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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!