Chicago Engagement Photography Portfolio

I'm blogging this session almost a year late for a few reasons. One is that Lauren and Ben are getting married in a few weeks and two, I simply didn't have time last year with everything that was going on. Lastly, I miss the summer so much - I feel ...

Jose came all the way from Guatamala to propose to his girlfriend Anna, now fiancee. We've been in touch over the last four (4) months to plan the perfect proposal and the obvious location was North Avenue Beach. Jose really wanted our beautiful skyline. After Jose got down on one ...

...to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing...

Colleen and Will are awesome! It's incredibly rare that I book a wedding gig over the phone. I always want to meet my potential clients in person - but something felt really right when I talked with Colleen and Will. Yes it did. I finally met them for their Chicago ...

Like many of my couples, Lili and Danny are a blast to hang out with. During their Chicago engagement photo session we explored Lincoln Park and the beach. They both have suuuuuch good style and are incredibly kind-hearted. The entire time these two were laughing because BOTH of them are ...

Usually the only reason photographers write along with showing their images is for SEO. (Search engine optimization). It's also in the title and the url. I try to use this text not only to push that I'm a Chicago engagement photographer (see, SEO again) but to think about the time ...

Stephanie + Luke have a pretty amazing story. They met while on vacation - how awesome is that!! They wanted to do their engagement photos in Chicago because they're moving away for a bit. But something tells me they'll be back. Great people are always fun to work with and ...

Justin wanted to propose in Chicago. He lives all the way in Toronto with Basia. They were coming into town to visit since they love Chicago so much and this was the perfect opportunity to pop the question. We chatted via phone a few times to select the perfect ...

Courtney and Tim were up for anything during their Chicago engagement session. The sun kept peeking through the clouds throughout the day but once we started shooting, it was pretty overcast. Despite the temps falling pretty quickly as the sun started to set Courtney and Tim were very invested in ...

Vitalij hired me a few weeks before his intended proposal date because he knew him and his fiancee, Eva, would be visiting Chicago from Germany. It seemed like the perfect idea to pop the question in Chicago, their favorite city. We Skype and panned everything over email. He would tell ...

Brie and Jason have a great relationship - I could see that as soon as we met (even before they hired me to photograph their wedding). They're both a lot of fun to be around - sort of like there is this 'work hard, play hard and have fun' aura ...

Katie and Nick live in Iowa and were in town to do their engagement session with me. Holy cow are they fun to hang out with - both are super personable and very well spoken. I love a good conversation - and as we shot their Chicago engagement session we ...

It was cold when we did Steve and Jasa's winter engagement session in Chicago. Cold but not as cold as it is now. (it's negative 13 degrees out right now - that's cold!). The thing that stuck out about Steve and Jasa right away was that they were a really good ...

Pearl and Kenny met in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood when they moved into the same building together, on the same day!! Crazy I know!! So when they said they wanted to do their engagement session in Bucktown, I was very excited because not a lot of couples choose that neighborhood. ...

Saba and Irfan wanted to explore Lincoln Park for their engagement session. This was a great choice because Lincoln Park is very versatile in terms of the kid of feeling I can create there. There's greenery, skyline, benches, fun architecture and more. The session was awesome, they are both incredibly ...

I recently got to photograph Aubyn and Danny. We settled on sunrise due to crazy life schedules and it was EPIC! Not only was the sunrise gorgeous but then we explored a bit of their rooftop and created some unique photos. (thanks for the rum + coke Danny! Yum!) Another ...

I really like shooting sunset engagement photos in Chicago because I have a chance to experiment and always try to make the bustling city look intimate - as if no one else is here but the couple. This is exactly what I did with Anthony and Beth while we ...

Kelsey and Mark wanted to do something different - something weird. So we did - we had a Wes Anderson inspired engagement session in Wicker Park - which is a best Chicago neighborhood for weird stuff. First, before the session, we had a quick phone call to discuss some elements ...

Jessica and Bill decided to do an in-home engagement session (at least to start it there) and this was awesome because we can get some really intimate and epic photos. What I thought was going to be just an in-home session turned into a massive pillow fight of unheard of ...

The first thing you need to know about Emma and Francesco (Frank) is that they both went to Northwestern. It's where they met, fell in love with and got engaged - Frank proposed to Emma there! So it only makes sense that we did their engagement photos at Northwestern University. ...

