February so that made getting around much easier than I had expected.  And with the amazing positive attitude that this woman has (as well as a supportive man with the patience of a saint) , we still made it to the beach!

Stay tuned for an “I can walk again” shoot some time after the next 6-8 weeks!