Cityscape Engagement Photos In Downtown Chicago

November 3, 2014 Steve Vansak

A cityscape engagement photo of downtown Chicago.

When I met Derrick and Michelle in downtown Chicago, I asked them what flavor they were going for in their engagement photos in the windy city. Michelle wanted "urban, gritty city shots" and Derrick wanted "grand, beautiful cityscapes" featuring the skyline and Lake Michigan. Then they both said "whatever you want honey". We did both. :)

I will be photographing their wedding next October and since Michelle regularly attends events at the Chicago Theater, it was only right to get some images there along with other gritty parts of downtown such as alleys and some hotel hollywood lighting as well.

A photo collage of engagement photos in downtown Chicago.

While I always try to capture romanticism in my engagement photos and cute and fun are always good too, I like to do different as well. As we were walking along the Lake Michigan shore I saw the dramatic sky behind the Adler building and placed the happy couple up on the ledge and let them hang out for awhile. I loved the blue tone reflected in the windows from the sky and the water. I also love their wonderful smiles as well.

A cute couple hangs out behind the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

This October has been the busiest month for engagement sessions that I have ever had and many more engagement and wedding sneak peeks to come. If you would like to learn more about this type of Chicago Engagement Session or to inquire about availability for your wedding date, please fill out the Contact Form today. Stay tuned to this page for more image updates as well.

City skyscrapers as seen from the Millennium Gardens in this Chicago engagement photo.

Indian American Engagement Celebration

August 5, 2014 Steve Vansak

Indian and American bride and groom at their engagement party.

When Dr. Abbas called me to discuss photographing his son's engagement celebration I was very excited by the idea. I had done Indian celebrations in the past and they are always spectacular affairs and I love capturing the color and the decor. It was a terrific meeting with him and his family and when the day finally came my assistant and i couldn't have hoped for a better welcome.

I started by capturing candids of arriving guests and then we stepped around the property in Dyer, Indiana for engagement portraits of Amir and Taylor, our happy couple.

Amir and Taylor in front of a gorgeous fountain of the the home of the groom's father.

This Indian American engagement celebration was filled with food, laughter and love. Children played and adults mingled as I captured the event reportage style.

A mom playfully encourages her child to eat a delicious banana at an engagement party in Northwest Indiana.

Amir and Taylor were to exchange gifts on a stage specially built inside the home as friends and family looked on. Amir placed the ring upon his bride and she presented him with a beautiful luxury watch. Taylor's American family and her soon to be Indian family were both present on the stage. As Dr. Abbas stated in his terrific speech, we are a melting pot of people and cultures. The engagement celebration was a terrific example of this.

A collage of images from an Indian American engagement party.

An engagement ring and luxury Swiss watch.

Dr. Mohammed Abbas gives a heartfelt speech at his son's engagement celebration.

After the ceremony, dinner was served and it was time for family photographs. A terrific time was had by all and soon they will be together once again for the wedding of Amir and Taylor.

Exchanging of the rings at an Indiana American engagement ceremony.

Family portrait of the soon to be bride and groom with his parents.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Amir and Taylor's Indian American engagement celebration. Subscribe to this page below or the Region Weddings Facebook page for more updates.

Once again, congratulations to Amir and Taylor!!

An Indian and American engaged couple.ngagemente

Engagement Session at my Crown Point Portrait Studio

September 6, 2013 Steve Vansak

As the photographer, it's my job to keep the flow and positive vibes going no matter what type of session I'm doing. They say the camera looks both ways and since I'm not a sour person I have no problems bringing a littler personality out of my clients. Maggie and Joe were recently in for an engagement session in my Crown Point studio and they turned the tables on me!! At one point I had to put the camera aside as they had me laughing so much. In short, it was a fun session...

A couple laughs it up for a fun engagement photo in a Crown Point portrait studio.

A cute couple poses for an engagement photo in studio.

I will be photographing the fun loving couple's wedding this November and they wanted some nice portraits to display in the lobby of The Patrician where their wedding and reception are being held. They will also be using a few in video slideshow that will chronicle their lives together.

A bride to be shows off her ring in a studio engagement photo taken in Crown Point, Indiana.

We took a variety of images on simple backgrounds of white, black and blue. This is merely a sneak peek with many more to come. I'll end with one where I told Joe to whisper in Maggie's ear which brought a big old cheesy grin to her face. I can't wait to photograph their big day!!

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The groom to be whispers into his bride to be's ear during a studio engagement session.

Chicago Engagement Photos At Night

June 9, 2013 Steve Vansak

A romantic couple cuddles in a Chicago alley way at night for their engagement photos.

Eunjin and Matt are the very definition of a sweet couple. I was very happy that they chose The Chicago Sessions as their engagement photo package. This highly stylized session features a half day spent roaming the city cuddling, kissing, and enjoying the unpredictability and endless backdrops that the windy city provides. I shoot in color and then turn them all into film like black and white images. To see more of these sessions, please visit the Chicago Sessions gallery page.

For Eunjin and Matt's romantic walk around Chicago, I decided to split the photos with some late day pictures combined with night photography. For today's sneak peek, we will concentrate on the night time shots. Consider night photography for your engagement photos for a unique look. Even if you do a local session, we have many old downtown areas in Northwest Indiana that would work well.

A cute couple poses on the streets of Chicago for a close up engagement portrait with street lights of the city in the background.

Matt proposed to Eunjin on a bench inside Millennium Park, so going to Chicago really made sense for them. As the sun began to set, I made sure to get some close up portraits and take advantage of the streetlights that were beginning to turn on all around us.

While walking Michigan Avenue, car headlights filled up the magnificent mile for another ambient city backdrop.

A couple gazes at each other on Michigan Avenue during their engagement photo session as night begins to fall with car headlights as the background.

The windy city has many great hotels in the downtown Loop area and I've always loved the ambient light that comes from their entrances. We decided to get a little artistic with Eunjin hamming it up while Matt cooly observes in the back ground...

A beautiful asian woman poses for an engagement photo at a Chicago hotel entrance while her fiancé looks on in the distance.

We began to make our way down State Street to catch the return train back when I spotted this median with a bench surrounded by trees, Looked like the perfect spot for our couple to cuddle up.

A couple poses on a bench in downtown Chicago for this romantic night time engagement photo.

Hey, nothing says love like a graffiti artist painting out the word, right?!! :)

We took advantage of this city artwork with this fun loving photo of the happy couple blowing kissed to each other. This was our last shot before boarding the train back to Indiana. Many more images to come from this session, including the black and white versions. Stay tuned here or check in on the social media sites like Facebook listed below for more images from Matt and Eunjin's romantic night time engagement session in downtown Chicago.