Architectural Artifacts was the ceremony and reception venue that Julia and Tanner chose for their Chicago wedding. Julia and her mother Beverly flew in from Oregon to discuss their wedding photography with me. Beverly helped Julia plan one of the coolest weddings ever. I arrived to photograph Julia and her bridesmaids getting ready at the Chicago Guest House. Since Chicago was the location for their destination wedding and neither of their families resided in the area, they had the entire rowhouse to themselves and it was the most perfect location for getting ready. The bride enlisted the girls from Sonia Roselli to work their magic on the lovely ladies. These photos show how important it is to allow a full hour of getting ready photography on a wedding day because they are filled with emotion and laughter.

We headed out with the ladies bring the bride to her first look with the groom at Northwestern University. Julia’s brother joined us since he was the Man of Honor.

To compliment the purple and silver colors throughout the wedding day, the groomsmen wore purple cufflinks, argyle socks, as well as silver ties and vests. Their pocket folds even had purple edging.

We headed to Northwestern, the university where the couple met and fell in love. We headed over to where Tanner was waiting for Julia. Look at how pretty her bridesmaids were. I adore the alternating colored Siri bridesmaid dresses. The Siri dress came way before the iPhone app!

After some photography at Northwestern, we got in the limo and headed back to Architectural Artifacts for cocktail hour!

Before the wedding ceremony was set to begin, Tanner and Julia had access to the 80,000 square foot warehouse for some photo opportunities.

The Northwestern a-capella group led guests from cocktail hour in the atrium to the wedding ceremony location in the courtyard.

Now keep in mind, we had a scorching hot afternoon on our hands and had just wrapped up cocktail hour. There was already a lot of emotion during the ceremony. Tanner has already at this point wiped a tear from is eye and laughed…. then the unimaginable happened: a bridesmaid fainted. As a wedding photographer that approaches moments as a photojournalist, I briefly hesitated on whether or not I should photograph what was about to happen before my own eyes. While I am not going to include the sequence of photos I took in this blog post, the moments after the fainting you can see here. The mother of the bride Beverly stepped right up to make sure this bridesmaid was alright and ensured this close-knit group of friends that the bridesmaid would be okay and the ceremony was go on. She treated the bridesmaid like her own daughter amidst all the shock (which you can see in the photo below) and bits of laughter.

The ceremony continued but the bridesmaids looked over at their friend who took a moment to sit down, with smiles of reassurance.

With a parade of candle lighting started by the grand parents, the final candle was the unity candle which Tanner and Julia tried so desperately to light.

Multiple failed attempts were made and the guests roared with laughter.

Julia made the decision that she was going to use a smaller candle if that’s what it was going to take to display a flame of unity during their wedding ceremony.

After an exchange of rings and vows, the recessional began with a “Mazel Tov!” as something shattered. While this ceremony had some minor hiccups, it is probably going to go down as one of the most memorable ones.

Did Tanner know what he was going to receive during the receiving line?

After mingling and more laughter in the atrium, guests headed into the reception for cake cutting, dinner, and dancing. Since this was a destination wedding for both of their families, elements of Chicago were tied into the decor including a skyline on the cake.

After the bouquet toss, the garter toss was supplemented with a football toss. The next few shots so the sequence of the action. The second from this Architectural Artifacts wedding photo was featured on Moment Junkie, a blog that highlights split-second moments captured with a true photojournalistic approach.

I took this photo so you could see how very cool this warehouse wedding venue is. The atrium at Architectural Artifacts is covered is surrounded by several floors of antiques. During the day this loft space functions as a real antique store.

Below you can check out a few more photos of the perfect style created by Flora with lighting design by Allure Designs. Pomander style accents for the centerpieces added a modern element to a wedding at an antiques warehouse space.

These wonderful modern purple flowers are called allium, and are part of theonion plant group believe it or not!

Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Venue: Architectural Artifacts
Florist: Randy Ballesteros at Flora
Lighting: Allure Designs
Repurposed lighting: Benton County Habitat for Humanity Inc. ReStore
Caterer: Food for Thought
Cake: Take the Cake
String Quartet: ArtiStrings
Acapella ensemble: X-FACTORS
Make-up: Sonia Roselli / Abbey Taylor
Hair: Sonia Roselli / Kelly Tracey
Wedding Gown: Maggie Sottero
Bridesmaids Dresses: Siri
Tuxedos: Mens Warehouse
Getting ready location: Chicago Guest House
Limo: Elite Chicago Limo
Officiant: Rev. Bob Keller
Invitations and Save The Dates: MagnetStreet
Programs: Paper Zone
DJ: Fig
Videographer: Fig

Charles and Dawn’s Tower Club wedding in Chicago was just featured on the local Chicago wedding blog Be U Weddings. I loved the couple’s choice of red, white, and black for the wedding colors. The Tower Club of Chicago is a stately Chicago landmark, whose architectural heritage has been meticulously preserved, but also provides guests with modern amenities and conveniences. It’s a breathtaking historical venue located in the heart of downtown Chicago right on the river at the top of the Lyric Opera.

Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Tower Club
Floral Designer: The Wishing Well Florist
Invitations: Spilled Ink Press
Hair Stylist: Theodora Bourikas
Makeup Artist: Briette Madrid

Happy Halloween, and thanks to Bridal Banter for featuring this photo from Adrienne and Ryan’s mansion wedding. You might remember seeing this shot from this wedding that was published on Middle of the Map weddings recently. These little white pumpkin gourds have been a big hit on the wedding blog circuit.

Having a wedding on an island farm perched on the hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean is just about as enchanting as it gets. Earlier this year, Annie and Pete selected me to photograph their Martha’s Vineyard wedding at the Allen Farm Sheep and Wool Company in Chilmark. I felt a connection to them from our first contact since they live in New Orleans which is my favorite city in the US. I didn’t get to meet them ahead of time in person so Skype meetings were an integral part in planning out the photography details. The one thing that stood out in my conversations with Annie was the excitement in her voice about her upcoming Martha’s Vineyard wedding and the theme she was working on. We spoke about her wedding gown that she purchased in Montréal and the theme she envisioned for her farm wedding.

Before I was set to photograph Annie and Pete’s rehearsal dinner at the Chappaquiddick “Chappy” Beach Club, I met up with them and took the Chappy Ferry over from Edgartown on the Vineyard to the neighboring island. After a short car ride on some winding dirt roads, we reached Annie’s family’s summer home situated on a cliff with stairs that led down to the ocean edge. Annie’s entire family was so welcoming to my trusty sidekick Danielle and I. As we began the shoot, I kept in mind the challenge of photographing an engaged couple in a beautiful setting and making sure the connection between the couple doesn’t get buried by the picturesque surroundings. With Annie and Pete, they were lovey, funny, and with enthusiasm they showed me a bit of playfulness and romance. It was quite clear how much they enjoyed the surroundings of their pristine summer retreat. Stay tuned for photos of the rehearsal dinner at the Chappaquiddick Beach Club along with their Martha’s Vineyard wedding ceremony and reception at the Allen Farm. And without further ado, I present to you…

The connection between Annie and Pete.

If you would like to be notified when more photos of Annie and Pete’s wedding are posted you can subscribe or get notified.

This Boston barn wedding venue engagement shoot was featured on Sparkle & Hay, so I need to send out a quick thank you to Erin over at the blog! Ashley and Nate brought their dog Bruiser and some accessories for their shoot. Its easy to go to a shoot empty handed, but putting in effort to modify a reclaimed window frame to display a wedding date information and arriving in a vintage pickup truck always makes a shoot that much more personal. Smith Barn at Brooksby Farm is one of my favorite locations near Boston. The Knot recently featured one of the weddings I shot there. You can see it here. Really fantastic grounds, a big red barn, animals and orchards are some of the reasons I love it.

I couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Jaqui and John’s Intercontinental Chicago wedding has been featured on the UK wedding blog Beyond Beyond. The newlyweds live in Melbourne, Australia and with this blog feature we’ve now spanned three continents. Jacqui gave her bridesmaids wedding wellies in every color imaginable which were a big hit since it was snowing a bit on the wedding day. Stopping traffic for a photo at the bridge was followed by a brief snowball fight before heading to the Renaissance Ballroom at the Intercontinental Chicago on Michigan Ave. Frost Lighting provided stunning pin-spotting for the centerpieces by Dilly Lily. I really love the evergreen needles and red flowers paired together for a classic holiday theme.

Chicago wedding vendors:

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

I wanted to send out a special thank you to Chicago wedding blog Be U Weddings for featuring Marta and William’s Casino Club Chicago wedding. This private club boasts work from famed Chicago interior decorator Rue Wintherbotham Carpenter and the wedding had a fitting Hollywood glam theme. Lots of unique details were tied together by Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings.