Chris contacted me more than a month ago and wanted to propose to Emma in Chicago. We ultimately decided on Milton Lee Olive Park - a really great spot for a proposal. It has an epic view of the skyline! I like the proposals where I can hide in ...

Johanna and Drew wanted some amazing Chicago engagement photos so naturally we settled on Lincoln Park. I absolutely love shooting engagement sessions in Lincoln Park because of the incredible versatility in that neighborhood - there are parks, brownstones, cobble stone streets and the beach is near by. So we explored ...

I had a really great engagement session in Lincoln Park with Mary and Colin. Mary is super outgoing while Colin is a bit more reserved but fully engaged into the process and extremely personable. Hanging out with them was a blast and while we explored Lincoln Park we talked about ...

Most people decide to propose outside the Adler Planetarium - this wasn't the case with Mo and Clare. He wanted something EXTRA amazing. So he proposed inside the Grainger Sky Theater. Can you say incredible? What a stunning view. After talking with the tech guy who operates the ...

So I get to shoot Kylie and Sean's wedding next year and let me tell you, I am totally psyched about that. These two are so much fun to hang around with - we were talking and laughing from the start to the end of the session. Since they're moving ...

Jared is starting to get into photography which is super exciting (congrats on your first camera dude) and Rachel basically has x-ray vision in one eye! They live in Nashville - which I hear is really amazing so I'd love to check it out - but met and fell in ...

Annemarie and Zach chose Hyde Park and Promontory Point for their engagement session - which is great because I rarely go there. The idea of exploring Hyde Park sounded very fun. That's exactly what we did. She loves Harry Potter, who can blame her - the books are ...

Zubair proposed to Nam just a short while before we started our session, huge congrats to them! We toured the grounds around the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum and even explored a small part of Soldier Field. Zubair met Nam in high school and they have been together ever since. ...

Hanging out with Linhda and Jamie was an absolute blast. Linhda is a badass copyright and intellectual rights attorney - the photography industry is incredibly underserved in that area as we get our photos stolen quite often and photographers rarely have the knowledge or the legal support to do what's ...

I love exploring Chicago during engagement sessions. My plans for engagement sessions usually consist of a meeting spot and that's it - for me, all the fun is in exploring and finding new hidden spaces. Sometimes I have my couples sit or even lay down. Some of my ...

Meg and Bob love Shaw's Crab House. So much so, that we did a good part of their engagement session inside the epic sea food restaurant. It was epic to have the place all to ourselves! If you haven't eaten there you're missing out!! Megan was a racecar driver in a ...

I'm pretty pumped to shoot Stephanie and Rhett's wedding later this year! #woot (do hashtags even work here?) Stephanie is a reporter for DNAChicago, check out one of her articles here. She's a much better writer than I am, so onto the photos! ...

Chelsea and Nick wanted some great Chicago engagement photos so we decided to tour Lincoln Park and North Avenue Beach at sunset. The grass, the trees, families visiting the zoo, kids laughing, lots of wildlife - those are just some of the sights and sounds that Lincoln Park has to ...

The great thing about the Garfield Park Conservatory is that it's easy to get to in Chicago. Lots of fun places to walk around and explore. As I got to know Jen and Bob I realized just how down to earth they really are. It was pretty hard to keep ...

Engagement sessions have become increasingly popular in Chicago over the last few years. I never did one for my wedding and I wish I had. It's an awesome chance to get to know your photographer and build some confidence in front of the camera. Because, unless you're a professional model, ...

Jose hired me a few weeks ago to help photograph and plan his proposal to his amazing girlfriend, while he was visiting Chicago from Peru. We talked about a few possible locations and settled on North Avenue Beach. Geraldine loves photography, fall and Chicago so North Avenue Beach was the ...

Sunrise in Chicago is pretty incredible. So are Kelly and Dave! Can't wait to capture their wedding next year!

Jenna and Ben decided on a Chicago sunrise engagement session - and those are pretty epic. They were incredibly fun to hang out with and great to talk to. I use the engagement sessions to get to know my couples a bit better and let them get to know me. ...

I like engagement sessions alot, especially downtown Chicago engagement sessions. The reason I like them is because for two hours I get to hang out with some pretty cool people. This was definitely the case with Krista and Russel. They were very fun to talk to and we joked around ...

