Family Portraits at Jackson Park - Osaka Garden

I love the Osaka Japanese Garden. I was introduced to it by Misuzu and Alvin, an amazing couple of mine, when we did their engagement session last year. It's a small and intimate garden, and it only takes a few minutes to walk through it. But the magic is not speeding through it, but taking the time to enjoy its beauty and design. LaRose and her siblings were only in town for the Memorial Day weekend and wanted to have their family portraits taken. I suggested the Osaka Garden and was encouraged/surprised to hear that LaRose had heard of it - it was pretty easy to schedule the rest of the shoot after that.

I met the family that Monday and quickly connected with them. They were fun and willing to walk around with me as we went from location to location. I had a great time and it looks like they did too, despite the muggy 90 degree weather. You have to love the shade.

Here are a handful of my favorite photos from our Hyde Park family photo shoot:

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Set-Up

Nikon D3 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon 50mm f/1.8

Tokina 12-24mm f/4.0

            

By The Way - It's always a good idea to arrive early to the shoot. I was able to scout the area and find a few places to shoot that I hadn't seen before. The Osaka Japanese Garden is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

Misuzu + Alvin // Married // Alice Millar Chapel

Misuzu and Alvin quickly became one of my favorite couples. We had a blast at their engagement session, which was a great indicator to how their wedding day was going to be. The ceremony took place at the amazing Alice Millar Chapel in Evanston. I had shot at this church before, but had forgotten just how colorful and awesome it truly is. You can see the amazing architecture and colors in the photos below. It was great seeing the range of emotions shared while they shared their vows. I could tell how much Misuzu and Alvin care for each other.

The bridal party portraits were taken near the Northwestern Sailing Center and the Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. There was a great point in the park where we could see the entire city of Chicago - so we decided to take the portraits around there. It was really sunny that day, so I had to find some shade for the remainder of the photos. I was having a really fun time with the entire bridal party at this point and was looking forward to the reception.

The reception was at Via Veneto in Chicago. My brother had his reception at the same location a few years back, so it was pretty cool being there again. The festivities kicked off shortly after we arrived from taking photos at nearby Hollywood park near Peterson and Lincoln Ave. This is when Robert, a friend of Misuzu's, gave one of THE best toasts I've ever heard. He was hilarious and his delivery was unmatched. He had the entire place laughing! I was glad I didn't have to follow him. The rest of the evening was fun and energetic and all I remember was plenty of dancing and laughter.

Here are a few of my favorite wedding photos from Misuzu & Alvin's ceremony and reception:

My many thanks to AnnMarie Gilmore for assisting and shooting with me again. I look forward to working with her again.

Easter Family Portraits

Here's the annual Easter Family Portrait with all of the grand kids. My daughter and her cousins are growing up so fast and I wanted to capture that older/cooler vibe they're putting out. The exciting part of this portrait is knowing that next year my wife and I will have our newest daughter in the photo. I'm looking forward to that portrait session!

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Princess Closet // 2012 Day Dream Event

The Princess Closet is a great organization created by Maria Davalos. Princess Closet has donated thousands of prom dresses to Chicago area high school girls since 2010. I had the honor to cover an event this past Saturday over at the Gads Hill Center. This particular Day Dream Event had over 100 girls attend - each walked away with a prom dress and a pair of shoes. Prom gets very expensive, so anyone that's attended a high school prom knows just how huge this is. The girls were also treated to a fashion show (first photo below) as well as beauty tips and life tips from some pretty amazing volunteers. I could go on about this amazing organization and about all of the smiling faces I had a chance to photograph, but we'll just let the photos do some talking. Please take a moment and check out the Princess Closet when you have a moment. Thanks!