Wedding Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Ceremony + Reception Venue: Casino Club
Wedding Planner: Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings, Inc.
Bride’s Dress: Angelina from Weddings 826
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Bride’s Jewelry: by Weiss from Store B Vintage (Wicker Park)
Makeup Artist: Kasha from MAC (located on Armitage)
Hairstylist: Bianca Sementa of Urban Trend Salon (Wheaton)
Bridesmaids’Dresses: J.Crew
Groom’s Attire: Formally Modern
Flowers: Scarlet Petal
Cake: Bittersweet Bakery
DJ: Toast and Jam

From Rhode Island and Texas, Katherine and Sahotra planned a simple and sweet wedding that brought together their closest friends and family to witness them being united as one. No bridal party, no choreographed first look, no trolley around town… They chose to stay in Lincoln Park at the Notebaert Nature Museum for their ceremony and wedding reception. The staff at the Notebaert museum set up seating for an indoor ceremony, but just as guests started to arrive, the rain cleared up. Katherine and Sahotra got perfect weather for an outdoor ceremony. A reception immediately followed allowing for a casual gathering of friends.

Here are some of my favorite photos from this two-part engagement session with Kathleen and Geoff. The first set is at the Seaport district in Boston and you can see their giant puppy Hank in one of the shots! I am so glad he got to come along. The second set of photos is from Beacon Hill, taken on a famed cobblestone street and on a stoop right near Boston Common. This is a great example to look at if you are deciding between day time or night time photos. I am grateful for the time Kathleen and Geoff gave me in their schedule for their engagement session.

Location: Seaport district in Boston and Beacon Hill
Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Boston wedding hairstylist: Lindsay Griffin

I recently got a request to shoot an on-air television personality, for free. They said it was for trade but couldn’t quite offer me anything. On very rare occasion, I trade a photo shoot in exchange for a service I am in need of, where both parties could benefit. A recent call came in from someone who works for a Fortune 500 company who seemed very excited about my work. I told them I had in fact photographed paid jobs for celebrities, national magazines, and have been flown off the continent on more than one occasion to shoot. On the phone, a bubbly voice said said things like “love your work, girlfriend!” and the whole scenario became a laughable topic for many of the professional photographers around the country. We wondered what kind of sucker would actually show up for a shoot in the pouring rain, unpaid. In one conversation, I was told blatantly that there were other photographers that were a lot more “easy going” about this when I asked for a contract regarding licensing the images. I’m pretty sure this person meant that there were a lot more desperate photographers willing to be sucked in and kicked under the bus. They wanted me to do a shoot for the network, and while I was there, to do a shoot for some charity. Oh, and while I was there to do some complimentary updated headshots as they needed them all done the next day. If you have talent, experience, equipment, and insurance, you probably would not go to an unpaid shoot without some sort of contract unless you had a gun to your head. Money can buy you a reliable and skilled photographer. Honey, read below.

Dear potential photo buyer,

If you have been directed to or stumbled upon this page, it is likely that you have requested the use of an image or images for free or minimal compensation.

As professional photographers, we receive requests for free images on a regular basis. In a perfect world, each of us would love to be able to respond in a positive manner and assist, especially with projects or efforts related to areas such as education, social issues, and conservation of natural resources. It is fair to say that in many cases, we wish we had the time and resources to do more to assist than just send photographs.

Unfortunately, such are the practicalities of life that we are often unable to respond, or that when we do, our replies are brief and do not convey an adequate sense of the reasons underlying our response.

Circumstances vary for each situation, but we have found that there are a number of recurring themes, which we have set out below with the objective of communicating more clearly with you, and hopefully avoiding misunderstandings or unintentionally engendering ill will.

Please take the following points in the constructive manner in which they are intended. We certainly hope that after you have had a chance to read this, we will be able to talk again and establish a mutually beneficial working relationship.

Photographs Are Our Livelihood

Creating compelling images is the way we make our living. If we give away our images for free, or spend too much time responding to requests for free images, we cannot make a living.

We Do Support Worthy Causes With Images

Most of us do contribute photographs, sometimes more, to support certain causes. In many cases, we may have participated directly in projects that we support with images, or we may have a pre-existing personal relationship with key people involved with the efforts concerned. In other words, each of us can and does provide images without compensation on a selective basis.

