A little late, but certainly not forgotten…  I had the pleasure of going to Maui last October to photograph the wedding of a long-time friend of mine, who after patiently waiting many years on God’s perfect timing, found the woman of his dreams!  D&K, this post is dedicated to you,… to your faithfulness in waiting on God to bring “every good and perfect gift” in the right time, to the testimony of His perfect plan in bringing your souls and lives together, and to the blessed life, future and family that will resonate as a blessing to others.  Thank you for inviting us to be a part of your special day!

Well, we are a few weeks into 2012!!!  It has been one really exciting year this past year…  I went into 2011 with some serious goals, and I am proud to say that I accomplished many of my goals and the things I set out to do.  I learned many new things about being a professional photographer, and have met some truly great people along the way this past year!  I got a handful of weddings under my belt, as well as grew my portfolio with senior high sessions and other events.  If I were to note any regrets it would mainly be not meeting my goal of doing a blog post each month, having missed both October and November (but seriously, they both very busy months for me at work).  On the other hand, some months had more than one post to share, so I should be too down on myself.  Beyond that, I just regret not having more time, more hours in the day to get more done, whether at home or for clients, and to devote time to other things I feel are important… But hey, I think we all go through that some times.

So I wanted to share with you some highlights over the past year!  And no better place to start than with the first wedding that I shadowed over a year ago on December 18, 2010.   Many thanks again to Katie (Salvatori) Hernandez of Katherine Salvatori Photography for allowing me to come and shadow her for a beautiful Christmas time wedding at the Morton Arboretum (see the first pic above)!   Throughout the year Katie’s work has been an inspiration and it’s been wonderful watching her grow professionally, and am happy for her that she recently has had her work published on various wedding related blogs and websites!  She and her family have also grown personally as she became a bride herself this past year and married a really great guy, and they already have a precious little baby girl on the way!  Be sure to keep up with Katie and her work by visiting her Facebook page for the latest inspiration and news!  Here are a few more pics from that beautiful winter wedding…

To kick off 2011, I photographed the New Year’s Celebration event at Abbington Banquets…

Moving forward into 2011, it was time to get some training.  Here are some great shots from a couple of workshops in 2011…

And now on to some of this year’s highlights and some of my favorite captured moments!!  Whether real events or workshops, there were a lot of great shots this year!  Enjoy!!

Some boudoir beauties…

A Romantic roof-top proposal.

A pre-wedding engagement session.

Then a “happily ever after” wedding…

An awesome maternity session…

Then a newborn session…

A more intimate affair…

My sister-in-law’s senior high session…

Then a colorful Indian wedding extravaganza!…

A baby baptism…

A charming country wedding…

The images following are just a few from a beautiful Maui wedding and a couple of senior high sessions that I have not yet published dedicated posts for, but since these were still 2011 events, it’s only proper that a few photos be included.  Here are a few from the Maui wedding…

Now for a few of the senior high pics.  Two brothers, two very different personalities…

I hope you have enjoyed this “year-in-review” post!    At the top of this webpage, you will find links that will take you to call of the complete posts represented here as well as other posts not included, with the exception of the last two sessions.  Please be sure to visit here often to stay on top of what 2012 will bring!!  :-)

This was my most recent wedding, and it is my absolute favorite for one reason in particular…  This wedding took place at The Inn at Irish Hollow!!  This inn is located in Galena, IL , and I will say they went all out to host this wedding!  Even to the point of clearing out the bon fire pit to temporarily transform it into a wonderful outdoor ceremony location!  This is one of my most favorite places anywhere, and is where my husband and I spend our 1st year anniversary!…  We have been back there once since to stay in one of the romantic cottages, and I hope to go there many, many more times to come!!  Nothing beats this location if you are wanting a “country get-a-way” that is only three hours from Chicago…and the food…totally superb thanks to resident chef and inn keeper Matt Carroll!!
One more thing I have to say…in my “proofing” of this blog post…really looking at the photos…this couple is very much in love, they know what they want, and there is so much emotion in some of these photos, in their expression, it almost makes me want to cry…  So please don’t look down on me for adding so many photos to my blog posts… I LOVE telling the whole story!

Enjoy!!  :-)

I had the privilege of capturing little baby Arlen’s baptism ceremony!…  This was actually a first for me as I had not done a baby baptism or dedication service before, but I approached it the same way as I would a wedding or other event that I would otherwise “document” with photos.  This first shot in particular was a “must have” shot per the mother’s request.  From what I know, she is very happy with all the photos, so I could not be happier!

Enjoy Baby Arlen’s baptism!!

It all started with the bridal shower… But let’s go back a week and a half before that while I’m sitting in a training conference in D.C., and receive an e-mail from my old friend, Trupti Patel, from back in my college days at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Her opening sentence was along the lines of: “I noticed on Facebook that you do photography, and was wondering your availability to photograph a friend’s bridal shower next weekend?”

