Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes Session with Brett+Emily

Back in June we were in Northern Michigan for two weeks, living in our camper in the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore and we wanted to shoot on the dunes really bad. We've been so lucky over the years to meet SO so many people. Often people in love, celebrating exciting milestones and excitedly partaking in life's adventures! That's the best part of this gig. Brett and Emily drove 3 hours so that we could adventure in the sand together! What transpired was pure human connection. Brett surprised Emily by being completely hilarious and romantic in front of the camera. We laughed and talked about all the things...hiking, road tripping, long stints living in vehicles, we had so much in common and made a real life friendship out of an Instagram message!
 
It was an honor to document this basically random season for these two in their relationship and in life...they're both on separate paths, yet finding their way together. We were so glad we could all convene here for this short time to make something beautiful and real together. 

Check out Emily on Instagram, she's an adventurist like myself @hikingwithheels

Rachel + Brian | Date Night Couple Session

We decided to call this a 'Date Night Couple Session' because Rachel & Brian drove all the way from Charlotte, NC to New Castle, PA and then onto Cleveland, OH to meet us for drinks at Plum in Ohio City. After some delicious whiskey beverages and taste-y sharables we headed out to make some portraits without a destination or goal in mind. 
As you'll see these two turned a half hour of wandering around the alleys of Ohio City into the most playful, romantic date night ever! We had nothing to do with all those smiles and laughs...these two didn't need any input from us to be this awesome together! After Ohio City we headed towards the lakeshore and ended the evening the same way they spent their first date, sitting lakeside as the sun fell behind the horizon. We cannot wait for their backyard wedding next month!
 

Ashley + Zach | Northern Michigan Wedding

You may recognize these two from the recent adventure we had with them in Colorado a week before their wedding! We shared a sunset hike in the Rockies and a week later we shared a Sand Dune hike in Upper Michigan. What is this life?

Well, I had the hardest time not selecting a thousand beautiful moments to share from Ashley + Zach's Northern Michigan wedding. Not only was the destination and the wedding absolutely stunning but these two are genuinely the sweetest and happiest people I think I've ever met. Zach's love for Ashley was SO apparent in his mood that day. Between their shared glances and constant smiles, everyone who witnessed these two that day was sincerely intoxicated by the joy they share in their adoration for each other. This is one we'll remember for a long time. 

Location: Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Maple City, Michigan
Venue: Snow Moon Ranch | Planning: Sincerely, Ginger | Florals: Stem & Sprigs | Cake: Sweet Tartlette | Beauty: Knoelle Artistry | Band: Other Brother Entertainment, Charleston, SC. | 

Ashley + Colton | Sand Dunes Adventure Session

Ashley + Colton made the drive from Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet us at Great Sand Dunes National Park. We arrived the day before and slept in the van (secretly) in the backcountry parking lot overlooking the dunes. We fell asleep to the quietest, pitch black night and woke to the white, hot sun trying to melt the sand and the van.

This place is incredible, vast and other-worldly. The wind sweeps sand in every direction until it's swirled into massive mounds that harmoniously blend into the pale blue sky at every vantage point. We sat back and watched as Colton and Ashley danced in awe; The most beautiful story, their love for each other, for adventure and for the moment. In the heat of the setting sun, at 10,000 feet elevation, they let the grains of sand sting by the millions against their skin and curled into each other for shelter; a sentiment worth documenting in any place but especially a place as beautiful at this.

Dress from KII Boutique, Albuquerque, New Mexico 

Vintage Camper Couple | Rocky Mountain Sunset Adventure Session

We've been so lucky to meet so many great creatives through Instagram in the last few years. It's such a powerful resource for connecting us with the people who see the world the way we do! 
That's how we met Chelsea + Lyn, these camper-dwellers from southern Ohio who are living the rocky mountain life in a beautiful campground in Colorado right now. We obviously bonded over our love of alternative living, travel, adventure and mountains!

We were on our campervan tour, heading through Buena Vista and these two just happened to be on our route! They saved us a campsite and we met at their camper-home just before sunset. 
Lyndon + Chelsea live a beautifully tiny, big life on the road. They invited us in, made us pancakes, offered us beer and then took us for a true mountain drive in their Land Rover. We headed up a private road as far as the Rover would go and hopped out to get to the top of the ridge where we could see all the peaks surrounding the valley and their little camper below us! Lyn kept saying he didn't know where the best light would be for photos but he knew this view couldn't be beat. We laughed and wandered until the last bit of amber light fell behind the peaks and then we finished the evening with dinner cooked over the campfire. We've never had a more authentic experience getting to know strangers than with these two! And what a beautiful home they have!

