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.

Engagement Photos at Deep River Park

August 14, 2013 Steve Vansak

A loving couple poses in front of pretty and exotic flowers at Deep river Park for their summer engagement photo.

Ryan and Jamie are getting married this coming October and will be decorating to compliment the Fall colors. For their engagement photos at Deep River Park it appeared the famed wedding destination had jumped ahead a season. We had lots of wonderful greenery, but also a hint of fall in the various leaves flying as they strolled in front of the gazebo at the fabled Northwest Indiana scenic hotspot.

A couple in love stroll in front of the gazebo at Deep River Park in Hobart, Indiana during an engagement photo session.

While we were there to take pretty photographs to display at the couple's reception at The Patrician in Schererville later this year, we also wanted to capture some of the wonderful textures that Deep River Park has to offer. The Sugar Shack gave us just that...

An engaged couple poses alongside an old barn in Valparaiso, Indiana.

A candid engagement photo on the bench in front of the Sugar Shack in Deep River Park.

You don't get away with engagement photos at Deep River without an image with the old water wheel as your backdrop. The river was especially green this summer day as well.

A couple poses alongside the water wheel at Deep River Park for their engagement photo.

An engaged couple cuddles as greenery reflects onto  the river water in the background. — An engaged couple cuddles as greenery reflects onto the river water in the background.

Our groom to be, Ryan, found this brick wall compelling for a photograph, as did I. A little grunge alongside the picturesque photos will make for a nice contrast in an engagement book.

An engaged couple poses against a grungy brick wall at Deep River County Park.

Our final series of the session took place in the vast green fields toward the back of Deep River County Park. I left the couple alone to kiss, talk and embrace. It was a perfect ending to a very fun engagement photo session.

A couple embraces in a large green field in the depths of Deep River Park.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek at Ryan and Jamie's engagement photos at Deep River Park. for more imagery and updates, please visit and like the Facebook Page.

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.

A romantic couple blows kisses to each other in downtown Chicago during their night time engagement photo session.

Save the Date Postcards and Magnets

March 28, 2013 Steve Vansak

When I'm making engagement photos in various settings around Northwest Indiana and Chicago, I try to take a wide variety of shots. This comes in handy for a couple's Save the Date Postcards or Save the Date Magnets. This gives them a variety of options for when I custom design the product.

Todd and Krystyne chose The Chicago Sessions Engagement Package and while they received an engagement book of all the featured black and whites, color versions for were used for the designed 5x7 postcards. These are card stock quality and I usually order them printed on pearl paper from my lab. Since they come with envelopes, both sides are custom designed and printed in color. They really are breathtaking. Your guests will keep them for years to come as they do not fade with a protective coating just like professional lab prints.

Here are the front and back sided of Josh and Amanda's newly made Save the Date postcards. I just sent these out for printing...

Save the Date Magnets are 4in. by 4in. in size and are also custom designed and tailored toward each couple.

If you need space for a custom quote or message to your guests, the Save the Date Postcards are the way to go. I usually place this message on the back of the card along with another engagement photo or two.

Current clients can order their Save the Date Cards or Magnets in the Region Weddings Online Store. Here are the product links below...