We Have Time Constraints

Making a leap from such selective support to responding positively to every request we get for free photographs, however, is impractical, if for no other reason than the substantial amount of time required to respond to requests, exchange correspondence, prepare and send files, and then follow-up to find out how our images were used and what objectives, if any, were achieved. It takes a lot of time to respond to requests, and time is always in short supply.

Pleas of “We Have No Money” Are Often Difficult to Fathom

The primary rationale provided in nearly all requests for free photographs is budgetary constraint, meaning that the requestor pleads a lack of funds.

Such requests frequently originate from organisations with a lot of cash on hand, whether they be publicly listed companies, government or quasi-government agencies, or even NGOs. Often, it is a simple matter of taking a look at a public filing or other similar disclosure document to see that the entity concerned has access to significant funding, certainly more than enough to pay photographers a reasonable fee should they choose to do so.

To make matters worse, it is apparent that all too often, of all the parties involved in a project or particular effort, photographers are the only ones being asked to work for free. Everyone else gets paid.

Given considerations like this, you can perhaps understand why we frequently feel slighted when we are told that: “We have no money.” Such claims can come across as a cynical ploy intended to take advantage of gullible individuals.

We Have Real Budget Constraints

With some exceptions, photography is not a highly remunerative profession. We have chosen this path in large part due to the passion we have for visual communication, visual art, and the subject matters in which we specialise.

The substantial increase in photographs available via the internet in recent years, coupled with reduced budgets of many photo buyers, means that our already meager incomes have come under additional strain.

Moreover, being a professional photographer involves significant monetary investment.

Our profession is by nature equipment-intensive. We need to buy cameras, lenses, computers, software, storage devices, and more on a regular basis. Things break and need to be repaired. We need back-ups of all our data, as one ill-placed cup of coffee could literally erase years of work. For all of us, investment in essential hardware and software entails thousands of dollars a year, as we need to stay current with new technology and best practices.

In addition, travel is a big part of many of our businesses. We must spend a lot of money on transportation, lodging and other travel-related costs.

And of course, perhaps most importantly, there is a substantial sum associated with the time and experience we have invested to become proficient at what we do, as well as the personal risks we often take. Taking snapshots may only involve pressing the camera shutter release, but creating images requires skill, experience and judgement.

So the bottom line is that although we certainly understand and can sympathise with budget constraints, from a practical point of view, we simply cannot afford to subsidise everyone who asks.

Getting “Credit” Doesn’t Mean Much

Part and parcel with requests for free images premised on budgetary constraints is often the promise of providing “credit” and “exposure”, in the form or a watermark, link, or perhaps even a specific mention, as a form of compensation in lieu of commercial remuneration.

There are two major problems with this.

First, getting credit isn’t compensation. We did, after all, create the images concerned, so credit is automatic. It is not something that we hope a third party will be kind enough to grant us.

Second, credit doesn’t pay bills. As we hopefully made clear above, we work hard to make the money required to reinvest in our photographic equipment and to cover related business expenses. On top of that, we need to make enough to pay for basic necessities like food, housing, transportation, etc.

In short, receiving credit for an image we created is a given, not compensation, and credit is not a substitute for payment.

“You Are The Only Photographer Being Unreasonable”

When we do have time to engage in correspondence with people and entities who request free photos, the dialogue sometimes degenerates into an agitated statement directed toward us, asserting in essence that all other photographers the person or entity has contacted are more than delighted to provide photos for free, and that somehow, we are “the only photographer being unreasonable”.

We know that is not true.

We also know that no reasonable and competent photographer would agree to unreasonable conditions. We do allow for the fact that some inexperienced photographers or people who happen to own cameras may indeed agree to work for free, but as the folk wisdom goes: “You get what you pay for.”

Please Follow-Up

One other experience we have in common is that when we do provide photographs for free, we often do not receive updates, feedback or any other form of follow-up letting us know how the event or project unfolded, what goals (if any) were achieved, and what good (if any) our photos did.

All too often, we don’t even get responses to emails we send to follow-up, until, of course, the next time that someone wants free photographs.

In instances where we do agree to work for free, please have the courtesy to follow-up and let us know how things went. A little consideration will go a long way in making us feel more inclined to take time to provide additional images in the future.

 

I’m sure I will get a lot of comments in support of the photographer rather than in support of those who have no appreciation for someone’s time and talent.