New Buffalo Winter Engagement | Jess & Javi

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New Buffalo Winter Engagement

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It was a surreal winter day in January as I got ready to photograph Jess and Javi’s New Buffalo winter engagement session in Michigan. These Chicago natives wanted this small beach town because they often visit it in the warm, summer months (Michigan’s best time of year). We had a limited time to choose a date for their engagement session so we embraced the snow!

We began at Journeyman’s Distillery which you can actually rent out on an hourly basis during the off-season which was a perfect place to start! It allowed me to show them a few poses in a warm, industrial setting before we would venture out to the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Don’t you just love the windows at Journeyman? I could not get over them! Please give me all the natural light possible without adding fluorescent lighting so I can make sure their skin tones are perfect, the poses are fun and light, and I’m focused more on them than on camera settings. It really allows me to focus on the best posing, how to figure out what makes Jess and Javi comfortable in front of the camera, and bring out their natural smiles and love!

After we enjoyed the warmth, we went to Warren Dunes State Park which, oddly enough, isn’t full of people and crowds and tourists because of the cold! It was a huge perk so we could go wherever we wanted without worrying about being in the way or Jess and Javi feeling self-conscious because too many people were around.

Ryker, their 6-month-old puppy joined us in her adorableness and hopefully, she will be as well behaved on their wedding day in May! Don’t worry, she got lots of extra treats for her good behavior!

Click Here to see their wedding day blog!