Here's a sneak peek at Kelly and Mat's Chicago Session Engagement.  We had a bright sunny day to contend with along with some winds and, oh yeah - a heavily secured NATO conference!!  Fortunately, this soon to be married couple ARE NOT wanted criminals and the shoot went off without a hitch.  :)

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If you have followed the Northwest Indiana wedding journal for a while, you know I'm a big fan of these Chicago Engagement packages.  You will also know that this Chicago Sessions package consist of color images transferred to black and white after the shoot and made to look like old film.  It's romantic and cinematic - think 1960's street photography.

I'm currently editing Kelly and Mat's images to give them all these looks.  The color versions will be available to them as well as the black and white images.  The photo book that comes with the package (great for display at the reception) consist of all the black and white images made into one beautiful story of the day.

We may take in the garden at Millennium Park (see above) or go with the street photography look of the couple perched up high with the tall buildings as a backdrop...

The windy city brings many different looks, sometimes all within a single block.  It's a teasure trove of photo opportunities for engagement photos.

Stay tuned for more Kelly and Mat engagement pictures as I ready them for viewing.  I will be taking Memorial Day off to rest up after a terrific wedding in Portage yesterday.  Have a great weekend!!

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Ogden Garden in Valparaiso is a great destination for outdoor weddings.  I also use this location for engagement photos like i did on a beautiful Spring day with Dustin and Jenny.  One of my favorite photos of the day is the one above with the happy couple caught laughing.  They were snuggled up on the Ogden Garden bridge with me a good distance away capturing some candid moments.  It's a very photojournalistic style of photography that I sometyimes employ to capture some natural reactions.

For the most part, we went with simple images of the young couple to show their love for each other.  i knew they wanted to captured the beautiful greenery of the garden and I wanted to capture their beautiful smiling faces as well.

Our groom to be - Dustin - was game to get down on one knee and kiss the hand of his bride to be.  Jenny and I threatened to put this up as a billboard on I-65 for all his homeboys to see!!  Fortunately for him, that did not prove to be cost efficient.  :)

Often times a couple will get a photo book of their engagement photos to show off at their wedding reception.  The image below was shot with that in mind as a background to a page.

Another popular product for engagement sessions is the Save the Date magnet.  This is the one I designed for Dustin and Jenny.  They received 50 of these Save the Date magnets for booking the Digital Deluxe Package for their September wedding.

Another item couples often display at their reception is a large wall print.  Dustin and Jenny chose this antique looking photo of them kissing on one of the park benches at Ogden Garden as a 16x20 Stand Out Wall Print.

Lastly, the engaged couple decided to show off their love for one another along with the love for their favorite football team - the Chicago Bears!!

I'm very much looking forward to Dustin and Jenny's Fall wedding this September!!

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For Stacey and Steve's Spring wedding we took our formal wedding photos at The Shrine of Christ's Passion in St. John, Indiana.  This internationally known tourist attraction sits just in front of the new St. John the Evangelist Church.  It's a unique location for wedding photos and we were able to give the appearance of a mountainous area as seen in the photo of our bride facing the large duplicate of Jesus' cross.

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One of the couple's favorite wedding photos was this casual stroll amongst the greenery of The Shrine of Christ's Passion walkway.

I knew that Stacey was a big fan of selective color shots from their engagement session the previous year.  The groom instinctively helped his bride hold onto the bouquet of flowers while they embraced closely together.

The wedding party patiently waited for our couple's session to end and we gathered them all around the circular drive of the spectacular new church.

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Here is another one of my favorites with the bride and groom at the bottom of the hilltop with the church illuminated in the background.

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Below is one of my designed wedding images.  This is one I call the Love Story Canvas Wrap.  It's 20x24 sized wall print that wraps around wood and comes with a saw tooth hanger for immediate hanging.  All of our packages are digital, but still nothing beats a spectacular looking wall print.

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Finally we have the wonderful couple waving to all of their family and friends in this vintage looking wedding photo.  To see more of Stacey and Steve's Catholic wedding ceremony, visit this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Natalie and Greg were married just last week in Michigan City.  The above image is from Washington Park beach where the bride and groom huddles up to keep warm.  This is just a sneak peek with many more wedding photos to follow,

The day started out at Bullettes Hair Salon in Chesterton, Indiana with the bridesmaids toasting champagne as our bride Natalie was getting her hair styled.

Natalie's dress was waiting for her at her parent's home in Chesterton which was a flurry of activity with make up and dress and tux fittings, etc.  

The mother of the bride certainly looks happy as she assist her daughter with her wedding dress...

The Catholic wedding ceremony took place at Saint Stanislaus church in Michigan City.  This vintage church has a spectacular view from the balcony...

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The Father of the bride beams with pride as he walks his daughter down the aisle...

