Took Theo for a little swing in the park… Crazy that he’s already 8 months old!
Music: “Loose Change” by Chroma
Footage shot on iPhone 6 in “Slo-mo” mode (720p @ 240 fps)
Took Theo for a little swing in the park… Crazy that he’s already 8 months old!
Music: “Loose Change” by Chroma
Footage shot on iPhone 6 in “Slo-mo” mode (720p @ 240 fps)
Well, someday is finally here, and the long wait is over. The Chicago Cubs have won the 2016 World Series!!! Crazy to say it, but even crazier to get to experience it.
I’m sure there will be many more tribute videos in the days to come, but here are some of my favorites so far.
A few photos from Sara & Ed’s elegant backyard wedding in Chicago, IL. These two really know how to throw a party!
A few photos from Katie & Frantz’s gorgeous wedding in Chicago, IL this past weekend. What an amazing couple, and I simply cannot wait to share more!
Achal and Mark booked a simple portrait session, in order to capture the traditional attire that they were wearing to an Indian wedding. As you can see, Achal and Mark are quite the handsome couple, and they were absolutely wonderful to work with! I truly do have the best clients… Looking good, gentlemen, thank you again!
I’ve said many times how fortunate I am to have such wonderful friends as clients, but this is a crazy understatement in Amy & Jason’s case. I’ve known Jason for years, and although Amy only recently came into my life, it immediately felt like we’d been lifelong friends. That’s just how Amy is, and I’m sure her own friends and family would agree. So needless to say, it was definitely an honor to be asked to be this amazing couple’s wedding photographer!
On that note, you might remember Amy & Jason from their recent engagement photo shoot…
Amy & Jason started off their wedding day by getting ready at Hotel Sax, which set up their First Look right in front of the House of Blues. After some portraits along the Chicago River and in front of the Wrigley Building, the wedding party hopped on a trolley and headed to Prairie Production for the ceremony and reception. What followed was a fantastic evening filled with joy, music, and a little bit of dancing.
Congratulations to you both, Amy & Jason!
Continue reading "Wedding: Amy & Jason"...
Emma and Ross’ beautiful summer wedding was a master class in perfectly blending tradition with contemporary style.
Their Jewish ceremony took place at the stunning Bryn Mawr Country Club in Lincolnwood, IL, and was followed by a cocktail hour and a joyous reception. It was an honor to witness the traditional wedding rituals such as the signing of the ketubah, the encircling of the bride and groom, and the dancing of the Horah. Still, Emma and Ross stayed true to their contemporary sensibilities, opting for a First Look and taking care of family portraits before their guests arrived.
I am always so grateful to my clients for allowing me to be a part of their special days, and this wedding was no exception. Mazel Tov to the newlyweds, Emma and Ross!
Continue reading "Wedding: Emma & Ross"...
I got together with Amy & Jason to do an engagement photo shoot, in advance of their upcoming wedding. Since their ceremony and reception are taking place in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Amy & Jason wanted to stick with an urban feel for their engagement photos. What better place than River West and the West Loop?!?!
So excited to shoot this awesome couple’s wedding in a month!
Where to begin with Laura & Wallace…
I’ve known Laura for over 15 years, having met her on our first day at Illinois Wesleyan University back in 1997 as we both got started as music majors. Laura and I became fast friends, due in part to a tight-knit circle of roommates, friends, and fellow musicians. Sitting next to each other in Wind Ensemble over the next few years only helped to reinforce that bond, and since IWU we’ve shared plenty of vacations, dinners, and drinks!
When Laura first introduced me to Wallace, I knew he was special, and I saw that Laura knew it, too. His smile lights up the room, and from the very beginning Wallace has been the perfect complement to Laura. So when Laura & Wally got engaged last year, it’s a huge understatement to say that I was excited for them. And when they asked me to be their wedding photographer — over dinner at a Cuban BYOB in Chicago, naturally — I was over the moon!
On July 5, 2013, Laura & Wallace were married in a beautiful ceremony at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park, IL, surrounded by family and friends. The day was absolutely perfect, and so is this couple — I mean, look at these two!!!
Congratulations to you both, Laura & Wally, and thank you again for letting me capture your special day!
Continue reading "Wedding: Laura & Wallace"...
This past weekend, Elena and I hit up Volleywood 2013 at North Avenue Beach with Jeff and Lisa. Partly because Too White Crew and Nelly were performing on the beach, but mostly because it was a Saturday in Chicago during the summer, and that’s just the type of thing that we’re down for. A few Bloody Marys and a few pair of sunglasses later, you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome afternoon.
To cap off the day, we headed to Frontier for some snacks and cocktails. They never disappoint.
On July 9, 2013, our friend Tom Ziarko lost his battle with Stage IV metastatic melanoma, and everyone that knew Tom lost a huge part of themselves. Tom had been fighting hard against his cancer, and his girlfriend Colleen had been leading the charge to raise money in order to help pay Tom’s medical bills and lift his spirits.
