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.
Gay Couple Portrait Session
Amanda and Jess where an amazing couple. I was so happy to get the chance to work with them during my time at Shutterfest this past week.
As some of you may know, I just returned from a photography convention last week called Shutterfest (there will be another blog post on that in the future). It was an amazing time and I was very excited and looking forward to taking two classes in particular, same sex posing for couples along with same sex weddings. I was so happy when on Nov. 20, 2013 Illinois became the 16th state in the United States to legalize same sex marriage. So many couples who have been unable to get married will now have the chance to do so starting June 1, 2014. I have always believed that love is love no matter race, religion, or sex. So the idea of being able to capture same sex weddings in my home state really made me excited. I did have questions though, so these classes, who where taught by the ever so talented Kristin Korpos really helped me figure out the details.
It was during one of these course I met the lovely Amanda and Jess. Now they where both just a dream to work with, I am sure you will be able to tell how natural they where in front of the camera, so really they made my work pretty easy. I got the chance to talk to Amanda after I got home to find out a little more about her and her Jess as I asked them about a million questions.
How did you and Jess meet?
"Weeeelll..we met while i was bar-tending at a bar in Belleville, Il.
Turned out we had mutual friends and i totally stalked until i found her and sent her a friend request!
She asked me out for drinks and food and we became inseparable.
We drank and smoked too when we met then quit BOTH together!!! (each for personal reasons but we became even more attached since we wanted the same things)."
Any Fun Summer Plans?
"Summer plans we are going to Destin, FL with her parents in November! WE CANT WAIT!!"
Do you guys have any fun hobbies or interests you share in?
"Our hobbies, activities, and interests all surround working out, eating healthy, and doing projects around the house together!
The house we live in older and we are updating it before we decide to get a new house within the next couple years or so!"
The mandatory what is your favorite color question.
"Jess's favorite color now is neon green. Mine would probably be pink or black..i think black is sexy!"
If you could go on your dream vacation all expense paid where would it be?
"If we could go anywhere all expenses paid, we would go to Bora Bora! And stay in one of those private bungalows, we think they're so cute!"
"Three words that best describe our relationship:
(me) Soulmate. Perfect. True.
(Jess) Corky. Real. Effortless.
Three words that describe Jess:
Onry. Beautiful. Inspiring.
Three words she describes me:
Loyal. Spastic. Pleaser.
Her favorite food is sandwiches.
My favorite is chocolate!!
She's my blonde haired, perfect combination of handsome and beautiful. Thats what I tell her all the time."
