Alex and Nick - Kalamazoo moody engagement photos

Alex: "We already had traditional engagement photos taken when I proposed"

Me: "Okay cool, how about we do ultra-moody UN-traditional engagement photos then?"

I’m a huge fan of alternative engagement portraits, and Alex and Nick were absolutely up for the challenge. I completely embraced the opportunity to go full “fine art” mode, and sent them a mood board with style inspiration in preparation. When going for a more monochromatic look, I want a simple, usually urban, location that doesn’t have a lot of color naturally. A parking garage is one of my favorite go-to spots for this reason, but this time around, I wanted something new with lots of leading lines, and this set of bleachers completely spoke to me.

The weather may have felt super inhospitable when the shoot day arrived, but they came prepared with all the moody layers to fight even the coldest winter day. This was also the perfect trial run for their January wedding photos (Pocket warmers are key), so win-win all around.

Thanks for being rockstars with hearts of gold you incredible humans!

Haily and Sean - Downtown Kalamazoo engagement photos

No lie, every engagement session of the spring for me was shot in downtown Kalamazoo. I also have a super soft spot in my heart for the place. With the amount of couples sharing first date stories and fond memories among the parks, restaurants, and walking mall, it’s no surprise it’s at the top of the list for requested photo locations. I’ve never been a photographer to recycle backdrops however, so this means lots of jumping around to find new visuals, and things that can help tell the individual story of a couple.
It’s a fun challenge, and I’m here for it.

Haily and Sean met at WMU, but spent so much of their time in the heart of our city. The weather had been questionable every day leading up to their engagement photos, but the day of was absolutely gorgeous.

Congratulations cuties, the wedding next year will be totally worth every day of waiting!

Rachel and Jake - Downtown Grand Rapids engagement photos

When I first met Rachel and Jake, I could tell they were pretty perfect for one another. Their first date at Brewery Vivant led to many more, and now they can’t see a life without one another.

One of the best parts of photographing in Grand Rapids is the sheer amount of variety you get between locations. We started at Riverside park to incorporate some of Michigan’s natural winter beauty, and then obviously had to stop in for a brew and warm up at Brewery Vivant before finishing up downtown. Not only is this place a stunning old church that was repurposed into a thriving pub for beer enthusiasts of all types, but the staff went out of their way to make this engagement session an amazing experience for Rachel and Jake.
They gave us free rein of the pub and even led us on a mini tour of the brewery with the manager. I for one, was in heaven.

These stunners were nothing but smiles and laughter despite the frigid cold, and that is my favorite type of person.
Congratulations Rachel and Jake! Your Barn at Monterey Valley wedding is going to be amazing!

McKenzie and Brandon - Chicago engagement photos

McKenzie and Brandon moved to Chicago and immediately felt right at home. They embraced both the urban environment and natural parks near their home, and knew they wanted to incorporate the windy city, as well as their furbaby Theo, into their engagement photos. When our first engagement shoot day got rained out (One of the many reasons I trust weather predictions about as much as I trust a 5 year old who tells me my hair looks fine), we picked an early July date and watched the forecast like a hawk. The day finally arrived, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky!
The two of them had one request though: They wanted the essence of Chicago as a resident would see it, not a tourist. Rather than showing attractions or main streets full of people, we walked around their neighborhood and adventured into the Wrigleyville area, looking for great textures and settings. They were up for anything, and we had an incredible time documenting that.

Congratulations McKenzie and Brandon!