Being a photographer brings many blessings. One of my favorites is
getting to know our clients. Michael and Kate are the third couple in
a line of referrals stretching back to Joe and Kristin. I’m so blessed
knowing our work is so well-received, our clients recommend us to
their closest friends.

Michael and Kate don’t visit Chicago often, but they have very special
memories here. One night, Michael asked Kate to close her eyes as he
knelt down in front of Buckingham fountain. She said yes.

It was one of the coldest days we’ve had recently, but there were
plenty of warm smiles between these two.

-Michael

I am so happy my good friend Jennymink and her fiance Britton (she will always be Jennymink to me...perhaps I'll just call her Jennymink Smith once she marries). We have been friends since high school. Our friendship has been filled with late night bible studies, trips to get ice cream, games, games and more games, youth group mission trips as well as high school choir concerts. I am so honored now to be a part of her wedding day. I have gotten to know Britton, and enjoy seeing their compatibility. I especially love how much they laugh together. Yesterday was indeed a day filled with laughter. 

Look for thier wedding pictures on the blog this summer. 

Man, this winter has been fickle. Last week it was in the 50's and then a cold front came waltzing in. I was expecting a warm Saturday for Kyle and Susie's engagement session, but alas we had some nice snowfall on Friday. Despite the really cold day I was glad for the light dusting of snow. The frigid temperature gave them an excuse to cuddle up. This was not hard for them to do. 

Their story is oozing with a chick flick feel. They met and dated in high school. They broke up. She went to college, he went to the military. Every Christmas break they would reconnect. Kyle would pour out his love for Susie every year. After six years, she said yes. They dated again. Then came the ring. And we get to be a part of the beginning of their next chapter in May. May 12  2012 to be exact. So excited for my friends. 

-Karina

Nicole Rucker is getting married! I have known Nicole since high school. We were pretty much inseperable for 3 years. She even went to Mexico and spent a week with my family. 

Mark called me a week ago to tell me that he was going to propose to Nicole, and that he wanted to do a surprise engagement session the day after. Mark lives in New York. Nicole lives in Illinois about 3 hours from Chicago. So for all three of us to be in the same place at the same time is rare. Of course there was no way I was going to miss it.

I am so excited to be a part of this next chapter in Nicole's life. I'm so glad she has found the man that will make her stronger, encourage her laughter, and be her other half.

-Karina

It was our pleasure to be a part of our good friends' wedding day this Friday. I had lived with Emily our last year of college. After college she moved to the Dominican Republic to teach. There she met RJ. We hung out with them both that year and it was then I knew they had fallen for each other. He brought out a silliness and sense of relaxation in her that I had never seen before, even the 4 years of college that we had known each other. I was so happy for them. 

We shot their engagement session in September. Again I loved how they made each other smile, and laugh. They were silly, fun and so deeply in love. Their wedding day was nothing short of that. 

We are so happy for our friends and look forward to their growing relationship and hope for some more fun times in the future.

Crowd surfing happened several times throughout the night. It. Was. Craaaazy.

-Karina

Baby! Our friends just had a baby! Well they did two months ago. We haven't done too many family photo sessions, so when we were asked of course we jumped at the chance. I think I actually jumped up and down a few times.

We have developed our friendship with Michael and Louisa over the past year and really enjoy their company. When we found out Louisa was pregnant I was so excited. I was anxious with anticipation the whole time. I was excited for Elena to have another partner in crime. We look forward to our daughters spending time together. (Elli & Eli)

Vikki and Adam live in Tennesee, but decided to have their wedding in Michigan near Detroit where they grew up. It was snowing lightly all day which was Vikki's wish for her wedding day. As I spent the morning with Vikki it was sweet how much she longed to see Adam. She knew Adam was in the same hotel which intensified her desire. He sent her a card to read on the morning of her wedding day which reassured her that he too couldn't wait to be married to her. So much love.

I had a lot of fun hanging out with them as we rode around downtown Detroit for the group photos. They are big sports fans so of course we stopped to get photos at Comerica Park with the tiger. Many of their early memories revolved around spontaneous baseball game outings. It was wonderful to see how happy they are and how much fun they have together. Best friends. 

-Karina

We had been looking forward to Mark Anthony and Courtney's wedding since their engagement session in the fall for two reasons. 1. They are great friends which we've been able to build our relationship with this year. And 2. It was a winter wedding. I love the winter, and the day was perfect. A light dusting of snow was on the ground and the whole day was filled with sunshine. So beautiful.

We were so impressed with how much the church family was involved in making this day special for them. It was evident that Christ was the center of the ceremony and their marriage.

We are so excited to have been a part of such a special moment in their lives. We look forward to furthering our friendship and maybe going to a Cubs game together in the future.

There was some intense dancing going on.

-Karina

Last night we had the pleasure of photographing a family who has become very close to us since we arrived in Chicago.

When we first walked into our new church, The Aguilars greeted us with warm smiles and invited us into their home for dinner. We were overwhelmed by their generousity and love.

This generousity is integral to how they live. Alberto is a highly regarded artist in Chicago, who teaches at Harold Washington College downtown. For years he has not had a studio, choosing to work in his home. His home and family are constant themes in his work.

We did a few portraits, but my favorite photos from this shoot came from watching his family interact. They are able to laugh together so easily.

From a photography standpoint, it was interesting to photograph a family in their home, something I'd like to do more often. While it's more challenging from a lighting and space perspective, it's also much easier for the subject to be comfortable.

Even though I was very nervous about photographing an accomplished artist like Alberto, I'm really happy with how the photos turned out.

- Michael

Jennifer and Daniel are good friends of ours. They live in Michigan, so we don't get to see them that often. We are spending Thanksgiving with Michael's family this year so we took advantage of being so close to do a family session. Their son Perry is a stylin' two month old. I love seeing Jennifer and Daniel as new parents.

Jennifer is also a photographer, so I was honored to take their family pictures. She took our wedding photos and will be photographing my sister's wedding this May. I admire her talent and am blessed that she asked us to capture her growing family.

-Karina