Engagement Photos On The Beach

August 20, 2015 Steve Vansak

A young couple walks along Marquette Park Beach at sunset.

Stephanie and Craig had had a stressful day with power going out in the area that they live and now they were coming to the beach for their very first photo session. I'm sure it was all very daunting, but hopefully the calm sounds of Lake Michigan rolling onto the Indiana Dunes performed it's natural wonders.

We started our session at the incredibly scenic lagoon near Marquette Park Pavilion. I love the bridges there (even the shaky one) and the walkways are a great spot for engagement photos.

Engagement photos at the lagoon of Marquette Park Pavilion.

The Indiana Dunes has some great pathways and with a big ball of sun illuminating the way, I had to have Stephanie and Craig take a stroll. As visitors were leaving the Lake Michigan beach shores with the sun about to fall, we were heading toward it and looking for a nice sunset.

For their engagement photo, a couple strolls along a pathway at the Indiana Dunes.

My sandals are still caked with sand, but it was worth it to capture this lovely couple with the orange hue of the setting sun coming down upon them.

A sunset silouhette of a couple on a Lake Michigan beach.

This is merely a sneak peek of the many images we took during Stephanie and Craig's engagement session on the beach. I'm sure I will be back here because as summer turns into Fall, it's a wonderful time for engagement sessions on the beach.

Romantic Engagement Photos at Marquette Park Beach

September 4, 2014 Steve Vansak

Romantic kiss along the Marquette Park Lagoon

On my way to Marquette Park beach to photograph Ashley and Cordale, I had sunset photo on my mind. I can't control the weather, but I had a feeling we would have a nice orange hue in the sky at least and that we needed to be ready - sunsets are fleeting.

We began our session along the lagoon at Marquette Park Pavilion. The soon to be married couple kissed romantically with the iconic lagoon bridge in the background. Thank you Mr. Fisherman guy for moving to another spot!! :)

I will be photographing Ashley and Cordale's wedding this November and they wanted to have some beautiful images to display at their reception. I know Ashley was quite taken with my Wedding Wish Books that enable guests to answer questions on various pages with photos of the couple shown throughout. These are more personable than guest books and better for display than giant signing boards. Definitely ask to see a sample at our consultation.

Indiana Dunes beach engagement photo collage.

We were still a good 45 minutes from sunset so we used the wonderful lagoon bridge for some of our images. I love that we were able to capture the Simpsons-esque puffy clouds as the couple relaxed at the top of the bridge.

A couple holds hands atop the Marquette Park lagoon bridge.

The lagoon itself has very reflective water and made for a great, dramatic image as the couple embraced.

A young couple is about to kiss as the sky reflects into the lagoon water at Marquette Park Pavilion.

We took many different photos on our way toward the beach, on the dunes and finally the lakeshore itself. Suddenly I saw the sun starting to dip and we all got into place to not only capture a gloriously shining ray of light in the sky, but also the wonderful light emenating from this warm couple. We had hugs all around after the session and I'm even more excited to photograph their big day later this year.

This is merely a sneak peek with many more romantic engagement photos to come. Subscribe below and follow the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more images.

Sunset engagement photo off of Lake Michigan.

Romantic Wedding Photos at Marquette Park Pavilion

November 17, 2012 Steve Vansak

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Greg and Kari's wedding ceremony actually took place in Jamaica this past summer. They hired me to photograph their celebration here in Northwest Indiana with friends and family. The newlyweds wanted a photo shoot on the beach to bring back the flavor of the Jamaican wedding attended by their wedding party and also wanted to incorporate a family feel to the images by including their two lovely daughters.

The Marquette Park Pavilion immediately came to mind as a Northwest Indiana wedding venue that could double as a tropical paradise. We also used the nearby beach bath house for a backdrop as well. When it came time for family wedding photos, the creative couple hired a horse and carriage to come and pick them up at their home and wisk them away to the celebration at the Hobart Elks Lodge.

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The Marquette Park Pavilion has been getting remodeled for the past two years and is now booking weddings and events for 2013. I'm not affiliated with them at all, but have grown fond of the all in one wedding venue and as a Northwest Indiana wedding photographer, have shot their many times in the past - both in and around the building for weddings, events and high school senior and family photographs.

There is a lagoon in the back of the landmark building that is very picturesque and tropical in look. Perfect for Greg and Kari to take a romantic stroll...

We used the bridge that goes over the lagoon and is a path to the Indiana Dunes beach for many of our scenic wedding photos. This image of the groom admiring his bride from a distance is one of my favorites of the many images that we took.

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We used the nearby beach, as it is in within walking distance, for more couple's shots as well as this Reservoir Dogs tribute with the groomsmen waling toward the camera.

For family portraits we went back to the couple's home and simply used the wonderful scenery around their wooded community just off of I-65. Their two daughters, Karly and Riley could not have been better subjects for the camera - incredibly polite and of course, photogenic as all get out.

While strolling around their immediate neighborhood, we came across an old swingset and captured one of my favorite family photographs that I've ever taken. The couple and their two daughters were up to try anything and together we came up with some unique wedding photographs.

Oh, there are a couple of extended members of the family I forgot to mention - their 1999 black Transam...

.... and the family dog!!

The can't be anything more romantic than the bride and groom in a horse and carriage. While I took these in color, they just begged to have a more vintage look about them.

We went from romantic to adorably cute with the whole family on board and about to ride over the I-65 overpass toward the Hobart Elks Lodge for their reception, complete with a live band for entertainment.

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With the Just Married sign attached to the rear of the carriage, Greg and Kari + Family were sure to turn heads of the passing cars.

I want to compliment these folks on the creativity for their wedding day. It was great fun to photograph their romantic wedding at Marquette Park Pavilion, their lovely home and the celebration in Hobart.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at at Greg and Kari's tropical wedding. To keep updated and to see more images, subscribe here to the Journal and give us a "like" on the SBV Photography Facebook page.

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Rebecca and Jack's Beach Wedding Pt. 4 (Masquerade Ball)

November 22, 2010 Steve Vansak

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When Rebecca returned her Wedding Shot List to me, she wrote a note on the side that said "pictures with and without masks" and I wasn't sure what that meant. Well, she provided her wedding party and her guests with these masks for her Masquerade Ball themed reception. Very cool.

Here is her bridesmaid Stephanie posing with her significant other in their masks...

Rebecca and Jack are big fans of these brown toned, sepia images of them dancing. I am too and I was pleased that they ordered a nice metallic print of the large one below.

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Another great thing about Marquette Park Pavilion is the size of the main room. Perfect for the guests to do a circular dance such as this, with me capturing it from the balcony.

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Let there be dancing...

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Here is the bride and her Father early in the evening...

I like to break away from all the dancing shots and pull people to the side for some nice portraits. They tend to be at their most relaxed at the reception hall.

I usually create at least one collage for each part of the event (getting ready, formals, ceremony, reception) and here is one utilizing a close up of the wedding cake...

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To view all of Rebecca and Jack's wedding images, please visit their gallery page at SBV Photography. Thanks for taking a look!!

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