Nate and Olivia - Adventure couples photos in Michigan

This is an interesting time to be alive right now. People are staying inside, not having contact with one another, and doing their best to make sure the world is safe very soon. I appreciate all the efforts, and I’m right there with you.
Since wedding season has been pushed back a little, I still want to show off adorable people in love, so here’s the cutest camping shoot I never got a chance to show you!

Nate and Olivia are awesome people who were models for a commercial shoot last summer. When we were wrapping up, I saw the golden hour light getting just too perfect to not take advantage of and asked them if they wanted a few bonus portraits while we were there. Nate also being a photographer, completely agreed that we couldn’t waste all the pretty backlighting, and let’s be honest, these two just straight up need to be in front of the camera more.

Things I learned from this:
1. Seriously, Nate and Olivia genuinely will make your life better by being in it. Dang rays of sunshine is what they are.
2. I absolutely need to do more camping/adventure couples shoots this year! I love incorporating a narrative, and a personal story into the photos I take, and Michigan has a ton of natural beauty that simply must be documented.

More previously unreleased photo sessions coming to the blog through the next few weeks!

Michelle and Drew - Traverse City winery tour engagement photos

As long as I’ve known Michelle and Drew, they’ve been one of the most effortlessly cool couples. Always down to explore, show their family and friends a good time, and find new passions together.
For us as photographers,a huge goal whenever we shoot an engagement session is to incorporate special details or locations that help tell a couple’s story. When they talked about Traverse City and the Suttons Bay area and all the memories they hold, it was such an obvious choice for the engagement session. I am also a huge fan of Northern Michigan, and will look for literally any excuse to venture up that way. These two hold wine memberships at more Michigan wineries than I think most people do in a lifetime, so we started with two of their favorites (Blustone Vineyards and Black Star Farms) before finishing up in the winter igloos of Hop Lot Brewing Company.

Will shoot Traverse City engagement photos any day.

Congratulations Drew and Michelle, your 2020 wedding will be the party everyone talks about and you deserve all the happiness you bring each other!

Kerrie and Robert - Greystone Golf Club wedding photos

From the moment I met Kerrie and Robert at their Ludington engagement session earlier this year, I could tell two things:
1. They love their dogs so much (same, I also love their dogs).

2. Their wedding was going to be an incredible day.

Both of these proved to be completely true. They had personalized details all over their wedding day, from the “Meeple” cufflinks that Robert made his groomsmen, to the cutest and ring bearer ever (You could call him a gold retriever) to the stunning floral headpiece Kerrie’s sister made for her, and the beloved classic car her dad prepared to be the perfect transportation for the day. Every detail was so thought out and special.
The weather for an outdoor Greystone Golf Club ceremony was about as beautiful as any day this year, blue skies as far as you could see, and ideal conditions for golden hour portraits right on the golf course.
The party went on late into the night fueled by reception pizza, a s’mores bar, and a cowboy hat that I think graced the head of every single person on the dance floor.

Congratulations Kerrie and Robert, I hope you always smile like you did that day!

Deziree and Mike - The Barn at Monterey Valley wedding photos

When I first arrived on Deziree and Mike’s wedding day, I was immediately floored at how stunning the venue was. Like, any direction you point a camera has nature, rustic charm, or a beautiful detail. Turns out it only got better! Their wedding party was full of supportive people who adore them, and Deziree and Mike were completely deserving of all the beauty that surrounded them. They care for each other, aren’t afraid to show their feelings, and have built such a great example for their family of what it is to be loved.

Through all the festivities, the Barn at Monterey Valley staff were so sweet and helpful, and genuinely added so much to the wedding day (For real, I will shoot here again any day).
The evening included a s’mores pit, sundae bar, the most intense cake cutting I have ever witnessed, and the first piggyback sparkler entrance in my eight years of documenting weddings.
It was a great time.

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Double!

Bali

Bali Indonesia has been on David’s and my collective bucket list as long as we’ve been dating. With about 33+ hours of airport lines and plane seats (everyone’s favorite, right?) before even arriving, it was always a little hard to find the time we were able to dedicate to the travel alone. When considering options for our honeymoon, it was the obvious choice.
Our typical travel style is adventurous and gritty, spending very little time in our lodging, and probably ruining at least one pair of shoes on any given trip. This one was a little different, and it was perfect. We rented a villa near Singaraja for the first 5 days, and the thing had everything we could have possibly wanted from a private infinity pool, to open air dining (open air everything if I’m being honest) with an insane view of the sunset. We took our time on this trip, enjoying each other’s company, the space we were in, and the local area without worrying about how much we could fit in or how many photos I should take. We had amazing food, swam in banyumala falls, and visited a coffee plantation complete with tasting.
The last few days, we ventured south to Seminyak, enjoyed yet another awesome villa, the city life, and the Bali Sea. I wore next to no makeup the entire time, and loved every minute of it.

