Reeden and Jacklyn met me out on Wisconsin Point on a June evening, the clouds low over Lake Superior. The old Superior Entry lighthouse stands at the end of the breakwater, with a driftwood beach and a dune boardwalk a short walk off — three backdrops in one evening. What I keep coming back to, though, isn't the scenery. It's how easy the two of them are together.
Out on the Breakwater
We started on the breakwater, the lighthouse at the far end and open water all around. A little direction at the start — where to stand, what to do with their hands — and they were off. Reeden said something sexy or funny into Jacklyn's hair and she came undone laughing, a freighter sliding past the lighthouse behind them.
The Driftwood Beach and the Ring
Down on the beach, Lake Superior pushes up lichen-covered boulders and bleached driftwood. We made a few quieter, editorial frames on the rocks, but they couldn't hold serious long — he kissed her temple, she put her ring hand to his face, and on a driftwood log they both lost it laughing at the same moment. Then he pulled her off the sand into a kiss, the whole lake wide open behind them.
A new ring, and the two of them already completely at home with each other.
A Change of Clothes and the Dune Boardwalk
They'd changed into something lighter — Jacklyn in a white dress, Reeden in a pale shirt — for the dune boardwalk, where the planks run to a single point through the tall grass. He stopped her halfway down and kissed her, slow. Then he spun her until the dress caught the air and dipped her low against the open sky. We worked it coming and going, toward the camera and then away toward the water.
Feet in Lake Superior
By the end the weather caught up with us — the wind came up off the lake and the rain started. Most couples would have called it. Instead, Reeden lifted Jacklyn at the water's edge, and she looked up at him with a smile so undone that if one frame from the night says yes, it's that one. Then they ran straight into Lake Superior, rain coming down, soaked and laughing, not caring at all.
Their Wedding Is Next Summer
Reeden and Jacklyn get married next July at their family cabin near Emily — a private lake place up in the Brainerd Lakes, not far from where I'm based — and I get to photograph that day too. That's the quiet value of an engagement session: by the wedding, I'm not a stranger with a camera, and they already know that being themselves in front of me is enough.
If you're planning a private cabin or lake wedding in the Brainerd Lakes, or an engagement session anywhere from the lakes to Lake Superior, reach out — I take a limited number of weddings each year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Wisconsin Point is public land — a free, open natural area at the end of Superior, with no gate and no reservation, which is part of what makes it such an easy place to shoot. The breakwater out to the Superior Entry lighthouse is walkable but rocky, so good footwear helps; the beach and the dune boardwalk are easy walking in bare feet.
We used three in a single evening, all within a short walk of each other: the rocky breakwater with the lighthouse and a passing freighter behind it, the driftwood-strewn Lake Superior beach with its big lichen-covered boulders, and the long wooden boardwalk that runs through the dune grass out toward the water. Three very different backdrops without ever moving the car.
The last couple of hours before sunset are ideal, but Lake Superior is forgiving even under cloud — Reeden and Jacklyn's evening was overcast and the light stayed soft and even, no harsh shadows, the water going silver — it even started raining at the very end, and the frames only got better for it. The point faces open water to the west, so there's nothing blocking the light when it does break through.
Yes. I'm based in the Brainerd Lakes, but I photograph couples all over Minnesota and into the Twin Ports. Duluth and Superior are about two hours from the lakes, and Lake Superior is worth the drive — if you're planning a session on the big lake or up the North Shore, travel is built into how I work.
