We’re headed out to the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids next weekend to photograph what will, no doubt, be a spectacular winter wedding for Liz and John.  In August we had the opportunity to spend an entire day canvasing some unique locations in and around downtown Detroit with the newly engaged couple.  The all-day adventure began in Bloomfield Hills at Kirk in the Hills and included stops at Cranbrook, the “ruins” of Detroit, the Compuware Building downtown and our final destination at the Detroit Athletic Club.  Unfortunately, we didn’t realize that at the conclusion of the session at 10pm, we’d be fighting the traffic of two concerts and a Detroit Tigers game letting out at the same time.

Liz and John are a shining example of how a couple can bring their personalities and creativity to a photo shoot in order to make the photos their own.  Particularly in the age of social media, over-reproduction of the same locations, “concept” shoots and poses are prevalent .  What makes a photo unique, in most cases, are the subjects.  Five minutes into their engagement shoot, Liz and John were completely comfortable and had a blast just being their silly selves in front of the camera.  Couples who have worked with me in the past know that I direct as much as necessary, but those who are capable of relaxing and just being themselves, rarely need a lot of prodding on my end… and those usually end up being my favorite photos.

photos by Jennifer Mayo and Dan Terpstra

We’re pretty excited about Liz and John’s big day next week!  They have quite the documentary team assembled.  In addition to myself, Dan Terpstra of Terpstra Photography and Leda Vander Laan of LVL Photography, we have the pleasure of working with John Pottenger’s videography team from Coastline Studios.  Check back later this winter, we should have some great highlights to share!