Part of that effort was to assemble a team, Truckin’ it for Tom, to take part in the 2013 Miles for Melanoma Teb’s Troops 5K Run/Walk at Montrose Harbor. Over the course of a few weeks, the team grew to 82 members, and raised nearly $7,000 to help fund melanoma research. Despite losing Tom that very week, everyone knew how crucial the walk was; one donation, one drug trial, one checkup, could make the difference for the next person.
So we walked.
Such a sad day, Tom, now that you’re no longer with us… Just as Colleen is family, so are you, and none of us will ever forget the light that you brought into each of our lives.
Rest easy, my friend.
When Tony asked if we might be free for a Cubs night game, Elena and I didn’t have to think too hard. And when we found out how amazing the seats were, we knew that we’d made the right call… Instead of “Club Box” they should just name the section “Awesome” and be done with it.
What a perfect night, too. Definitely glad I brought the Contax with; all images were shot on Kodak Ektar and Kodak Portra 400.
Tradition. That’s what the yearly May Fest (okay, Maifest) and German Fest gatherings have become for us. Twice a year, we spend a Saturday afternoon drinking huge mugs of beer, eating sausages and sauerkraut, and listening to polka. Then, afterwards, we hit up Lincoln Square Lanes for some bowling, cocktails, and, if we’re lucky, more polka. It never disappoints.
We hit a new attendance record for this year’s May Fest, and even managed to squeeze in some Garcia’s mex afterwards. This past weekend, E was out of town, so Jeff & Lisa and I met up with Andreas & Marisa for German Fest’s daytime activities. Jett joined us for drunk bowling, which is at once easier and more difficult than sober bowling. Try it sometime.
I never posted my May Fest images, so I decided to combine them with my shots from German Fest. The May Fest 2012 images are a mix of 35mm (Nikon F100) and medium format (Contax 645), and were shot on Fuji 400H and Ilford XP2 (B&W). The German Fest 2012 ones are digital, and were processed with VSCO Film using the Fuji 800Z, and Kodak TRI-X 400++ presets.
Oh, and if you’re interested in the reliving fun from previous years, check out May Fest 2010 and May Fest 2011, too!
Continue reading "Chicago May Fest & German Fest 2012"...
Thanks to Jeff, I was able to hit one last Cubs game in 2012 last Friday. It was crazy hot, but we rocked it anyway… We met up with Jay & Amy, too, whose wedding I’m shooting next fall — needless to say it was a pretty good time. The D700 came along for the ride, and all of these photos were processed using VSCO Film, specifically the Fuji 400H+, Fuji Superia 800+, Kodak TRI-X 400++, and Fuji Neopan 1600++ presets.
Back in September (whew) Jeff and I spent the day shooting in Fulton Market. I shot film only, more specifically a mix of 35mm (Nikon N80), medium format (Contax 645), and Holga (cross-processed Kodak E1000VS)… I’m just now finally getting caught back up enough to post these, and I’ll have another post coming shortly explaining what I’ve been up to.
In any case, you can check out Jeff’s shots on his blog, and all of my shots from that day are up on Flickr.
This past weekend our friends Anita & Srdjan were married in an absolutely beautiful ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago, IL. Needless to say, the evening was simply outstanding and we're so happy for the newlyweds!
For photos and some stunning details, click through...
Continue reading "Wedding: Anita & Srdjan"...The James Beard Foundation (JBF) Awards 2009 nominee list just came out, and, as usual, Chicago did a great job!!!
Congrats to all the restaurants, restauranteurs, and chefs, including:
The Publican and their designers were also up for two awards: Outstanding Restaurant Design (Design Bureaux, Inc.) and Outstanding Restaurant Graphics (The JNL Graphic Design). And, of course, a special shout out to Isaac Becker from 112 Eatery in Minneapolis, who is up for Best Chef Midwest. I've eaten there (thanks to Jay) and I'm just sorry the honor didn't come sooner!
Update 5/5/2009: Ouch. Chicago came away with zero wins at the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony... I suppose we can count Best Restaurant Design for The Publican, but I was really hoping for some culinary representation. NBC has a funny, albeit sad, article with the details.
Better luck next year, Chicago!
Just got done watching Anthony Bourdain hit up Chicago on tonight’s episode of No Reservations.
Tamales and deep dish pizza were obvious choices, but they also hit up Hot Doug’s, Moto, The Silver Palm, and L20… While they didn’t film at Blackbird or Avec, they did do a backyard party at owner Paul Kahan’s house. Oh, and Grant Achatz’ Alinea got a mention, too. Great choices, across the board!
I won’t go into too much detail, since there are quite a few other blog posts out there that can do it much better. Check out Louisa Chu’s blog, and Bourdain’s own post.
Continue reading "no reservations, chicago"...