Things you should know about going to Bali:
- The roads are insane. Most are actually paved better than Michigan roadways, but with curves, three or four abreast scooters, and narrow lanes, we were beyond grateful that our driver knew what he was doing, and we didn’t have to.

- The food is excellent, and you should definitely go for spots off the beaten path. David’s favorite dish was nasi goreng, a fried rice dish. Mine was definitely cap cay, which is a soup filled like heck with amazing fresh vegetables. Order with satay for sure.

- It’s okay to be where the tourists are, but feel free to explore some of the lesser known areas. Our one wish was that we had more time to seek out the less popular waterfalls and views, there is so much to see!

After the hecticness of the summer, and all the work that never seems to seem less than urgent, it was an incredible time and I got to spend it all with my favorite person, and my lifetime adventure buddy.

Until next time Indonesia, thanks for the memories.

Montana

If you follow the blog, you'll know David and I don't stay in one place too long. We love Kalamazoo, and call it home, but there's way too much of the world left to see, so every so often we plan an adventure. 
This one had been in the works for over a year, but I had no idea just how special it was going to be. David had lived in Montana for a bit previously, and had been compiling a list of must-see places since we first started dating, knowing someday he would be able to show me around Kalispell and the Glacier National Park area. When wildfires halted our plans last September, we decided to try again for June of 2018. 

It was everything I could have ever hoped. The natural beauty was every photographers dream, but the company was the absolute best. 
We started the trip off with his favorite breakfast spot in Kalispell (Split Rock Cafe) and then toured a few the top breweries (Bonsai Brewing Project was pleasant as heck), and finished up on Flathead Lake, boating with one of David's best big sky buddies. 
 

Day number two held things I didn't see coming from a mile away. 

David took me on a hike to Holland Falls, knowing the entire time I would want to take photos at the top, so we packed a tripod and remote (on top of that, I looked like a hot mess, hiking with a boots/sundress combo that I swapped out for flip flops when the walking was done.... for the photos sake of course). 
We had been planning on shooting frame-able photos at some point this trip, so I thought nothing of his insistence I make absolutely sure to have the wireless remote in the bag.

Once we  fought off the invasive ground squirrels searching for snacks (note that close up shot was not taken with a telephoto lens) we set up the tripod and took a few shots. 

And then he surprised me. 

I had no idea he had been planning the proposal ever since we booked the first trip that got rescheduled, and had kept the ring a complete secret all this time! I've been on cloud nine ever since, this man is my best friend, and my biggest supporter. Life is such an adventure with him, and I can't wait to start the next chapter of it. 

He planned it all perfectly, and even got us THE most beautiful Airbnb in St. Ignatius to spend our first engaged night.

After all that, we spent the next few days camping, hiking, and getting overall publicly unpresentable. One of my favorite hikes from the standpoint of feeling so accomplished when we finished was definitely Iceberg Lake, but there wasn't a single bad day and not one hike I regretted. We spent loads of time outdoors away from cell reception, and it was perfect. 

I have no doubt we will be back to this other-worldly place. Bears and ground squirrels included, there is something special about Montana. 

New Orleans

New Orleans has been on our bucket list for as long as I can remember. 
I was raised on a healthy diet of hot sauce, and everything I heard about this place gave me the indication that the food alone would win me over. 

Well it turned out to be the food, the people, the atmosphere and goodness knows my travel company. It was both everything we expected, and nothing at all like we pictured. 

We ended up finding the cutest hotel of all time right in the French Quarter called Hotel St. Pierre that had courtyards for days, and not only one, but two pools to warm our frozen Midwestern hearts. They serve exceptionally good coffee in the lobby 24/7 but their amazing staff also puts out fresh cookies and milk every afternoon. The lodging bar is now raised for me.

Among our favorite foods spots were definitely Cafe Du Monde (not exaggerating when they say the best beignets in the city), and the sweet selections over at St Roch's Market. No matter what you're craving, they will have a fix for it. 
Also try: 
Oceana Grill - Crab cakes and Rum caramel bread pudding
Redfish - Redfish bisque
The Praline connection - The "Taste of soul" platter (OH MY GOSH)
Felix's Restaurant & Oyster Bar - Oysters... fresh as heck.
The Courtyard Brewery - I would have to recommend the beer

The city itself has so much to see, from historic architecture to the riverside and all with an energy that is completely infectious. I love this place. 

Favorites of 2017 - Weddings

Whew, what a year this has been! 
Loads of travel, adventures, and photographing some of the prettiest weddings my eyes have ever seen. 
I feel beyond blessed, and so happy to have gotten to know all of you. 

