Wedding and Engagement Videos

Now that the Northwest Indiana wedding photography season is over, I thought it was time to update my highlight videos of various weddings from the past several years.  I also got busy and updated the Engagement Sampler video as well.  

These style of videos are what clients see on Premiere Nights when I invite them here to the studio to view their wedding photos.  Snacks and refreshments are served and friends and family are welcome.  We view their very own highlight video and then look through the images one by one.  The newlyweds then will pick out images for their wedding albums covers and we discuss the color scheme and how they envision me designing the book.

Right now, I invite you to provide your own refreshments and check out my work.  The images here span outdoor Crown Point weddings to vineyards in Michigan to Grant Park in Chicago.

Northwest Indiana Wedding Photographer - Highlight Reel (click to view full screen)

Our double feature also includes engagement photography ranging from the beaches of Lake Michigan to Millennium Park and Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Northwest Indiana Wedding Photographer - Engagement Photos (click to view full screen)

Look for an upcoming post detailing the wedding photography year in review.

Ceremony at Bethel Church

I first met Kelley and Marcus at the Wicker Park Bridal Show in Munster, Indiana.  One of the first questions they asked me was how I would go about photographing an African American wedding and darker skinned people in general.  That was a great question as dark skinned people very often suffer at the hands of inexperienced photographers with nuclear bomb like flash thrown upon them as well as other photographic sins.

Without getting needlessly technical, as I take you through Marcus and Kelley's wedding day from Bethel Church in Gary, Indiana to the Centennial Park clubhouse in Munster, you will notice the wonderful skin tones and lack of hot spots upon their skin.  I take great care to soften the light when using flash and to also look for great natural light as well.  When the harsh lights of a church aren't something we can avoid, then a bit of work in the digital darkroom is in order.

While Kelley was getting ready in the rooms below the regal church, the groom was busy getting his groomsmen their buttoners as ceremony time approached.  The cute flower girl roamed the aisle of church pew while keeping an eye on my camera lens.  She was always ready for a smile!!

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Bethel Temple church in Gary is a large and beautiful room that filled with family and friends for Marcus and Kelley's wedding day.  The bride's father is a pastor and her both gave her away and performed the ceremony!!

The traditional puring of the sand took place and was color coordinated to match the bride's color of choice - ruby red.

The pastor (and father of the bride) told the groom to kiss his daughter, but not to go on for too long.  :)

We started with family photos inside the church after the ceremony before taking off to Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana.

Centennial Park was a bit chilly in October, but the bride and groom braved it for some wedding photos by the lake and it's wonderful fountain.

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After arriving at the clubhouse, Kelley immediately went inside to see her decorated room.  She was very excited to see all that she had planned come to life.

Several family members and friends took to the microphone to good naturedly roast the happy couple before dinner and dancing began.

The grooms mom got a bit emotional during the parent's dance while Kelley and her dad laughed it up.

A big thank you to Marcus and Kelley for entrusting me to capture their big day.  Can't wait to do those studio newborn shots we talked about!!  Also, special thanks to their wedding coordinator Mia Mack who helped my assistant and I gather groups together and more.

Black and White Chicago Engagement Photos

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If you have visited here before, you know that The Chicago Sessions one of my favorite engagement photo sessions to do.  We walk around to various areas of the city and shoot street photography.  Everything is in color and then I take it into the digital darkroom and give it the vintage black and white treatment.  the idea is to have engagment photos that our cinematic in nature with a tribute to street photography of the 1960's.  It's very romantic and a big hit with all who sign up for the session.

Krystyne and Todd's recent trip to the windy city had my assistant and i following them as they strolled through the downtown area and occasionally posing them in front of various landmarks such as these skyscrapers with the American flag as a backdrop.

Since it was Fall, playing in the leaves in Millennium Park was definitely on the agenda.  We brought along a chalboard with the happy couple's wedding date written across it.  A perfect image for the Save the Date magnets they are getting with their Deluxe Wedding Package.

This almost there silhouette kiss is one of my favorites from the park as they were descending up the stairs and the roar of the city just around the corner.

We shot in the late afternoon, but with some camera trickery and the shadows of the tall buildings upon us, we got this night time engagement photo with the street lamps aglow.  

In a similar syle, the steamy kiss in the doorway of a downtown building will look great in the engagement book the couple will be displaying at their wedding reception.

I saw this crooked one way sign out of the corner of my eye and thought it would make a creative image to signify Krystyne's one way heart toward her man.

Krystyne asked for a shot of her ring with Cloud Gate (aka The Bean) in the background and we happily obliged.

Another image that will look great in their engagement album is this sunglass kiss photo.

We took a rest deep inside Millennium Park and it was a perfect time to break out the engement chalboard once again and to kick back on park benches for a while.

If I come across a row of bicycles like this on State Street, there is no doubt I'm going to use it as a prop and a way to show the fun and surpising time we always have doing engagement shoots in Chicago.  

These black and white Chicago engagement photos are meant to be timeless.  I want you to look back in 20 years and marvel at the beauty of the city and the wondrful time we spent on your engagement shoot. They will certainly be unique as friends and family peruse them during the holidays and they grab for the album off of your bookshelf.

Outdoor Wedding Ceremony at Ogden Garden in Valparaiso

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Maureen and Brett held their outdoor fall wedding ceremony at the beautiful Ogden Gardens in Valparaiso, Indiana.  It's tucked away in a neighborhood in the northern section of town.  It's a bit of a secret garden for Northwest Indiana weddings, but can get booked up quickly in the Autumn with all of it's Fall color.

The day started at the nearby house of the bride's parents.  Her brother was helping out with the tying of the dress and having a few laughs with Maureen's proud mom and the bridesmaids looking on.

Before leaving for the ceremony, we stepped outside into the nice Fall scenery for family photos with the bride's parents along with the cute flower girl.

When we arrived at Ogden Garden, there was a flurry of acitivity including a string trio playing soft classical music and family members helping out the groom's grandmother with her flower lapel.

Soon the outdoor wedding ceremony began with an overflow crowd of friends and family looking on.

While there were a few teary eyed moments, for the most part the fun natured couple had many a smile as they exchanged vows in the afternoon sun.

After the ceremony, the couple took a romantic stroll along the picturesque Ogden Garden walkway.

For some fun wedding party photos, we made a detour to the beach before going to the party at Cloister in the Woods reception hall.

Not to be outdone, the groom gets lifted by the bridesmaids at Indiana Dunes in an homage to the bride's fun photo.

If i could have wrestled it from the beach goers hands, i'd have had the groomsmen flying these kites.  Instead I had them do the classic Reservoir Dogs walk toward the camera with the kites flying high above their heads.

Congratulations to Maureen and Brett for their marriage at the beautiful Ogden Gardens in Valparaiso!!