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Solutions to managing wedding guest photography

January 31, 2012

Solutions to managing wedding guest photography is a dilemma that is happening right now. Of all the friends and family that will attend your wedding ceremony, how many of them do not have smartphones? Just about everyone these days is equipped with an iPhone, Android, or Blackberry. We are knee-deep in a society that craves instant gratification, which means that at your wedding ceremony whether it is during the processional or recessional, arms will undoubtedly extend these useful little cameras right into the aisle to snap the first shot of you. Someone wants to be the one to share your wedding on Facebook, and someone wants to send a photo of your first kiss to your second cousin twice removed who couldn’t make it to your wedding.

With so many guests eager to take their one photos, I have had a bride’s face blocked by a Blackberry as she walked down the aisle with her father. Everyone must have been thrilled to see this immediately on Facebook and Twitter, but this would-be wonderful photo never made it into the wedding album. At another recent wedding ceremony, a guest’s snapshot camera had gotten in the way of a ring exchange. There was one instance where an uncle of a bride stepped into the aisle during the recessional and completely blocked the shots as he got video of this moment.

While I can assure you that nobody wants to ruffle any feathers on a wedding day, your Queensberry Album wouldn’t look as fabulous when you scrap the processional photo because your face was blocked by three different arms welding cameras.

There are several solutions to managing guests’ impulse to take photos – ranging from putting a note on your wedding website or wedding program, informing folks at your rehearsal dinner, or letting ushers know to inform guests. Often times, your officiant may tell your professional photographer to not use flash, but will rarely mention use of cameras obstructing the ceremony to the 150 people sitting before them.

One of my favorite brides (who happens to run the Chi City Vegan blog) had their Chicago loft wedding on Style Me Pretty and created a clever little sign displayed at the entrance of their ceremony venue.

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The greatest clients in the world

January 24, 2012

There’s a point in a photography career when you get to set the rules. You end up choosing greatest clients in the world as well as them choosing you. Almost a year ago, I got a request for information from a bride in Chicago regarding her Boston wedding at the Fairmont Copley Plaza:

“I’ve looked at probably over a dozen photographers at this point and you were the first I saw that I felt like, ‘wow, every single picture fits with the kind of pictures I want!!’ Aside from the groom, the photography is one of the most important elements of the day for me.”

Working with clients that have prioritized photography over many other aspects of their day means that visually preserving the emotions of the people who are the closest to you on your wedding day is an investment worth making.

Like myself and over a dozen other clients, this bride and her groom had a strong connection to both Chicago and Boston. After a phone conversation and not meeting in person, they took the plunge and became my clients. I first was able to meet them in Boston at the Oak Room. I was having an excellent day and it was made even better as I saw how excited Ian and Whitney were about their wedding, the venue itself, and working with me. They were so happy, and without planning to do so, I decided to take photos of them in Boston. When they headed back home to Chicago, a few months later I took some photos of them so that they could have a collection of images of the city they called home. The shoot was bittersweet as I knew Ian was headed overseas shortly thereafter, and Whitney was going to be apart from her fiancé for a few months until making the journey herself to settle into their new home. As months passed, I enjoyed reading correspondence about their new life in a foreign country. December finally came, and guests from all over flew into Boston. The wedding day was a joy to photograph and it went by too quickly. Soon after I presented the newlyweds with their wedding photography, I got an email that really made me smile.

From one of the greatest clients in the world:

“I am into hour 4 of staring at these photos. Is this obsessive? i don’t know… but I love every single one and some VERY distinct favorites but I can’t tag anything because I want to wait for Ian to get home to go through them together so he gets to experience first hand!!!!! Anyway, I am literally just writing AGAIN to tell you how excited I am about the pictures. I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to decide which to print, what size to make them… and you know what else??? I just did a pass through wondering which would be good candidates for B&W, and surprisingly (as I am a BIG fan of B&W) I think I love them all in color more – the winter hues in contrast with the red roses and peachy skin is just so gorgeous!!!!!!! anyway, I will leave you alone for today, but I am just over the moon. I didn’t expect as many as there are – and though I knew they would be great, I didn’t expect SO MANY to be SO PERFECT!!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The remarks that I got from Whitney and Ian reflect results I strive for in each project and event that I commit to.