We took family photos within the church and then went to Washington Park beach where the groom requested a shot of him and his new bride with the NIPSCO power plant in the background.  The billowing smoke and ominous clouds made for an edgy backdrop for the spiffed up groom and beautiful bride...

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The reception took place at the Senior Center banquet hall within Washington Park.  the groom and his mother share a few laughs on the dance floor...

A little later in the night, the happy couple took to the dance floor surrounded by friends and family.

Be sure to subscribe to this Journal via RSS on the right side of this page and to like SBV Photography on Facebook for more updates and images from Natalie and Greg's wedding in Michigan City, Indiana.

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What in the world is going on?!!  Studio baby pictures on a wedding site!!  Well, yes.  Every once in awhile I like to show my studio work here and since my past clients Thomas and Jo have been featured here before in a Chicago engagement session, this was the perfect opportunity to tell their story.

They were married in the Philipines last summer and I was unfortunately unable to photograph their wedding.  However, we had a great time at their winter Chicago Session.

A couple of weeks ago we were about to schedule a pregnancy session at my portrait studio in Crown Point.  On Easter Sunday, baby Kenzo just could not be contained any longer and they told me it was too late for the session - a new baby boy had now entered this world.  I was extremely honored that they chose me to photograph their newborn for the very first time.

The new mom and Dad certainly doted over their new arrival.  The portrait session didn't go uninterrupted though as Kenzo's feeding time came an hour before if you get the drift!!  That's okay, we do request that the baby be fed before hand as the newborns tend to be happier and more calm when they are not hungry.  If a mess occurs, that's life!!  Besides, it was Dad who got sprayed and not the photographer!!!

Only two weeks old, Kenzo's little hands are something to see next to his parents...

The image we were striving to get was the resting baby in a white basket surrounded by multi colored yarn ( he loved to grab that stuff).  It was a lot harder than it looks, but after several tries and a lot of patience, we finally got what we wanted.

Congratulations and a big thank you to TJ and Jo for bringing their bundle of joy to my studio to photograph.  Can't wait for the one year images next Easter!!

Back to more brides and grooms starting tomorrow!!

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Stacey and Steve were recenty married at Saint John the Evangelist Church in Saint John, Indiana.  This vintage, old church on Route 41 has some amazing architecture.  The bride and groom's family and friends filled the pews as the excited bride walked down the aisle with her parents on each arm.

Catholic ceremonies tend to give me enough time to take shots from all vantage points, like this photo of the wedding party all lined up off of the altar taken from the balcony of the church.

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Although most Catholic churches have restrictions on where the photographer can shoot from and external lighting is prohibited, classic wedding photos can be obtained.  The area where the bride and groom were praying was cloaked in darkness, but by shooting a silhouette and then adding some toning and vignette in post production, I was able to produce one of my favorite ceremony picture below.

The same technique was applied to this image of the groom assisting his bride off of the pews and back to the altar.

The focus isn't always on the bride and groom as this selective color image of the bridesmaids illustrates.

The sleepy flower girl was too cute to pass up.  She and the groomsmen get the vintage treatment on this wedding photo.

The bride and groom smile as one of their readers says a few words at the podium...

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The bride and groom made a fake getaway in the limousine before coming back in for formal family photos inside the beautiful church.  Check back soon for images from the formals of Stacey and Steve's Spring time wedding.

For more wedding images on the go, fire up the mobile browser on your iPhone, iPad or Android device and download the free Region Wedding Mobile App:

Download the free Region Weddings Mobile App:
http://moblalbum.com/124/gallery/1495  

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Michele and Nick ordered a large 16x20 Wall Print of the above image to display at their wedding reception this June.  As I had them outstretch their arms toward the Courthouse shoppes sign, they had no idea I would be placing their wedding date within the sign itself.  I saw the look of surprise as Michele watched their highlight video of the engagement session we did in the Crown Point Square.

We had discussed before hand of doing a lot of vintage scenes in the old downtwon area.  For the image below, we went for an antique effect of the young couple kissing with the old courthouse for a backdrop....

The bride to be really liked the idea of strolling around window shopping.  We did this engagement photo shoot on Easter Sunday so we practically had the Square all to ourselves.

The courtyard across from the old courthouse was empty and the couple embraced as we waited for the occasional car to pass by out of frame.

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We had a nice dramatic sky as the sun began to set.  Once again, a couple in love with the streets of Crown Point all to themselves.  Okay, a photographer with an assistant and a lighting rig as well.  Doesn't mean it was any less romantic!!  :)

The south east corner of the Square has a great little mini park in front of the What's the Scoop ice cream shop.  Perfect for some vintage looking, couple on the park bench type of photography.  This one has an early 1970's vibe to it.

