Winter in the city has been frigid this January but Derek & Cait didn’t let that stop us from creating some truly dreamy images together in their beloved Chicago. They’ll tie the knot this coming November but for now they are working, traveling and planning their way through winter, spring and summer, no doubt looking forward to the exact moment they get to call one another husband, wife. I loved their style for this session, but mostly I loved that they cuddled and sipped champagne and laughed their way through the day, perhaps just happy to have an afternoon off together to make some ne ..read more

Ali & Quan were a little surprised when we agreed to a morning session and I followed that up with “Great! see you at 6 am!” While 6 am may have seemed a little early in the prep stage, when they met me on the sands of North Avenue beach it was clear that it was the perfect time to make some magic together. Accompanied by their adorable and incredibly well-behaved dog Link, Ali & Quan made the most of one of this summer’s curious, but incredibly lovely wildfire sunrises. With the city aglow in the warm sunshine Ali & Quan reminisced about how they met and how they’ve grown together ..read more

Mark & Donna are planning a May wedding in Wisconsin’s lake country where they hope to spend a day and night reveling in family & friendship and celebrating lives well lived that get better everyday they get to spend with one another. In keeping with their love of the outdoors they wanted their engagement session to be near the biggest lake we have around here, even if Mark donned a blazer and Donna heels for the session. And that is kind of the essence of their style: classic, tasteful, warm and, if possible, outdoorsy. The city showed off for them on this night and they warmed thems ..read more

Some love stories have that Meant To Be feeling. Case in point: Leigh & Aaron. Their individual histories on paper say they should never have met – there are too many states in the way from Texas to Wisconsin to Minnesota and no synergy in their career fields. They didn’t meet online and they didn’t go to college together. But thank goodness Packer Nation casts a wide net. Set up by friends because they are both Packer fans, Leigh & Aaron built a life together during the time of Covid. Now that the world is back open to them, they figure there is no better way to invite their favorite ..read more

This year more than ever before our studio took an extended winter break between wedding “seasons.” So coming back to the camera, back to the light, back to the love has been an extra special treat this April. Annalise & Colin kicked off our season with their engagement session on a sunny, windy, classic Milwaukee spring day and holy cow was it THE best way to say Welcome Back. Annalise was all smiles and Colin all accommodation; together they were all gorgeous, chatting with me about their travels, their jobs, their wedding planning. And when the silences inevitably fell between us I wat ..read more

Natalie & Matt are an adorable couple with an enviable joie de vivre that comes to the fore whenever they’re in one another’s presence. Natalie’s shy smile easily turns to happy laughter when Matt turns his attention to her and Matt reads as incredibly calm and cool – that is, until he looks at Natalie and melts just enough to show how madly in love he is with this gorgeous woman. And happily for us they took our advice and opted for a sunrise engagement session along the shores of Lake Michigan. As the sun peeked above the watery horizon they held hands and breathed in the crisp morning ..read more

Jackie & Ron are the sweetest couple. Sweet to one another, sweet to be around, and all around sweet to photograph. On a gorgeous – absolutely gorgeous – fall day we were able to meet up for some seriously sweet engagement photography. They live several hours from Milwaukee but lucked into perfect weather when they met us with me for a lake and river side meander complete with crisp fall leaves and skin warming sunshine. I am sure they are hoping for similar weather for their November nuptials but no matter what may come on that day I am confident these two will laugh and play and love th ..read more

This is a story about Melissa & Nate, but even I have to admit that their fur baby Moose may have stolen the lead role in their engagement session. We started at the place where they first met in person after meeting online, Kadish Park. The big hill and its city views can’t be beat for wild flower meanderings and sunny fall outings, and Melissa & Nate laughed their way through a tour of the park. But then when they met up with Moose on familiar terrain the real fun started. With still-a-puppy-Moose leading the way they took a few deep breaths and really relaxed into a rare afternoon ..read more

Danielle & Christian have THE classic How We Met story and the kind of story we love to tell. They were high school sweethearts and now work together in her family’s business, their memories and years growing up all intertwined and created together. They don’t live in the city but they love it’s energy and in Milwaukee the chance to be constantly near water even when not in sight of Lake Michigan. Next year they’ll marry one another and celebrate at Discovery World, a lakeside venue that puts the lake front and center, but for this session we stayed closer to the river and the sunny inlan ..read more

Jenna & Jordan are building a lovely life in Chicago that features a lot of laughter, family & friends and time spent loving on their pup. So for their engagement session it was a no brainer to show off the Chicago skyline a bit and then go play with Penny. The city did not disappoint as clouds scattered just as we arrived at the lakefront and the sun kissed the lake. The wind played with Jenna’s hair and Jordan lit up whenever he was told to look at her. She was happy to gaze back with something like pride in her eyes, clearly just as smitten with him as he is with her. Individually ..read more