Wow, I have not written anything since November, but I'm excited to be back and with great winter engagement photos to show you! I have spent the last few months working on a new website . It’s been a long process of transferring over client galleries and blog posts, designing new pages, writing new text, and more. In my head, this blog post is acting as my site’s Grand Opening, because not only is this the first blog post written on the new site, but this is also the first time I have publicly shared a link to the site! When you're done reading, I invite you--no, I encourage you-- to explore it! It's prettier, fancier, more personal, and... I just love it and am so proud of it! Of course, with it being a new site, you may run into a few glitches. If you do, I would definitely appreciate a private message or email detailing what needs additional attention! Now, the reason we are really here today: Lindsay and Jake! Back in November or December of 2020, I found myself doing a happy dance after receiving an inquiry from Lindsay about scheduling an engagement photo session. She had found my work through our mutual friends, Katie and Jake, whose engagement photos I took last summer (definitely check out their session too!). When Lindsay referred to Katie in her inquiry, I immediately knew this was going to be a relaxed and fun session. And boy, was I right! Lindsay and Jake laughed and laughed throughout their entire session! Before I dive into their Midland, Michigan engagement photo session though, let’s explore their backstory. how they met On every consult for couples’ photo sessions, I ask how the couple met. It’s just something I have to know…because 1) I’m nosey/love is great and 2) It really helps me to better understand my couples, their relationship, and how they interact with one another. When I asked Lindsay and Jake this question, they laughed and told the story together with ease and enough detail to paint a vague movie scene in my head. The two originally met through the dating app Hinge where they completely hit it off. When selecting a place to meet for their first date, Lindsay’s coffee addiction was taken into consideration (Hello, three or more cups a day! Who is with her?!) , making their first date a classic: coffee at Starbucks. The date was five hours of great conversation. Unbeknownst to either party, both Lindsay and Jake spent their time at Starbucks in dire need of dinner, but because both were so nervous about the date, they kept their hunger secret! It wasn’t until a later conversation that they discovered both had been hungry and that both had immediately picked up food on their way home from the date. At one point during their engagement session, I asked Lindsay to imagine being able to tell her past-self one thing, whether it be words of encouragement or advice, about her first date with Jake. Her response was essentially this: He is going to be hungry too. It’s okay to say you’re hungry. You guys can eat together. Needless to say, that first date—despite the hunger—was a success. Lindsay and Jake soon found themselves visiting the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan for their second date (also where we did their engagement photos) and spending several months making the couple-hour commute between their two homes! how he asked Another question I love to ask during consultations is who proposed, and how. In Lindsay’s and Jake’s case, it was Jake who did the asking. From the sounds of it, Lindsay’s dream wedding has always been set on Mackinac Island. She grew up picturing her ceremony on the front porch of the Grand Hotel. As she fell in love with Jake though, she quickly began to realize her dream couldn’t come true. The Grand Hotel only allows small ceremonies of approximately 20 people to take place on their front porch, but just one side of Jake’s family alone is about 100 people! Knowing that Lindsay was going to give up her dream wedding, Jake decided to propose to Lindsay in front of the Grand Hotel instead, making for an incredibly sweet gesture, memory, and story. their winter engagement photos Lindsay and Jake knew they wanted somewhere woodsy for their photos. Knowing it would be a winter session, we did our best to come up with an area that would have rows of pine trees to work with. After discussing a couple of options, we landed on the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan where we actually did not make use of pine tree rows at all! Instead, we took advantage of the golden light filtering through the trees in any of the random spots we found. We walked through some clearings where there was tall brush sticking out of the snow, and we sat by the river. Both Lindsay and I were really hoping for a fresh snow the week of their engagement session. While our wish didn’t come true, we definitely still lucked out! About a week before the session, we had a snow storm. Warmer temperatures melted away a lot of that snow throughout the week, but at Chippewa Nature Center, the ground was still covered for their photos. Not only were we able to still have white snow in Lindsay’s and Jake’s photos, but we also managed to have 33 degree weather and sunny skies. It was just cold enough to keep the snow where it needed to be and just sunny enough to keep us from freezing! We spent our time outside comfortable with minimal red skin, shaking, or shivering. The clear skies made way for a perfect golden hour, painting the barren trees with beautiful light. Not only was the weather perfect for their session, but before I leave you guys with a couple more of their photos, I have to take a second to point out just how perfect Lindsay’s and Jake’s outfits were too! Dressed casual, Lindsay and Jake totally nailed coordinating their clothes without being too matchy-matchy. Take a second as you browse their photos to truly appreciate just how well they did at this! They both wore jeans with Lindsay in a purple hoodie and Jake in a green and blue flannel. Not only did Lindsay’s gorgeous engagement ring coordinate with the colors in Jake’s shirt, but her hair did too! I think I spent their entire session as well as the time editing their photos admiring this mastery of color coordination. Major props to the two of them! It was truly such a pleasure to meet Lindsay and Jake. Their session was so much fun, and I left Midland both smiling and feeling refreshed. We spent their session talking about Disney (Lindsay is a huge Disney lover too!), wedding and honeymoon plans, and more. The entire time we walked and talked, it was so evident how relaxed they were with each other. I couldn’t have picked out a better couple to spend an hour outside in the cold with, and I’m so grateful for their support and trust. Much love and plenty of well wishes to the soon-to-be newlyweds! A few of my typical side notes: Schedule your engagement session with Pábitel Photography today! I am currently booking all of the sessions! Contact me to learn more, or check out my services to learn more about what sessions I offer. To be the first to hear about new blog posts, business updates, and promotions, make sure to subscribe to my mailing list by filling out the subscription box listed below my contact form. Read about my engagement session with Katie and Jake!

