Ana + RJ // Woodstock Wedding at Concorde-Centre

Ana and RJ are really down to earth and are both a ton of fun to be around. The engagement session was enough to prep me for their wedding at the the Concorde-Centre in Woodstock - the prep, ceremony and reception all took place there. It's always a bit more relaxing to not travel to a handful of locations throughout the day. So everyone was pretty relaxed and ready for the day by the time I arrived. Ana had on a beautiful vintage dress that day and RJ a traditional shirt that all worked together really well. The ceremony official is a close friend of RJ's, so needless to say it was great. Afterwards we walked around the beautiful grounds of the Concorde-Centre and found it to be an amazing place for the bridal party portraits. It seemed like everywhere we went it was a perfect location for portraits.

Thank you again Ana and RJ for allowing me to be a part of your families history. I hope you guys loved the albums!

Here are a few of my favorite images from Ana and RJ's Woodstock wedding. I took a bit of a different approach and designed most of the blog photos like a wedding album - I hope you like them:

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Lucy + Ted // Hinsdale Wedding at La Grange Country Club

I was really looking forward to the wedding after Lucy and Ted's engagement session earlier in the year. I knew that it would be detailed, heartfelt, and fun - and boy was I right! I could go on and on about Lucy's energy and excitement (she rocked!) and about how relaxed Ted was (he looked great in his tux). But I do believe that photographs are worth 1,000 words, so I'll let them tell the story (mostly).

The wedding and preparation photos were taken at the beautiful Union Church of Hinsdale. The rain was on and off that day, but we lucked out and the rain was held back just enough to visit the Katherine Legge Memorial Park and Lodge for a brief bridal portrait session. We were only able to take a handful of portraits at the Katherine Legge Memorial Park since the rain peaked for about 10 minutes. But Lucy and Ted were so cool that they didn't care that it was raining! We got some great shots there and moved on to the beautiful La Grange Country Club where we met up with the rest of the bridal party.

I'll just say that the bridal party was one of THE most amazing parties I have ever met. They were a blast from beginning to end, making my job so much fun. They were, how should I say it... crazy! They were being themselves and allowed the bride and groom to be themselves as well. Just look at the photos on the golf course - so much energy and fun. Thanks to Lucy,Ted and their families - I appreciate your willingness to be silly and to go along with my ideas. I hope you had as much fun as I did (I'm sure you did), and I hope that the west coast is treating you both well.

Ana + RJ // University Village Engagement Photos

My wife and I met Ana through a friend of ours. I was pretty pumped to hear that she had gotten engaged and was hopeful that she would have me photograph her wedding. So I was giddy when I received her email requesting my photography information, and we shortly set-up a meeting over at her place. It was cool seeing Ana again and meeting RJ for the first time. He's a good mix of serious and funny (as you'll see in the photos below) and complimented Ana very well. We chatted about their wedding plans and I had a good feeling about the flow of their wedding plans. The next step was to schedule the engagement session. We stayed near their place in University Village and started the shoot at Holy Family Church and St. Ignatius College Prep. The entrance to St. Ignatius is a location I had been wanting to do an engagement session at and was really pumped to see what we shot there. We then stopped by the Showplace Icon Theater, which is their favorite theater in the city. The photos with the green and purple looking light sabers were taken near the theater. We were stopped by security at least twice before we moved along and ended the shoot over at Ping Tom Memorial park in China Town.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Ana and RJ's engagement photo session:

Well that's it for now guys! Their wedding photos will be up on the blog soon enough! More to come.

Nathan: A Million Dollar Smile - Chicago Toddler Portraits

Can I just say that Nathan rocked! There, done. End of post. Okay, just kidding. This little guy came in ready to be photographed. He smiled and played the entire time he was over. I believe he screeched a couple of times as well. Having Jocelyn (my 2 year old daughter) helped as well as she shared her toys and played with him the entire time.

Toddler photo shoots can go in so many directions. The little one could be cranky due to no nap or hunger. They could come in being really clingy to mom, etc. But this was one of those shoots were it was just a blast to shoot. All of the pieces came together and out came some amazing portraits of this little handsome dude. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the session:

Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 (studio shots)
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 (natural light shots)
Alien Bee strobe with medium softbox
Pocket Wizards (2)
36" silver reflector for natural light portraits
Adobe Lightroom 2 for editing

My many thanks to Angie for bringing Nathan over and for being such an AMAZING help! Angie, you made sure that your little guy smiled no matter what. Your energy was awesome. Thanks!