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Jen + Terry // Homerding Park

Jen and Terry are getting married at the end of April and I'm really excited for them. They are a fun couple and I enjoy reading Terry's Facebook updates - he's a die hard Brown's fan and isn't afraid of showing it. This engagement session was so relaxed, fun, and full of great conversation/laughs. Homerding Park is a great find for me: it has beautiful trees, its next to a golf course, it has a pretty large pond, and it has a couple of sweet bridges. The funny thing is that it's really hard to see if your driving down Harlem as it's sort of covered up by a few sandy hills. But once you're there it's pretty amazing - having 70 degree weather in March added to that amazing feeling! It's also near Orland Park (which I'm around that area a lot), so taking photos at that park was a win-win situation. Thanks to Jen for thinking of that place.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Jen and Terry's engagement session. I'm looking forward to seeing them again soon:

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Family, color, laughter, and a dog

I photographed Jenny's wedding a few years back and that's when I had the privilege to meet the Montgomery family. Jenny had a beautiful ceremony in her parents back yard and that is where these portraits were taken. The Montgomery's love to garden and keep their yard in impeccable shape all year round. So I had to take their portraits outdoors to reflect the color and beauty of their work. There was a lot of laughter and silliness during the shoot, as you can tell by the photos below. It was a hot day last year, so the shade from the trees was a welcome break. Here are a handful of my favorite photos:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Photo Mechanic - For culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - I really got to know the family by asking about the yard, which told me that they really enjoyed working on it. I find that it's easier to shoot when I know the people I'm working with. I know that sounds simple, but really caring about your clients makes a big difference in how they open up to you.

Baby Hannah's First Portraits

Little Hannah is about two weeks old in these photos. I love working with wee little one's like Hannah because once they fall asleep there is no waking them. Plus they look so cute when they're dressed up. She was asleep for most of the shoot, though she did wiggle around a bit and even cried for a second. My favorite of the bunch is the last one that you see here. She looks so calm and beautiful and will never look like this again - she already looks so much bigger now! Here are a handful of my favorite photos:

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Set-Up

Nikon D3 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon SB-800 through a 12" softbox

Photo Mechanic for culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - The backdrop you see is actually a vintage rug that I flipped - the front is a lot brighter. I wanted these photos to be dramatic, so I used the darker side of the rug. I'm really digging it.

Travis & TJ

These brothers were great together. I actually don't remember any one of them complaining or arguing, which is kind of a rare thing when photographing children. Kudos to the kids and to the parents of Travis and TJ - you guys rock. I really enjoyed this shoot. The set-up was simple and the kids were great (as previously mentioned) and little TJ is a cutie. I love simple set-ups when taking pictures of kids because it allows me to communicate with them without worrying about lights. Here are a handful of my favorite photos:

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Set-Up

Nikon D3 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Photo Mechanic for culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - This shoot was kind of a last minute session. That's fine because working with natural light in the studio allows for a quick set-up: the backdrop, the natural light, and a reflector. Simple and effective.

Perks of a Wedding Photographer - Pt 2 - Chicago Skyline

We continue my series of "the perks of a wedding photographer" with: The Chicago Skyline. Part one was all about the interior beauty of churches. Now I'll share a few photographs that focus on the external beauty of the Chicago skyline. Chicago really is a beautiful city - just look around and you'll be amazed by the architecture and personality of this city. These pictures were taken while either the bride was away putting her dress on, or as I waited for the elevator to take me up to her room, etc. I really enjoy looking at the amazing details of the city I get to be in, and I hope you enjoy looking at some of the photos.

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Tristan and the Pugs

Tristan is an amazing little guy - just look at his curls and smile! You add three pugs to the mix and you get some really fun family photos. I always look forward to the annual pug portraits with Tristan. This year the pugs really wanted to be in the pictures. Last year they could care less, so I wasn't expecting them to be so energetic. I love it when the entire family participates in the portrait session - and if you have pets you know that they are a part of the family. I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I did taking them and wrangling 3 pugs and a toddler. Here are a handful of my favorite photos:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Nikon SB 800 with medium sized umbrella

CyberSync remotes/transmitter

Photo Mechanic - For culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - Try to find out as much about the family's house you are about to enter beforehand. I took some allergy medicine before leaving for the shoot because I know that being around three pugs would cause my allergies to go nuts.

Family Portraits at the Morton Arboretum

I've had the pleasure of photographing the Russotiesi family about a year ago, so I was really excited to work with them again. I knew that the little ones would look a lot different and that's something that I was looking forward to seeing. Sure enough the kiddos were so much bigger and were even conversing with me. How cool! We met up at the beautiful Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. We simply walked around and hung out while I photographed them as a family and then as individuals. There really isn't a bad place to shoot around there - everywhere you turn there is a beautiful location/background. I was also encouraged to see that the Morton Arboretum had their outdoor art series happening that month. We were able to get some really cool shots near some of the installments. You'll see my favorite down below that says "You Are Beautiful." This family is beautiful and we had a great time.