Liz and Patrick wanted some pretty awesome photos for their downtown engagement session. We decided to visit the beach at sunrise - a time when some incredibly creative photos can be created. After the beach we headed to Chicago's financial district and riverwalk. There, we just walked around and talked ...

Graffiti and sunrise - that's how you do a sunrise engagement session in Chicago.

Sunsets in Chicago are pretty epic! Here's Tawni's and Ryan's engagement session - we talked about sandwiches, alot. Taw

Jack has a band called Stellar Road, and it is awesome - check them out here Lindsey likes to climb trees. Together, they are awesome!

Rachael and George are moving to Chicago soon and wanted some cool photos around town for their engagement session. They have an epic view from their rooftop - yeah it's awesome! cheers!

We decided to explore North Avenue Beach and the riverwalk because Kristina and Dave wanted some epic Chicago engagement photos. We chatted about their upcoming wedding, we hung out and we snapped some moments. Here's some of my favs, enjoy!

We captured some pretty awesome Chicago engagement photos with Raj and Jackie. Then I found out Raj gave Jackie a ring pop when he proposed - and I think that's pretty epic!

I recently had the pleasure of hanging out with Natalie and Alan for a few hours. One of the reasons I love engagement sessions is because it lets me get to know the couple and vice versa. Natalie + Alan have an amazing sense of style, both are very funny, ...

Chrissy + Paul's engagement session was pretty amazing. They wanted their engagement photos in Chicago because it's pretty special to them in more ways than one. I could see right away how personable both of them were, easy to talk to and fun to be around. Most importantly, they have ...

One of the main reasons I do engagement photos is to get to know my wedding couples as best I can before the wedding. Hanging out with Stephanie and Zack was totally rad - our time together showed me how fun, dynamic and down to earth they are. But most ...

Who doesn't like fancy dresses and ice cream?

I'm always up for taking engagement photos in locations that I haven't been to before. I never expected the Bedford to be so epic. The place used to be a bank and part of the bar is inside the main vault - sooooooo cool, as you can see!! Megan and ...

Laurel and Nick are just awesome to hang out with. Total goofballs from start to finish. We took some Chicago engagement photos by starting at north avenue beach and headed to grant park. We also chatted about their upcoming wedding! I also told them how much I love Panera's green ...

Aisha and Jawaad wanted something really unique when visiting Chicago. So we did a sunset session, visiting some really cool spots around Chicago that you wouldn't normally visit in the evening. Aisha is a photographer from Houston, be sure to check out her work here! Jawaad has an awesome sense ...

My favorite kind of engagement sessions are the ones where my couple looks at our time together as a chance to experiment and be creative. That's exactly what happened with Amber and Jacob's Chicago engagement session - we just walked around and explored some unique areas that I've never been ...

There are few things I love more than doughnuts and coffee. This also goes for Jean and Viet - they LOVE doughnuts. They took me to Firecakes as part of their engagement session, yum! After we stuffed our faces we explored the area around Chicago! Hope you enjoy the photos ...

There's nothing better than a Chicago sunrise over lake Michigan - not even Chipotle...well maybe Chipotle. As far as sunrises go, this one was pretty epic - Heather and Sang were totally fun to hang out with and explore Chicago, oh and we took some pictures - check them out! ...

Lauren and Ryan wanted some epic engagement photos in Chicago so we woke up before the sun was up and headed to some great spots around the city. They had some unique locations in mind, places I've never been - and I love that! Enjoy the photos! ...

Katie and Pat wanted some awesome Chicago engagement photos so we explored the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago. They have really great chemistry and a connection alot of people would be jealous of - instantly making each other laugh and creating real moments. After walking around, we ended ...

I love google, so does Heather - that's how she found me! woot! She also works for a massive law firm - no joke, like thousands of people. When she told me she worked for a law firm I pictured something out of 'My Cousin Vinny'. I couldn't have been ...

Nick and Kim are as great as it gets. We showed up and just had fun, no pressure. We talked, laughed walked around and took some epic photos. Their love of movies brought us to do their engagement session at a drive in out in McHenry - which is a ...

Rachael and Tony have an incredible relationship. They are truly best friends and make each other laugh all the time. It was pretty awesome for me to see such a strong connection unfold in front of the camera. They were visiting from Texas so they hired me to do their ...

I was super stoked when Colleen and Chris contacted me to do a couple's session in Chicago. Life changes after you have a baby. Colleen and Chris wanted to capture their connection around Chicago before their baby was due and this is how we did it. I knew them from ...