As we celebrate the ending of this year, and coming of the next, I wanted to leave you all with a collection of some of my favorite photos from the 2017 wedding season. Some are silly, some are sweet, all make me smile when I see them. It was so hard to bring it down to this few, let me tell you. 

To everyone who was a part of my 2017, thank you! 

Looking forward to another year filled with amazing people.

Up North p.2

The second half of the northern adventure was just as splendid. 
We made a one night stop in Marquette that included the most amazing discover of Dia De Los Tacos! No lie, the best taco truck I have ever found in my life, and discovered completely by accident as David and I stopped for gas. Sadly I have no photos of this beautiful thing, as my hands were quite full of tacos and not cameras. 
I wish I could tell you I'm sorry. 

We then made our way to the porcupine mountains where we stayed in a yurt one night to escape the rain. I have to say, I've never felt quite so much like a millennial in my life, but no judgement! It was dry, and was right off of the beach which made for the perfect excuse to climb out of bed at 5:30 am to watch the Michigan sunrise. 

The following night was right back to tent camping. There is some evidence that tent camping might not quite be ideal for ones sanity or sleeping habits as the last night before heading back across the bridge, David spent a good hour or two staring into the woods with a headlamp, and a hatchet in each hand confident he heard a bear. Right when we were debating whether we should sleep in the car, or drive through the night, a tiny black rabbit hopped out of the trees, and up to our campfire. 
David paused for a moment before saying "I'm willing to admit.... The bear may have been a bunny." But let me tell you what, I have absolutely every confidence that this man would have had the situation well in hand regardless of the intruder. He's pretty awesome. 

The finale of our trip was an afternoon spent on Mackinac Island eating way too much fudge, as trolls are meant to do. We know our place. 
Overall, being without cell reception was super refreshing, and I would encourage any person who hails from the mitten state to explore the gorgeousness that is the upper peninsula!

- Esther

Up North p.1

It's crazy to think how often we Michiganders forget there's practically a whole other world right in our backyard.
This camping trip was everything I didn't know I needed until we were out there with the mosquitos, pasties, and more stars than I think I've seen anywhere. It was perfect. 
There were way too many photos to try and fit them all into one post, so there will be another half of "hipster stock photos" coming soon!

Favorite campground: Lake Kingston. You have a ton of property to play on, and we could hang our hammock right on the water. What more could you want??

Favorite beer discovery: David and I are a little divided on this one, but my favorite was Woody Wheat from Austin Brothers, and His was Yooper Ale from Upper Hand. Both amazing, and links are in the gallery. 

Favorite camp coffee: Kalamazoo Coffee Co. Backpackers Blend as always. 

You'll have to wait on part two for dining recommendations (spoiler alert, I think we found the best tacos in the 50 states) and BTS stories such as the "Bear incident". 

Until next time!

- Esther

Adventure time

Hello all! 
As I've mentioned before, I place a lot of value on travel. 
Seeing and doing things with the people I care about is something I've always cherished, but never took the time to really do until about a year ago, and now I'm scrambling to make up for lost time. 

This trip isn't exactly what we had in mind when David and I started planning it eight months ago, but the weather around the world right now between forrest fires and hurricanes isn't something I could've predicted. Instead of our original destination, we decided to take a week and a half in one of my favorite places on earth: Northern Michigan. 

It may not sound as exotic, but I am unbelievably excited, and can't wait to discover things that were under my nose this whole time. 
If you don't hear from me due to lack of cell phone reception, no worries! I'll get in touch as soon as I can, and there will be loads of adventure-y photo things coming your way :)

- Esther

France (and Ferraris)

Yeah, this is the part where I make high pitched noises of excitement. 

As I said before, I was brought along this European adventure as the travel photographer, but here's the reason why:

I had the honor to travel with a group of exceptional, hardworking people. They decided that experiences are worth the investment, and that led to plans for a supercar road trip from the South of France to Milan, Italy. 
After all the planning, and arrangements they felt that it would be a shame to go through an experience of a lifetime without a photographer to capture it, and I am incredible humbled that they allowed it to be me. 

*Happy dance*

I've been into cars ever since Top Gear stole my heart almost eight years ago, and this was a literal dream come true. 

Ireland

At 18 hours from plane to plane, Ireland was the shortest stop on our trip, but stands out in my mind as an easy favorite. 
The moment our group left the airport,we climbed into a cab driven by a man with a huge personality, and tons of recommendations he was all too thrilled to share. 
While the Guinness factory was cool, if you're pressed for time skip it entirely and go straight to the Teeling Whiskey tour (I may be biased as this was already my favorite whiskey before going, and may have been overly excited when I found out how close the distillery was to our hotel).

