All of the Lights

Shannen + Jake made quite the drive from Atlanta to come and shoot their engagement session in the snow with me. We had a perfect blanket of snow, the sun was shining, and we were super excited to meet for the first time.

This was my first time meeting them in-person and we just hit it off. We started their session at Provin Trails since it is so underrated during the Winter season. It was quiet and surprisingly, we were the only ones there doing a photo session.

They got cozy, warmed right up, and Shannen asked if we could pop some champagne — and, of course, I said yes! I love a good champagne pop. It makes for a perfect GIF for your session. So keep that in mind if you have an upcoming session.

Shannen told me she wasn’t drawn to typical engagement + wedding photography and some of her favorite works were very candid or editorial. Luckily for us, World of Winter was happening in Grand Rapids. This included a multitude of art installations that lit up for us to play with.

Shooting with flash and after the sun has set is usually not my jam but I am so happy Shannen + Jake were up for this because this definitely pushed my creativity.

Trumpet Flowers by Amigo & Amigo based in Australia

Left: Crank Zappa Jellyfish Right: Trumpet Flowers

Light Maze by Ben Busche from Brut Delux Studio in partnership with Ximenez Group + Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.

This photo has to be one of my favorites from their session. The light maze is by Ben Busche who is a part of Brut Deluxe Studio and Ximenez Group. They partnered with Downtown GR Inc. to make these installations possible.

Right: The Loop by Creos

It’s always a blessing when your clients are so wonderful and you become friends. It makes me 10x more excited to document their big day!

Makeup by Josh Thiel

Learn more about World of Winter here.