As you can see from this street sign, I'll be seeing Michele and Nick again on June 9th for their wedding. Looking forward to a fun day with a terrific couple.

Today we have a sneak peek look at Aimee and Tim's Chicago Session engagement photos.  As is tradition with the Chicago Sessions package, my assistant and I met the couple at the East Chicago train station in Northwest Indiana for a romantic photo of the train arriving.  The commuters going to the city were kind enough to step out of the way so we could get an "alone" shot of Aimee and Tim on the platform embraced in a kiss.

Soon enough we were on the train, heading for downtown Chicago as I took candid shots on the moving train.

For this highly stylized engagement package, I shoot in color and then turn the images into black and white after the fact.  This enables me to offer both color and black and white versions.  The idea is to have vintage black and whites that look like old film and slides from classic street photography of the 1960's 1970's.  However, sometimes it's difficult to decide on some images.  The next shot with the State Street bridge in the background may be a better chopice in color to print large and hang on the soon to be married couple's wall.  I will let them decide...

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The city of Chicago has so many scenes for photograp[hy and one of favorites is to capture that street feel like this kiss with the Chicago Theater in the background...

We typically start at Randolph street and head toward the Chicago River and eventually make our way back to Millennium Park where we catch the train back.  A few minutes before we had to be back on our way to Northwest Indiana, just enough time for a piggy back ride beneath the fountains...

The Chicago cityscape always makes for a great backdrop.  Once again, color or black and white?  Mmmm....

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Many more images from Aimee and Tim's trek around Chicago for their engagement pictures.  Just a sneak peek for now.  Let's finish up with this close up shot on Michigan Avenue.

Many prospective wedding couples ask me if they get their wedding photos on a disc.  Yes, we deliver digital images on a disc.  However, we also have something even cooler.  Your very own Mobile App of Wedding Photos for iPhone, iPad and select Android smartphones.

Having a wedding album is terrific and in my mind a must have.  However, it's not something you will have with you at all times.  Imagine going to the salon and having the stylists ask you about your wedding.  Well, you can pull out your iPhone and show them on the spot.  Better yet, you can share with them within the app by sending the link out so they can download your very own wedding photo app for themselves!!  Sharing the App is free and does NOT require an App Store of any kind.

All of my 2012 wedding clients will be receiving a standard version of their very own wedding photo app.  This standard version will be a dozen images selected by me.  The premium version will have 24 images selected by the bride and groom for a one time fee of $19.99.  It can then be shared for no additional charge to as many people as you would like.

NOTE: Use your Mobile Browser for the following sample Apps.  For fastest download use a wi-fi connection.

Download the free Region Weddings Mobile App:
http://moblalbum.com/124/gallery/1495  

Download the free Region Weddings Engagement  App for iPhone, iPad & Android:

http://moblalbum.com/124/gallery/2004 

Here is an example of a recent client's standard app:

Jessica and Allen: New Years Eve Wedding

If you are a past client and would like to have an app made for your wedding or engagement session, please fill out my contact form and let me know.

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Stephanie and Steve were married just last week at Saint John the Evangelist Church in St. Joh, Indiana.  This sneak peek will cover a few images from the Catholic ceremony as well as getting ready at Riah Hair Salon, formal shots near the Shrine of Christ's Passion as well as the party at Munster Center for the Performing Arts.

When I walked into Riah Hair Salon in St. John, the girls were already getting their hair done and chatting about the wedding day festivities.

The salon was for hair only and I took this image of the bride and her mom just before they all went over to St. John Evangelist to put on their dresses and make up.

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I put the bridesmaids to work by asking them to hold up the wedding dress in front of the altar while hiding behind it.  They did a great job and we ended up with this floating wedding dress photo.

Our bride Stacey was all joy as she walked down the aisle with her parents on the way to meet her groom Steve.  The catholic ceremony was held at the classic St. John Evangelist on 93rd Avenue and Wicker Ave. in St. John, Indiana.

Several friends and family members read during the hour long ceremony at the gorgeous church.

The choir balcony offered up a wonderful view of the packed church...

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After family photos inside the church, we drove down the road on Wicker Ave. and took formal shots near the Shrine of Christ's Passion.  Stacey looks resplendent in her wedding dress on the edge of the hilltop.

Dad took his daughter for several spins on the dance floor at The Munster Center for the Performing Arts on Ridge Rd. in Munster, Indiana.  This home to theater also seconds as an elegant wedding reception venue.

After dinner it was party time for the bride and groom and their guests...

Many more images to come for Stacey and Steve's wedding in St. John, IN.  This is merely a sneak peek.  Stay tuned to this Journal for more updates as well as the SBV Photography Facebook page.

Click here to Download the Region Weddings Mobile App for iPhone, iPad and select Android devices.