It has been a few years it feels like since I had the chance to shoot on Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City, and I have to say, it was so wonderful to be back. The appreciation for the beauty of this are in Michigan was only enhanced by the joy of celebrating Heather and Tim amid stunning fall colors.
It feels like every year I remember all over again why autumn is such a stunning and inspiring season. It is days like this past Saturday that remind me of the beauty that can be found in the shortening of days, changing colors, and crisp, clear air. Melissa and Tyler’s wedding was amid those seasonal changes, on the banks of the Grand river, in perfect fall fashion.
Meeting for the first time at a local coffee shop just South of the Golden Gate Bridge was such a wonderful way to jump into friendship with Bridget and Luke. The incredible blend of city sophistication and outdoor recreation that San Francisco has to offer fit these two so well. We decided to document that part of their journey with an engagement session in the city by the bay. And just this past week, we came full circle to their wedding celebration at the village by the lake.
It was several years ago that I first met Tori. She just happened to be a guest a wedding I was photographing as her sister was in the wedding party. And even though that was eight years ago, Tori still sought me out and asked me to document the celebration!
I don’t think you could have asked for a more perfect September day in the windy city. This past Saturday began downtown at a private residence just a block from the lake. With sun bursting in, Ryan and Amanda began their day together with a first look and a quick getaway with the wedding party for some photos. It really was as much fun hanging out with this crew as it looks in the photos, haha.
I had never been to Northport prior to this weekend. Sure, I had seen much of Northern Michigan and had spent many a day in Northport’s close neighboring town of Leland. But this was a first for me in the quaint, charming lakeside village that set the backdrop for Stacy and Calvin’s wedding day!
I remember waking up at around 4am in my hotel…gathering my gear and heading down to the lobby. If we had any hope of catching the Eiffel Tower without swarms of people, it had to be at sunrise. And the Parisian sky did no disappoint. It was in this city that Alli and Freddy had met, and we had decided to return to the city of light in celebration of their engagement and upcoming wedding.
It is not hard to love Jackie and Matt. Everything about them as individuals and as a couple welcomes you in with open arms and honest smiles. Being in the spotlight was certainly not Matt’s favorite thing, and yet he endured the photos and attention with authentic happiness…and I credit that to the fact that he kept his eyes squarely fixed on the woman that he loved. The two were in it, 100%..and it was awesome to witness.
It remains to me one of the greatest compliments I can receive in work…being welcomed back into the family to photography the wedding of a past client’s sibling. I first met Becky at her sister’s wedding in Northern Michigan and I was so thrilled that she reached out once she began the planning process for her own wedding!
I have found that it is a key element to quality, honest, and captivating work as wedding photography - the element of trust. When a couple offers it to you as an artist, the canvas is blank you are given the chance to create in the midst of realtime moments of lasting emotional impact and gravity. All the more, that trust is a profound gift when the bride herself is an artist.