Posted in Photography Reviews & Testimonials, weddings | 8 Comments »

Trinity Church Boston Wedding Photography | Architectural Splendor

January 21, 2012

Trinity Church Boston Wedding Photography | Architectural Splendor… If you have a religious connection to this masterpiece of American architecture, you are of the few dozen couples each year that are able to hold a wedding ceremony in their sanctuary. The church was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, the creator of the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style and completed in 1877. Getting married under 21,500 square feet of murals is a treat in itself. Trinity Church’s wedding policy notes that guest photography during the service is not allowed at the church as it distracts from both the purpose and solemnity of the occasion. All of the photos below were taken without flash.

These photographs were taken during the darkest time of year for Whitney and Ian’s evening wedding ceremony. Whitney was baptized at this stunning church so it was only fitting that the sacrament of matrimony take place there. It was so great to see so many of Ian’s friends and family from Iowa and Chicago attend this Boston winter wedding!

American Institute of Architects (AIA) honored Trinity Church as one of “Ten Most Significant Buildings in the United States.” It is the only church in the US honored as such. In 1885, architects voted Trinity Church as the most important building in the U.S. This National Historic Landmark is the only building from the original 1885 list still included in the AIA’s current top ten list.

Behind the church at the Parish House, Whitney and Ian had a first look and exchanged letters that they wrote to each other last year before their move to Naples, Italy. Because the sun sets early during winter months, the first look allowed us to have a bit more daylight to take photos with the bridal party.

If you would like to see more from Whitney and Ian’s wedding, including photography from their Fairmont Copley Plaza reception, you can get notified when it is posted by clicking here.

Useful information regarding Trinity Church in Boston:

The Episcopal Church requires that at least one of the couple be a baptized Christian, the ceremony be attested to by at least two witnesses, and the marriage must conform to the laws of the Commonwealth and the Canons of the Church. The basic fee to wed in the church is around $2600, not including musician fees or other discretionary donations. Regardless of orientation, may begin their marriage journey at Trinity. If you would like more information about wedding photography at Trinity Church, please get in touch.

Posted in architecture, Boston wedding venues, weddings | 13 Comments »

Animals at weddings: Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Jamaica…

January 21, 2012

Animals at weddings: Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Jamaica… they make appearances at so many destinations that I shoot at. Every year I see more and more animals at weddings both at ceremonies and receptions. You might remember Annie and Pete’s Martha’s Vineyard wedding at the Allen Farm Sheep and Wool Company, where we learned that having a wedding on a farm has its perks and quirks! Well over a dozen roosters chased Annie down a path. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if she was going to get attacked or surrounded. When we realized they wouldn’t tear up her gown, we paused for a quick photo. I guess the cowgirl boots come in handy.

We had full access to the grounds of the Allen Farm Sheep and Wool Company, and saw the roosters, a donkey, plenty of sheep, and horses.

At Indian weddings, its fairly common to hire a horse for the baraat. If you happen to be lucky enough to host a wedding in a city with lenient restrictions, its not unheard of to be able to rent an elephant for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

If you don’t have access to a farm or a need to rent a horse, man’s best friend can sometimes make his or her way into the wedding day schedule.

You never know what sort of uninvited guests show up at a wedding. I was hired as the destination wedding photographer in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and this resident peacock made an appearance.

Goats and sheep made more than one appearance this year at weddings. This photo below was from Alexandra and Tim’s wedding at the Bradley Estate just outside Boston.

The Brookfield Zoo is a popular location for weddings near Chicago. Often, couples are offered private tours and can see all the animals. Check out the dolphins!

I shot a wedding at a private residence where the groom brought out some barn kittens.

Some folks enjoy animals more than others. In this photo, the groom really wasn’t into checking out the polar bear.

On your wedding day, its your day and you can do whatever you want. In addition to being able to stop traffic for a quick photo, sometimes you can even bring your cat or dog down the aisle for your ceremony.

At this Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum wedding, this butterfly made a surprise landing.

If you know the schedule ahead of time, often times an animal’s arrival is a welcomed guest.

On occasion, you get an unwelcome wedding guest as well:

I saved the best for last. In just a few days we welcome Chinese New Year. 2012 is the Dragon, more specifically the Water Dragon. The White Elephant Hotel on Nantucket couldn’t have been a more perfect location to showcase these dragons with the ocean just steps away.