Here are a handful of my favorite photos from our Morton Arboretum family photo shoot:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Tokina 12-24mm f/4.0

Photo Mechanic - For culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way - I always say to stick to your gut when shooting outdoors. I was tempted to end the shoot early due to the kiddos wanting to go home, but I thought that one more location would be great if we could get their cooperation. The last portrait of the family came out of that last little push.

Children's portraits in Joliet

Being a photographer in Joliet (Chicago-land area) means one thing: indoor portraits. It gets really cold out outside and there is no way to pose a kid outdoors when it's super chilly. These are a few recent indoor portraits that I took of Jason and Isabella. I wanted some dramatic images of the kids, so I used a couple of different angles and kept the lighting simple. The light is all natural with a little fill to camera right. I like using natural light with kids because I can focus more on my interaction with them instead of with lights. Here are a few of my favorite photos from this shoot:

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Set-Up

Nikon D3 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Photo Mechanic for culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way: I don't typically shoot a lot. But I changed that up a bit here since I was shooting at a really shallow depth of field. Most of the photos I took were at f/2.0. I may have shot a few at f/2.8. So in order to get enough in-focus photographs of the children I will shoot a ton.

Sarah + Allie // Joliet Engagement Session

It was really a blast spending some time with Sarah and Allie a few weeks back. We were in downtown Joliet taking some engagement photos, though because of the cold I was afraid that we would have to reschedule the shoot. But they were great about facing the cold and were amazing to work with. They just got married on December 30th and I'm sure you couldn't find a more loving couple out there. Having just moved to Joliet I had been wanting to shoot in the downtown area near the Rialto Square Theater. I was also hoping to shoot inside of Jitters Coffee Shop, but we wrapped up the shoot a little sooner due to the cold. Here are a few of my favorite images from the shoot:

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Perks of a Wedding Photographer - Pt 1 - Churches

Being a wedding photographer has a lot of perks. I love having complete access to my brides as they get ready for their wedding. This allows me to take some very warm/intimate pictures between the bride and her friends and family. There's also seeing the groom tear up as he sees his bride walk down the aisle. Those moments are truly special. But there are other things that I get to see/experience that maybe most people wouldn't think about. Here you'll see some of the visual perks I get to experience at every wedding: the details of the church. These aren't even the details you'd expect, like the flowers and decorations. The inside of most churches are works of art, and I have always enjoyed photographing them. Here are a few of my favorites taken at St. Aldabert's Church on 17th & Ashland in Chicago.

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Misuzu+ Alvin // Sneak Peak

I loved shooting Misuzu and Alvin's wedding earlier this year. They are such a wonderful couple - full of love for each other and for their family/friends. I'm looking forward to sharing more of their wedding photos. You can see photos from their engagement session in the meantime. Stay tuned. Here is one of my favorite photos of Misuzu and from the entire 2011 wedding season:

Maureen + Matt // Sneak Peak

Maureen and Matt's wedding was a blast to be a part of. Here is just one photo from the wedding taken at Valley Lo Club in Glenview. There will be a full post coming soon with a ton more photos, along with new (and some older) weddings. I'm also going to be blogging more family shoots, as well as some other works. Stay tuned. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the wedding:

If you live in Joliet, Romeoville, or Crest Hill, then you can check out my wedding photography service page from a cool site I've been using called Thumbtack. You can also see more of my photos there.

Misuzu + Alvin // Jackson Park's Osaka Japanese Garden

Misuzu and Alvin will be tying the know in a few short weeks and I had the privilege of hanging out it with them for their engagement session. It was Misuzu's idea of shooting their engagement photos at the Osaka Japanese Garden - I later found out that Alvin proposed to her in the garden. So it made a lot of sense to go back there and take a few photos of them before their wedding. Shooting in a new location is always a blast and allows for new ideas to flow. I felt like a kid in a candy store the moment I entered The Osaka Japanese Garden. The colors were beautiful and there was a peacefulness to that area that I was not expecting. I couldn't even tell that we were in the backyard of the Museum of Science and Industry. Misuzu and Alvin definitely compliment each other - she is the heart and he the reason. It's was very obvious to me that they really care and love each other and I cannot wait to see what they do once they are married.

