It’s been a busy few weeks, but now that summer is in full swing and things are starting to slow down a bit, I’m excited to finally share some recent projects—including this long-overdue post! A few weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing Brock and Sydney’s engagement at the Peony Garden in the University of Michigan’s Nichols Arboretum here in Ann Arbor. The session was such a joy from start to finish!

A woman looks up at a man while laughing. — Sydney had so many laughs and so much fun during her engagement shoot with Brock at the beautiful Nichols Arboretum Peony Garden!

Brock reached out to me a couple of weeks ahead of time with his plan to surprise Sydney with a proposal. Both he and Sydney met while they were students at U of M, so the Peony Garden—especially during peak bloom—was the perfect place to pop the question. With a food festival happening downtown, they had the perfect excuse to spend the day in Ann Arbor, and Sydney didn’t suspect a thing.

A hand with an engagement ring with blooming orange rhododendrons in the background. — Sydney’s beautiful engagement ring among the blooming rhododendrons at Nichols Arboretum.

I had to be extra sneaky with my camera so the surprise wouldn’t be spoiled—but everything went off beautifully! After the big moment, we spent about 30 minutes walking through the Arb and the gardens, soaking in the sunshine and excitement. I wanted to give them space to enjoy the moment naturally, so I captured many of the images from a distance using my Fujifilm 50-140mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.4 (an 80mm equivalent on my XT4 and XH2). The goal was to keep things relaxed and pressure-free so they could just be themselves and take it all in.

A couple sits on a bench surrounded by trees at Nichols Arb in Ann Arbor. — A sweet, quiet moment captured from afar as Brock and Sydney soak in the joy of being newly engaged.

A huge thank-you to Brock for finding me on Reddit and reaching out! Lately, I’ve had quite a few people book sessions after seeing my name recommended there, and I can’t say enough how much I appreciate the folks who’ve listed me—it’s made such a big difference. ❤️

A woman puts her hand on the chest of a man while wearing an engagement ring with a flowering tree in the background. — I love the golden light on Sydney in this one!

Couple walking hand-in-hand through Nichols Arboretum during engagement shoot

Congratulations again, Brock and Sydney! It was such an honor to meet you both. And as a fellow Yooper, I loved hearing about Sydney’s family ties to the Upper Peninsula—so fun to talk about familiar places and shared roots.

A couple sit on a bench in front of concrete stairs with red blurry flowers in the foreground.

More summer stories and shoots coming soon—stay tuned!