There you have it – animals at weddings from yours truly.

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Best of 2011 Weddings Boston and Chicago Wedding Photographer

January 9, 2012

2011 is a wrap! I finished up my 2011 year returning from shooting in Puerto Rico, heading to a New Year’s Eve wedding in downtown Chicago for a bride and groom who came in from Boston. The day was unseasonably warm, and we got a killer sunset. The following morning, I got on a plane for my first 2011 wedding, which was in Toronto at the Soho Metropolitan Hotel. My clients were from Chicago and Bermuda and hosted one of the coolest, most intimate little weddings I have ever been to. Back in Chicago, I photographed Jennifer and Kyle’s winter wedding at The Rookery. Before “wedding season” kicked off in the United States, I headed to shoot another wedding in Jamaica for a Jamaican bride and groom from Washington D.C. Jamaica is one of my favorite places, and each time I go, I meet new friends.

Wedding season kicked off in Boston, with lots of shoots in my favorite neighborhoods. This summer I had three brides named Annie, and two of them had back to back weddings one week after another at River East Arts Center. Annie and Sunil held their ceremony and reception at River East Arts Center, and Annie and Ian got married at Holy Family Parish and River East the following week.

In addition to Massachusetts and Illinois, this year I got to work with couples calling in from Scotland, Bermuda, China, Jamaica, Australia, Puerto Rico, Oregon, California, Virginia, New York, Arizona, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and New Mexico. I might be forgetting some locations as well. Skype calls have become the norm in communicating with couples who plan their weddings from far away. The above image is from Pete and Annie’s Martha’s Vineyard wedding. I think it takes the cake as a top favorite. After the ketubah signing, Annie and Pete made time for some photos on the sprawling grounds of Martha’s Vineyard where we got to walk and shoot amongst all sorts of farm animals. As we headed down a dirt path, roosters began chasing Annie in her cowgirl boots and wedding gown and Pete chased after her. Throughout the thousands images that fill up terabytes of space on my hard drive, I would like to highlight a small fraction of the moments that stood out as my personal best. Thank you for taking a peek at my Best of 2011 Weddings.

Silhouettes at the Rookery

Sarah and Ryan in the West Loop before their UCCO wedding.

Erin and Dean in Boston Common

Pouring rain made for some refreshing results! I’m shooting Sara and Paul’s Longwood Events wedding in 2013!

Here are a few from shooting on the tallest ship in perfect weather.

A kiss at the green monster.

A pug, a truck, and a kiss, featured on Sparkle & Hay

One of my favorite shoots, blocks from where I used to live, in a neighborhood that my clients lived in too.

Dreamy! The best time of day for photos!

I’ve gotten to photograph Ian and Whitney three times. A moment in Chicago before heading to Italy!

Jamie & Jakari’s solid gold shoot was on Beantown Bride

Chappaquiddick Island was the location for these beauties.

Twilight and drizzle was the perfect setting for this shoot for Trish and Griffin before their Oregon wedding.

Some Michiganders take on Chicago. It was a great night.

Looking forward to Jenna and Jarrod’s 2012 wedding at Smith Barn.

A hot shave before Dan married his cool bride Carolyn.

Shannon at the W Hotel before the fun Greek wedding!

Liz and Bridget, this one is for you! xo

I had so much fun with with Julia, her mom Beverly, and all the bridesmaids at the Chicago Guest House.

Daniella was ready to roll.

Sarah and Ryan’s first look at the University Club of Chicago

Kissing in the Boston Public Library

The Marilyn Monroe sculpture was a big hit for this summer wedding.

While this wedding was on Style Me Pretty, they mustn’t have had a taste for HOT TUNA because they didn’t put this shot up.

One of the destination weddings in Jamaica, for a Jamaican family!

Cooling down under the arches before the Omni Parker Boston wedding

Asymmetrical bridesmaid dresses made their mark in 2011!

Annie & Sunil before their wedding at River East Arts Center.

A week later, my other Annie got married at River East Arts Center too!

There was a noticeable closeness at Alex and Tim’s Bradley Estate wedding. Congrats to you both!

I was laying down on the ground for this one of Trinity Church.

This wedding was indoors, don’t be fooled!

Megan and her dad just as the ceremony began.

White and blue flowers were perfect for this winter wedding.

