engaged couple walking and laughing on the beach

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Traverse City Engagement Session Along Lake Michigan | Carrie and Jeff

Carrie and Jeff’s Traverse City engagement session along Lake Michigan comes in as one of my favorite engagement sessions to date. With all three of us living in southeastern Michigan, we set the date for their northern Michigan engagement session a couple months in advance for an early April day, crossing our fingers for good weather. But as early spring often is in Michigan, the weather turned slightly unpredictable. Nonetheless, Carrie and Jeff made the trip up to their cabin in Traverse City, and I drove up the next day. We had originally planned for an evening session, but with rain in the forecast for the afternoon and evening, I came up early to take advantage of a small window in between rain storms.

We started the Traverse City engagement session in downtown Traverse City at Clinch Park and worked through some sprinkling rain. It was windy and chilly but Carrie and Jeff took it like champs and embraced it. Soon enough, the rain stopped altogether! We worked our way through Clinch Park, onto the docks, and down to the beach where Carrie and Jeff even agreed to go for a quick dip into the freezing Lake Michigan! 

couple hugging while man kisses woman on forehead
man kissing woman on her forehead
woman with her arm looped through man's while they stand next to each other
couple about to kiss
couple holding hands and smiling at each other
couple holding hands while woman looks back over her shoulder
man and woman walking together along a pier
black and white photo of a couple kissing on a pier
woman standing behind man with her arms around him
woman kissing man's cheek from behind
couple with their arms around each other rubbing noses
couple holding hands and smiling as they walk on a pier
couple hugging while leaning against a post on a pier
man looking at woman smiling as they lean against a railing over the water
couple hugging each other with their foreheads together
couple walking along the beach with their arms around each other
couple holding hands and walking towards the water on a beach
couple holding hands and reaching out towards each other
couple holding hands as they kiss each other
man holding up woman as they smile
man kissing woman's neck as she smiles
couple about to kiss as they stand on a beach
couple holding hands and walking along water line
man with his arms around a woman kissing her head
couple sitting next to each other on a beach about to kiss
couple holding hands and walking in the water
couple standing in shallow water about to kiss
man with his arms around a woman as they stand on the edge of a pier

About 45 minutes into the 2 hour Traverse City engagement session, we bundled up and drove to their lake house where Carrie and Jeff changed into their second outfit. After warming up a bit, we finished off our time together with photos in their backyard overlooking the water. Overall, despite the cold and windy weather, we all had a blast and the result was beautiful. I love how Jeff’s rust colored shirt popped against the gray skies of the day.

couple standing together holding hands and smiling
couple sitting on a rock ledge together and smiling
man hugging a woman from behind and kissing her as they hold hands
couple hugging each other from behind and kissing
couple holding hands and standing in front of the water
man and woman laughing and holding each other's hands
couple standing close together and rubbing noses
woman on man's back smiling and laughing
couple kissing while standing in front of the water

While I usually schedule engagement sessions around the sunset in the case it’s a clear, sunny day, cloudy overcast days, despite what many people think, are amazing for photos! The cloudy skies act like a natural diffuser, softening the light of the sun and eliminating any direct light overhead which can result in shadows. Overcast skies make for a very neutral, flattering light and backdrop for any session or wedding day (and created the perfect backdrop for this Traverse City engagement shoot). 

If you like Carrie and Jeff’s Traverse City engagement session along Lake Michigan, check out Sam and Holden’s snowy engagement photos along Lake Huron for another example of how embracing the weather can lead to the most special and fun engagement pictures! (It’s also another example of why Michigan’s Great Lakes are such a great place to visit for any session).

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Julia & Larry

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