Erin and Tim wanted some amazing Chicago engagement photos so naturally sunrise was the way to go. We met up at North Avenue Beach before 6 am and I'm sure you'll agree the photos turned out stunning! They had amazing chemistry in front of the camera. After the ...

It's easy to be in front of a camera when you're having fun. At least that's how I approach my Chicago engagement sessions. 99% of my couples have never been professionally photographed before so I always assume they have some angst about the process. It's super important to me that ...

I can't begin to describe how cold it was on the morning we did Riz + Nadia's engagement photos in Chicago. It felt like minus one million degrees, plus it was insanely windy. We spent about 30 minutes on the lake and headed inland to seek some shelter from the ...

Geoff + Michelle wanted some epic Chicago engagement photos so we started off on North Avenue Beach. After a few snaps we quickly headed to Wicker Park. I love the Wicker Park neighborhood in Chicago. There are some great coffee shops and plenty of artistic elements. It was pretty early ...

There's just something incredible about Lincoln Park in the winter. This is where we started Genet + Samuel's engagement photos. It's an incredibly diverse and fun neighborhood with lots of little nooks and crannies. After a short walk through Lincoln Park Zoo we headed to North Avenue ...

Gintare + AJ's engagement session was insanely fun. We walked around Waterfall Glen in knee high snow for about two hours. Luckily it was about 40 degrees, making the snow ideal for a snowball fight. And yes, they really did smash giant snow blocks over each other's ...

Christy and Joe wanted some awesome Chicago engagement photos. We chose to start at sunrise on North Avenue Beach because of the spectacular view of Chicago (the best in my opinion). We had no idea that everything would be frozen when we got there. Frozen solid! The ...

Maria and Carlos commissioned me for their Chicago anniversary session photos because they wanted a unique perspective on Chicago.

Pam and Vinny are the kind of people you want to hang out with all the time. They're fun, both have a great sense of humor, are super down to earth and easy going and have great taste in drinks! Most importantly they love to hang out with each other. ...

Claudia and Andrew live in Chicago and as with most Chicago couples, they have never watched a sunrise over lake Michigan. Naturally a sunrise engagement session was a perfect fit. After spending the sunrise on the beach we headed to Michigan avenue! They are naturals in front of ...

When I first met Amy and Pat I could tell how much they loved each other almost instantly. Amy is a southern gal and Pat is from Chicago. It was important to them that they get some awesome engagement pictures with Chicago as the central theme since their wedding is ...

Samantha and Jason found some really unique locations for their Evanston engagement session. We started out at a local Starbucks which they frequent often. Next we ventured tp a pier in Rogers Park, Chicago. They love riding their bikes together so it was only fitting that they would ...

Anne and Dennis approached me about their wedding and engagement photos a while ago. Although I was already booked on their wedding date, they still wanted me to shoot their Chicago engagement photos. These two are an amazingly positive and fun couple. They were laughing and smiling through ...

Kindal and Mike wanted some amazing Chicago engagement photos so naturally sunrise was the way to go. We met up at North Avenue Beach before 6 am and the results are seriously epic! They were totally great in front of the camera. Right away you could tell there was lots ...

There is no doubt that 2013 has been an amazing year.  Here are some of my favorite images.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I did creating them! See you in 2014! -Peter ...

We planned Haley & Michael's engagement session a month ago hoping that it would snow.  What we got, was an all day blizzard - a recipe for EPIC photos! Hope you enjoy these as much as we did making them! ...

Congratulations to Nicole and Andy on their engagement! I can't wait to photograph their wedding next year! Hope you enjoy the photos from our walk around Lincoln Park Zoo. And if you'd like to see how Andy proposed to Nicole, you can see the photos right here! ...

Cassie & Jason are seriously two awesome people. They both have this great sense of humor that is super infections and before you know it, you're laughing along with them. We spent about 2 hours at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL for their engagement photos. We did ...

  Andrew and Nicole met at a job in Nebraska and pretty much knew from day one that they were meant to be together. When Andrew got offered a new job out of state, Nicole made a decision to follow him and they were both living in Chicago 6 months ...

I first met Cassie and Jason about 2 years ago at a salon opening party.  They were seriously one gorgeous couple.  Naturally I reached out to them to do some couples photography – they were totally into it.  I was amazed how comfortable they both were in front of the ...