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 | 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.

Tom and Jenn | October Engagement

Last October, Tom reached out to us with his plans to propose to his girlfriend, Jenn. He wanted to schedule an engagement session shortly after the proposal in order to capture the beautiful Fall colors in Traverse City. The moody sky made for an even more dramatic contrast to the pops of color amongst the trees. Tom and Jenn even brought along their sweet pup to join in a few of the photos. We loved capturing and celebrating their sweet October engagement with them. Check out some of our favorites below.

Maternity Portraits | Bill and Michelle

We photographed Bill and Michelle's Maternity Portraits on a gorgeous September morning. We met them a couple hours after sunrise, and though it was a bit chilly with the wind, it was the perfect golden morning. It was an honor to capture their growing family and we were so excited when they reached out to us again this year for family photos with their baby girl! Keep an eye out for that blogpost coming soon!

Glen Haven Engagement | Ben and Joanna

Glen Haven Engagement

This Glen Haven Engagement was one we will remember forever.

I will never not be excited about this session, this couple, and these photos.

We've known Ben and Joanna for a number of years now. Besides being fellow photographers in the area, Ben and Joanna are great friends of ours. They are some of the coolest (and some of the most good-looking) people we know. Whenever we are with Ben and Joanna we can't help but laugh and be ourselves. Whether we run into them at our mutual favorite coffee shop (shout out to Mundos Roasting & Co.), photograph their beauty, or enjoy a double date, we know we are bound to have a good time with these two.

When we were looking for a photographer, Ben and Joanna immediately came to mind. We loved having them photograph our engagement and wedding. When the time came for their engagement and wedding, we were honored to photograph them in return!

We had so much fun adventuring Glen Haven and hiking some dunes for their portraits. We feel so blessed to have friends like Ben and Joanna. Though I could go on and on about their beauty and the love these two share, I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Follow along on our Instagram adventures!

Adam and Kelly Proposal

Adam and Kelly

Adam and Kelly have the sweetest love story, and we just love them together. This shoot will always and forever hold a dear place in our heart. Adam is my (Sarah's) younger brother and Miles' best friend. We got to know Kelly while they were dating and she quickly became one of my best friends. When Adam reached out with his plans to propose, we were over the moon. The week leading up to the proposal, Miles and Adam trekked down the steep snowy slope to scout out the location. Together they found the perfect spot for Adam and Kelly as well as hidden locations for us to shoot the proposal in stealth.

Brown Bridge

The day came and we arrived to the location early. The snow had slightly melted and then refroze so the path down was more like an ice skating rink. I'm embarrassed to say that I (Sarah) had a wipe out on the way down and nailed my head on a tree root when I fell. However, nothing was going to stop me from capturing and celebrating this moment with my brother and his soon-to-be fiancée. Miles helped me back up, brushed the snow off and we continued to our respective hiding spots. We sat and waited, fingers going slightly numb in the cold and butts most definitely soaked through from sitting in the snow. Still, all of that was hardly noticeable to us in the wake our anticipation. After a little while, we heard a loud 'careful Kelly, it's slippery!' from Adam. That was our cue!

The Proposal

At the bottom of the hill, Adam took her by the hand and they looked out at the view while he chatted with her briefly. By the time he got down on his knee with the ring, I was already a mess of silent tears. We remained hidden the entire time so they could have their moment alone. Kelly had no idea that we were there, and even when Adam pointed out the spots we were hidden, they could only just see the edge of my boot from behind a tree. It wasn't until they continued on their hike and were well out of sight that we emerged and went on our way. We were able to celebrate them later which was so fun. It was so special to capture this proposal for some of our favorite people. We also both had the honor of standing in their wedding last October. We love Adam and Kelly!

Location | Brown Bridge