By The Way: I have been mixing up my portrait shoots lately. The 1st half is all studio strobe lighting. The 2nd half is all natural light. This way I get to give my clients a more varied session.

Kim + Ed // Oak Brook Wedding at the Doubletree Hotel

Connections are made in the funniest of ways. I met Kim and Ed through Jennifer, whom I had met years ago at a Collages.net gathering for photographer. Fast forward a handful of years and I get an email from Jennifer saying that her step-mother was getting married, get this, at the VERY SAME hotel that she and I had met. Kind of odd, I know, but also very cool. Seeing Kim's excitement for her wedding was amazing. She's a little older than my typical bride, but her sprit was just as pumped to be getting married. Seeing Ed I knew why - he's kind of a stud. We met up at a Starbucks in Orland Park and talked about their wedding day plans and had a great time. There are some couples that I just love right away and Kim and Ed were one of them. Just look at the photos of them together and you can see that they really admire and care for each other. It's easy taking photos of such a couple - they kind of make it easy. Thank you Jennifer for introducing me to this amazing couple!

Yezenia + Vic // An emotional Chicago Wedding

I met Yezenia through my Facebook page. We met at a Starbucks near Hinsdale and hit it off. I was finally able to meet Vic a few moths after that at yet another Starbucks, this one near Lamont - thanks Starbucks! I knew this would be a chilled out wedding because both Yezenia and Vic are both down-to-earth and easy to be around. The ceremony took place at the beautiful St Agnes of Bohemia church on Chicago's south side. The Catholic ceremony included some Hispanic traditional moments like the tying of the Rosary around the couple by a beloved family member. Yezenia and I had previously decided to visit the IIT campus for the bridal portraits. We were on a tight deadline, so things had to move quickly. The extreme heat also made things move quickly! I had done a little IIT campus reconnaissance in the morning, so a couple of places had been designated to shoot the bridal portraits.

Kelli + Shaun // So Pumped To Be Married

Kelli and Shaun are crazy in love - the post-ceremony photo below of them walking up the aisle says it all. I love it when my bride and groom are crazy in love with each other. It fires me up to be their wedding photographer and gives me all sorts of energy the day of their wedding. Their hands are pumped-up and their smile expresses pure jubilation - I love that about them. Shaun was so in the moment that he just could't stop from dancing, high-fiving, moving and smiling. He basically hammed it up all day long and was brilliant! Kelli looked so beautiful and was excited herself, but next to Shaun seemed really chilled and relaxed. Having a jubilant couple and a fantastic bridal party takes me to my happy place :)

Kelly + Corey // A Fun & Playful Joliet Wedding

Star Wars and an epic battle scene. I must admit that these two ideas/visuals never come to mind when I think about photographing a wedding. But lo and behold, Kelly and Corey's wedding provided both, and a ton of laughter and warmth to boot. Just look below to see what I'm talking about. I can easily say that this was one of the most enjoyable weddings I photographed this year. Kelly was such a beautiful and cool bride that being around her was great. I could't take a bad photo of her. There was so much energy and buzz that from the moment I arrived I knew it was going to be a fun wedding. Kelly was surrounded by her fun loving/energetic/emotional sisters and her cousin, and they were something else all on their own.

After the ceremony we drove to a family friends house where we were able to settle for a second (literally) and set-up for the epic battle scene. Yes, the men had axes while the women had flowers - not a very fair fight. I was cracking up amidst the crazy heat and intense sun right in my lens - good times indeed. I seriously couldn't believe that they guys had axes! We get to the reception and here is Darth Vader walking towards Kelly and Corey... umm, that was a little weird. Kelly and Corey weren't expecting this Sith Lord as a guest, so I hadn't heard of this until I saw him in fornt of us. We were all a bit surprised and weirded out. Darth Vader was very welcoming and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Their wedding cake had a Han Solo and Princess Leia topper, which tied the Star Wars theme together nicely.