Follow their adventures on their Insta @mobile_millers

Gail + Toby | Honey Run Falls Session

We met Gail and Tobias at the trail head, just a few feet from a little stream and a 25 foot waterfall. A place none of us had ever been. We got to know each other briefly as we sat on top of a big boulder. They sank in to the cool breeze, only noticing each other, quietly and affectionately while we watched the light drape itself, like ribbons of white chocolate, over everything. Gail + Toby have this slow and quiet way about their love. They were a joy to explore with, to have conversation with and a dream to photograph. Check out the video of this session here.

Nicole + Bryan

This is one of our favorite engagement adventures EVER. These two wanted their engagement story to reflect their love of the of the sea. Nicole is originally from the Cleveland area so she was right on board when I suggested we explore the rocks near Edgewater Beach for a landscape as close to the California coast as you can get in the Midwest. Those waves, that horizon, the moody rocks. It was so good. Meet Nicole + Bryan. 

Becca + Vic | Lake Erie Building Wedding

Becca and Vic are adventurers. They met and fell in love on independent adventures in the magical mountains of Slovenia. These two wild spirits couldn't have been a better fit for us. Meeting them in New York City in December just reaffirmed what we already knew. After an hours long brunch and too much coffee we wanted around a Christmas market getting to know each other but it truly felt like we were already old friends. 
 

Venue: The Lake Erie Building | Screw Factory
Floral: Arte Di Fiori / Rosado Event and Design
Catering: Phuel Cafe
Band: The Sunrise Jones Band 
Dress: Allure Bridal
Invitation Suite, Fabric Installations & Table Decor Handmade by the Bride

Autumn in Ohio - Adventure

Taylor and Tony met us on a perfect golden evening out at one of their and our favorite open spaces in the area! What happened next was just awesome. We joked and teased each other like old friends and these two rocked it for the lens! 
Meet Taylor & Tony, they're getting married next year!
 

Andi + Ben | Backyard Ceremony + Hines Hill Reception

Andi & Ben.
Two people who saw the opportunity to have a wedding day full of intention and with so much personal meaning. The ceremony took place under the giant tree lovingly named "The Mighty Oak" by Ben's family. The ninety-some acre family property, that was owned by Ben's grandpa and has been passed down, is meadow after meadow who's edges are traced with thick tree-lines and trails. The estate; an eclectic and warm home where Ben grew up surrounded by gardens, kitties and chickens.
Ben and Andi saw each other early in the day, Andi in her bridal robe and Ben in his work clothes. The guys helped set up the ceremony just an hour before donning their suits for the festivities while Andi and her girls enjoyed a sun-soaked lunch on the breezy patio. Each moment an opportunity for us to sink into the background and document quietly. The morning folded into late afternoon and the perfectly orchestrated ceremony under the rustling leaves made way to the celebration at Hines Hill Conservancy. 
 

This wedding was featured on Junebug Weddings
Ceremony Venue – Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Reception Venue – Hines Hill Conference Center
Catering – Old Carolina BBQ
Cake – Dancing Desserts
Ceremony Music – Adam Day
Reception Music – Bottom Line Band
Invitations – Mason Milani
Wedding Dress – Nicole Miller
Groom’s Apparel – Bonobos

Editorial on El Matador

See the full story here.

See the full story here.

Sippo Lake, Ohio Adventure

Long hugs every morning. Spending time taking in the sunshine. Good food. And family. That's what's important to Corinne & Justin. To these two life is, as Corinne put it, either a daring adventure or nothing at all. The why is important to them. They never want to forget the experiences and people that brought them to where they are, they never want to forget all the love that surrounds them as they embark on a new journey together. 
 

The girls on Holiday | Malibu, California

El Matador Beach Editorial

El Matador Beach is one of three cove and cliff beaches along the Pacific Crest Highway in the Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. It's one of the most beautiful places we've ever been. Although it's beauty is no secret, this beach draws photographers from all over, all of the time. In the summer and at golden hour the small portion of beach is peppered with photographers and awe-seekers trying to catch that moment when the golden California sun sinks low enough to just barely touch the mountains behind, creating a magical glow over the cliffs that drapes around everything and turns into a blue and white emulsion of sparkles off the water. It's a busy and bustling place but if you time it just right, you'll find a bit of solitude. Once the road-rippers have made their way back to their cars and the picnickers have headed back to LA, it's then that this place can really been seen for what it is. 

