Downtown Chicago Lincoln Park Engagement Session
Well it was a wild year, and I have so much blogging to catch up on but I figured why not kick it off with the amazing engagement session I did earlier this year with Nena and Gabe. They were so excited to have the engagement city in Chicago and hit some iconic spots and we had such a great time around South Pond and the lakefront on this perfect November day! Chicago engagement sessions are so much fun since there is just so much variety you can capture in a relatively small area! Take a peek at some of my favorites from their day. I can’t wait to celebrate their wedding with them this August.
Chicago Lakefront Portrait Session
After seeing the shoot I did with Fransisco and Jon last week Lucy contacted to capture her and her husband Pablo before the head off to Miami in only a week! Luckily I had an opening and we had the best day for our session. We started near the zoo and then walked to the lakefront to get some amazing shots with the skyline. After that we headed back to the south pond area, on of my favorite locations and photographed the gorgeous fall colors there! Enjoy!
Chicago City Hall Winter Elopement With Two Brides
Chicago gave us one of our coldest days of the year for Sarah and Nichelle's wedding this past weekend but the ladies were troopers and head outside for a few images and I was just in love with the results. Both Nichelle and Sarah had the most contagious smiles and spending their wedding day with them was wonderful.
Lincoln Park Boardwalk Family Photos
What a wonderful fall day for my session with the K family! This was our 5th shoot together and it went awesome! We decided to shoot at South Pond, One of my favorite locations in the city and the kids gave me so many smiles this time around! Take a look!
Green Mill and 90 Miles Cuban Cafe Wedding
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Sandra and Greg after they got married in Chicago. We first started at a bar, where they where waiting for me at right next to the Green Mill. I figured why not start the shoot there, the place where they where first sharing a drink as husband and wife! Sandra and Greg are both poets so the Green Mill was a very important place for them as they have both preformed there and that it was also where they would be saying their vows the following night! Next we went to Montrose beach for some shots of them together and then finally to 90 Miles Cuban Cafe for their reception! So I would like to share with you some highlights of their day!
Urban Chicago Engagement Session
I was so excited to hear from Sara about shooting her engagement photos. We had been trying to connect for quite some time so I was so excited it finally came to fruition! We decided on a cool urban shoot in the city after our initial idea of the museum campus was being taken over by Jack Johnson fans.
We started outside their apartment in the north side of Chicago. They had the cutest courtyard!
Then we needed to find a bathroom for a quick change! Lucky us there was a Binny's right around the corner!! Sara changed into this amazing blue dress!!!
Matt B and Angela's Chicago Beach Engagement
So you may see some familiar faces here as I had shot Matthew and Angela a few weeks ago in Millennium Park. Angela and Matthew also wanted to do a shoot on the beach but it was way too cold on our original date so we decided to do another engagement shoot at Montrose beach in Chicago. This was a special location to them since this is actually where Matthew Proposed! So here they are! I can't wait to photograph their wedding come this July! I also had my second shooter Kimberli come with me to this shoot so she could meet the couple before their big day!
After getting done on the beach we took a short walk to the wall to check out the skyline as the sun disappeared. There may of been some clouds of bugs as we walked though to get there. Matthew's reaction was hilarious, he really doesn't like bugs! But they soldiered though.
Chicago Museum Campus Engagement Photo Session LGBTQ+
I am so excited for you to meet Ian and Conor. I had the pleasure of meeting them about two weeks ago near the museum campus for their engagement shoot.
Ian is originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan (though he was born and spent his early childhood in Hartford, CT). He came to Chicago in 2003 to attend Loyola University and has been here ever since. Conor is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. He moved to Chicago in 2007 after graduating from Notre Dame.
How did you meet?
We met in an acting class at Black Box Acting here in Chicago, where we both now teach.
Who made the first move and who talked to who first?
Well, we met in an acting class and so we first got to know each other when the whole class would go out for drinks afterwards. After a few of these group outings it was Conor who asked Ian out officially (as in just the two of us).
What does you favorite date night consist of?
We have a tendency to be quite the homebodies. We have a ton of recorded Jeopardy’s saved up on our DVR and love to come home, cook dinner, and watch Jeopardy together with a glass of wine.
What are your plans for the summer? Anything fun?
We both have a pretty full teaching schedule at Black Box through the summer, but we’re hoping to take a weekend to visit Ian’s family in Michigan as well as Conor’s parents in New York.
Also, we should probably start planning our wedding…
How did the proposal happen?
To bring it back to Jeopardy… We can be quite competitive and have had to resort to writing down our Final Jeopardy answers and revealing them after everyone has had a chance to answer. On the night Conor proposed, he had pre-written a Final Jeopardy “answer” that asked Ian to marry him. We exchanged answers, Ian saw the proposal, and said yes! Conor had some champagne and roses ready and we celebrated.
(For the record…Ian got the question correct, Conor did not. It was something about Slurpees and 7-11).
What do you both do for fun, hobbies, interests?
We’re both actors. Ian is also a photographer (mostly actor headshots) and a yoga instructor. Conor is also a writer, a painter, he and does the marketing for Black Box. We like to cook and have friends over. We love spending time by the lake in the summer (although we’d love to be able to get over there more often)
If you could take a vacation together anywhere in the world completely paid for where would it be and why?
Conor: Hong Kong. Because I’ve never been to Asia and I think it would be really cool to explore that part of the world.
Ian: Somewhere warm with a beach. I’d also love to explore more of Europe.
Favorite color?
We both love blue.
Favorite Food?
We love Chipotle (we’re actually thinking about having them cater the wedding)
If you had to choose three words to describe your relationship what would they be?
Fun, Warm, Light-hearted.
If you had to describe each other what three words would you use?
Ian: Conor is funny, smart, and charming.
Conor: Ian is stubborn, adorable, and intelligent.
Chicago Family Lifestyle Photo Session
I was excited to hear from the K family again this year, I had met them last year from the referral of a photographer friend of mine! It was miss J's one year mark and I was happy to capture her in her brand new home! They had just moved a little over a week ago and their new home was just gorgeous. Now I knew at the end of this shoot that I wanted to do something messy! So I suggested maybe I bring some watermelon with me for the very end of the shoot, and it was a hit I must say! Who needs cake when you have a huge watermelon slice! Enjoy this peek at their shoot from this past saturday.
Millennium Park Chicago Engagement Photo Session
I met Matthew & Angela a little over a year ago now through my job with Bella Baby Photography. They have the most adorable son who is now 15 months who I have been photographing since he was a newborn. Their shoots have always been so fun and easy, and they are all so photogenic When Angela told me that she was getting married in July, My immediate question was if they had a wedding photographer and Viola they decided to book with me. I include an engagement shoot with all of my wedding collections so we decided to meet at Millennium Park in Chicago. This was a special place to them as this is where they actually met for the first time. We had a few reschedule due to some less than ideal weather, and I know you wouldn't know it by looking at these images but boy was it cold! Thanks guys for being troopers and I hope you enjoy them!
