Welcome to Jim Nelson Photography

“Working with Jim Nelson was a pleasure!  He was incredibly... read more

 

Jim Nelson Photography is a Northern Michigan wedding photographer who has been serving Castle Farms, Mackinac Island, northern Michigan and the Eastern U.P. since 1997 with professional wedding photography services.  We have extensive expertise with many destination wedding locations around Petoskey, Charlevoix, Bay Harbor, Gaylord, Mackinaw City, St. Ignace, Cheboygan and Harbor Springs. Our knowledge base of these areas, gathered through the experience of photographing hundreds of weddings, offers the confidence of feeling comfortable in your venue and the familiarity with these locations to capture images that anyone enjoying your wedding photos will know your special day took place in beautiful northern Michigan.

Our expertise also includes family portraits, high school seniors, family and class reunions, special events, engagement portraits, outdoor portraiture, retouching, framing and album design.  We would love to talk with you about your photography needs.  Through our extensive experience, we can discuss destination wedding locations, how to prepare for your outdoor family portraits, suggest how seniors can get ready for their graduation photo session, and help work out the timing for photographing a special event.

Are you planning…  How will you remember your wedding?

Your Mackinac Island Wedding!

From elegant to simple, Mackinac Island offers the perfect backdrop for your wedding day photography. Whether you choose an indoor ceremony in the quaint Little Stone Church or the magnificence of St. Anne’s or an outdoor ceremony on the Front Porch or the Tea Gardens of the Grand Hotel, the secluded quiet of The Inn at Stonecliffe’s Woodland Grotta or Terraced Lawn, the beautiful Straits views of Mission Point Resort’s gazebo, the quiet setting of Bayview or Island House, the sweeping vista of West Bluff, the light houses of Windemere Point, the enchanted experience of Somewhere in Time gazebo.

Mackinac Island offers a unique canvas to be treasured forever. An intimate carriage ride through bustling downtown captures the horse and buggy ambiance of the turn of the century charm, a trotting pace to the board walk provides the back drop of the Mighty Mackinaw Bridge, then up to the Grand Hotel for an image with its expansive porch stretching to fill the frame, on to West Bluff for a sweeping view of the Straits embellished with the bridge and lighthouses and a short walk in the woods to capture images of you and your love in the quiet foliage and then off to East Bluff with time to share a toast before stopping for the encompassing vista of downtown, the Straits and the Mighty Mac.  Click here to see photo gallery.

Your Castle Farms Wedding!

The rich history of Castle Farms’ journey from dairy farm to premiere destination wedding location provides an enchantingly elegant canvas for your special day’s photographic experience. Charlevoix field stone, soaring roofs, reflecting pond, private gardens, lush grounds and fountains around every turn give this delightful location a feel of renaissance beauty with touches of modern day splendor.

The Queen’s Courtyard encircles your ceremony and guests in quiet privacy with exquisite stone walls, soaring arches and the quiet, peaceful sound of running water from its center piece fountain. While the Knight’s Courtyard offers a whimsical Renaissance feel with its open setting and a back drop of the beautiful stone chapel. The more modern, yet still quaint, King’s West Courtyard is delightful with its gazebo and lush lawn. An indoor ceremony in the King’s Indoor Chapel Room offers a rich experience as your vows are exchanged framed by a floor to ceiling window draped in luxurious velvet and accented with wrought iron chandeliers.  For smaller ceremonies, the Butterfly Garden offers beautiful landscaping guarded by a soaring tower, the Queen’s Tavern with its arched windows and high peaked ceiling is steeped in medieval appeal.

The charm of the sophisticated grounds and architecture of Castle Farms provides a wedding day experience unlike any other. We, as your Castle Farms wedding photographer, capture the moments of this precious day, the grounds and architecture of Castle Farms splendidly fills the background for your momentous occasion.    Click here to see a photo gallery.