One of my favourite clients for 2008, Caiti, emailed me a few weeks ago to set up her engagmenet session, and also remarked that I might considered creating a blog post about what couples might want to wear for their engagement. And with that, a little engagement photo FAQ:

1. What should we wear for our engagement session?

You should wear whatever makes you feel like you. Engagement sessions are one of the best opportunities you’ll have to get pictures that really capture who you are as individuals and as a couple. If that means that you’re a jeans and tees sort of couple, then by all means, wear that. If you’re a girly girl that loves heels and frilly dresses, that’s fantastic, as well. Just be yourself, and be comfortable–if you’re fussing with your clothes and feel self-conscious, that will come across! Don’t wear what you think people in engagement photos “should” wear, or what someone else wants. We’ll do a few photos close up so you can still have that “newspaper shot” regardless of what you’re wearing.

In terms of style specifics, your looks should work together. That definitely does not mean dressing like twins (please, no!), but dressing similar in terms of formality of style, fabric weight, and harmonizing colors is always a good move. And, no surprise, I’m sure, but do feel free to bust out the colours when you’re shooting with me. I love working with them, and especially in some of the more industrial spots in Chicago that clients like, a few vibrant hues can really pop.

I’m also a big fan of textures and accessories like hats, scarves and interesting but not overwhelming jewelry, all of which help to add pop and visual interest to your images.

Aarthi and David did really well on all counts. Here they’re both wearing winter-weight fabrics with very nice texture in colours and don’t compete:

2. Where should we have our session done?

I usually like to have a couple choose a location that might have a special meaning to them. Having the couple choose such a location is nice because we can add even more depth and meaning to your photographs, and it also provides a nice starting off point for me. Some of my favourite engagement photos were taken in random locations that I find while strolling between locations with a couple. This one of Aji and Michael, for instance, was shot at the IBM building downtown, which I never would have gone to had we not happened to walk past it.

That said, if you really want to leave it up to me, I do like finding new locations. For Aarthi and David’s shoot, I did a super quick location scouting the day before, and found a wealth of industrial gems. It’s helpful to think about what you might want from photo photos. Fun? Pretty? Edgy? Romantic? While we’ll usually incorporate all of these elements, I knew David and Aarthi wanted something a bit more artistic and urban, so we didn’t go to a flower garden, for instance (which would be perfect for other couples).

3. How should we act on our shoot?

I shoot differently than photographers you probably grew up with (certainly different from the ones I went to!). It can be a little nerve-wracking to know “what to do” on a photoshoot that is more relaxed than the grip-and-grin style you may be used to. I like to tell couples to just relax and act like you’re on a date. Do things that make each other smile and laugh (and if you start to laugh, really own it and laugh-laughing makes for fantastic pictures!). Talk to each other. Don’t be afraid to get close and look at each other. Be yourselves, whether that be sharing your love through the way you look at each other, or through some full on PDA. I’ll direct you for some of the more artistic photographs, but I also just like to capture how you are when you’re together. Here are two very different, but very honest real moments with engagement couples:

And last but not least, I was talking to a photographer friend recently, and he said he actually asks if the couple would like a small drink before the shoot to loosen up a bit. If you think one little drink might calm your nerves a bit and would help you ease into the shoot, please let me know–a lot of restaurants and bars have killer interiors that we could take advantage of for 15 minutes.

Hopefully those answers will help everyone as we prepare for prime engagement session time. If you have any other questions, as always, feel free to contact me. I’m happy to answer questions!

Filed under: Helpful Hints, Engaged
1 Fantastic Person Has Spoken

I found out late last week that I was accepted into the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association. While I was pleased to be chosen for the general WPJA, I’m rather ecstatic about being selected for the artistic guild. Some of my favourite photographers are frequent winners of their contests, so it’s wonderful to be considered in good company. Plus, there are only four other photographers from Illinois on their list, so I was I especially thrilled. I entered a few images in a recent WPJA contest and will be entering a few into this quarter’s [AG]WPJA contest, so I will be sure to update with news of how that goes.

Filed under: Business
1 Fantastic Person Has Spoken

Once again, I failed to blog as I promised, but to make up for it, here are a few images from Sue and Steve’s wedding. They were married this past weekend out in the suburbs, and they had a lovely, intimate ceremony. While I’m excited to have a few big, crazy party weddings later this year, I am always moved at these smaller gatherings, where the connection between the couple and their guests is so evident and placed at a point of prominence. I hope you enjoy the photos–an overcast daytime wedding meant near-perfect light for crisp images, so you’ll see a lot of those below, along with one of my new favourite wedding photographs that I’ve ever taken. I hope you enjoy the photos, Sue and Steve, and that you are having a fantastic time in Asheville!