Lucy + Ted // Oak Brook Engagement Photos

Lucy and Ted are a really cool couple. I love Lucy's energy and her focus - she know what she wants and goes after it. Ted is a bit more chilled and laid back, which strikes a perfect balance to Lucy's energy. I love seeing how my wedding couples balance each other out! Balance is a great thing in a marriage, sometimes it's more evident than others. I could tell that Lucy and Ted are perfect for each other. I met up with them at a Starbucks in Hinsdale, the one next to the Whole Foods Market. Lucy's mom came along with them, which I thought was great (I love it when the parents are involved in some of the wedding plans). We were able to talk about their weddings plans and we also came up with a location for the engagement session. Lucy wanted to shoot at the Graue Mill and Museum which was only a few minutes from our meeting place, but on the Oak Brook side.

We met at the Graue Mill a few days later and were greeted by a perfect day and an art faire. The actual Graue Mill is surrounded by beautiful little nooks to shoot in or around in. We were able to spend about an hour together since Ted had a flight to catch back to the west coast. I had a great time with them, which got me pumped-up for their wedding. I was able to see how good they are together and was able to capture some really fun photos. My goal was to capture Ted smiling, and I did! My many thans to Effie and Gary (Lucy's parents) for coming out and spending a little time with us.

I'm looking forward to sharing some of their wedding photos, so come back and check those out!

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Lucy and Ted's engagement photo session:

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Well that's it for now guys! More to come.

Cheryl + Craig // Adler Planetarium Engagement Photos

Cheryl and Craig - what a calming and loving couple. I met with them at a Starbucks in Orland Park a little before the engagement photos were taken. We talked about how they met, about their wedding plans, Cheryl showed me photos on her iPad, and Craig was as cool as can be. I fell in love with these guys immediately (total "couple crush") and was instantly hoping they would hire me to photograph their wedding. I remember coming home and telling my wife about how I hoped they would hire me - and they did! I would love to go on about how much fun we had at the engagement session. I could go on about how loving, affectionate, and respectful Cheryl and Craig are towards each other. But I think it's best to look at the photos and see the warmth for yourself. It's also fun to imagine Cheryl laughing at my corny jokes. Be careful though, her laughter and smile are infectious.

I have to thank my friend David Fowlie for referring Craig to me and my wedding photography services. Without his referral I would have missed out on one of the best experiences of my photography career. Thanks David!

I'm looking forward to sharing some of their wedding photos, so come back and check those out!

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Cheryl and Craig's engagement photo session:

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Thanks for checking out my blog! More to come.

Jen + Terry // Homerding Park

Jen and Terry are getting married at the end of April and I'm really excited for them. They are a fun couple and I enjoy reading Terry's Facebook updates - he's a die hard Brown's fan and isn't afraid of showing it. This engagement session was so relaxed, fun, and full of great conversation/laughs. Homerding Park is a great find for me: it has beautiful trees, its next to a golf course, it has a pretty large pond, and it has a couple of sweet bridges. The funny thing is that it's really hard to see if your driving down Harlem as it's sort of covered up by a few sandy hills. But once you're there it's pretty amazing - having 70 degree weather in March added to that amazing feeling! It's also near Orland Park (which I'm around that area a lot), so taking photos at that park was a win-win situation. Thanks to Jen for thinking of that place.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Jen and Terry's engagement session. I'm looking forward to seeing them again soon:

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Family, color, laughter, and a dog

I photographed Jenny's wedding a few years back and that's when I had the privilege to meet the Montgomery family. Jenny had a beautiful ceremony in her parents back yard and that is where these portraits were taken. The Montgomery's love to garden and keep their yard in impeccable shape all year round. So I had to take their portraits outdoors to reflect the color and beauty of their work. There was a lot of laughter and silliness during the shoot, as you can tell by the photos below. It was a hot day last year, so the shade from the trees was a welcome break. Here are a handful of my favorite photos:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Photo Mechanic - For culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - I really got to know the family by asking about the yard, which told me that they really enjoyed working on it. I find that it's easier to shoot when I know the people I'm working with. I know that sounds simple, but really caring about your clients makes a big difference in how they open up to you.

Baby Hannah's First Portraits

Little Hannah is about two weeks old in these photos. I love working with wee little one's like Hannah because once they fall asleep there is no waking them. Plus they look so cute when they're dressed up. She was asleep for most of the shoot, though she did wiggle around a bit and even cried for a second. My favorite of the bunch is the last one that you see here. She looks so calm and beautiful and will never look like this again - she already looks so much bigger now! Here are a handful of my favorite photos:

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Set-Up

Nikon D3 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon SB-800 through a 12" softbox

Photo Mechanic for culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - The backdrop you see is actually a vintage rug that I flipped - the front is a lot brighter. I wanted these photos to be dramatic, so I used the darker side of the rug. I'm really digging it.

