Sleeping Bear Dunes Engagement

Thursday, October 27th, 2022

Kevin and Katerina had quite the memorable Sleeping Bear Dunes engagement shoot; they fought through wind, rain, and even hail for their photos. While it wasn’t what we planned, I couldn’t be happier with the results.

When I wrapped up the shoot, I saw I had both a missed call and a voicemail.

“Hey Mr. Weitzel, this is Kevin…I am not sure if you remember me but I am recently engaged and wanted to see if you are able for an engagement shoot. Give me a call when you get a chance.”

“Kevin! So good to hear from you. How have you been!?” It had been several years since I heard from one of my earliest students. I was equally as excited to reconnect with him as I was to hear he was engaged. After a few minutes of catching up, he started to describe he and Katerina’s thoughts for a Sleeping Bear Dunes engagement shoot.

“My parents have a place in Kalkaska so we were thinking of maybe doing a Sleeping Bear Dunes engagement shoot. Are you willing to travel?” he asked.

It turned out that Becky and I would be in Petoskey for a wedding at Bay Harbor. A Sleeping Bear Dune engagement session was on my bucket list of Michigan photography shoots so it was an easy “yes!” The drive up was beautiful. Becky and I took a winding detour of back roads with our faces glued to our respective windows. The trees were truly hitting their colorful peaks. Every scene looked like a painting from God’s canvas.

When we arrived at Sleeping Bear Dunes, gray clouds quickly rolled in. Sprinkles of rain started to fall as we greeted Kevin and Katerina in the parking lot. We looked at each other, knowing to get these photos, we would have to push through whatever Mother Nature had in store. It turned out Mother Nature had wind, rain, and hail waiting for us during the shoot. It was our one day with a short period of daylight to shoot. Luckily, Katerina was an absolute dream to work with. She fought through the elements to deliver beautiful moments that were worth capturing.

As the sun began to set, we headed into Traverse City and stopped by Katerina and Kevin’s two favorite wineriesBrys Estate and Bonobo – to warm up and share a few more stories with friends over a glass of wine. The perfect way to end the perfect engagement session.