Jori & Jeff

We shot Jori and Jeff's wedding last month. Unbelievably fun. This is yet another validation of my first rule for great wedding photos: choose a photographer you click with.

Below are some of my favorites. You can also view a slide show if you prefer.



We met the bridal party and Jeff at one of the bridesmaid's houses where they were getting ready. Jori arrived via limo with her mom. When the bride and groom see each other prior to the wedding, you not only get better opportunities for photographs, but the rest of your day flows much easier.




We went inside for a quiet moment in the foyer.



On to the ceremony, where Jori's grandfather and Jeff's father were the celebrants.


It was an outdoor reception in Geneva, Illinois. Beautiful day!



Never saw this before. They had a bluegrass band from Wisconsin. It was "call out" dancing where the band taught the crowd how to do the dance, then everybody participates. It's one way to keep the dance floor full!



Thank you Jori and Jeff!

Monica & Chris 6/7/08

Monica and Chris were married at Kemper Lakes Golf Club in Illinois. June 7th was one of those days where the sun was shining one moment, then thunderstorms popped up the next. It's difficult to photograph under constantly changing lighting conditions, not to mention going (running!) from outdoors to inside.






The ceremony had to be moved indoors but we managed to get some outside formals and candids in between the showers. In fact, due to a tornado warning during dinner, all the guests had to leave their tables and head down to the basement for 20 minutes. That was a first for us!



Through it all, Monica and Chris were wonderful sports and kept their cool. Their family and friends were fantastic too! When the evacuation announcement came, most guests stood up, grabbed their wine glasses and bottles, and calmly walked downstairs. Their spirits and humor translated into beautiful pictures that they will cherish for a lifetime.


If you would like to see more than these few favorites, check out their slide shows: pre-ceremony, ceremony, reception.

Ballet Recital

If you can't take beautiful pictures of ballerinas, it's time to hang up the camera and figure out something else to do. Every May, I have the privilege of taking portraits at the Company-C Dance Studio in Lemont Illinois. The girls range in age from 4 to 16. The sittings are scheduled a few weeks prior to their big end-of-year dance recital, so it gives the girls a chance to try on their costumes and makeup. I structure the portraits so that the girls are done in 10-20 minutes, but they still receive a full session tailored for them. There's much more individual attention than the typical team or event photo session. We mix it up between headshots and full lengths, and throw in a couple different background options to boot.


The proofs from the individual sessions are ready for pickup at the rehearsal the day before the recital. At the rehearsal, I take class pictures and some action shots. My daughter Lucie is in the troop, so I look forward to the show. Enjoy these sample pics.

Fun family portrait session

Business is picking up as we finally start to get the nice Spring weather we earned after that long Chicago winter. I'd like to share some favorites from a recent family portrait session.

Kelly, Eric, and their son, Ryan, plus their extended family, had me over in early May. The inside of their house was very cozy. "Cozy" for a photographer means "very tight with a lot of furniture to move." With the weather being damp and cold combined with 3 kids under the age of 3, that meant making the cramped quarters work.

With all our portrait sessions, we try to do a scouting trip and client consultation ahead of time so we have a rough idea of what we're going for. Kelly's main goals were to 1) get a picture of her and her siblings, and 2) a family portrait of her, Eric, and Ryan. Anything else was a bonus.

Fine. I setup the lights inside for the "formal" portraits, and readied another camera to capture the candids that occur whenever kids are around. I started off with a formal shot of the siblings, then followed this up with other shots of the kids and various combinations depending upon which kid wasn't melting down at the time. (Photographers who only take pictures of adults have it easy!)




To break things up, I suggested the adults step outside for a few minutes for some more casual shots. When I asked Kelly about her siblings, she said she wanted a portrait that captured their playful relationship. I think I did that here.