All I can say to the fact she referenced noticing my work on Facebook was a big Hallelujah!!  And also WoW!!….  Meaning that in some way Facebook is useful and someone really noticed my work.  Needless to say I felt the opportunity was good, so I took it…and little did I know what it would all lead into… Meaning a really great opportunity, so stay tuned for that down through this blog post!!

(Disclaimer: There are A LOT of photos in this post, but I’m sure you will enjoy them!!)

So for now, here are some more of those bridal shower photos…

Later that evening, I was also commissioned for the bridal party get together at the WIT Rooftop Lounge downtown….

Aman and Amrit’s Party at the WIT Lounge

Well… Little did I know at the time that shooting these two events was going to get me invited to be the photographer for some other Pre-Wedding party events.  The bride-to-be liked the photos from the first two events so much, she then asked me to come and photograph the first Sangeet Party the following week.

Aman and Amrit’s 1st Sangeet Party

Obviously you can see these people know how to party and have a good time!!  And obviously it’s hard for me to not put in SO MANY photos in this blog post…but can you really blame me??  The colors are AMAZING!!   At the end of this event, the bride tells me there will be another Sangeet the next night, and so far no photographer was booked for that, so she wanted me to come…but before more Sangeet party photos, I was requested for the Mehndi Ceremony…so let’s check out some of those photos first!

Aman’s Mehndi Ceremony

Now on to that second Sangeet!!

Sangeet 2~Aman’s Churra Ceremony

Well, since the families didn’t already have a photographer hired for the groom’s preparation ceremony the next morning before the wedding ceremony, I was requested for that the next morning…and there are some really great photos of the tradition!

Amrit’s Wedding Preparation Ritual

And so from here, on to the ceremony we go… Now, I was not the commissioned photographer for the ceremony itself, as a photographer and videographer had already been hired, so the ceremony was up to me if I wanted to do it….and why wouldn’t I??  I had come this far into the events of an Indian wedding, and feeling this was important to the portfolio, I made the commitment…  Seeing as how the bride-to-be seemed to really like my work, there was no reason not too!  Luckily for me the other hired photographer did not mind my presence, and in fact the photographer representing Lasting Memories was very gracious to me throughout the ceremony and reception (and BTW, I was commissioned as a second photographer for the reception–so some of those great photos will follow)!

So here is what I caught during the ceremony events…

Amrit’s Barat Ceremony

And now for the wedding ceremony….

Aman and Amrit’s Punjabi/Sikh Wedding Ceremony

Now of course…we are going to end it with the PARTY!!!

Aman and Amrit’s Wedding Reception

On June 4, 2011, I photographed April & Michael’s wedding.  A truly wonderful and laid back couple, I had such a great time and was glad to be their photographer for their special day!  It could not get any more adorable than their little girl in the role of the flower girl…

Another aspect that made this wedding unique was that two of the other wedding vendors were also in the wedding party!!  So it goes without saying that it was nice to meet and connect with these vendors, Shawn Boyle (groomsman) and Diane Kedzinski (who is also one of the groom’s sisters who was in the wedding party) of Off Point Media headed up the videography.   Groomsman Tim Edwards along with business partner Mark Sitarz of MMDJ’s kept the party going through the night and people on their feet dancing.

It was a great wedding and many congratulations again to April and Michael Kledzinski on their marriage!!

On May 21, 2011, I had the privilege of shooting Chelsea and Tony’s wedding… I will go ahead and be honest here, this was my first wedding shooting by myself!  I was excited and yet nervous all at the same time, with it being my first full wedding, and me being the only photographer…it was my total responsibility alone to capture every sequence of Chelsea and Tony’s special day.  By this point I had put plenty of time and money into workshops and training, and of course a good amount $$$$ into upgrading all my equipment.  I have to say overall, that my excitement and determination to do a great job on this first wedding far over shadowed the butterflies in my stomach…and I think there were a lot of great shots!

But since this was my first wedding, I also invite you to tell me what you think…   Enjoy!!    :-)

There was actually another plan he had in mind for the proposal, but after consulting with family, friends, and even those of us to be involved, he decided the original idea would be to easy for Tina to figure out what was going on…so he switched it to a weekday during the lunch hour to throw her off, and under the guise of her firm meeting with a new client, changed the location to an apartment building downtown on Lake Street where Tina used to live when she and Amit began dating (but I still wonder if she caught on to something since her “client meeting” was to take place at the building she once lived…I guess Tina would know).  Needless to say, this location was optimal for many reasons…still to throw her off the plan, yet to serve as a symbol of a place where they shared so many moments and memories as their love story began to unfold.

I was privileged to have shared in this moment with them, and I wish Amit and Tina all the best as they begin their life journey together!  Enjoy!!

While I did not get to participate in the entire workshop this time, I am glad I was still able to come out and join Kenny, Ray and the other workshop participants for a great shoot.  Later after the shoot was done, I was even reunited with long time associate Kenny Nakai, who I hadn’t seen in nearly 10 years from when were both a part of the UIC Servants campus ministry way back when.  And to top the evening off, I even got the chance to meet Bob Davis, and am looking forward to doing one of his workshops here in Chicago sometime in the future!

