Brandon and Jackie's Fall Engagement Session

December 9, 2010 Steve Vansak

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As noted by the date on the image above, Brandon and Jackie will be married on September, 17th 2011. I will be there to document their big day from start to finish. For now, let's take a look at a sampling of their engagement session just this past Fall.

As I type this with a daytime high of 15 degrees, it's hard to believe that a few short weeks ago, Jackie and Brandon were walking freely at Coffee Creek Park with no jackets and her in short sleeves.

We took these shots in late Fall and some of the foliage had started to fade, but we still ended up with some great Autumn colors.

Brandon certainly has a height advantage on Jackie and here are versions where I accented that and diffused it a little by having them on the bench. Either way, I really liked having them looking at each other in many shots. I like the closeness it portrays as well as some giggling moments captured throughout our hour long stroll through Coffee Creek Park.

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Outdoor engagement sessions in the Fall definitely focus on color, but this one seemed like it would make a good black and white image. Of course, the color version is available as well. Jackie and Brandon got both, by ordering a custom designed book containing all of their shots.

Back to more color shots, definitely digging the fiery orange against the blue sky in this one. Hold that kiss guys!!!

Okay, I admit I placed these two against this tree with the country houses in the background, but this playful moment is totally candid and one of my favorites from the session.

As the daylight wound down and the sun was setting, we climbed up a hill at Coffee Creek Park and took this shot on the loneliest bench in the whole place. A perfect way to end the session.

Congratulations on the engagement guys!! See you next year to discuss the wedding in more detail. Let's shoot for some more Fall colors on the big day!!!

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Megan and Austin's Fall Wedding Pt.4 - Reception at The Patrician

December 7, 2010 Steve Vansak

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After our formal shots at St. Michael's Church and then the Ellendale Farms neighborhood in Crown Point, the wedding party, myself and my assistant made our way to The Patrician on Rt. 30 in Schererville. While the wedding party relaxed upstairs, I began taking detail shots of their decor including a "photo table" which included family snapshots as well as some of the engagement pictures that we had done a few months earlier in Chicago.

The night started with introductions. I had a feeling we'd be seeing some fun appearances from the wedding party and they did not disappoint...

Austin and Megan immediately went to the cake cutting with all of their friends looking on...

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As is my custom, I did not take any shots of guests during dinner. More detail shots were taken and soon it would be time for first dances.

Megan's Father is a fun guy and he had her all smiles during their father and daughter dance..

Okay, it's party time!! For the first shot below I laid flat on the ground. Thanks to everyone for not stepping on me and I hope I didn't scare these girls too much either!!

I love that the DJ played many slow songs as I was able to roam around and catch tender moments like this...

This was a crowd that was NOT going to sit on it's hands!! A very fun celebration to say the least...

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No alcohol was served at this reception. Okay, that's a lie...

I love to catch the bride on the dance floor in candid moments. It took awhile as Megan visited and chatted with many of her guests. However, once she got going...

I got this one of the happy couple toward the end of the night and they chose it for the back cover of their wedding album. A great, fun candid moment...

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Click on this link to view all the galleries of Austin and Megan's Fall Wedding.

Megan and Austin's Fall Wedding Pt.3 (Formals)

December 6, 2010 Steve Vansak

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After the ceremony at St. Michael's Church, we corralled immediate family together for posed shots around the altar. I tend to go conservative for these shots as we are in a place of worship and I want to be respectful at all times. It's not a hard and fast rule, but we usually take the wedding party out on location for "looser" shots at a local park, the beach or wherever we decide beforehand.

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Here is one of my favorites and the image chosen by Megan and Austin for the front cover of their wedding album.

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We then trekked out to Ellendale Farms in Crown Point, Indiana which is a very picturesque neighborhood with a large gazebo in the middle of it. At this point their was still a threat of rain and storms but they never did materialize. We had the gazebo to hide under if it did rain. Our Plan B were the umbrellas I brought and also shooting in the lobby of the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza. This is where Megan and Andrew would be staying for their first night as man and wife. The weather held up so we never went to the hotel.

I decided to use the ominous sky as a backdrop for the groom and his groomsmen...

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One of my favorite images of the bride Megan....

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This wedding party was certainly a fun one and it shows in even these more "serious" group shots...

Many more shots of Austin and Megan's Fall Wedding can be found at my alter ego, the SBV Photography website. Stay tuned for the next installment where we take a look at some highlights from the Reception at The Patrician in Schererville, Indiana.

Megan and Austin's Fall Wedding Pt.2 (The Ceremony)

December 3, 2010 Steve Vansak

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Austin and Megan were married at St. Michael's Church in Schererville, Indiana. It is a building with wonderful architecture so I tried to capture that along with the emotional moments that occur during a ceremony. This is why I usually have two cameras strapped to me. One shooting wide and the other with a zoom lens to get up close, but yet not be obtrusive. Here is a sampling of both.

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Megan and her parents were beaming as they made their entrance. I got a number of different shots of their walk out, but this is my favorite. As soon as they passed me, I immediately turned around for a wide shot as demonstrated by the "kissing Dad" image below.

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From taking their engagement shots earlier in the year, I had gotten to know Austin and Megan and I know there would be plenty of candid moments with whispered laughs such as these...

And from meeting family members during the Getting Ready part of the day, I could see how important they all were to each other. So I knew we'd have tender moments such as this...

The shadows on the wall were quite striking as our rain filled day began to let in some sun. I thought it would make for a great black and white image as well...