Winter Engagement Session in Detroit
Engagement photography services at the historic Belle Isle Casino and was provided by Detroit wedding photographer Kellie Saunders. Erin and Stefan's wedding was being held at the Casino so they had permission to shoot there. Please note that Belle Isle currently requires permits for professional photography.
Check out their wedding photos HERE
Have you ever dreamed of the perfect winter engagement session? You know the one where the snow is slowly falling, gently landing on your heads as you gazy into each others eyes. YES you know this snow. It's called magic snow. There's no breeze when it falls. It just falls so gently - almost whispering your names. Well, I have to tell you something. That snow rarely happens. It's time to stop dreaming of it. When it does happen and by chance it's during either a photo session or a wedding, it's actually rare. I've been lucky enough to catpure it once or twice in my ten years of photographing weddings, but it is rare. Come on guys, this is Michigan. Need I say more? Since Mother nature in our great state is such a fickle little beast, I wanted to share one last winter engagement session to share how the sessions really go down.
I made a rule a few years back to not shoot engagement sessions in the winter solely for the reason that MOST of the time it's just too darn windy and cold. For example, we might be able to shoot for a solid fifteen minutes, but then your nose starts to turn red, my fingers want to fall off, you can't hear my directions because the wind is blowing so hard, your hair is flying away and the list goes on and on. I don't do this to punish my clients. Rather the opposite. I want to be a good stewart to my clients photography budget. I want to make sure I give them the absolute best that I can. The absolute best I can for the money they are paying me. Of course I do! On the wedding day we have no chances to reschedule due to rain, snow, ice, hail or whatever. We have to go with it. You will get what you get. But for your engagement session, I have a bit more control. If the weather and light is just not working out, we can reschedule for a better day. I found that sessions scheduled in the winter months almost always ended up being rescheduled due to weather issues and when they weren't we could only shoot for a limited amount of time before everyone turned into an ice cube. When the weather is nice and warmer, we can shoot longer, my clients can interact more, and at the end of the day I'm able to deliver photos that are more impactful.
So with that said, I don't want you to look at this session below and think I didn't love it. Quite the opposite. I actually LOVED this session. But these clients were two people who could really go with the flow under in any kind of weather and were okay with WHATEVER happened. Erin and Stefan both work in emergency medicine. I say that because to be honest, my clients who work in medicine are typically very realistic and understanding. They see the bigger picture in everything. They understand that life happens and little things that may not go as planned will not kill them so they are able to just relax and laugh it off. Some clients are not as easy going and are looking for something more refined. So my advice before considering a winter engagement session is to really take a look at the photos you want and what you can and can't accept should the weather turn bad. Would you be disappointed if you only recieved 15 photos vs. 50? Would you be disappointed if your hair was a bit wacky from the wind in a few shots? Would you be upset if you had to wear gloves or the rain started slamming down on your face? Think of these things as you schedule your engagement session with whoever is photographing your wedding.
So back to this session. Erin + Stefan = two of my more favorite people EVER! When the word cool was invented I'm pretty sure they had this couple in mind. I just loved them, all their friends and family as well. They are so in love and so down to earth that they knew they could handle this crappy weather during their engagement session. Now true to form, we met at Belle Isle on a day when the worst winter storm ever was about to hit. We spent about ten minutes on the island - really just staying where there was shelter and then we made a run for it and headed over to the DIA. Just as we arrived there the hail started and we had very little time to make some magic. But Erin and Stefan took charge and helped make my job super easy! We had such a good time, laughing and enjoying being smacked in the face by the hail. Oh it was sideways hail by the way. LOL We all ended up with a good story to tell and I was able to get them a few lovely photos! At the end of the day I think we would all agree that shooting in the spring would have been better, but we had a great time and I couldn't imagine going through a winter hail storm with any other couple! Make sure to check out their wedding photos by clicking the link above.
Michigan wedding photography at the Belle Isle Casino by Kellie Saunders, Detroit Michigan wedding photographers. Kellie Saunders is one of the most favorite Detroit Wedding photographers. She is a professional artistic wedding photographer located in Birmingham, Michigan. Her work has been published both locally and nationally in print and online. Her studio serves the entire metro Detroit area and offers affordable wedding photography in Michigan at it's best. Each wedding is treated with more love, creativity and care that's not found in larger studios. She has an authentic documentary style and specializes in creating sophisticated and timeless wedding portraits.