Janaye and Spencer had a wonderful sunny and crisp winter’s day for their intimate wedding at Stafford’s Bay View Inn in Petoskey. They were surrounded by their siblings as attendants, their parents, and closest family. The love between these two was more than visible. They shared laughter, adoring looks, and a comfortable ease with each other that just makes you happy to be around them.
Some days at work make me smile for days! Today I got to wear snowpants, go 4 wheeling on an unplowed country road, and freeze my butt off in 17 degree weather to be a part of Cass and Rod’s winter ski-in wedding. It was fantastic! Despite the cold temperatures, the winds were fair and the sun peeked in and out of the clouds; making for an ideal winter’s day. Lovely Cass and handsome Rod skied the few miles from the Homestead in Glen Arbor to the barn on Miller Road at Port Oneida to meet me and the officiant and commit their vows to each other. It is always quite an honor to be part of an intimate gathering and participating in a happy couple’s union.
Laura and Drew will be married at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay this August. We had a fun winter’s day for their engagement photos. We started at Hop Lot Brewery and then stopped in at Black Star Farms and then traveled to the beach. Yes, the beach! It was chilly, but nice and calm for a February afternoon. I really look forward to spending more time with them in August!
I can always count on my little pal Charlie for a good laugh. His Santa song was fabulous. And the look on his face when I told him to throw a snowball at me, priceless. I find that nothing get kids to smile more than throwing things at me! Unfortunate for the camera gear; kids have surprisingly good aim!
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!
Katelyn and Justin will be married this coming fall. October is personally my favorite month of the year so I can’t wait to share in their big day! This lovely couple braved the 20 degree weather to run around the Esch Road beach area and other parts of The County with me.
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The thing about winter in Michigan is that you just never know what you are going to get. The best you can do is just go and see what Mother Nature hands you. This day, we were handed light winds, no snow, and plain grey skies. I’m not a big fan of just plain old grey skies! Here is an example of my creative editing progression. First I thought, ahhh, snow will do it. But that just didn’t spice it up enough for me. How about some clouds? Getting better. How about some color in those clouds? Hmmmm, I like. Let’s push it and go for broke. Perhaps a little overkill, pretty, though. Let’s try a mid-contrast black and white. I love black and white! But after all that thinking, I can’t just pick one to put in the gallery. I like them all. They should all be included. The major problem is this is my thought process for everything I see. So if you ever see me lost in thought somewhere looking at things, likely with a super stupid look on my face, this progression shows you why.
“I’d really like snow photos,” Michelle said.
Well, Mother Nature gave us snow! And 14 degrees! I have to admit, shooting a winter job that includes my snow pants and new Baffin winter boots (which are boss, by the way), does make me just a little bit happy. And being lucky enough to spend a good portion of the day with two beautiful people and a super cute dog-boy certainly makes it worth it all the more! I am so excited for Michelle and Eddie’s October wedding!
But . . . let’s not ask for snow in October, please. 🙂
For those of you who don’t know me, I have a big soft spot for a man in uniform. And a man in uniform next to a beautiful woman is a combination that makes me love what I do. Now, put that man in uniform and pretty lady as amazingly warm and kind humans, that makes me REALLY love what I do! Sean and Anastasia had a church wedding on one of the only days with snow this November. So of course, we went and played in the snow! These two and their group were fantastic! And I didn’t even get hit by a snowball!
Thank you, Sean and Anastasia, for everything that you do! It was my pleasure serving you!