This editorial shoot came together without much planning at all. My high school friend Crystal lives near Malibu and her two girl-friends had been on holiday that week visiting her. We planned to meet at sunset with cameras and a cooler full of snacks and this is what happened!
 

Rachel (above) is an aspiring model and would love to be hired for future editorial, commercial and fashion shoots.  Get ahold of her at rjrufener@msn.com

Of all the places that I've been...

I'm no place with out you....
That's the song lyric. That's the thought I've been finding myself thinking as each day and each adventure comes to it's end. Today, I'm 30. This summer marks our 10th anniversary together. We're feeling a bit excited about this new chapter. Getting older is never easy because it's just one less day...one less year that we get to spend doing life this way... but I'm so thankful for my 30 years and especially that the last 10 of them have been spent with Justin at my side every. single. step of the way. This next chapter is going to be quite a story. It took us 10 years to figure things out but this chapter is going to be the best one yet. This chapter looks a lot like this: Us, together, loving life, living with intention, traveling when and where we want, staying an extra night just because, drinking bloody mary's at every opportunity and cuddling, always cuddling. My birthday advice today is to find your people and love them hard, do what you want and find what makes you crazy passionate, forget the norm, the standard, the socially acceptable...do you and do it with someone who loves you and makes you feel like the best human you can be! 
This chapter looks like a lot like this....

(HUGE hugs and thank you's to our new friends Nate & Amanda Howard for capturing this adventure for us in Malibu last month, we had the raddest time, learned so much, saw the dopest sunset over the coast and made new adventure friends...thanks guys!) 

Tim & Holleh | Redondo Beach, CA

Every so often we get a unique opportunity to travel for work. It's been becoming more of a frequent thing and we love that. It's been a goal of ours to have our work serve as a way for us to see the world. We love to travel to begin with but when we can travel AND document a story for an awesome couple like Holleh & Tim, well that's exactly what we want to be doing with our business and with our life.
This is a unique story for me to share because the groom is family. It's a long and involved, coming of age story that Tim and I share as cousins. We shared laughter, shared friends and shared tears over fond memories.  But over the years, as adults do, we got busy with our own lives. Miles between us and a collection of life events shared over facebook but I've always looked up to Tim as a beacon of positivity...and comic relief even in hard times. To say that I was ecstatic when they agreed to let us shoot their wedding in California would be an understatement. I was honestly jumping. We had the pleasure of meeting Holleh when we got to California and she's literally the sweetest, most sincere and loving person ever. She was complimenting US the whole time we were doing her portraits. Ha! And I saw so much joy and so much love between these two. As always, it's an honor to document such a joyful day for two people but especially more so when they're your family. 

From the East to the West

Adventures of this magnitude always take time to put into words. Those words are coming. And so are many, many
more photographs from our travels from the East to the West coast and back home!
For now, this...

Kaitlin + John | Brookside Farms, Ohio

I knew when we met Kaitlin & John that their wedding would be one that fits right in with our vibe of living and documenting the most authentic stories. They're a laid back, loving couple that planned a day as equally laid back and loving. The timeline was slow and casual and left time for them to spend the day with all their favorite people. Their joy shines in every single photograph and it was real. They made memories and we were honored to be the ones to witness and savor it for them!

Coast to Coast!

"Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline,
no matter how many times it's sent away"
- Sarah Kay

View fullsize

The winter season is way way over. We woke up this week and it's summer and we're wasting no time getting around to adventures of all kinds. We're road tripping east with our friends for their wedding on Hilton Head Island next week, then a quick stop in Savannah and Charleston before we set off the California coast for a wedding and a week's worth of exploring and shooting.  
The mountains AND the ocean are calling and we must go! 

The spring unfolds

We waited for weeks for the cold to end, for the rain to stop, for the sun to shine. Then we waited for the trees to turn green and the flowers to bloom. Mara + Brad waited patiently to have this adventure with us on the most beautiful spring evening at Hinckley Reservation, a place they picked as a location for their future married adventures together!  
We can't wait to spend their wedding day documenting this love story!

Lakeside Love

Carmen + Tommy
Evidence that love is the greatest adventure.
These two have obvious chemistry. An energy that can't be concealed.
The adventure is over in STORIES.