One thing I love about sunrise sessions is that we have the beach to ourselves. Another thing that I love is the haze that happens giving you those glowy sunset vibes. So beautiful!

Kathy had been watching my Instagram posts for the past year after one of her friends had me photograph their family, and it was finally time for her extended family to come together in Union Pier, Michigan for a beach vacation. Of course, she wanted to get her family all together for photos on the beach, and what a more perfect time than this! She sent me a message on Instagram asking if I would be available, and the rest was history!

We met at sunrise, which was early, but oh so worth it! We had the beach to ourselves, we had this beautiful hazy morning light, almost a fog it was so thick, and the icing on the cake was this sweet, gorgeous family that I got to photograph!

We started down by the water and quickly realized that the haze was covering up most of the details in the water and the trees behind them, so we moved up the sand, closer to the beach grass and the trees, and we got the most beautiful shots, capturing all that is the beaches at Union Pier. I love Union Pier because it is woodsy and has such a beautiful tree line… The way the sun rises behind the trees gives such a beautiful golden glow at sunrise. If you’ve ever had a family vacation in Union pier or Lakeside, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

We got all of the beautiful posed photos that we wanted of the whole family together, the couples together, the grandparents with grandkids, the sisters together, mom & dad with their girls, the kids individually, etc., etc.… And then it was time to just have fun on the beach! We took turns walking up and down the beach, swinging the kids, the kids raced, and we had fun, just being relaxed and enjoying ourselves - this is usually where I get my most favorite shots of the session!

I hope you enjoyed this little snippet from the Peterson’s extended family session at Union Pier’s Beach! If you are booking a family vacation to Southwest Michigan and would love to have your photos taken to remember your time together, I would be honored to get to photograph your family this year!

Contact me *HERE* for more information and let’s get your family session scheduled!

I do intimate immediate family sessions and also large extended family groups, and I love them all!

I'm currently booking sessions through end of summer 2025!