Port Huron, MI Winter Maternity Photoshoot

Dramatic Red Dress Outdoor Couple Maternity Shoot

   There are 2 ways you should show up for a portrait session-
1- As you are. But RAW. Don’t hide any part of yourself, be ready to release your true , natural self.
2- As a new side of yourself you’ve never seen before, experience yourself in a new way.
   For Syme and Ryan’s Maternity Shoot they opted for number 2. When we first talked on the phone Syme told me she wanted to go all out for her Maternity shoot so she was breaking loose and doing everything she would never do for this moment in her life. She hates winter, she’s not one for dressing up... so of course she opted for a Winter shoot, in the snow, and she was even going to wear a floral crown. 
   Fun fact about the first time Syme and Ryan met- Syme was wearing sweatpants and a Tupac shirt. My day was made when I heard that, as she’s standing in front of me, polar opposite, looking like an Iceland Snow Mermaid in this red dress that fits her perfectly and also screams a lil Jessica Rabbit! She’s this little thing with a beautiful, bold personality to make up for her short height. Ryan is more quiet and sweet, but the way he looks at her and the way she smiles at him lets you know- these two are the real deal.
   Our first meeting was hilarious, talking about how magical their shoot was going to be that all the forest animals would probably run out of their dens to circle around her like this woodland Goddess, which, yes, she’s not that big into nature, but if that happened, she said she wouldn’t complain. We got a bit carried away.
   So, of course, the day of their shoot the snow melted. In a panic my creative brain kicked in and I knew I just needed something to mimic that whimsy feel. I found a hard pile of plowed snow in the corner of a parking lot and that’s what we used to create our magical snow mermaid shots. Sometimes you just have to trust the photographer’s vision.
   They went from spinning and dancing in the pine trees, to elegantly swaying with the wind on the icy beach shores, to lastly cuddling up on top of a snow pile.
   It was effortlessly stunning, it was true, it was love, and it was just in time bc that itty bitty, sweat pea of a baby came earlier than expected, less than a week after this!

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Check out of Full Maternity & Couples Gallery!

For another stunning outdoor maternity shoot check out Claudia's Session!

Their are so many ways to flaunt that baby bump.. check out Larisha's Boudoir Maternity Session!

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A photoshoot with icebergs

Native vibes in the middle of winter

Photography on the frozen shores of Lake Huron

   It was below freezing, winds over 20 mph, and I decided to take a drive to the beach. Something just pulled me there.
   If you find yourself in Michigan in the winter it's worth it to drive to the shores of Lake Huron (by Port Huron, we're on the East Side of the state) and check out the beach. You never know what you'll find. Open water, flat ice, old snow and sand mixed together, frozen pieces floating down with the current, little ice caves, or huge "icebergs" from where the waves just keep crashing up on shore, freezing into these huge mounds. Every year is different and unique.
   Our version of icebergs and icecaps are what I found that day. The little video above shows you what I stumbled upon.
   I parked my jeep and headed towards the beach. The wind hitting my face was more than cold, it was almost as if it was forcing me to close my eyes while it slapped me across the face. I could see the wind also making huge waves that were hitting the ice so hard they were flying up over the tops of them, at least 15+ feet in the air. I knew I didn't want to stay long, but I knew I HAD to come back. You can't see natural beauty like that and let it go unnoticed.

   A few days later my assistants and I piled back in the jeep and headed back to the beach. With all my camera gear strapped to my back the girls also had an overwhelming amount a fur. We decided we wanted to all be wearing vintage fur coats for the shoot.
   Less than 2 minutes there we start exploring the area and Taylor falls in. One wrong step and she's up to her knee in water. She's done for. One thing you should know about the frozen shores of our beaches- they are unpredictable. They might look like they've been frozen for months but mother nature can cause miracles overnight.
   Taylor takes off to warm her toes and Elores and I stay out to get a few shots.
   This glamorous vision of expensive fur coats in front of this ice quickly turned to something more organic, more native, almost tribal. Elores started to take on this wild, mountain woman feel and we just ran with that. Take a look.

   We did swap places for a second, Elores getting some shots of me (that I edited back in the studio later) before we ran back to the Jeep. I ripped off my coats (yes it was so cold I was wearing 2) down to my tank and wrapped myself up in the blanket, which was actually incredibly warm, and I just lived in that moment, in the sunshine and cool air, while she snapped a few photos.

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Check out our full Beauty Gallery!

If you like this winter feel, check out Taylor's Winter Beauty Session!

For another gorgeous shoot in the snow check out Aubrey's Senior Shoot!