Wendy and Pete share a special day...

It was an ordinary day in October, except that the stars were aligned, the moon rose over the bay, the clouds parted and most of the leaves on the maple trees  turned golden and amber just for October 8th, 2011. 


Maybe it was an exceptional and  EXTRAordinary day!!

Everything was perfect!  The weather, the leaves, the mood of everyone, even the amount of time that we had to take pictures was so luxurious...
how could we not get beautiful pictures?

 

I know that Wendy and Pete felt that it was a special day!

 

 

 I love this photo of Pete and his groomsmen... serious and thoughtful while the gals in the background play in the water!  

mmmmm....

What a glorious start to a wonderful marriage!

Congratulations Wendy and Pete!!

Congratulations Ashley and Mike!

When you think about the perfect wedding... what comes to mind? 

Wonderful family and friends sharing special moments...?





Maybe walking  barefeet on beeches that lope along the clear, deep, blue waters of Lake Michigan...? 



















Perfect weather on a late fall afternoon?  Pumpkins and candles that light the way on a path under the trees with red leaves and orange leaves and crimson roses...?








 Oh, this was a perfect wedding.


Ashley and Mike shared a joyous and glorious day
at The Homestead in Northern Michigan.

The weather was perfect for a walk on the beach...

Not to mention a chairlift to the summit to exchange vows, and the very first walk on the beach as husband and wife...

 

and a very first dance on the beach.

 How perfect.

Congratulations Ashley and Mike! 

May your lives always be filled with special moments.

Wendy and Pete at the Lighthouse

Summer is all about weddings and engagements and fresh fruit and beaches, so when I'm asked to do a portrait shoot during the summer, I can only find a minimum of 25 locations to satisfy me.  One of my favorites for late afternoon summer portraits is the lighthouse located at the northern end of Old Mission Penninsula in Traverse City. 

I took Wendy and Pete there for their engagement sitting portraits and we had a blast! 
Wendy and Pete are the perfect beach couple... with casual clothes and barefeet...

 

It's difficult to tell, but they are standing inside of a heart made of rocks on the beach. 

Playing on the beach makes me think of warm sunshine smiley romance .  ( Is there such a thing?)

 

I love photos that are unstaged, real- as though i am catching them in their life, living those moments that are special to them.

Wendy and Pete make a handsome couple and I can't wait to photograph their wedding this fall!

Aubrey and Justin's Album Published!

Here's the cover  and part of the spine for their beautiful album!

Here's the back cover and the rest of the spine for their album..

and here's a spread too...

I've been getting into making albums a little more unique and special... I like them snappy too!

Steve and Marcie link hearts!

It probably isn't much of a mystery as to why I love shooting weddings. But if I had to, I'd say that it is impossible for me to ever tire of watching couples radiate love to each other on their wedding day (or any other time, truth be told).  It's the one thing that I always look for and try to capture.

Steve and Marcie were wonderfully tender and playful when they looked at each other. When their eyes met, their faces softened, and they radiated love.  Their faces are open, can you see it?- it's as though we are able to look directly into their hearts. 

And love is so evident.  I treasure the ability to witness this spark.  It's so satisfying to me on a personal level-as though I am a "voyeur of love". 

I guess there are worse things to be. And there are certainly worse things to photograph.  But, I have to say that it's great to have an insider's seat at a wedding. I never tire of it.  I love to be able to photograph a romantic and passionate couple. I would venture a guess and say that Marcie and Steve will have a vivacious and spirited life together.

 And I was there for the beginning. 

Sail Away with me!...

Every wedding has it's own flair and with Stephanie and Chuck's wedding, I just wanted to sail away with them and listen to the many ( apparently SO MANY) fun-tastical stories about this crazy and wonderful couple.  (Oh my, if you know them but you don't know the story about the broken Christmas tree stand, make sure to ask them about it! :-)   )  Oh well, but i digress...

But, can you imagine marrying someone that sleepwalks and walks into your roommate's room or bumps into trees in the middle of the night?  

Oh well, that doesn't matter, really...

Or what about falling in love with someone who has tattoos of girls on his arm? Even if they are of you! And what about dating someone that didn't exactly "break" the law, but kind of "stretched" it, in order to test the limits, say.... 

Oh well, this is all to say that none of us knows what it is that will make us fall in love with someone or why or even when. It is the crazy magical mystery of life. With no apparent rhyme or reason. And that my friend, is the spark we call life. 

And the beauty of love. 

Stephanie and Chuck have so many sparks and so much beauty! May they live long and prosper!

Betsy and Martin's "Day at the Beach" Wedding

It's so much fun to have a wedding and a day at the beach all in one !
Betsy and Martin really planned it perfectly- with the help of Betsy's mom, Mitzi.  They even arranged for a perfect, beautiful, sunny warm day to get married against a backdrop of blue, light blue, turquoise and dark blue!  Oh, and fluffy white clouds! (Although there was a moment, around 5 a.m. that morning, when the rains came and everything seemed a bit dicey...) But, in traditional Northern Michigan fashion by daybreak, the sun came out, warmed up the beach and all of the outdoor party plans resumed.
The Harbor in Elk Rapids was the perfect backdrop for their nuptials.

Betsy and Martin even frolicked on a sailboat in the marina.

But before the celebration ended, there was still one more guest that needed to be included in their special day.  Someone, or maybe I should say "somedog" that was a part of the family but, still left behind.
Well... temporarily.
Mr. Boomer was not forgotten!