While I don’t want to go on too much here, there are a couple of people that deserve credit for their part in making it a successful workshop:

Many thanks to Starlight Makeup Chicago for the wonderful job they did getting the models prepped for the shoot, and also to Vale of Enna Flowers for the beautiful floral designs they did for both the table top settings and bridal bouquet!  Although I did not attend the part of the workshop to take photos of the event place settings, I also am giving a shout out to Sweet Chic Events, Inc. for the great job they did arranging beautiful place settings for my peers to photograph, and to Pure Kitchen Catering for providing lunches and snacks so my workshop cohorts had plenty of energy to power them though the workshop.

Now…on to the photos!!!  Enjoy!

And to help you warm up, continue reading this post for some great shots I have to share from the Portfolio+Workshop that were taken in warm, sunny Florida last month!  Okay, I’m going to level with you, the best day we had down there was the day of the workshop.  The hubby and I then headed over to Miami Beach and South Beach for a few extra days, and toward the end, it was anything but warm as a cool front moved in…however we still had a blast visiting the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, as well as going on the South Beach food and Art Deco history tour with Miami Culinary Tours.

But back to the workshop, as that is the main reason for this post…  It was AWESOME to get to see the Historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, FL and to learn from two wonderful and in-demand photographers, Kenny Kim and Ray Santana.  We learned a lot about the importance of having quality equipment, and knowing how to use the main settings for achieving the perfect exposure right in the camera.  Most helpful was the lecture and practical application regarding the Kelvin settings in the White Balance feature on DSLR’s, and knowing how and when to properly adjust this setting given the lighting situation so as to capture the natural lighting and skin tones of the subjects..  I feel like this lesson was the most important thing I walked away with and am already taking better photos.

Kenny and Ray also provided guidance on the “do’s” and “don’ts” of what you choose to use in your portfolio (admittedly I have to really work on this aspect), what not to put on your business cards, and how to properly handle clients, in both good and bad situations.  In sharing their personal journeys and experiences, Kenny Kim and Ray Santana provided a breadth of information necessary for any photographer working to build their business, and particularly trying to expand into wedding photography.

So enough with all this verbiage and on to some photos!!  Here are some featured photos from the workshop…

Now on to some of the photos from the Vizcaya Gardens…

And for the Grand Finale… Some awesome photos taken during the South Beach Food and Architecture Tour with Miami Culinary Tours!  And just let me say, that I LOVE taking photos with ambient colors in the background (so there’s a good handful here for the viewing).  They often end up being my favorite photos. (Note: some of these shots may not be as sharp as they could be, but unfortunately I was not walking around with a tripod that night, and I was not using any flash so as to capture the ambient nightlife of Miami).  Still… Enjoy!!

First stop on our tour was the D. Rodriguez Cuba Restaurant at Hotel Astor.   Here are a couple photos of our yummy eats…

A very refreshing Mojito.

Followed by some tasty Cuban appetizers…

Next stop: the Essex House Hotel with  a lobby featuring an original polychrome mural of the Everglades that was restored by the famed Earl LaPan 50 years after he originally painted the mural.

Next: A walk down the Ocean Drive to take in the spectacular Miami nightlife featuring buildings true to Art Deco design…

A quick stop by the Vercace Mansion (now known as “The Villa by Barton G“).

On to the Hotel Victor  for our main course at Bice, but before we sat down to eat, had to get some photos of the awesome decor inside…

If you notice in the photo below, the light fixtures resemble jelly fish…

Our group listens to an explanation of the local food culture and how it inspired the night’s main dish.

Enjoying a nice glass of Alamos Malbec Argentinian wine before dinner.

And finally our main dish, “Paella” which featured, oysters, clams, shrimp, chicken and sausage atop a mild spiced Cuban style rice and veggies…  (I have to say my secret dream is to be a food photographer and critic).

Next Stop: A brief tour of The Tides Hotel.

An awesome photo of the La Marea Restaurant inside The Tides before patrons arrive for dinner.

The Coral Bar at The Tides.

We came back later for a little ambiance and a White Sangria Cocktail.

Outside of the Betsy Ross Hotel.

On a brief walk through Z Ocean Hotel, and couldn’t help but get a few photos of the decor…would love to go back to this lounge…

Next stop: Jerry’s Famous Deli for a quick sweet chocolate treat.

Then on to the local Art Deco Market for a little Cuban espresso.

Our culinary tour guide, Mirka Roch Harris, serving up a shot of that sweet Cuban coffee.

A brisk stroll down Espanola Way.

And then a brief stop at the Clay Hotel.

Our final stop of the tour… Gelato anyone?

Another sweet and yummy treat at the Milani Gelateria.

Just what we are all thinking of during all of this cold weather, right?!…