One of the biggest inspirations to my creative work has been the amazing locations I’ve been able to travel to over the past years. From the snow-capped mountains of Colorado and Washington to the grand beaches of California and the winding highways of Oregon, my work is constantly inspired by the locations I’ve seen over the years. Living on the edge of Michigan’s west coast may not really qualify me as true “west coast photographer” but the reality is that my work has been excessively influenced and impacted by the Pacific Coast. So when I showed up in Duck Lake, Michigan for this fun session with Jess & Michael, my goal was to take a familiar, locally-known state park and turn the images we captured together into a truly west coast inspired engagement session.
And my goodness what a fun time we had :) Jess & Michael are one of the most sweet and carefree couples and their lighthearted personalities translated into fun, playful images that exude the joy of this gorgeous little session. We started our time together in an open field as the sun teased the edges of the pine trees behind us, casting a warm glow over everything as they laughed and danced their way through the grass. Once the sun dipped below the trees and our light was gone, we headed for the edge of a small lake where they cuddled up on the shoreline. We may or may not have had to cross some caution tape and a “do not pass” warning sign to get where we were going but the results were completely worth it and hey, what’s a fun engagement session without a bit of off-the-path adventure right??
We wrapped up our time together in the most Pacific Northwest way possible – on the edge of the water, covered in a light haze and lit up by the orange light of the setting sun. Surrounded by rocks, old driftwood, and entertained by the sound of crashing waves, I can’t think of a better way to wrap up this time with these two delightful people. Once the sun finally dipped below the horizon, we snagged a couple final moments and then headed to the cars to dry off our feet (yeah, we definitely got wet) and head for home. This was seriously such a special day with these two and I can’t wait to capture their wedding moments in a massive treehouse later this fall. Until then…all the feels for the beautiful moments we captured together!