Travis & TJ

These brothers were great together. I actually don't remember any one of them complaining or arguing, which is kind of a rare thing when photographing children. Kudos to the kids and to the parents of Travis and TJ - you guys rock. I really enjoyed this shoot. The set-up was simple and the kids were great (as previously mentioned) and little TJ is a cutie. I love simple set-ups when taking pictures of kids because it allows me to communicate with them without worrying about lights. Here are a handful of my favorite photos:

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Set-Up

Nikon D3 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Photo Mechanic for culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - This shoot was kind of a last minute session. That's fine because working with natural light in the studio allows for a quick set-up: the backdrop, the natural light, and a reflector. Simple and effective.

Tristan and the Pugs

Tristan is an amazing little guy - just look at his curls and smile! You add three pugs to the mix and you get some really fun family photos. I always look forward to the annual pug portraits with Tristan. This year the pugs really wanted to be in the pictures. Last year they could care less, so I wasn't expecting them to be so energetic. I love it when the entire family participates in the portrait session - and if you have pets you know that they are a part of the family. I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I did taking them and wrangling 3 pugs and a toddler. Here are a handful of my favorite photos:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon SB 800 with medium sized umbrella

CyberSync remotes/transmitter

Photo Mechanic - For culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - Try to find out as much about the family's house you are about to enter beforehand. I took some allergy medicine before leaving for the shoot because I know that being around three pugs would cause my allergies to go nuts.

Family Portraits at the Morton Arboretum

I've had the pleasure of photographing the Russotiesi family about a year ago, so I was really excited to work with them again. I knew that the little ones would look a lot different and that's something that I was looking forward to seeing. Sure enough the kiddos were so much bigger and were even conversing with me. How cool! We met up at the beautiful Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. We simply walked around and hung out while I photographed them as a family and then as individuals. There really isn't a bad place to shoot around there - everywhere you turn there is a beautiful location/background. I was also encouraged to see that the Morton Arboretum had their outdoor art series happening that month. We were able to get some really cool shots near some of the installments. You'll see my favorite down below that says "You Are Beautiful." This family is beautiful and we had a great time.

Here are a handful of my favorite photos from our Morton Arboretum family photo shoot:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Tokina 12-24mm f/4.0

Photo Mechanic - For culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - I always say to stick to your gut when shooting outdoors. I was tempted to end the shoot early due to the kiddos wanting to go home, but I thought that one more location would be great if we could get their cooperation. The last portrait of the family came out of that last little push.

Sarah + Allie // Joliet Engagement Session

It was really a blast spending some time with Sarah and Allie a few weeks back. We were in downtown Joliet taking some engagement photos, though because of the cold I was afraid that we would have to reschedule the shoot. But they were great about facing the cold and were amazing to work with. They just got married on December 30th and I'm sure you couldn't find a more loving couple out there. Having just moved to Joliet I had been wanting to shoot in the downtown area near the Rialto Square Theater. I was also hoping to shoot inside of Jitters Coffee Shop, but we wrapped up the shoot a little sooner due to the cold. Here are a few of my favorite images from the shoot:

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Chris + Lindsay // Joliet Wedding Photographer

Joliet, Illinois was rockin' on 09.26.08. The Lotysz wedding was a very fun wedding to shoot (man, all of my weddings have been a blast this year. I'm not complaining). I met up with Lindsau and her girls in Flossmoor at the Marc Alan day Spa. These are some pretty awesome girls and you can tell so much from the company that you keep. So I know that Lindsay has some great friends and family.

From there we traveled to The Renaissance Center in Joliet. Let me tell you, the Rennaisance Center's website does it no justice. This place is very nice with plenty of room for great photographs. There is where I met up with Chris and his groomsmen. soon enough the ceremony started and the rest is history.

I am grateful to the Lotysz and Smith family for having me be a part of their special day. I must mention that Chris and Lindsay played "Always With Me, Always With You" at their wedding. This is the first time I have heard this song since MY WEDDING almost 7 years ago. Chris, you are one rockin' dude! Hearing that song made my day. My many, many thanks.

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