Photographs always look perfect, don’t they?

Sometimes a lot of imperfect things happen in the process of creating photographs. But, what can you do? We’ve found that the best way to handle the imperfection is to just make the best of it, and have a good attitude. This is what has gotten us (and our best clients) through most challenges.

As an example, we wanted to share some of the stories of the imperfect moments that happen behind the scenes. So, meet Tara and Adam. We captured both their engagement session and their New Year’s Eve wedding. Here are stories behind their images.

Montrose Harbor Chicago Engagement Photography

Tara and Adam wanted to have a fun session that started with opening some bubbly at Chicago’s Montrose Harbor, overlooking Lake Michigan. Tara nearly threw up after taking too big a sip of champagne – but that honest moment made for a great photograph.

And she got champagne all over her engagement dress. But, you don’t even notice, right?

The running path at Montrose Harbor was super busy with runners during our engagement session. For the most part, we were able to shoot around it, but for a few photographs we just embraced it.

And then get this: during Tara and Adam’s engagement session, Ben left his brand new iPhone on a running path because he was totally focused on getting the right moment. He didn’t even notice until a runner yelled at us from about 200 feet away, swinging the phone in the air: “Hey, you, is this your phone?!” Ben’s first thought was “what idiot would leave behind a phone?!” then he felt for the phone in his pocket… Yup. He was the idiot. Thank goodness for good people out there, right?!

So, sometimes things don’t go as planned!

But you wouldn’t know it when looking at the photographs, would you? That’s a part of our style, anyway. We’re documentary photographers, and we want to photograph honest moments. And, that’s what Tara and Adam told us what was most important to them: photographs of natural moments.

Tara and Adam’s New Year’s Eve Wedding at The Homestead

On the wedding day we got the full force of a northern Michigan snow-storm. Adam and Tara got married at The Homestead in Northern Michigan, near Traverse City.

On their wedding day, it was incredibly cold, super dark, and the driveway to the getting ready home got blocked. We’re super grateful nobody got hurt. Nobody, except for Ben… just the person there who had the job of documenting every memory on a very important day!

(No pressure.)

Before Ben even got to the house, he slipped on some of that super wet and icy northern Michigan fresh snow, and totally blew out his back. He was walking like Frankenstein for the rest of the day.

It was super windy – and when we say super windy, we mean like frigid windy. Tara and Adam really wanted a few sunset photographs. There wasn’t much of a sunset, but they still fought through the cold and we spent a few minutes on the windy northern Michigan beach behind The Homestead and got some incredible portraits of the two of them.

This wedding party was… lively. They made the best of the weather by drinking a LOT of champagne, and a few celebration shots between the ceremony and reception. We absolutely loved watching the night unfold until the midnight moment, and you can really see and feel the energy the friends and family brought to this wedding.

And just look at that midnight moment!

As fine-art documentary wedding photographers, our goal is to always capture natural, candid moments as they happen. We always let the day unfold, taking great pains (sometimes, literally) to capture moments naturally, organically and in an unobtrusive way. We’re happy to have been able to document these moments for Adam and Tara. Please enjoy these images from their Montrose Harbor engagement session and their New-Year’s Eve wedding at the Homestead.

Featured Michigan Wedding Vendors and Locations:

Engagement Session Location: Montrose Harbor Chicago

Wedding Venue: The Homestead, Michigan

Live Music: Mike Davis Trio

DJ: 2 Bays DJs

Flowers and Decoration: Emerald City Designs

Hair and Makeup: LillyJade