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 ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Erica and Tim are a super fun couple getting married next weekend and we couldn't be happier for them. Here's a few from their Lincoln Park engagement session with Jay!

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 ...

My awesome associate photographer, Jay, spent some time with Jen and Tom during their engagement session in Chicago. I think these photos are epic, authentic and real! Enjoy & congrats to Jen + Tom!

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 ...

My awesome associate photographer, Vic, just shot this amazing Chicago fall engagement session with Irene and Stuart. Here's just a few of my favs from their session and we can't wait for their wedding next year!!

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

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

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 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 ...

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 ...

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'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! ...

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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

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 ...

I love being a photographer in Chicago. Chicago may not have huge mountains or old forests but we have THE best skyline, EVER. Yes, even better than New York City. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I don’t care. It’s a shame the Chicago Spire never finished ...

Once in a while I'll get a client who says "do I need engagement photos?"  I’ll be honest – an engagement session is the single greatest investment you can make prior to your wedding.  A lot of couples have never been professionally photographed – the engagement session is a valuable ...

There's no doubt that Christiana and Jim are super creative people. They had this awesome idea to do their Chicago engagement photos at the UIC library. Being a Chicago wedding photographer, I'd never shot at this library and thought it was an amazing idea. Imagine my joy ...

As a Chicago wedding photographer I was commissioned by Emily and Matt to take their engagement photos. Chicago presents lots of great options for engagement photos. We settled on Lincoln Park Zoo because it was a favorite place of theirs that they visited often. One of my ...