Walk the beach with Rebecca and Jack

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Rebecca and Jack met at Hillside Church in Crown Point, Indiana.  Jack proposed to her at The Dunes beach area in Gary, Indiana.  So, for their engagement shots, they decided to capture both settings.

We started the session at Hillside Church where we tried environmental portraits to show the church and it's scenery, but also some close up portraits.

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The happy couple chose this hugging shot as their wall portrait....

This next image seemed to be begging for a painterly like texture to it....

I always like to have my couples in some walking shots where they are gazing at each other and unaware of the camera.  

I'm so glad Rebecca and Jack chose an engagement session as this will make their wedding images go even smoother as they will be fully comfortable with me on their big day.

Next up was The Dunes beach area off of Lake Michigan.  It was important to them to capture the area where Jack proposed and Rebecca obviously said "yes".  

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Here we go with the classic walking along the shore shot...

We got caught up in some Northwest Indiana traffic on the way to the beach so we arrived there later than planned.  This was okay because we ended up with some great color in the sky.

This silhouette with the blue toned sky was picked as the back cover for Rebecca and Jack's engagement book.

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Congratulations to Rebecca and Jack.  See you guys in October for your Fall Wedding.

Chicago Session: Megan and Austin

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Let's take a tour of a Chicago Session with recent clients Megan and Austin.  Above is a shot of the Cadillac Palace in the Theatre District.  It was here that Austin had proposed to Megan.  I will be their wedding photographer for their Fall 2010 wedding.  We headed to to this area as soon as our South Shore train pulled into the Randolph Station.

The Chicago Sessions are gritty, black and white shots made to look like old film.  The idea is to capture the urban flavor of Chicago and melding it with the interest of the couple - in this case The Chicago Cubs.  The shot below is an entrance to Cubs park.  It's been given that cinematic, grainy look.

All images are available in color as well as their black and white versions.  Here is a good comparison of two similar shots with a color and then black and white treatment.

 

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The traditional beginning shot of the Chicago Sessions is the arrival of the South Shore train.  Usually folks waiting for the train realize that an engagement photo session is ongoing and will walk around us to board the train.

 

I hide out and play like the paparazzi as the couple interacts...

Megan and Austin had seen my Chicago Theatre collage of Chris and Elise and asked for something similar with Wrigley Field.

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 Our last shots of the day are usually around Millennium Park and then we catch the train back to Northwest Indiana.

 

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Blowin' In From Chicago

I had a successful Premiere Night with Megan and Austin last night.  We all had a great time shooting in downtown Chicago a few weeks ago.  While all their images are available in color, Megan and Austin chose to stay with the Chicago Sessions concept of gritty, cinematic black and whites.  These images are purposefully made to have an old, grainy film like quality to them.

I've only included some of the shots in this video for brevity's sake.  So, sit back and enjoy this 2 minute video collage.  It's got some great music in it too!!

For a larger version, go to this link:

The Chicago Sessions: Megan and Austin

Anthony and Beth: Around The Square

Anthony and Beth are getting married in the winter of next year in Crown Point, Indiana.  We wanted to have a little hometown flavor to their engagement shots so we decided to take a stroll around the Downtown Square.

The above image was taken beneath the sign of the Courthouse Shoppes.  Something about the red in the sign and the greenery attracted me.  I had them sit down and talk and kiss to hopefully catch them in a candid, relaxed moment. We took a number of shots, but this one and a kissing image were the best of the bunch.

The above image is the steps of the old courthouse.  I saw the blue and the trees reflecting in the glass and again had them just "hang out" by the railing.  Another "soft focus" shot with lots of color.

Here's a simple one that I chose to put here just because I think they look great right here - just natural and happy.  Sometimes simple portraits are the way to go.

I know it was difficult for Beth and Anthony to get comfortable kissing with myself, my assistant and numerous cars passing by.  I think they got the hang of it!!  This is an "almost there" kiss with some giggling for good measure.  Believe it or not, it was quite chilly at this point.

Since we were in an old Indiana town, I thought some retro looking, old style images would be nice.  This one features desaturated colors with a white vignette around the edges.  Trying to evoke the look of Crown Point, Indiana circa 1972.

We ended up at one of my favorite spots - the plaza / alley next to The Circle restaurant.  This one is just before dusk and they might as well be embracing, as the temperature was starting to really dip.

In January, we will revisit the Square for some winter bride and groom shots starring once again - Anthony and Elizabeth!!  To view the entire gallery of engagement pictures, visit Anthony and Beth: Around The Square.