For dinner, please don't let the name fool you, the Hairy Lemon is the place to go. Their shepherds pie is to die for, and everyone there is so friendly I never wanted to leave. 

This place stole a piece of my heart to the degree that photographing an Ireland wedding is definitely on my bucket list. By that I mean I will gift you day of coverage, and a pre-wedding or day after photo session in exchange for travel. No kidding. 

Have you ever been to Dublin? Please share your experiences and recommendations!

- Esther

Iceland

When I was asked to be the travel photographer for a super car road trip through France and Italy, the answer was a clear yes. I'm always, always up for travel, and who in their right mind would turn down the opportunity to eat that much gelato?
But when they added in the intention to do a "pre-trip" stopover in Iceland and Ireland, I was beyond excited. 
There's an otherworldly beauty you'll find in Iceland, and my one regret is that we didn't get to stay long enough to shoot more of it. 
There's definitely another trip here in the future. More road-tripping, rye bread ice cream, and definitely more Skyr. 

-Esther

 

Poland P. 2

Not going to lie, I have the biggest soft spot for Air BnB apartments. If you want to see a location as the locals do, it's the way to go. Every time I've stayed at one of the rented homes listed in any given location, the hosts have been nothing but remarkably hospitable, and ready to offer up their favorite places to eat. 

Our apartment for the second half of the trip was just a short walk from the city square, and absolutely perfect. 

When you're within walking distance of so many amazing restaurants, you do the only thing any right minded human being would do: you eat. A lot. (But it's totally fine, because walking! Right?.... Yes?)

My advice is to find the tucked back, residents know, you-have-to-look-for-it type eateries. You won't regret it. The best pizza in Poland (in my humble, but well fed opinion) came from "Ti Amo Ti", which we almost missed entirely. Off the street, and down a small alley will lead you to a vibrant garden full of small tables, each with a carafe of red wine, and any number of perfectly crispy pizza combinations. 

If I'm going for favorite restaurant of the whole trip however, "Pod Wawelem" is an easy winner. I ate too much here. Way too much. No regrets.

Favorite dish: Zurek soup (oh my gosh, my life will never be the same)
Favorite dinner beer: Tyskie

Pair the two of these with an after dinner lemon vodka, which tastes like fresh squeezed lemonade to be honest, and you're golden. 

We also became shameless tourists, and took a river cruise. 

Turns out, we missed our boat.... While we were standing right next to it.... Trying to find our boat.

But then got an entire tour to ourselves, which is easily the best outcome to being a lost fumbling American I've experienced so far!

This city was so rich with history, and the beauty of it was only enhanced by the excellent company of my travel companion. He makes every trip an adventure, from a destination wedding, to a spontaneous flight halfway across the world. 

Can't wait for the next one. 

-Esther

Poland P.1

Unexpected. 

If I were to choose one word to describe Poland, that would be it. 

This incredible place was nothing like I was anticipating, and I haven't stopped telling everyone who gives me a conversation opening exactly why they should add this one to the bucket list. 

The whole crazy idea came from a text message exchange with David (My supportive, sweet, and quite insane boyfriend) as I sat editing photos:

D: "I love you"

Me: "Aw, I love you too!"

D: "Do you want to go to Krakow with me?"

Me: "... Obviously."

There was no previous talk of trying to plan this trip, but if I've learned one thing through dating this spontaneous gentleman, it's that coming up with excuses not to do something is far too easy, and you end up looking back with missed opportunities in your hindsight. 

So the tickets were purchased, and the plans were made! The timing ended up working out perfectly as, after our week in Poland, I would be spending some additional time shooting for a travel brand in Europe (more on that later). 

Our first few nights were spent at the coolest little hostel right in Old Town. As much as Air BNB is life, you meet the coolest people from all over the world at hostels, and I wouldn't trade that for any hotel.

The food: AMAZING. 

I cannot stress this enough. All over the city you can easily find outdoor cafes serving some of the freshest, most well prepared dishes I've had anywhere in the world. I will be including restaurant recommendations in part 2 of the Poland blog... I need to share this information with the world.

I'm missing this place already, more photos soon!

- Esther 

Adventure time

Guys, I'm bad at blogging regularly. 
That goes without saying. 

That being said....

We take a break from our regularly scheduled wedding gorgeousness to bring you some news:

My favorite human, David, and I are leaving for Poland in a week. 
I can hardly believe it, I'm beyond excited, and it's only the beginning. 

I will be making my way through parts of Europe from May 16 through June 2nd shooting everything under the sun, from gorgeous hostels in Krakow, to super cars and yachts in France. This is an opportunity I never could have dreamed of, and I can't wait to share the images with all of you!