A few months back, Jeff and I offered an Engagement Session Giveaway. Little did we know, it would change our lives for the better. How you ask? Well, because of that giveaway, we were able to meet Jamie and Matt – two amazing people with a strong love for each other and all they’ve accomplished throughout life together. (Jamie is an Elementary School Teacher, and Matt is a Mechanical Engineer.) Jamie entered our giveaway, and told us a lot about their relationship, and I simply knew right away, that we had to meet them! After meeting with them to discuss the details of the Engagement Session Giveaway, and to plan out their Engagement Session, Jeff and I quickly realized that we were connecting with Jamie and Matt on a much deeper level than some of our past clients. We simply knew that this adorable couple seated across from us, would become one of our favorites to work with. After learning more about them, we decided to mention that we would love to do an Engagement Session in front of the natural stunning waterfalls, found in Munising, Michigan. They quickly agreed that the idea was an amazing idea, and that we should move forward with this dreamy and romantic plan. Keep reading to see what happens next during the Munising Michigan Waterfalls Engagement Session with Matt & Jamie!
Fast forward to May 5, 2018. This was a perfect, cloudless, sunny, and mildly warm day. Jeff and I had scouted out the perfect locations for the portraits the day before (May the Fourth was indeed with us, lol), and stopped at the local Subway for some lunch, before meeting up with Jamie and Matt for their portrait session. Lo and behold! After sitting down to eat our subs, in walks, Jamie and Matt! They had the exact same idea (getting lunch beforehand), and sat across from us while eating their own lunch. It was almost like a coincidence you would find in a movie! After eating, we insisted that they check into their hotel, get comfy, and meet us at the coffee house when everything was ready for them.
While catching up some more at the coffeehouse (Falling Rock Cafe & Bookstore), we decided that it would make the perfect portrait icebreaker for everyone to get comfortable with the cameras being in view. Jamie and Matt were great sports and perfect models! (I swear, they are professionals!!) We were able to capture some truly romantic and heartwarming portraits, just in this little “mini-session”, if you will, at the coffeehouse. They were able to warm up, see kind of how we operate, and felt instantly relaxed for the portraits to come. (They even told us so at their Portrait Reveal & Ordering Appointment last night!)
After the coffeehouse, we grabbed our coffees and headed to the first waterfalls location, Wagner Falls. This is one of Jeff’s and my favorite waterfalls in the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan! We visit these waterfalls anytime we are in the area, and they are always so peaceful and breathtaking to view. After reaching the waterfalls, we quickly got to work, setting up our OCF (off-camera flash) system, and doing some test photos, as the sun was very high still during this portion of the day.
After the lights were all figured out, and Jamie and Matt were in the perfect position, the magic started to happen. Guys, let me just tell you right now, Jamie and Matt are professionals at having their pictures taken. I honestly do not think we have encountered an easier couple to work with. With that being said, you can see just how much fun they were having with us, and each other, with the next set of portraits below. Jeff and I could see and feel their love for one another, and it translated perfectly into the portraits we were capturing.
Before we left this location, Jeff insisted upon taking a few portraits along the little stream that is near the waterfalls. Jamie and Matt were beyond awesome in allowing us to test new tricks and locations! We had so much fun with them both! After the little stream, we stopped them along the boardwalk, going toward the cars, for a few more stunning pictures of them. We simply couldn’t get enough! (And I don’t think they could either! Lol)
After the first set of waterfalls, we got in the cars, and headed onto our next location. The light was becoming a lot softer for this next location, and started to really create some amazing light to work with. The next location was Munising Falls, just outside of Munising, Michigan. For this spot, Jamie had brought along a dress to wear (and it went perfectly with the scenery and complimented Matt’s outfit as well), and she changed into it before we started. We slowly made our way to the waterfalls, capturing different locations along the way, before seeing the falls themselves. With the spring melt occurring throughout this time of the year, the waterfalls were roaring with new life, and there was still a bit of ice behind the falls to melt. It was truly a breathtaking moment!
After taking some portraits in front of the waterfalls, we explored the area a little more in-depth and found some amazing places to capture more pictures for Matt and Jamie to cherish. One of our favorites, and their complimentary Gift Print, were taken at this point during our adventure with them.
Once we felt we had enough of them with Jamie in her dress, we went back to the parking lot, so Jamie could switch into her previous outfit for some extra photos. This time, we stopped to get a few detail photographs as well. Jamie’s special necklace, with Matt carefully holding it for the viewer to see. And her stunning engagement ring, nestled softly among the moss along the trail.
While exploring around, Jamie came across a small cave along one of the canyon walls. She cheerfully ran up to it, wanting to explore it (it didn’t go anywhere), but Jeff and I felt it was another perfect location for some portraits of this amazing couple.
After viewing the cave, we checked the time. It was roughly 6pm, and the sun wasn’t expected to set until roughly 8:30pm. So, we suggested that we take a break and have dinner together at one of the local restaurants. We enjoyed dinner, chatted about the day so far, their wedding a little bit, and other pleasant conversational topics. After dinner, we told them about our last stop, and headed there, hoping for a spectacular sunset! Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans for us, at least regarding the sunset aspect of the location. Clouds had started to move in by the time we reached Miner’s Castle along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This was Matt’s first time here, by the way everyone, and he was enthralled with the view, just as much as Jamie was, even though she had seen this spot before.
After capturing the perfect picture here for them, we explored a little further and hiked down to Miner’s Castle itself. Here, we captured a few more images, before ending our portrait session with Jamie and Matt taking a “selfie” with Jeff and myself. It was getting quite cold at this point, but we all had a lot of fun exploring this area together.
Once we returned to our cars, we said our thank you’s and farewells. We all had an incredible time, and Jeff and I were so excited to hear that Jamie and Matt were still glowing days after the adventure to the Upper Peninsula with us. We truly couldn’t have envisioned a more perfect and romantic setting for this couple. During their Portrait Reveal & Ordering Appointment last night, Jamie and Matt asked us to be their wedding photographers. We happily accepted and we truly cannot wait for their amazing wedding that is set to take place on May 11, 2019 at the Packard Proving Grounds near their home. Please enjoy the slideshow they were able to enjoy with us last night, and we truly hope you enjoyed this Engagement Session Adventure, just as much as the four of us did!
[KGVID height=”600″ width=”900″]https://www.intrigue.photography/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/JamieMattNorthernEngagementPortraitsSlideshow.compressed.mp4[/KGVID]
And finally, should you wish to view their entire gallery from their adventure with us, or purchase Mounted Gift Prints, you can do so here: https://www.intrigue.photography/clients/munising-michigan-waterfalls-engagement-session/
P.S. We also wanted to share with you a video we took of Jamie and Matt in their home, opening their new Printed Keepsakes! We hope you enjoy!
[KGVID height=”600″ width=”900″]https://www.intrigue.photography/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/munising-heirloom-canvas-reveal.mp4[/KGVID]
xoxo,
Jess
