Sophie (almost) 2 years old

My niece turns 2 at the end of this month and when my sister in law asked if I’d take some family photos for them to display at her birthday party I was happy to! We ended up doing two photo sessions a week apart due to cold weather the first time and wanting to capture memories at our new family cottage the second time. Sophie didn’t like the idea of sitting still or being held so most of the pictures are her running around, like a 2 year old would :) Here are some of my favorites!

Ellory and Ceana Class of 2023

I’ve known these two since they were in 6th grade and I can’t believe they are now seniors!! Ellory and Ceana are cousins so when Ellory scheduled her senior photo shoot at Hoffmaster State Park it just made sense to invite Ceana to join in on the fun. To be honest, beach photos are not my favorite because I have to work with direct sun and wind, but these girls made it fun and kept each other laughing. I highly recommend bringing a friend along for pictures because they can get you to smile and provide good ideas for posing :) Here are some of my favorites :)

Winter in Grand Haven

I feel so lucky to live less then an hour from multiple beaches on Lake Michigan and Grand Haven is one of my favorites because the pier is so photogenic! I’ve photographed many summer sunsets at the state park but never ventured out in the winter - until now. Friday was a “warm” winter day with sunshine and no wind so I decided it was the perfect time to bundle up and try out some winter photography. I ended up spending two hours at the beach walking around, taking pictures and people watching. Here are some of my favorite photos :)

Tonya's and Mike Maternity Photos

From the moment my sister in law announced she was pregnant we began to plan her maternity photo shoot, but west michigan weather did not cooperate and her sunset on the beach ended up being unseasonably cold and cloudy! They toughed it out though and we had a great on the shore of Lake Michigan in South Haven, Tonya even walked into the freezing cold water at the end. We got so many great photos and because of the cold there were hardly any other people didn’t have to worry about crowds of people. I can’t wait to meet my first niece next month - congratulations Mike and Tonya!

Jen and Lori's Wedding

A few weeks ago I joined Jen, Lori and a small group of their family and friends for an intimate wedding in Saugutuck, MI. Despite the pandemic and the challenges it presented them with planning their special day, everything turned out great and after dinner we were able to go on a sunset sailboat ride. Jen and Lori’s families were so kind and welcoming that I was sad to leave them all at the end of the night! Here are some of my favorite pictures from their wedding :)

Heather & Dale's Engagement

A couple weeks ago I met up with Heather and Dale for an engagement session downtown St. Joe.  They drove up to Michigan from Indiana so of course I wanted to show off our lake shore and fortunately we discovered now and not on their wedding day that we are in different time zones :)  Despite the crazy wind we still got some great photos and I'm excited to see these two again in a couple months for their wedding!  Here are some of my favorites.