Lake Michigan Sunset Beach Session

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing a beach session for one of my very best friends this past July and I just love everything about it. The beach, the light, her skirt and especially the people in the photos. Allie and I first met almost ten years ago (in November) at a blogger meet-up in Chicago, but it wasn't until about 18 months later that we crossed paths again and because really good friends. So good, in fact, that our families travel together every year. (We've been to Portland and Seattle, Colorado, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and most recently Costa Rica.) We started traveling together just the two of us at first and then we added our husbands in a year or so later. And then we got the really great idea of renting a lakehouse together seven years ago and have done it every single summer since. (The first summer we were both pregnant, and we've each added two kids since.) So this past summer, I suggested we swap family sessions during our annual lakehouse trip (did I mention we're both photographers?) and these are just some of the photos I took of her family. She definitely prefers more natural/candid images, so I tried my best to capture as much joy as I could for her because I know those are the types of photos she will cherish.