1/2/23 1/2/23

In Home Family Portraits | The Clarks

We love photographing these kinds of in-home family portraits. There is something so peaceful about being invited into one's homes and documenting them in their natural environment. We felt as though we could take our time, settle into cozy positions, and enjoy the company of their precious family. And all the while we were photographing them as they were and capturing this sweet stage of life for them to remember forever.

Whenever we have the opportunity to photograph our friends it is such a special occasion. Not only are Adam and Kelly some of our closest friends, but they are also our family as well. That means our children are cousins! That also means that their precious daughter is our niece and she has made us 'Uncle Miles and Aunt Sarah' for the first time ever.

Kelly and I had the opportunity to be pregnant side by side and our due dates were actually only two weeks apart. We were originally planning to photograph a maternity/couples session for Adam and Kelly this Fall before I went on maternity leave. But their sweet daughter surprised everyone by being born five weeks early! And since that moment, Mabel Louise has charmed her way into all of our hearts--we love her dearly.

Once Adam and Kelly came home and had an opportunity to get settled, we offered to photograph some family portraits in their home. Kelly got to wear the beautiful dress she had originally planned for her maternity session (which is one of the many reasons we both love Nothing Fits But--for their versatility to wear their dresses in any season of life). Adam and Kelly had their home decorated for Christmas and we had many picturesque settings for their photos. Underneath the dried oranges and fresh garland. Beside the Christmas tree with their stockings hung above the fireplace mantel. And after swaddling Mable so she was snug and warm, we snuck out to the backyard for a few minutes to get some photos in the snow.

Traverse City Family portrait Photographer

Northern Michigan Family Portrait Photographer

9/15/21 9/15/21

Traverse City Barn Wedding | Ben + Joanna

Traverse City Barn Wedding

We have been waiting to post this Traverse City Barn Wedding for a long time. Get ready to laugh, cry, and feel your heart swell. We have been friends with Ben and Joanna for a number of years. When Miles and I got engaged, Ben and Joanna photographed our engagement session AND wedding. So it was an honor to do the same for them. We photographed their engagement session earlier in the year. You can see that post HERE. After that session, we were all the more excited for their wedding day and we can honestly say that it did not disappoint. Ben and Joanna are wholeheartedly in love with one another and you can feel it emanating from every photograph.

Ben and Joanna were planning a May 2020 wedding when for obvious reasons, their plans were disrupted. After going back and forth on what they should do, Ben and Joanna decided to postpone their wedding a few months. It was important to them to celebrate with their closest friends and family. Instead of early spring, Ben and Joanna settled on the beginning of August. It ended up being absolutely perfect.

This Traverse City barn wedding took place at none other than Joanna's family house. While Ben got ready with his guys, final beard trimming and hair combing, Joanna got ready at her childhood home surrounded by her lovely bridesmaids.

Instead of doing a first look with Ben, Joanna opted to do a first look with her bridesmaids. It was such a special moment between them all.

Because they didn't do a first look, everyone at the ceremony witnessed Ben's emotional reaction to seeing his Bride for the first time on their wedding day. As Joanna's father escorted her down the aisle, Ben simply couldn't catch his breath. His reaction had all of us sobbing. We could barely even see through our viewfinders in our cameras because we were crying so hard! Even now looking back at the photos makes me super emotional.

All in all, it was the perfect August day celebrating these two.