UP Adventure Engagement Photos at Black Rocks Beach in Marquette - Janie + Jacob

Challenge accepted: Turn Michigan into the next adventure elopement + engagement destination for US travel enthusiasts!

I am constantly jealous of photographers who live in geographically beautiful areas. Like, the kind with EPIC beauty— mountains, coastlines, beaches, rock coasts, etc. If you’re a photographer and you want to make yourself feel really bad, follow a bunch of photographer from Utah and Oregon on Instagram. “Should I just give up entirely and maybe sell socks at the airport?” is something you’ll be asking yourself on a daily basis.

I have always thought that the emotion and the subject of photos are the most important, and I still think that, ok? But we would be kidding ourselves if we ignore the fact that photos in scenic places are always more eye catching than ones that are taken in a park in mid Michigan, for example. I’m not knocking inland Michigan! There are plenty of beautiful places there too. It’s just different, is all I’m saying.

Adventure photos are not for everyone, and that’s ok! In fact, I think most people would prefer an engagement session that is local because it’s cheaper and less hassle than finding a place to drive to, navigate, maybe hike or climb to get to, and THEN take pictures. And though I love to do all of those things, I get it. But the people who like to do things different, in beautiful, unique places, and take extra steps to get there? Those are my people, and I am their photographer.

Anyway, back to Michigan- it’s a seriously underrated state. To the point where I’m just not sure how? I think since we are technically almost Canada, don’t border an ocean and have some pretty cold winters we are probably pretty easy to write off if you don’t know any better. Are the Tim Allen ‘Pure Michigan’ ads not enough to convince everyone? If Buzz Lightyear can’t inspire you to climb dunes, jump off large rocks into large bodies of water (where there’s ZERO chance of being eaten by a shark, mind you), who’s going to? I guess me, in this silly little blog. We’ve got some PR problems, but we’re really a hidden gem.

I think part of this issue is that the state of Michigan is actually huge. And since it’s comprised of 2 different peninsulas that are only connected by a single bridge, it can take over 10 hours just to get from one part of the state to another! A similar drive could get me all the way from Ann Arbor to Atlanta, which is crazy to think about.

But think about what this means for the state of Michigan— the scenery is so diverse from one end to the other, and we’re called the Great Lakes state for a reason. Not only because of the 5 Great Lakes, but beause we have lakes everywhere within the state as well. Boating culture is real here. That’s what we do in the summer on the weekends— we find a lake to hang out at and drink on pontoon boats. Like the Netflix show Ozark, but with less drugs.

All of this to say: when Janie and Jacob floated Marquette as a location for their engagement photos, every part of me was like CAN WE PLEASE DO IT THERE.

There have been times in life where I’m that girl that’s like “be cool, don’t act desperate” even if I’m really excited about something. But I’m not sure who has time to be cool anymore. I don’t. Let’s all just be incredibly uncool, voice our excitement, and lose our minds. I’m desperate for a change of scenery and I don’t care who knows it!

Black Rocks Beach seemed to be the place to go, so after getting a couple of shots downtown Marquette, we drove to Presque Isle Park and climbed out onto the rocks shortly before sunset for some of the best scenic photos I’ve taken yet. This would also be an excellent place to elope, and it’s also free (to elope or to take pictures)!

If you’re a photographer and you’re reading this and thinking “Please stop giving away all the good spots or they’ll be too busy”— y u gatekeeping? The world is large and full of fantastic places, I refuse to believe that putting more out there is going to somehow ruin it because you believe only local people should enjoy spots close to them. That’s the same psychology rich people employ when anyone points out how much a billion dollars actually is. Let’s all share the wealth. By the way, we were by no means the only people on this beach, and still had plenty of space to get all the photos we wanted. Photoshop is really good at deleting people in the background, and I’m prepared to use it— though I didn’t for the picture of Jacob waving at the kayakers, because it was actually a cool moment.

We had so much fun exploring the town, finding great architecture in graveyards, and exploring Black Rocks for epic engagement photos.

This was my first time in Marquette and really hoping it’s not my last. Loved the town and the entire drive through the UP. You could probably stop at any of the dozens of pull offs and hang out at the beach, take pictures, and be really happy with the location. The UP is just beautiful.

Black Rocks is a place you need to check out regardless of whether you’re taking photos there or not. It’s such a great spot for swimming, diving, kayaking, or even finding a quiet spot to sit and read. There are definitely parts of the beach that are busier than others, and parking can be kind of a pain because there aren’t a ton of spaces, but you can always find a place if you’re willing to walk a bit. There’s also so many spots that we didn’t even touch— a lighthouse and sandier beaches for example. Maybe that’s for another blog post. If your’e interested in having some help planning your epic engagement, make an inquiry on my site and I will make it happen for you! Let’s go explore Michigan together.