i love the amazing complimentary colors of the eerily turquoise river and the bright orange leaves that still seem to be hanging on! this afternoon, mari and mark (M&M get it?) had their engagement shoot. they might have a destination wedding since often they are cheaper than having a downtown wedding. i have been fortunate to have photographed brides in new orleans, california, new england and new york city and would love more opportunities as a destination wedding photographer! the turquoise color of the river and lake remind me of the waters around the florida keys and those that you see in photos of popular destinations such as puerto rico, aruba, turks & caicos, and bermuda. i will soon have photos to post of the caribbean. patience my friends!
mamta and nishant had their engagement shoot in downtown chicago so that they could show their friends and family where their “home” was for several years. their upcoming wedding is in mumbai (formerly bombay). we met on an early brisk morning and avoided tourists, hitting many popular locations for photos in chicago. we talked a lot about indian wedding ceremonies such as mehndi and the sangeet/gaun parties, as well as the shaadi and mandap. the reason i really enjoy indian weddings is because of the many ceremonies that happen with a backdrop of such vibrant colors. mamta and nishant will have a five day wedding and hundreds of wedding guests. during our shoot, we talked about holi; i am dying to photograph the festivals.
i am the photographer stacey and steve chose to hire for their 2010 wedding at the garfield park conservatory. we scheduled an 8am shoot and made great use of a park during a relatively desolate time of day. the colors of the leaves were unreal. i like to think of an engagement session as a warm up photography shoot before the wedding day. they had quite the warm up before heading off to work.
au·tumnn. – when they turn off the fountains and the leaves go orange.
it was a surprisingly tolerable morning, weather-wise! i photographed victor and nicole for their engagement shoot at their favorite park. their dog gizmo is hiding in one of these photos… where’s gizmo?
i will be photographing their wedding in july 2010 at pazzo’s 311 located at 311 South Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606-6627 (312) 913-1600
sometimes weather isn’t always behaving – it hasn’t been for a good portion of october it seems. the wedding i posted yesterday was during remnants of a hurricane, but with rain aside there is always a way to get gorgeous photos. it seems like we’ve had some pretty raw weather that just won’t quit, so yesterday’s engagement shoot couple came up with a great location for an indoor location. i had a lot of fun with lauren and anthony exploring a relatively empty tourist area since there were very little crowds. some locations we explored and shot in were: a locker room, a childrens museum, an indoor shopping area, and the wedding venue known as crystal gardens at navy pier.
jim and sharon are getting married very soon at the narnia estate, and since most couples have not been professionally photographed, they made time for an engagement shoot, which was a great practice run before the wedding. with every shoot, i can learn a little bit about personalities… jim and sharon are so fun to work with. they played it casual for the shoot, and wore jeans. sharon stepped it up a notch by coordinating her red top with a fun pair of matching red shoes.
i look forward to photographing your wedding at the narnia estate!
yesterday, alexa and andrew welcomed me into their chicago loft apartment for an engagement shoot. their sleek, modern loft is a strong contrast to where i will be shooting their new england wedding in july of 2010 – at the historic, seaside wedding destination known as the Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, which in my opinion is the boston area’s best mansion available for wedding ceremonies and receptions.
i was thrilled to shoot an engagement shoot in a home. there is a true connection couples have to the space that they have created. alexa and andrew had just gotten back from a vacation in the bahamas, and were at ease when i photographed them. for part of the shoot, they wanted me to photograph them cooking. this was such an original, refreshing idea. after prepping some apple cobbler together and having that documented, we headed up to the roof deck, followed by a walk around the neighborhood.
i encourage all couples to think outside the box to create some one-of-a-kind engagement photos. sometimes the greatest photographs can be made at locations closer than many think.
i love when engagement shoots have props, couples that dress smart, and loads of colors. alison and steve arrived ready for some fun. i pedaled to the shoot on my vintage schwinn yellow bicycle and alison asked if we could use it during the shoot. the yellow bike and her fun red shoes coordinated perfectly wiht the vibrant colors we passed while making our way through their neighborhood.
the challenge continues! more photos at millenium park! i love this white sculpture better than cloud gate. the sculpture has these curves that take your eye around the negative space in a manner that reminds me of the images of one of my favorite photographers, herb ritts. he played around with lights and darks and curves to create refreshing images within a tired genre. the couple i photographed for this engagement shoot is having me photograph their wedding at the newly renovated spertus museum. spertus is just as much a piece of art as it is an architectural marvel. we were able to walk around inside touring the stark, beautiful spaces where the wedding ceremony and reception will be held. i even bumped into someone who was a guest at another jewish wedding i photographed recently.
next month, i will be photographing a rooftop wedding for this fun couple. for their engagement shoot they coordinated two great outfits for two great locations. the first being the infamous bean and millenium park, and the second location being a historic beach house.