I already told them that I'm looking forward to their wedding. See you guys soon! Here are a few of my favorite images from the shoot:

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My many thanks to AnnMarie Gilmore for assisting and shooting with me. Her passion for photography is very evident and I look forward to having her assist me at Misuzu and Alvin's wedding. Stay tuned for those photos!

Sam & Rigo // Chicago Wedding Photography // North Avenue Beach House

I love Sam and Rigo. That's all that needs to be said, but I'll continue for the sake of detail. I photographed their engagement session last year and had a blast hanging out with them. It seemed that the laughter and joy didn't stop the entire evening - a sign of a fun wedding ahead. Sam got ready at her place in University-Village / Little Italy, along with her bridesmaids. The day was rolling and Sam was cool and calm - she stayed this way the entire day. Good for you Sam. After preparations we took off to the beautiful Assumption Catholic Church. It was a great ceremony and it was even better seeing Rigo and Sam smiling the entire time. These guys are so into each other!

The bridal party portraits took place at the North Avenue Beach House. It was a perfect day to be outdoors shooting near the lake. I was hoping for a lot of sun, and that's what we got that day. I love the photos of Rigo with the red background - he was living it up. I sure hope they had a ton of fun that day - I know I did.

The reception took place at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield - Schaumburg. The lobby to this place is really cool, very retro/modern. The floral design was done by Liz Middendorf of Specialties by Liz - she did a great job as the reception area was beautiful.

Here are a few pics from the wedding - one I'll remember for a long time:

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Thank you again Sam and Rigo. I'm so honored to have shared such an important/awesome day in your lives. My many thanks to my friend and second shooter Steven Ryne. It's always great working together with you!

Info on the venues:

Assumption Catholic Church 323 West Illinois Street Chicago, IL 60654

North Avenue Beach House 1600 N Lake Shore Dr Chicago, Illinois 60614 312.742.7529

Hyatt Regency Woodfield - Schaumburg 1800 East Golf Road Schaumburg, Illinois 60173 847.605.1234

By The Way: Use off-camera flash even in the brightest of days. I know it might sound a little counterintuitive, but it rocks!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day is tomorrow, and in a flash it will all be over. The older I get the more I see Christmas as a time to spend with my family and friends. It's really fun and cool seeing my daughter open up gifts and dress up in her "fancy dress" as she calls it. It's also fun to see her in a Santa Hat... I couldn't resist the urge to take a bunch of photos of her in that hat. But this time of year can't just be about shopping and buying stuff for the people in my life. I hope to raise my daughter in such a way that she knows that this time of year is about giving to others and about spending time with the people that she loves.

I can't believe that 2010 is just about done! Have a great Christmas everyone!

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way: Christmas is also a time to make cool photos like this outdoors. Don't be afraid to step outside in the cold and make some photos.

Logan Square Children's Portraits

My approach towards children's portraits has changed this year. I'm still tempted to take really cute photos of babies and kids wearing funny/furry hats, and the like - I have done that in the past and really dig it. But kids are small adults in the making so I want to light them and photograph them in such a way. The idea has always been to clutter the scene with either a chair, a bunny rabbit, etc, in order to get the kids to laugh or smile and look cute. But with this photo shoot I wanted a totally minimalistic look, and so I photographed them on a white seamless background. I wanted the kids to be the center of attention and to stand out. I didn't want any visual distractions - just their expressions, either sad or happy, or whatever in-between expression they could give me. Plus, I really dig the timeless look that the white background gives.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from this shoot. A few have been composited for the blog:

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Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8

Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Pocket Wizards (2)

3 Alien Bee 400's

Medium Softbox and 60" Umbrella

White Seamless background, 4 pieces of 4"x8" foam board and white tileboard

Photo Mechanic for culling

Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing

            

By The Way: A lot of patience is needed when photographing kids. And patience is needed when shooting on a white seamless background. There is a lot to juggle on this type of shoot: kids, tough background, lighting, and interaction with the kids and the parents. Be ready for an exhausting time, but a fun time nonetheless.