Finally, we came back inside and I took more shots of whoever was willing to get in front of the camera. But I also saw Ryan being lit by some beautiful natural window light, so I asked Kelly to go outside and play peak-a-boo, and managed to capture this image. Those eyes tell the story.







Since Ryan was in a good mood, and took this opportunity to take care of Kelly's second main goal - her family shot. Ryan was tough to get a good smile, but Kelly's sister made some goofy faces over my shoulder and voila.



If you would like to view the complete slideshow, follow this link. Enjoy.

"Its Exposure is Totally Rad"

Sorry for the delay between posts. I try to post every two weeks or so, but we've had a busy April so far forcing me to put the blog on the back-burner for a while.

On April 5th, we had our kids' annual elementary school fund raiser. Jean was on the committee which means I was volunteered to handle several photography and computer related tasks. It was all worthwhile as we raised a lot of money for the school PTA. That same weekend, we had some dear friends from Napa Valley come stay with us. Being from Napa, they are professional wine drinkers. So the fact that Jean and I were able to pull our weight before and during the fund raiser was even more impressive.

We said goodbye to our guests, then left for Captiva Florida a few days later. We've taken a family vacation there the past 5 years. The kids know their way around and love the beach now that they're older, but there is also a pool if they need a break. We had wonderful weather and Jean and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary at our favorite restaurant down there.

During the trip, I shot 8 rolls of slide film. No digital. Just a couple of Leicas and my Rolleiflex. One day on the beach, I was taking a shot of the kids with my Rolleiflex, and a young woman walking by commented on the camera saying, "Its exposure is totally rad." As I mentioned before, what's old is new again.

On vacations, I shoot slide film because our kids love to see a slideshow on the big screen - especially of themselves. The quality of a projected slide is unbelievable too. The key is to keep the slide show short (edit!) and light, not like those marathon slide shows I remember as a kid. I also scan the slides into the computer for digital slide shows and prints. It's a lot of work but worth the effort.

Hope the weather by you is turning to Spring like it is here in Chicago. We're gearing up for a busy May and June. We're pretty much booked up with portrait sittings and weddings until July. Stay tuned for more updates - and thanks for reading.

Authors in Tweed Jackets

Another first for me yesterday. I had a wonderful portrait sitting with two local authors for the book jacket of their upcoming book called The Belated Baby. After their personal struggles with infertility, Kelly and Jill decided to write this book to help other women going through this life-altering time in their lives. We brainstormed ahead of time to go over wardrobe and the usual things. But, given the subject matter of the book, and the message of hope the authors are bringing to it, how do we convey this in a picture?

We all agreed that warm, friendly smiles that engage the viewer are a must. But, we also wanted a professional appearance and wardrobe, rather than, say, an outdoor shot with their kids. I decided on the background. I wanted an open, bright, airy background to match the look and message of the book, so a backdrop was out of the question. So was an academic setting with books and typewriters and the like. For a pose, I wanted an arrangement that showed that they were both colleagues and friends.

Well, you can see the results and judge for yourself if we achieved our goals. I think we did, and I wanted to share with you a bit of the thought process behind an "environmental portrait." And, best of all, we avoided the "authors in tweed jackets" cliche.

Professional Framing

We take a lot of pride in our finished products. Every proof album, print, canvas, wedding album, slideshow, and wallet is checked before we deliver it to you. Jean is our quality control department, and between the two of us, we reject a lot of things that most people wouldn't notice.

Our prints and canvases come mounted on heavy matte board and are spray coated for protection. It's always impressive to show a large mounted canvas to a customer for the first time. However, they are not really finished until they are framed. A great matte and frame enhances a print and incorporates it into your home.

We do not offer framing services but we recommend "Art & Frame" in Naperville. Agitha is the proprietor. She has top of the line products, but she also has the talent to help her clients choose the right frame. You can get lost in about 30 seconds inside a frame shop, but Agitha helps you sort through all that. We have two of her works of art in our home. Well worth the trip if you are even somewhat close to Naperville.