Adventure Engagement Session at Empire Bluffs

Beach, brews, and a bonfire. Is there any better way to celebrate your engagement?! I think the answer is a resounding NOPE! Haley + Cody are from Traverse City, and joined me on an epic adventure that started at Empire Bluffs and ended in front of a fire while the sun went down. They love the outdoors and were so excited to have their own outdoor Michigan couples adventure!

Michigan has so many amazing outdoor spots for engagements, couples photos and elopements.

No matter what your adventure level is, there’s something for everyone. Haley + Cody wanted to have an adventure but still have time to relax, so we picked two locations that I love to shoot at.

We started off by hiking at Empire Bluff Trail, where there are amazing trails and views for days.

Then we headed over to a quiet beach to run around and have fun before the sun went down!

Keep scrolling to see more beach, brews, and bonfires from this Michigan couples adventure!

The Empire Bluff trail is 1.5 miles round trip, and the peak of the trailhead leads to the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. The views are incredible!

As an elopement photographer who often goes out into the wilderness, I’m an avid supporter of LNT (leave no trace).

Leave No Trace means to protect the area you’re visiting, and leave it exactly as you found it! This means no littering, respecting the trails & wildlife, and in some cases, not even bringing in flowers or birdseed.

If you want to elope or have photos taken at a specific spot, do research ahead of time or ask your photographer what the rules are!

I love adventurous couples photos because the sky is the limit. If you want to go relax on the beach? Perfect. Want to go hiking and end up in front of a waterfall? Amazing. Prefer to go someplace completely new and go explore for the day? Great, I’ll be your tour guide!

If you love this Michigan couples adventure session, you might also love these couples photos at Sleeping Bear Dunes, or this Silver Lake Sand Dunes elopement!

Michigan has so many beautiful places, and a lot of them end up being very quiet because they’re not well known. I have a long list of amazing places that I love to shoot at – so if you’re looking for something that says adventure or the great outdoors, I can help with that. 😉

Are you planning your own Michigan wedding or elopement? Or just want couples photos doing something cool?

Contact me and we can start planning!