Last week, not only did I sprain my ankle badly (don’t worry, it’s feeling much better these days! I’m happy to say that I can actually walk normally and not hobble/limp/everything) I went to an awesome workshop held by Lawrence Chan of Tofurious fame. Lawrence is awesome, he’s a really down to earth guy and willing to help everyone who he meets, seriously a photographer who wants to give back to the photography community! You’ll be seeing a lot of different and fun things from me in the near future!
Really, it was a great time to be able to talk with other wedding photographers because sometimes it’s hard to network! Bob Davis brought us cookies and sweets which was awesome to keep our attention through the seminar! Kenny Nakai popped in after shooting the beginning part of a Hindu wedding and Jules Weigand taught us how to say Louisville the correct way. Afterwards we all headed to Giordano’s where we had pizza and a giant family appetizer platter that Lawrence said he’d eyed the day before and needed more people to eat! Gotta love Chicago pizza! Lawrence is a wedding photographer/guru out on in California and had some time to spend in our wonderful city so we told them where they HAD to go! And by the looks of his twitter feed, he really enjoyed everything Chicago has to offer! Plus, we all know there’s a lot of us cool people here
So if you’re a photographer and thinking of taking Lawrence’s class: DO IT, it’s worth every penny!
I’ve typed this entire post with Isabelle laying on me and my computer and then her waking up and getting angry at me. So I figure she wants some blog lovin’ too. In honor of football season and the bears win on sunday:
I hope we can all get together again sometime soon!!
Kara
I met Lucy and Pete and we just went everywhere! They’re holding their wedding up at Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake (which is a fabulous place for wedding photography!) so they wanted some really downtown pictures and really wanted to incorporate certain buildings into it! It’s always great to meet people before photographing their wedding! It’s nice to get to know the couple and have them know me, I’m generally relaxed and laid back and they had me on the end of a long day of engagements! I’m sure Lucy has been stalking my blog for this and I’m sure she’ll do the same for her wedding photos!
we started in Lincoln Park at the Lily Pond right there:
We then headed over to State Street/Michigan Ave to finish up the session!
I really love this one!!
Thanks for looking! I can’t wait to photograph your wedding Lucy and Pete! You both were a bunch of fun and laughs!
I met Loretta and Aaron in Wrigleyville to start their engagement session. I can’t wait to photograph their wedding!! I’m so excited to be their photographer because these two are a riot! They laugh, they cry, they skip. I can’t imagine what their wedding day will bring, but it sure enough will be a load of fun! Ok, enough of me, let’s get to their engagement pictures!
Look at how fun they were!
I usually don’t take pictures like this, but I LOVE this one!!
and then Loretta cried, it was so cute! I wonder if she’ll cry at her wedding? She thinks she’s going to be a mess!
this was totally unplanned
I hope you enjoyed these Loretta and Aaron, I truly had a great time with you for your engagement session and I can’t wait until I photograph your wedding! I’m sure it will be 10x more fun!
Kim and Rob are such an awesome couple and their wedding isn’t until mid 2010! Their wedding is going to be so much fun as well, when I first met with Kim and Rob we spent like 2 hours talking after I had finished up a wedding and they dealt with my mumblings! We connected at that moment!
They were seriously up for anything that I asked of them. And by the end of the day, I asked for a lot! But if I suggest it early enough, you know it’s a good idea at the end of the day! We started out on Rob’s rooftop where they got engaged and then Kim’s dad drove us around to take pictures all over Museum Campus and Millennium Park for a final stop. I really can’t wait to photograph their wedding next year!
We spent a lot of time around the Shedd located at: 1200 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL?
GO BEARS!!
Look at the air Kim got in those heels!!
museum campus engagement photo
we headed to Millennium Park for some photos in the fountain!
I love Rob in this one!
I did start the session by saying they should go in the fountain, and by the end of it, they knew it was a good idea!
and an after shot!
I hope you guys enjoyed these! Sorry for the long wait!!