In 1885, the American Institute of Architects voted Trinity Church as the most important building in the U.S. and it is the only building from the original 1885 list still included in the AIA’s current top ten list.

With less restrictive churches and a good lens, a photo can allow you to be in the moment.

Lots of hidden glances at this wedding ceremony. Congrats Dean and Erin!

Brookfield Zoo wedding

Bridget and Barrie, you put on such a fun wedding. Shout out to Beat Train DJs and Gracie Lou Events!

Eynat and Ryan win for being the hippest couple of the year!

Noses so close shot from so far, at the Modern Wing.

Sunset of the year!

Kehoe Designs does a phenomenal job on event design and flowers!

Cathedral Hall and the Michigan Room are both some very dark, but cool venues to shoot weddings!

Steve Edwards Orchestra rocks! Great working with them at Daniella & John’s wedding as well as at Katie & Matt’s wedding!

Can’t wait to share the rest of these photos! Winter weddings are my new favorite!

The W Hotel, decked out by Kehoe Designs, was a great modern venue for this fun Greek wedding.

Toasting!

During the first dance, it was neat seeing everyone watching the newlyweds first dance at the barn!

First dance at the Omni rooftop ballroom in Boston.

This University of Chicago couple had a blast at their Garfield Park Conservatory wedding, and I had just as much fun photographing!

Daniella was referred to as “the most beautiful bride in the world” and the room was filled with applause.

There is no part more fun to photograph at a wedding than a Jewish horah.

I am saving this fantastic Martha’s Vineyard farm wedding to share with you all! It was one of my all time favorites! Soon!!!

Craziest daytime wedding I have ever shot! You guys rock!

The best sequence of wedding photography from the year is below.

This photo was featured on Moment Junkie!

Instead of just garters and bouquets, maybe every wedding needs a football.

Adler Planetarium wedding decked out in blue and yellow for a lively evening full of Irish tradition.

Sometimes, stealing a bride for a night photo is the best time for them to spent 5 minutes (almost) alone on their wedding day!

river east wedding photographer

Just a handful of the weddings that got featured this year are listed below:

Style Me Pretty: Gallery 1028 wedding of Laura & Mike

Style Me Pretty: Peninsula Hotel wedding of Cynthia & David

Elizabeth Anne Designs feature of Tara & Sam’s wedding

Style Me Pretty: Gallery 1028 wedding of Halley & Josh

Wedding Nuveau: Annie & Ian’s River East Arts Center wedding

Sparkle & Hay’s feature of Ashley & Nate’s barn engagement session

Be U Weddings: Tower Club Wedding of Dawn & Charles

Looking forward to the new Canon DSLR this year, and photographing at lots of cool new wedding venues with all of my new couples!

Posted in Boston wedding venues, Chicago wedding venues, destination weddings, engagement, jewish weddings, Martha's Vineyard Wedding Photographer, weddings | 2 Comments »

Prairie Productions | Chicago Wedding Venues by Chicago wedding photographer Heather Parker

January 1, 2012

Prairie Production is the perfect wedding venue for a modern wedding right in the city. With seating capacity for 150, it is ideal for a medium or small wedding. Parking is easy, and there are so many nearby locations for cool photos. This loft space is a blank canvas and offers a lot of versatility. No two weddings here are alike.

The above pictures are Prairie Production wedding photos from Beth and Scott’s wedding, as well as Emilia and Megan’s wedding which was featured on the So You’re EnGAYged wedding blog.

Venue location: 1314 W Randolph St. Chicago IL 60607
Phone: 312-829-7499
Website: www.prairieproduction.net
Seated Capacity: 150

Posted in Chicago wedding venues, vendor spotlight, weddings | No Comments »

New Years Eve Wedding Chicago

December 31, 2011

Happy Anniversary to Mary and Josh who had a New Years Eve wedding to ring in 2011. It was unseasonably warm so we got some great photos downtown. The newlyweds even got a spot on the local news.

All star wedding vendor team:

Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Bridal Party Flowers: Dilly Lily
Cake: Bittersweet
Groom’s Boston inspired lobster themed cake: Bleeding Heart Bakery
Limo: Windy City
DJ: Toast and Jam

Posted in Chicago wedding venues, weddings | No Comments »

Planning your Chicago Wedding Photography

December 30, 2011

Planning your Chicago wedding photography is just one of the many steps you will have to take in putting together your dream wedding. In this blog post, I want to share some information on wedding planning and finding a wedding photographer. There are many brides in any major city for example, scoping out the same Chicago wedding venues you are. Many couples are getting married a year or more away. Setting a date and finding a venue is key.

