Ben Pancoast Photography

Chicago Engagement Photos | Brooke & Joel

Ben — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 02:59:16 +0000

Here are just a few of our favorite engagement photos from our session in downtown Chicago with Brooke & Joel. We waited all winter hoping to catch a snowy day for these engagement pictures but we just never seemed to time it right so a few weeks ago we finally said lets just go for it! It wasn’t snowy but it was definitely COLD!!! Brooke & Joel were amazing to work with and of

course Downtown Chicago is hard to beat when it comes to beautiful locations for engagement pictures! While we didn’t wind up with any snow I think we still managed to capture some beautiful pictures and I for one am thrilled with the way they turned out! All the best to this happy couple, I can’t wait to work with you guys when we can actually feel our fingers!! =)

A Wedding at Snow Moon Ranch | Maple City Mi

Ben — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:33:43 +0000

This wedding at Snow Moon Ranch was one of my favorite destination weddings of the year! Andrew and Autumn were incredible to work with and up for anything inspite of the rain on their wedding day and Snow Moon Ranch just took my breath away… The ranch feels like it’s hidden away in the hills of Northern Michigan but is actually relatively easy to find. Once found though you travel up a winding road through the woods until you emerge high up in the hills with spectacular views in every direction. The Ranch grounds are beautifully maintained and the Barn is

picture perfect for everything from portraits to a ceremony to a cocktail hour! While the rustic barn and incredible views certainly wowed all of the wedding guests my favorite memory from the day has to be the groom and groomsmen trying to tie their bow ties… a suggestion for all you future grooms out there, do NOT wait till the day of your wedding to try and tie your first bow tie! It makes for funny pictures and a LATE groom! But alls well that ends well and this wedding day ended in spectacular fashion with a beautiful tented reception and pictures in the barn with the rain pouring down. What an unforgettable day, I certainly hope to return to Snow Moon Ranch again for more weddings! Congrats to Autumn & Andrew!

Family Pictures on the Beach :: New Buffalo Mi

Ben — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 21:54:13 +0000

New Buffalo is one of my favorite locations for family pictures on the beach. Big beaches, low dunes, and lots of sweeping horizon lines make for a beautiful setting, of course it’s hard to go wrong when you’re working with a family as easy going as this!! My favorite shot of the night has to be the grandparents at dusk, I wish I had a shot like this of my grandparents!

A Beach Wedding in the Rain :: Jean Klock Park

Ben — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 07:46:25 +0000

No one wants it to rain on their wedding day, especially if their wedding is on the beach! But if it does happen to rain I hope you’re like Marissa and Josh and don’t let it dampen your spirits, keep you from smiling, or allow it distract you from the reason you’ve gathered all your family and friends together to celebrate with you. I love that in spite of the hurricane rains (actually

remnants of hurricane Issac) the bride was so excited to get married that she couldn’t help but smile as she ran through the torrential rain to get married to Josh! What an amazing wedding to be a part of, I think it’s fair to say it’s a wedding that no one will ever forget… not because it was raining, but because the bride and groom where so incredibly happy in spite of the weather! Congratulations Marissa and Josh!!!

Family Portraits on the Beach :: Saint Joseph Mi

Ben — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:35:55 +0000

I love shooting family pictures on the beach here in Saint Joseph Mi no matter what but especially when I get to work with this family! They’re fun to work with, they’re up for anything, and they know what they want which certainly makes my life easy and my job FUN!! They also manage to always pick dates months in advance where the weather just seems to work out perfectly!!!

A Wedding at Rocky Gap Beach: Megan & Michael

Ben — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:03:59 +0000

Rocky Gap Beach is one of the best beaches for weddings in Saint Joseph Mi, it’s less than 5 minutes from town yet far enough away from most of the tourist attractions that it stays relatively quiet on a beautiful summer afternoon. This beach wedding started

off at Salon Devoir with pictures of the hair and makeup before heading over to the Boulevard Inn where the bride and groom got ready. We finished prep with a cute shot of the Bride and Groom ALMOST seeing each other for the first time (but not quite) before we jumped onto the Sunset Coast trolly to head to Rocky Gap Beach for the wedding Ceremony. The sun was out and while it was a little warm no one seemed to care as they watched the beautiful ceremony unfold. Once Megan and Michael

where done tying the knot it was time to jump back on the trolly and head to Tiscornia Beach for wedding photos before ending up at the Veranda for the wedding reception. Check back soon for some of the amazing pictures from Megan and Michaels wedding Reception at the Veranda!

A Blue Dress Barn Wedding: Tanya & Patrick

Ben — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:10:30 +0000

Another beautiful Blue Dress Barn wedding! Can’t say I’m surprised, it seems like we always end up with great weather and fun couples whenever we work here! After the ceremony the bride challenged me to find a couple of spots “away from the barn” where we could do pictures without spending a whole lot of time driving there. We managed to find a couple of great

locations for pictures with the bridal party and the best thing was that they were all less than 3 minutes from the barn. Changing up locations made for a great mix of images with the traditional Barn Wedding photos and not having to spend a ton of time driving meant we spent more time shooting and less time driving! All in all a fantastic day for a wedding at the Blue Dress Barn! Congratulations Tanya & Patrick!

Fireworks for a Wedding

Ben — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:11:46 +0000

We hear and see all sorts of great ideas for weddings and when it comes to the end of the night having sparklers after the wedding is probably the most popular and let’s be serious… cost effective send off, but occasionally you’ll find a couple that really wants to go out with a bang and the perfect way to do that is to hire your very own team of professional pyrotechnics!

Enter Michigan Family Fireworks! This weekend their team of pyrotechnic experts set off an amazing fireworks display for all the wedding guests at Don & Rachel’s wedding. We’ve seen some people do their own fireworks but have to say these where by for the most spectacular fireworks we’ve seen at any wedding reception and the best thing was that everything was set up and choreographed for the bride and groom. What an amazing way to end the night!

A Wedding at Jean Klock Park Pavillion

Ben — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:36:51 +0000

The pavillion at Jean Klock Park has to be one of the best locations for a beach wedding anywhere in Southwest Michigan, or anywhere else along lake Michigan for that matter. If you want a beach wedding but don’t want to make your guests walk down to the waters edge this location should be at the top of your list for ceremony sites by the lake! Of course as much as I enjoyed shooting all the details and working at this beautiful location what made the day truly special was the way the bride

smiled when she looked at the groom. The joy on their faces as they said their vows was almost enough to make the photographer tear up… I admit to nothing!! =) What a joyful day to be a part of, so often editing a wedding can be a tedious and very time consuming process that takes quite a few hours but I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire time I edited this wedding! Of course I have to give SOME credit to the bride who sent me a sweet play list to listen to while I edited the photos, did I mention how thoughtful this couple is?? All in all a great day at a beautiful location! If you’re trying to decide between a beach wedding at Jean Klock Park or a pavilion wedding a Jean Klock Park, I really don’t think you can go wrong and I think these pictures definitely prove that! Congratulations to the bride and groom, thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your day!

Chicago Engagement Photo | The Bean

Ben — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 07:27:18 +0000

Just a quick picture this time, it’s from back in February and I just came across it and thought I’d put it up. It’s one of my favorite engagement photos ever from Milennium Park near the famous Bean in downtown Chicago. I’ve never been down here when it wasn’t at least a little crowded so to capture the couple under the bean by themselves was pretty cool! Of course I don’t get the credit here, that goes to the couple for choosing February in the city in the hopes of crazy weather and some unique shots. The weather was just plain cold… but thats probably why we got this shot!! I’d say it definitely qualifies as unique! =) Gotta love working with adventurous couples like this!! More to come…