Can I just say that my little puppy has just grown up SO fast from where she was just a few months ago?! Remember this sweet puppy? She’s actually a dog and becoming more difficult to photograph. Though I love taking pictures of pets and Isabelle is basically a cute business write-off right? Well, I think she’s more than adorable! I’ve learned a lot about photographing pets and especially photographing dogs from her, treats and bribes are a must, as well as knowing sit-stay. And you know that there will be a photo montage at her 1 year!
I just love this series, shows her love of having her photo taken! Who knew pets would be harder than people?
and one last picture of my fur baby!
I just love taking pictures of pets! Contact me if you’re ever interested!
I first apologize for the length of this slideshow. I kept going through their images and Kim and Mike had SO many good ones, I couldn’t choose.
Needless to say I think that they should order some large! Kim was so relaxed the day of, I walked into her suite and she just laughed, told me it’s been raining all day, she had no other plans but to take the wedding pictures outdoors before the ceremony and her dress was lost by the bellman! We joked for about an hour while they retrieved the dress from the wrong room that we’d just whip up a new wedding dress using some of the sheets! She truly was relaxed and just happy to get married.
We started out at the Westin in Wheeling to get some done, and it was a dream to photograph there! I can’t wait for a wedding or reception to be held there as their windows and suites are so big! It was a lovely place!
Westin
2855 North Milwaukee Avenue
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 480-7500
After all of the silliness of the bridal party pictures were done at the Westin we headed off to the Arboretum in Buffalo Grove for the ceremony and reception. I wish that it wasn’t rainy out because the rolling hills and lovely landscape of the Arboretum made for a wonderful backdrop for wedding pictures. Luckily, Kim & Mike still got to go out on the course during cocktail hour. This is a great thing to do for the couple right after the ceremony because it gives them some moments alone during the day!
Arboretum Club
401 W Half Day Rd
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-6548
(847) 913-9112
So without further ado, here’s your slideshow:
Thanks for having me along Kim and Mike! I had a blast doing your wedding photography!
Stefanie and John got married just a few weeks ago and had the best weather! It wasn’t too hot or too cold and they were such fun to work with! I know you all don’t read my writing and just skip onto the pictures, it’s ok, I do the same!
I also caught the sneak at their new rings:
oh yeah, I caught this:
this is just my opinion but I totally think this should be at least a 16×20!
they were so silly!
I love these next 2!!
How sweet is this for the last dance of the night?
Andrea and Adam now live in the sunny state of Florida but still had plans to get married in good old Illinois! We had a lot of fun and Andrea was probably the most relaxed bride I’ve had to that point! She didn’t stress about any part of the day and just laughed things off. I would also like Adam to note that I did include his self portrait in the slideshow when I asked him to hold my camera while I bustled Andrea, Adam decided a self portrait was in order! How funny!
Music generously provided by Andrew Belle Love his stuff!!
Jessie and Mike are getting married this Saturday! Cutting it a bit close for engagement photos but they wanted to get them in anyway! Their lovely pup Kaya (I had the name totally wrong!) crashed the session and made it interesting for sure but still a lot of fun!
I’m sure Nadine and Rick have been waiting for this since they told me they were back from their honeymoon! They got married at Hotel Baker in St. Charles and I LOVE this place. Not only was it a great ceremony site but also had a lot of places downtown St. Charles that I could utilize! I loved shooting the wedding and reception at the same place. Nadine and Rick opted to do their wedding portraits during cocktail hour and we roamed around the hotel and downtown to get all of the shots, we even found some hidden areas! The staff at Hotel Baker couldn’t be nicer there too, the maintenance team got right on a giant wasp that was located in their reception room and got it cleared before any guests were disturbed! Enjoy your wedding pictures!
Hotel Baker
100 W Main St
St Charles, IL 60174-1810
(630) 584-2100
Music again provided by Nick West whom I still love! So when he has a show in Chicago, everyone should go see it!!
Thanks for including me in your day! I enjoyed being your wedding photographer!
Kara
kara@karaschultz.com
