Shroyer Family | Glen Arbor

It’s one of our favorite things when we can capture family portraits in a natural environment. For the Shroyer family, that was wandering downtown Glen Arbor and their cottage on Crystal River. It was a joy to document their genuine reactions, from laughter, to the siblings teasing one another, races to the bottom of the hill, and ending the night in swimsuits so they could jump in the water and see who could splash each another the most. We feel so honored to have been invited into such a special place to photograph the Shroyer family being themselves.

Emery Family Portraits | Glen Haven, MI

Not only are the Emerys some the coolest people we know, but they’re also family. We loved spending the evening with them in Glen Haven, capturing their family portraits.

I’ve known Wyatt my whole life as my older cousin (hey, it’s me, Miles writing!). We’ve spent many a family gathering in northern Michigan. He grew up in Traverse City- I lived on the other side of the state. I remember playing in the woods together and days at the beaches at Lake Michigan. We both grew up to love this area.

Wyatt moved away for while but I think Traverse City always held a special place in his heart. Shortly after he got married to Maggie and had his first kid, Heidi, they moved back up here because of those memories that we both share of growing up in such an awesome place. I think he wanted that same experience for his kids.

You wouldn’t believe how pumped we were when they reached out asking for family portraits in Glen Haven. We met up with them one summer evening and it was so much fun. You could see the love that they had for each other and the creating of new Northern Michigan memories.

In Home Family Portraits | The Clarks

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.

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.

Perreault Family | Suttons Bay

It was an honor to photograph the Perreault Family in Suttons Bay. They were staying at a gorgeous property on the beach, and the kiddos enjoyed splashing in the water at the end of their session.

Hanson Family | Arcadia

We were invited out to Arcadia to document the beautiful Hanson family last summer. With their permission, we brought our daughter Edith (a few months old at the time) and carried her in the baby carrier while we photographed. It ended up being a true joy as the girls were just ecstatic to look at the camera and say 'Hi, Edith!'. We ended up with some of the sweetest, authentic smiles and giggles and at the end, I crouched down so the girls could say a proper hello to Edith. Their oldest was just a gem as she walked over and so gently held Edith's hands and quietly whispered hello.

We chose to document the Hanson family with a few traditional group smiling photos but beyond that, we opted to document them interact organically. On a beach in Northern Michigan, that meant the kids tossing stones into the water, trying to outrun each other, and lots and lots of twirling in pretty dresses all with a stunning sunset backdrop. I think it's our favorite type of portrait session to document, ones that feel like real life and truly reflect our subjects personalities. It's one of things we love the most about photography, when we can actually tell stories through our cameras.

Gus and Melissa Family Portraits | Beautiful Lake Property

Gus and Melissa Family Portraits

When Gus and Melissa reached out about family portraits, I was so excited! I had the honor of photographing Gus and Melissa's wedding back in 2018. When they mentioned the photos, they let us know that they were staying in the same location they had their wedding. A beautiful family cottage on the lake--it was the perfect setting! How special is that they were married here a few years before and then we could meet again a few years later at the same spot? And this time, we were able to meet their precious new baby boy!

We absolutely love it when we can build a friendship with a couple. Even better when they trust us enough to capture even more big moments in their life. From one life stage to the next, it was lovely to meet up with Gus and Melissa and capture these moments.

With the whole family there, we were able to capture many different groupings. We photographed the big group--the kind of photo you print and hang on your fridge. But we also made sure to capture each family grouping and the kid cousins all hanging out. We love watching this family grow and can't wait to hopefully photograph them again soon.

Photographed by Miles + Sarah Photography

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