Franke Family | Glen Haven Portraits
The thing about family portraits is they don’t have to be fussy.
Come as you are—in the trenches of parenthood, perhaps sleepless nights, or a teething baby. We’ll create beautiful portraits no matter what season of life you are in.
As parents ourselves we can attest that it truly flies by—both the good and the hard—all of it flies by.
So take these moments, slow down, let yourself breath, and document this stage you are in currently because years later, you will look back at the photos and think ‘was my baby really ever that tiny’?
The thing about family portraits is they don’t have to be fussy.
Come as you are—in the trenches of parenthood, perhaps sleepless nights, or a teething baby. We’ll create beautiful portraits no matter what season of life you are in.
As parents ourselves we can attest that it truly flies by—both the good and the hard—all of it flies by.
So take these moments, slow down, let yourself breath, and document this stage you are in currently because years later, you will look back at the photos and think ‘was my baby really ever that tiny’?
You’ll notice your tired eyes with a full and happy heart because this is your story, your family, and you should be photographed in a way that feels true and honest and beautiful all at the same time.
We met the Franke Family out at Glen Haven for their family portraits. It was our first time meeting their beautiful baby girl, but we had previously the lovely honor of photographing Joel and Emily with their dog for both their engagement session and their wedding. To witness and share in another piece of their story was a true honor. To create heirloom photos that they will cherish and show their daughter as she grows up, it’s a unique privilege that we are proud to be a part of. We took an hour, traipsed around the sand, by the water, and up the dunes documenting the sweet and the simple yet intimately meaningful moments as a family.
Hannah and Zorran | Five Year anniversary
Bathed in the golden sunlight of late spring, we met them first for a couple family photos with their new baby boy before leaving him the loving and caring arms of his grandma. Then with just the two of them, we explored some nearby trails as the sun came out and painted the clouds purple at sunset.
Zorran reached out to surprise Hannah with a couples session for their five year anniversary. Bathed in the golden sunlight of late spring, we met them first for a couple family photos with their new baby boy before leaving him the loving and caring arms of his grandma. Then with just the two of them, we explored some nearby trails as the sun came out and painted the clouds purple at sunset. It’s the second year in a row we’ve done anniversary photos for Zorran and Hannah (check out last year’s blogpost here), and we definitely hope it becomes a tradition, because it is always such an honor to photograph these two and their love.
Foggy Senior Portraits | Zoe
When we reached out to Zoe about the rainy forecast she simply told us that she trusted us and she didn’t mind getting rained on a little bit. So we packed up our umbrellas and headed out to Port Oneida where we were met with the most moody and romantic foggy weather.
Northern Michigan weather is notorious for being unpredictable. But oh how magical it can be when we learn to embrace it.
When we reached out to Zoe about the rainy forecast she simply told us that she trusted us and she didn’t mind getting rained on a little bit. So we packed up our umbrellas and headed out to Port Oneida where we were met with the most moody and romantic foggy weather. The sun came out for a bit between the layers of fog, then sulked away for a few minutes of rain, peeked back out again, and then created the most gorgeous pink hue behind the clouds at sunset. The fog was so thick that the sky and the water blended into one as Zoe stood along the shore, gazing out at the horizon.
Shroyer Family | Glen Arbor
It’s one of our favorite things when we can capture family portraits in a natural environment. For the Shroyer family, that was wandering downtown Glen Arbor and their cottage on Crystal River. It was a joy to document their genuine reactions, from laughter, to the siblings teasing one another, races to the bottom of the hill, and ending the night in swimsuits so they could jump in the water and see who could splash each another the most.
It’s one of our favorite things when we can capture family portraits in a natural environment. For the Shroyer family, that was wandering downtown Glen Arbor and their cottage on Crystal River. It was a joy to document their genuine reactions, from laughter, to the siblings teasing one another, races to the bottom of the hill, and ending the night in swimsuits so they could jump in the water and see who could splash each another the most. We feel so honored to have been invited into such a special place to photograph the Shroyer family being themselves.
Brady + Alexa | Romantic Traverse City Engagement
Photographing these two and their love together felt straight out of a movie. With the sun flare and slow motion, passionate kisses, this engagement session had our romantic hearts a-fluttering. It was a joy to capture this small part in Brady and Alexa’s love story.
I (Sarah) went to school with Alexa growing up so I was absolutely overjoyed to see her name pop up in our inbox inquiring about engagement photos. We spent golden hour wandering around the most beautiful areas in Brown Bridge Quiet Area. Photographing these two and their love together felt straight out of a movie. With the sun flare and slow motion, passionate kisses, this engagement session had our romantic hearts a-fluttering. It was a joy to capture this small part in Brady and Alexa’s love story.
Ben + Vina Engagement | Glen Haven Sand Dunes
The whole world was quiet and calm as it was not yet busy season for the Sleeping Bear Dunes—it felt like we had all of Glen Haven to ourselves. It was the perfect time to get to know Ben and Vina before their wedding day. By the end of the evening, we felt like we had made new friends and couldn’t wait to see them again for their wedding less than a month later.
It was an overcast and moody spring day when we met up with Ben and Vina for their engagement session in Glen Haven. Lake Michigan shone a pale greyish blue against the cloudy skies as we hiked the dunes. As we reached one of the peaks we could see the Lake below us—vast and calm. Behind us, rolling dunes and even further, a sea of evergreens and various other trees that were not yet fully leafed. It was quite the breathtaking view from every direction with Ben and Vina looking out and taking in the scene all around. The whole world was quiet and calm as it was not yet busy season for the Sleeping Bear Dunes—it felt like we had all of Glen Haven to ourselves. It was the perfect time to get to know Ben and Vina before their wedding day. By the end of the evening, we felt like we had made new friends and couldn’t wait to see them again for their wedding less than a month later.
