Archive for 2010

Coco & Sean // Peoria Engagement Session

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Ahhhh…warm, glowey, beautiful sunlight! I loved this session almost as much as the couple…almost! I’m pretty fond of these two, though! Coco is my younger cousin…yes…that’s right…another cousin, and I pretty much adore her! And I have gotten the chance to get to know Sean over the last few months and I have to say I’m pretty excited about him joining the “cousin-in-law” club!! We hit up a few spots including a gorgeous wooded area, the Peoria riverfront, and the Starbucks where Coco and Sean had their first date and where they later got engaged. This may have been one of my favorite shoots in a while. Amazing light, great locations, awesome couple and I’m sure by now you’ve noticed the real star of the show…Coco’s eyes! Are you kidding me with these?? They may have actually captured a tiny part of my soul that day. Just sayin’. I was also pretty thrilled to tag-team with my incredibly talented photographer cousin, Ali on this. She definitely rocked out some great shots!

Coco and Sean, I’m so excited for your wedding and your life together!!

Rachel & Brian // Chicago Engagement Session

Monday, November 29th, 2010

We ventured out for Brian and Rachel’s session on what turned out to be the perfect Fall day! I absolutely loved my time with these two! They are so clearly head over heels for each other and they are possibly two of the nicest and most fun people you will meet. They had so many awesome ideas of places around the city that were significant to them. Between The Lincoln Park Zoo, Lincoln Park Conservatory,  North Ave Beach, Millenium Park, Wicker Park and even a little trip to see the sail boats at the harbor, I’d say we covered quite a bit of Chicago. I’m just sad we weren’t able, in the end, to execute Brian’s brilliant idea….tailgating at the Bears game! It would have been fun, but alas…too many great places, too little time. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to spend the day with these two and catch a glimpse into the awesomeness that is Brian and Rachel!

Ryan & Cara // Chicago Wedding Photography // Mid-America Club

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

I am always amazed at how fast a year can go by! It was one year ago today that one of my favorite couples was married. I never got the chance to blog Cara and Ryan’s wedding after it happened, but it’d be a shame to not share how fantastic they looked and what a great time their wedding was! The Ceremony was held at the beautiful Holy Family Church on Roosevelt Road, with a reception to follow at the spectacular Mid-America Club on the 8th floor of the Aon Center. We also got the chance to venture around town and even snap a few pics in The Rookery Building (one of my favorite architectural structures in Chicago). I was lucky enough to have my dear friend and amazingly talented photographer, Stevi Savage of Avery House Creative, helping me on this wedding. Her creativity and artistic eye never cease to amaze me!

This wedding was a particularly fun one for me! Cara and I graduated from high school together, so it was really fun to get the chance to reconnect with her through the wedding process, not to mention getting the chance to see her amazing family and several old friends! And Ryan…well, that guy is just plain cool! I’m so glad I got the chance to meet him and get to know he and Cara as a couple! They are both such incredible people! Happy one year anniversary, Cara and Ryan! Here’s to infinitely more!!

The Altorfer Family // Peoria Lifestyle Family Photography

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

I had the chance a couple of weeks ago to spend some extended time back in Peoria (my hometown). It’s always fun to be back for a little while especially when I get to spend a lot of time with my family! During this visit I got to do a family session for my cousin Joe and his family. I adore these guys!!! Seriously! Joe is one of favorite cousins. Somewhere along the way in life he transitioned from just being my cousin to being one of my best friends. We have worked together, volunteered together, were in elementary school together for a while and even took a class in college together. Sometimes I feel like he is more like a brother to me than a cousin. And I could not have been more excited when Joe married Kari, because she is AWESOME!! We connected right away and have become great friends! I love her! I suppose it’s not surprise that their kids are so amazing too!! The boys absolutely crack me up!! And their newest little addition, Elana is so stinkin adorable I can hardly stand it!! I had such a blast hanging out with and photographing them! I just wish I got to see them all more often. Aaand I can pretty much bank on the fact that I will be getting plenty of  ”well you could if you’d come back more often!” responses to that, but I’ll say it anyway.  Thanks Altorfers! Love you guys!!

Jenn from Jennifer Kathryn Photography joined me on this shoot too. I am so thankful to have had her talent and creative eye along! I included a few of my favorite shots of hers from the session as well!

Here are a few of my favorites from Jenn

Jessie & Eric // Five Years and Counting… // An Anniversary Session

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

“Honored” would be an understated word to describe how I felt  when Jessie of  Simply Jessie Photography asked me to be a part of capturing a 5 year anniversary celebration for her and her husband and Eric! It really was such an amazing experience for me because: 1) If you’ve ever seen Jessie and Eric’s work you will know they are brilliant photographers 2) If you’ve ever met Jessie and Eric you will know they are just plain awesome and 3) If you have had the opportunity to get to know them at all you will know that they are madly in love and have an absolutely beautiful, real, and inspiring marriage. To celebrate 5 amazing years together, Jessie and Eric decided to venture out into the woods with their original vows in hand, a few momentos from their 5 yeas as a married couple, and a meal made up of their favorite foods and drinks.

I’m loving that I got to venture back up to Michigan (this time to the magnificent Warren Woods), and once again got to work with the fabulous Kelly from Fleur, who I am pretty convinced at this point can do no wrong creatively! I mean, seriously, are you kidding with these arrangements?? The boutonniere and the bouquet were uniquely created with Jessie and Eric and their wedding in mind, including cotton (Jessie and Eric were married on a southern plantation), thistle (signifying the song Jessie walked down the isle to), and twine (Eric proposed to Jessie with a piece of twine on her finger). And I always, always love shooting along side Jenn from Jennifer Kathryn Photography because she is ridiculously talented aaaand because she is one of my favorite people in the world! Suzy of Lily Red Design custom designed some gorgeous printed pieces including a sign, a menu and Jessie and Eric’s original vows. I was super excited to get to photograph and see first-hand some of her incredible work!

Jessie and Eric, I’m so thankful to have been a part of your special day and even more thankful to be able to call you two friends! Thanks so much for inviting me to be a part of this! Happy Anniversary!