Steve at home about an hour before the wedding:

I love the mix of these two photos, taken about ten seconds after each other:

All smiles during the ceremony:

Sue and Steve took a few moments before exiting. While everyone was waiting, this little cutie became the center of attention:

Finally the real center of attention:

Even after Sue and Steve left, the bubbles kept all the children occupied for quite a while. I hadn’t been to a wedding with many kids in quite a while, and there was a serious overflow of adorable ones at this wedding!

I am so pleased with this photograph. One of my favourite wedding images ever:

They held their reception on a lake, which we incorporated into a few photos:

Steve had such an awesome tie, and Sue had a gorgeous dress:

 Crisp, lovely rings:

Sue and Steve opted for the trendy cupcake tree. Super cute!

And last, but not least, another favourite connection image. I love the feeling here.

Filed under: weddings
1 Fantastic Person Has Spoken

My friend Matt was in town from Nashville this past weekend, and we had a simply wonderful time. Delicious meals at Lula, Usagi Ya, and Lovely were had, a bass amp was purchased so I can rock out with my guitar, and many photographs were taken. Matt is a fellow photographer, and while he was here, I asked him to take a few photographs of me, as some prodding by other photographers made me realize how important it was to have some nice, clean shots of yourself that showcase your personality. We did a quick shoot in my neighborhood, and it was an eye-opening experience to say the least. It can certainly be a little nerve-wracking to be in front of the camera (yes, I am one of those dreaded photographers that hates having their photo taken), so I think it gave me a bit of empathy for the people I shoot.

At any rate, Matt was prodding me to post a few of these, as we forgot to get him a disc before he went back to Nashvegas. He doesn’t have a site up yet, but if you have a wedding booked with me with a second shooter, chances are you might get a chance to meet him, as he’ll be helping me out on a few this year in Chicago. Here are a few quick favourites of mine, all taken by matthew michael with some quick post-processing by me.

Would not be an outfit of mine without some kooky details (tulle skirt; sparkly shoes)

I’ll be posting some engagement session style tips as per client request later this week, so check back!

Filed under: Personal
1 Fantastic Person Has Spoken

I finished up the album I described below last week, and my fantastic provider was able to do a special rush for me so I could have it by tomorrow for a meeting. I decided to go with a vertical layout in this one, as I tend to shoot quite a few vertical, and enjoyed how the style lent itself to fuller spreads and less cropping. I have used this style of book before, but I don’t think I had fully imagined the possibilities. The one I got today feels like an entirely different book, and I absolutely love it!

I ordered a special, extra-durable dust jacket for this one, incorporating more of my photos and my signature colours:

I did a different layout for the actual hardcover beneath. So sharp!

The reason I love these books–gutterless spreads that don’t turn strange colours! (I had investigated some other providers with gutterless lustre pages, but unfortunately, many showed pink and blue turning colours in the samples. This fine art matte paper is tested to not experience colour shift.)

And a few more spreads I enjoyed:

Filed under: products
Speak Your Mind

With the impending arrival tomorrow of one of my favourite people from Nashville, I finally stopped procrastinating and finished up my sample album. I have a few weddings later this year that I think will make for simply stunning sample albums (possibly with new providers), but in the meantime, I wanted to be able to show off some images from some of my other weddings in person. As such, I decided to make a palette album, in which I showcase four different weddings I shot and the unique personality of each. While the differences are subtle, when you see the multiple pages from each wedding next to each other, I think (and hope) that each set has a unique spirit and feeling to the point that you might be able to tell which images go with which couple. Before I dozed off, I decided to share a few. I hope you enjoy! My amigo from Nashville shall be forced to take some headshots of me while he’s here, so perhaps you’ll see a bit of me on here soon. Have a lovely week.

These first two weddings are from weddings I shot with uber-fun, fellow Chicago photographer, Jeremy Lawson.  I can’t show all of the images from these weddings, but they were both gorgeous weddings with beautiful people.

These were from a wedding we shot at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.  It was unbelievable, and the couple was so unbearably cool.

Here’s some shots I didn’t show before of Alex getting read at Alex and Christina’s wedding. I was talking to someone recently who wondered why people would want to have pictures of the groom and his guys getting ready, but it really is a wonderful time to get some photographs of the groom and his friends and brothers, who probably aren’t photographed as much as perhaps the bride and her friends.

And last, but not least, I added in a few pages from my most recent wedding with Valerie & Jason.

Filed under: products
Speak Your Mind