If you have been following Pábitel Photography for awhile, you know I love supporting small businesses. Whenever I am shopping for something new, whether it be a gift or for myself, I look first to independent vendors before moving on to larger corporations. There is just something special about knowing you are truly impacting someone's business, life, and even community with your dollar! Just this last year, Estevan and I were in the market for a king bed. We saved for a long time before we were able to buy one, and when we met our savings goal a little earlier than anticipated, it was because of a session that I photographed just a few weeks before. Granted, we both hated the new bed and ended up returning it. Had it not been for my photography clients though, we would have spent much longer trying to meet our goal. This is just a small example of how supporting small businesses directly impacts lives and of why we choose to shop small before shopping elsewhere! While we didn't beat our goal from last year, Estevan and I were still able to support ten small businesses this holiday season! Below, I have compiled a list of the companies we shopped with this year along with a brief description of their services and locations. The holidays may be over, but guess what the good news is... You can shop small all year round! the list The Cozy Mystic & Dreaming Fox Illustrations - If you love magic, glitter, and being cozy, this is the shop for you! Dreaming Fox Shoppe is a business I have purchased through at least three times already. Dana, the owner, uses watercolors to paint "cozy and whimsical [...] fantasy scenes, magical moments, and independent commissions." So far, I have commissioned Dana to paint two portraits as wedding gifts. I have also purchased a sticker through her! Dana's work is truly beautiful. It is very niche and unique; you will not find another artist like her! There is absolutely no excuse not to check out her work either as she can be found all over the internet. On Etsy, you can find Dana's work on stickers and giclee prints. This is also where she accepts commissions. Additionally, Dana has a newsletter and a patreon. Her portraits and commissions gallery can be found on Instagram. If you're looking for The Cozy Mystic side of her business, stop by Instagram and Facebook where she is creating two gorgeous tarot card decks and sharing the process and she does it! Hot Pepper Jelly Lady - This one is a fun one! Currently, this shop can only be found on Facebook , but I have heard a website is in the works too! The owner, Nicole Bemiss, is available through Facebook messenger, phone, or email. We happened to find Nicole while walking through Chesaning, Michigan's Candle Walk at Thanksgiving. After sampling one of her jellies we immediately knew it needed to be a Christmas gift. According to her business cards, Hot Pepper Jelly Lady's jellies are gluten free and made with cane sugar, organic cider vinegar, jalapenos, habaneros, and serranos. Trust me when I say they are delicious! Stamped Expressions Co. - I had an item favorited from this shop for probably about a year waiting for the perfect opportunity to buy it. When I finally ordered it and received it, it was so cute! I personally ordered a stethoscope name tag , but Stamped Expressions also sells watch band charms, bracelets, keychains, and necklaces! They are based out of Florida and can be found on Pinterest , Etsy , Facebook , Instagram , and through their website. X-Ray Girl Creations - This shop is actually one I found through another person's wishlist. We ordered a lovely rose gold badge reel. The quality was exceptional and the rose gold was so shiny! Agata Piekarz (the owner) is actually an X-Ray Tech, so they know firsthand what the medical world wants and needs during shifts. X-Ray Girl Creations is filled with several different badge reels as well as x-ray markers, shirts, tumblers, bags, and more. Besides Etsy , the shop can also be found on Facebook and Instagram. The Dutchturner - We found The Dutchturner while visiting Holland, Michigan's pumpkin carving festival during the fall. The owners, Jay and Sheri Bykerk, had a booth set up where they were selling the most beautiful wooden items. Because my mom and I love to visit Holland's Tulip Time Festival together, I had to stop by The Dutchturner's booth after seeing that one of the items offered were tulips! These tulips were smooth, beautifully crafted, and dyed several different colors. Unfortunately I do not have much information available about this small business, but I can tell you that, according to their business cards, Jay and Sheri do their best to create "unique wood items with old world craftsmanship." They can be contacted through email using the address dutchtreat502@gmail.com. PixelWayve - PixelWayve is a digital artist Estevan discovered while visiting Youmacon in Detroit, Michigan. According to her website's about page, PixelWayve loves creating art with bright colors and experimenting with different art techniques. She draws fanart from all different genres and has even written and illustrated her own comic! PixelWayve can be found all over the place too! Besides her website , you'll find she has an Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , Discord , Patreon , and Etsy shop. This is another small business where there is literally no excuse not to check out her work! When Estevan found PixelWayve, he purchased beautiful pins featuring fanart of different Critical Role characters. They made the perfect gift for two of our Critical Role loving family members! If this all wasn't enough to convince you to check out PixelWayve, you might also love to hear that all fanart profits are donated to charity! Fae and Whimsy Soapworks - If you didn't already guess by their name, Fae and Whimsy Soapworks sells... well, soaps! They also sell hair products, lotions, scrubs, and bath accessories as well. I purchased two beautiful bars of soap from them for Christmas this year, and let me tell you: beautiful is an understatement! The bars have marble-like patterns to them and a light dusting of glitter. I personally bought a mahogany scented one for Estevan and a wild rose one for my mother. Fae and Whimsy's soaps are vegan friendly and cruelty free. They can be found in several small shops throughout the lower peninsula of Michigan and at craft sales throughout the year. They are also on Instagram and Facebook. Over the Top Cookies Goodies and More - Here's a delicious one for you! Besides cookies, Over the Top also sells all sorts of amazing drink bombs. Of course, they do hot chocolate bombs, but they also do flavored coffee creamer bombs?? And butterscotch bombs?? Their treats are amazing! You can find Over the Top mainly on Facebook as of right now, but they are based out of the Flint area and can be often seen at craft sales. I recommend hurrying on over to their Facebook page soon, because I believe they are beginning to work on cookies for Valentine's Day! Gallery Leather - This is perhaps the largest of the small businesses listed here this year! Gallery Leather is based out of Bar Harbor, Maine and is a company with roughly 35 employees. The company specializes in leather books: address books, planners, photo albums, journals, etc. You can find a small selection of their work at your local Barnes & Noble, but if you would like more options (like I did), you can also order through their website. There you will find a wide variety of products to choose from. I first found Gallery Leather because I was on a mission for my mom. For two years, she had been requesting a new address book for Christmas. Her request wasn't that simple though. My mom needed an address book that allowed for customization; she needed to be able to move pages around to make some sections bigger and others smaller. I looked for what she needed for a long time. Every single address book I found was spiral bound. When I stopped by Barnes and Noble this holiday season though, I found a stack of Gallery Leather address books! They were beautiful! AND, they were set up to act like binders. I quickly wrote down the company name, went home, and ordered online. Through their website, I was not only able to choose from several different colors of leather, but I was also able to personalize her address book's cover! CSAcreative - This was probably one of my favorite businesses to shop this year! We bought the most beautiful wood wall hanging for Estevan's sister from here. If you're a fan of wood (like I am....give me all of the warm tones and unique textures) and love to fill your home with beautiful art, this is the shop for you! CSAcreative sells wooden wall hangings, calendars, garlands, coasters, ornaments, cake toppers, and more! With just one glance at their Etsy shop, I can tell you that a lot of their art revolves around mountains, the moon, and both botanical and celestial designs. After ordering from them, I immediately followed their Etsy shop to keep an eye on what designs they release next! As an added bonus, I noticed that their packaging is pretty Earth friendly too, which is always important to me. CSAcreative may also be found on Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest , and their own website. A few of my typical side notes: Interested in buying your loved ones a gift certificate? Gift cards are available all year round! Send me an email to purchase one. Visit my print shop for nature + landscape photos! Pábitel Photography is now on Society6! Visit my shop where you can find almost all of my nature + landscape work across a variety of great items for your home! This blog post is NOT sponsored by any of the aforementioned businesses. I am currently booking all of the sessions! Contact me to learn more, or check out my services to learn more about what session types I provide. To be the first to hear about new blog posts, business updates, and promotions, make sure to subscribe to my mailing list. The 2023 calendar, "pábitel photography in the fall," is available on Etsy and only through February 20, 2023. You can see the photos included in this calendar here . This year's photos are also available in greeting card packs, of which there are only SIX left of on Etsy! Contact me with any questions! Download your list of my 10 Date Ideas for Guaranteed Fun in Michigan. Read about my Christmas session with Samantha!