Joel + Emily | Traverse City Engagement

It was a beautiful Memorial Day weekend when we met up with Joel and Emily in Traverse City for their engagement photos. They brought along their dog, Finley to join in the fun. We walked around the trails at Olsen Bridge, played fetch with Finley, and found the prettiest bush absolutely overflowing with lilacs. We enjoyed our time getting to know Joel and Emily and their story as we looked forward to their wedding the following month.

Alex + Katherine | Glen Haven | Engagement

Alex and Katherine, both elementary school teachers, love taking every opportunity to escape away to Michigan during their summer breaks. Specifically camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes has been a special tradition for them every summer. Alex and Katherine describe themselves as ‘nature freaks’ and wanted to incorporate the outdoors in as many of their photos as possible—both for their engagement and their wedding! While their wedding was set at a beautiful vineyard venue in Suttons Bay, taking the trip out to the Sleeping Bear Dunes area for their engagement session was a perfect way to tie in their love for the area.

We got the chance to know them over a video call prior to their session and wedding where we immediately hit it off. We knew that being a part of their days would feel natural and exciting and couldn’t wait to document the two of them being adventurous and hilarious. We decided on an early spring day for their engagement session and Glen Haven proved to be a versatile location—with a little bit of woodsy, beach, and dunes to finish off the night. We spent the whole evening grinning from ear to ear just being in Alex and Katherine’s presence.

We are so happy for these two and loved being a part of their story!

Alex | Traverse City Senior Portraits

Two summers ago, we met Alex at his downtown home and made the short walk to the beach for photos at one of his favorite locations— Grand Traverse Bay. It was so special to photograph Alex’s senior portraits in a place that meant so much to him all growing up.

We feel so honored to document people celebrating all different kinds of milestones—and graduating is no exception! We want to photograph people in a way that feels authentic to their personalities and give them photos that feel like a pause in time when they look back in years to come. We love that Alex can look back on these photos and remember his senior year and reflect on how much has changed since then and think about all that is yet to come.

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.

New Years Day Portraits | Alec + Audrey

It was a joy to spend New Years Day photographing Alec and Audrey's engagement photos. We had fresh snow beneath our feet as we trekked out into the woods behind her parents' home where we found a beautiful scene. String lights hung between the trees guiding a path through the forest. We stopped here and there amidst the trees and stood back to capture Alec and Audrey's interactions. We had the sweetest time laughing with them and getting to know them. We loved capturing their engagement and wedding (which will also be coming to the blog at some point!). Congratulations Alec + Audrey!

Fall Color Anniversary Session | John + Sarah

John and Sarah had an intimate wedding in 2020 with plans to celebrate with a much larger group in 2021 for a big wedding reception. We photographed their October wedding and were booked for their reception the following year as well. But as time went on, they changed their plans and ended up canceling the reception altogether. Since they were still going to be up in Traverse City on their original date, we all decided on holding their date to do an anniversary session instead. It was so lovely to see them again a year later and document these portraits amongst the beautiful Fall colors. It's been an honor to photograph John and Sarah on so many occasions. You can view their engagement blogpost HERE and their wedding blogpost HERE. We can't wait to hopefully do many more sessions with John and Sarah in the future!