David + Ashlee | Moody Keweenaw Engagement
If there were actual justifiable words for the intensity of the Keweenaw’s beauty, I’d scream them loud and clear… but this is definitely one of those cases where the images must do the talking.
David and Ashlee booked me last spring with their sole criteria being that they wanted to go adventuring around the Keweenaw and check off a variety of epic locations — putting their trust in me as their photographer to take the reins with planning! This was simultaneously the easiest and most difficult task to take on, simply due to the abundance of possibilities the Keweenaw has to offer. After many hours, of calculating drive times, time spent at each location photographing and hiking, assessing the lighting scenarios based on when we’d arrive at each location, while also factoring in the unpredictable weather, I’d say we put together a very successful location lineup!
The couple stayed at the Fresh Coast Cabins in Eagle Harbor, where we began their shoot on their conglomerate Lake Superior shoreline in dense pockets of fog. From there, we ventured into the beachy town of Eagle Harbor itself, where the sun made a sudden and dramatic appearance. We then backtracked and then some to scale sand dunes and then descend to the bed of the Eagle River for views of the falls and underside of the historical bridges. As our session neared its end, we decided on Brockway Mountain for it’s classic, boastful views of Lake Superior, the town of Copper Harbor, and a generous vantage point of the rocky backbone of that extends the entire length of the Keweenaw Peninsula and beyond (it’s on old major fault line and so worth reading up on).
Upon cresting Brockway, we initially felt a little let down when a denser force of fog devoured the landscape, hiding the impending sunset and much of the breathtaking views beneath the mountain. We made the most of the fog and produced darker, moodier portraits. Just as we nearly decided to wrap up the shoot, the sun began teasing its rays through the foggy layers and produced the most surreal sunset any of us could have ever dreamt up. There were moments where we paused in silence, simply watching in an uncontrollable awe. At one point, one of us had broken the silence to ask if we were even still alive. I hope these photos capture even just a kernel of this irreplicable moment where it felt as if we were existing so fully it didn’t seem possible.