To take on this process alone or to enlist the help of a wedding planner is an important decision. One often looked after benefit of hiring a wedding planner is that they can help you find unique wedding venues that often don’t advertise in big wedding magazines or on the top wedding blogs. One of my favorite couples Marta and William hired Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings for their winter wedding held at a private club. The wedding planner was able to help select a venue that matched the season, location, capacity, and the investment the couple wanted to make. During your engagement, a wedding planner can help you review contracts, understand insurance requirements, coordinate timelines, and keeps numbers (and backup numbers) handy in instances where a limo could be running late. Understanding how an early afternoon wedding ceremony impacts the total wedding cost when a reception that starts five hours later is where a planner’s expertise will come in handy. An experienced event planner who has an assistant can run and go get more ice for the bar at a midsummer tented wedding during a heat wave, set up a late night candy station, and help facilitate donating your flowers at the end of the night. I have worked with a bride who hired a wedding planner to act as a liaison between family members. Another instance where a planner is useful is when brides and grooms may be in school, have busy work schedules traveling frequently, studying for the bar exam, or planning a hometown wedding from out of state.

When hiring a wedding photographer, there are several ways to go about this. Ask friends who they used and talk to your wedding planner. If you have certain requirements or styles you enjoy, an event planner will be able to point you in the right direction. It is important to look through a wedding photography portfolio and look for natural, unorchestrated moments. There are a lot of wedding blogs loaded with pictures of pretty things that show the style of a wedding which are great for inspiration and ideas, but after your wedding the photos that tell the story of the day will be much more meaningful than shots that are a catalog of the things you bought.

In the initial stages of planning your wedding, it is fun and useful to see photos of weddings in your venue. It isn’t as important to find a photographer that has shot in your venue, but it IS important to find a photographer that can adapt to challenging situations, who has continued shooting in a church that has lost power and lighting, or was able to still get storytelling photos during an unexpected rain storm at an outdoor beach wedding ceremony.

Both of the above photos were on Moment Junkie, one of the best wedding photography blogs that showcases split-second moments that have a high impact and relay part of the story of the wedding day. A close friend of mine is engaged, and I advised her to look for action and emotion in the wedding photography portfolios she was reviewing. A wedding day is a day full of emotion and the photos should certainly reflect that.

Posted in Chicago wedding venues, vendor spotlight, weddings | 1 Comment »

Chicago Union League Club wedding – Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2011

The Union League Club of Chicago was where Katie and Matt held their Christmas time wedding reception. Prior to the celebration, they got married at Holy Family Church, which had festive decorations for the holidays. This wedding stands out because Katie and Matt went to St. Ignatius College Prep right next door to the church they would get married at. Lots more photos to come, but I just wanted to share some Christmas time wedding photos for the holidays!

Dress make: Romona Keveza
Bridesmaid dresses: Lula Kate
Bridal boutique: A L’Amour
Tuxedos: Ralph Lauren
Church: Holy Family Parish
Reception Venue: Union League Club
Officiant: Fr. Ed McLaughlin
Band: Steve Edwards Orchestra
Florist: Blumgarten & Co.
Wedding Stationery: The Design Group

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Chicago Wedding Photography | InterContinental Hotel

December 19, 2011

Chicago Wedding Photography at the InterContinental Hotel for Jaqui and John’s wedding was featured on WellWed. Lots of wedding inspiration here with loads of details photos of the holiday-themed color palette of red white and green. The evergreen needles with the red and white flowers you see in the soaring centerpieces, bridesmaid bouquets, and cake top are from Dilly Lily.

Chicago wedding vendors:

Ceremony Venue: Holy Name Cathedral
Reception Venue: InterContinental Chicago Renaissance Ballroom
Catering: InterContinental Chicago
Cake: Bittersweet
Florist: Dilly Lily
Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Band: Don Cagen Orchestra
Lighting Design: Frost Lighting
Shoes: G&L Handmade
Hair Stylist: Livia Caporale
Makeup Artist: Andie Cumber

Posted in Chicago wedding venues, published, weddings | No Comments »