Traverse City, Michigan Wedding and Portrait Photography.
Pam and Justin (and their dog) came up from Chicago for a visit to Traverse City and we were able to squeeze in an engagement session. We had a beautiful evening and a great time shooting. Really looking forward to their wedding at Bowers Harbor in August! See you guys soon!
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2thirtyone Photography is looking for 3-4 energetic, friendly seniors to represent the 2014 class. You must be a Traverse City area student and you must do your session between May and September of 2013. These sessions showcase your sense of style, your personality, and capture this important moment in your life.
If you are interested in learning more, please email me. Include a short paragraph about why you would be a good choice to represent 2thirtyone Photography and a rough idea of when you’d like to schedule a session. Also include the best way to contact you: Facebook, Twitter, phone, text, email, etc. If you seem like a good fit for this opportunity I will be in touch!
Heidi and JW are planning a destination wedding far, far away from the winter and cold of Michigan, but they still wanted to have some portraits taken around Traverse City, a place they live and love. We broke the session into two parts, earlier in the day we used the snowy landscapes and natural, wintery Michigan scenery. That night we met up again for some more dramatic downtown locations. It was raining and cold, but Heidi and JW were great and we took some awesome portraits. I wish you both happiness in your future together!
Winter arrived rather abruptly here in Traverse City. The big storm in December brought plenty of snow for Sylvia and Nate’s engagement session. It had been planned for weeks, and they were traveling here from New York, so the session was going to happen despite the weather. Northern Michigan weather is fickle, especially during fall and winter. When I first put Sylvia and Nate on the schedule, I assumed snow and wintery weather would be here. After all, it’d be late December when we were shooting. It wasn’t looking good in the days leading up to the session, but the storm blanketed everything in white, just in time. Nate’s family has some great property, so we put on our long underwear and headed into the frozen fields and woods. Enjoy these photos from their session! Look forward to seeing them again this summer!
One of my favorite things about photographing a wedding is not only the memories I’m capturing for my clients, but my own memories that I create with each new experience. Photography brings me into relationships with new people and new places. There is a thrill each time I go on a job that something new is about to happen. Even shooting at a well-known location where I’ve been before is different because of the clients, the weather, any number of variables. Its part of what keeps me excited about photography. There are often times that I’m meeting my clients for the first time on the wedding day! I don’t always know what to expect. Enter Barbara and Josh. They contacted me about photographing their wedding just weeks before it was going to happen. I was available and I began as I normally do, by asking questions about the day, information that helps me plan properly. Josh explained that they were going to wait a year before having a wedding, but decided that instead they would plan it all over the course of a couple of weeks. There were a lot of challenges for them, including travel for themselves and guests, and the wedding didn’t follow a traditional pattern. He told me that they wanted a point-of-view, documentary record of the vintage-styled wedding day. The ceremony would take place in the woods, and the reception would be at a family home in Glen Arbor. With a very loose schedule, no limitations and a bride and groom open for anything, I knew that this wedding would present me with new challenges and make for an exciting day.
Barb and Josh were getting ready at separate locations. I went to start photographing the girls while my assistant, Ransom, went to meet up with the guys. The girls relaxed, enjoyed some champagne, did their makeup. The guys chopped wood, washed dishes, and cleaned up from the night before. We later met in the woods for the Princess Bride-inspired wedding. After the ceremony, we shot some portraits in the beautifully colorful hardwoods before getting on our way for the rest of the planned events. Barb and Josh love coffee, so we took a quick detour for a coffee at Higher Grounds (which was an amazing location for photos!). With our caffeine fix, the next stop was for a toast at Bubba’s in downtown TC, where we reconnected with the guests and celebrated with drinks, food, and a little arm wrestling.
After that we headed out of town and visited a few places special to Barb and Josh before driving to Glen Arbor for the dinner and, for lack of a better word, reception. It was a small and laid back party with friends and family, and the food was amazing. Homemade soups, spiced meats, beers, Swedish Glogg, personal pies, and dried fruits. Ransom and I were welcomed just like old friends, and we stayed well after we were done shooting to chat with guests and enjoy the food and fire. We were even sent home with to-go bags courtesy of the bride. It was truly a pleasure being a part of this unique wedding day, and Barbara and Josh were awesome. Best wishes to you both in your life together!
