We've MOVED: www.benpancoast.com/blog

We have switched sites. Please view our recent work here: www.benpancoast.com/blog

Check out our recent wedding work at:
Wedding Photography at Notre Dame
Willow Harbor Vineyards
Millcreek Barn

And some of our recent Engagement Photos at:
Millenium Park
Chicago
The Beach



A Trash the Dress portrait shoot and Engagement Photos in Washington DC

So if you haven't already, please check out my new and improved wedding photography blog here!

What if it Rains on your wedding day?

So what really happens if it rains on your wedding day? Will your wedding pictures be ruined, will your guests have a terrible time, or will you have good luck and be blessed with many years of happiness? This past season I have had the misfortune or perhaps good fortune, depending on your artistic point of view, of having shot several outdoor weddings that had more than their fair share of stormy weather on the wedding day! So what really happens and does everything really work out in the end?


Carmel Indiana: The outdoor ceremony was finished and the cocktails had just begun on the back patio when this monster storm rolled in. Everyone ran for cover under the tent and watched as an inch of rain and nickle sized hail poured down on us. The skies cleared though and by the end of the night the storm had become just one more part of this fairy tale wedding!


Oval Beach, Saugatuck Michigan: Wind whipped rain drenched people during the vows but the bride, groom, and their guests simply laughed it off. After the vows everyone ran for cover and by the time we got to the reception site the rain had cleared, the dress had dried and everyone had a story to tell!


Chicago Illinois: Torrential downpours kept this couple from San Francisco from completing their vows on Wrigley field but it didn't stop them from going out on the town for some amazing portraits in the rain!

As you can see by the pictures here, not only did the rain not ruin a single wedding day but it actually provided an amazing backdrop for what turned out to be 3 spectacularly beautiful and unique weddings! Now I wouldn't wish rain on anyone's wedding day but if some should happen to come your way I'd suggest just going with the flow, at the end of the day you'll be married to the love of your life, have an incredible story, and probably have some pretty amazing pictures to help you remember it all by!
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This Blog is no longer actively updated, to view my latest work please visit my NEW wedding photography BLOG!!

also Check out our lastest Rainy Wedding Day photos!

Featured in: Shore Magazine BRIDE

One of my favorite beach weddings of the entire summer was featured in the latest issue of Shore Magazines BRIDE. The photograph is their featured "Capture" and can be found just inside the back cover!

The ceremony took place on Oval Beach in Saugatuck Michigan, and yes the dark clouds on the horizon did end up soaking the bride, groom, and all their guests with wind whipped rain. Remarkably that didn't stop the ceremony, or the smiles, of the bride and groom as they finished their vows in the rain before running for cover!

Many thanks to Melanie and David for sharing their wedding day with me and allowing me to share this photograph of their incredible beach wedding with Shore Magazine.

If you'd like to see even more amazing beach wedding photos check out this blog post!

Baby Pictures: Saint Joseph Michigan

Today I had the opportunity to photograph a beautiful baby boy here in Southwest Michigan. I don't normally blog about my family portrait work but I thought I'd start putting more of my baby pictures on the blog since it is slowly becoming a bigger part of what I shoot here in Saint Joesph Michigan.

Photographing newborns on location is not only a lot of fun it is a welcome change of pace from the hectic, but exciting weddings I'm so accustomed to shooting on weekends. A typical shoot revolves around the babies schedule and involves me showing up on location, scouting the light in a house and setting up a portable backdrop by a window. We'll shoot some portraits of the baby with the back drop and then sometimes get more creative and use the room or furniture in the house for props and backdrops. This is of course if the baby doesn't fall asleep first...

If you or someone you know is having a baby soon and would be interested in scheduling a newborn portrait session please contact me through my website! Many thanks to Dave & Molly for inviting me into their home and allowing me to photograph their son!

And the WINNER of the Free Engagment Session is...

This weekend we gave away one free engagement shoot in the hope chest drawing and I promised everyone who entered the drawing that we'd give another one away this week on the blog Congratulations to the lucky recipient: Whitney Martin

Whitney will be receiving a free Engagement shoot along with a 10pg brag book!

Congratulations Whitney!

Engagement Photos in Madison Wisconsin

I had the pleasure of shooting Dan & Sarahs engagement photos in Madison Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago. We started on the University of Wisconsin campus at the Memorial Union. Because it was so cold out we had to stay inside and shoot in the stair wells and hallways around the Union Theatre but I think the pictures turned out beautifully!


Once we were done in the Union we actually went out on the frozen lake for a few pictures looking back at campus and then we headed over to the capitol building where once again we used the incredible architecture inside the building to capture some really neat shots.


We wrapped up the shoot with a quick stop by a bar, a few photos in the Museum of Contemporary Art, and a small coffee shop which was perfect because by then we were all freezing!


I think you can tell from the images that Dan & Sarah are not only incredibly photogenic, they're a lot of fun to hang out with too! I can not wait to shoot their wedding here in Southwest Michigan this July at the Blue Dress Barn!


Check out Dan & Sarahs wedding photos at the Blue Dress Barn here!!

Chicago Wedding Photography: Art Institute of Chicago, Engagement photos

Any wedding photographer who shoots a lot of weddings in Chicago knows just how easy it is to get caught up in all the hype about the skyline, the fountains, and the tourist attractions that you can find all over the city of Chicago. Most wedding parties have a list of hot spots they want to visit, The Adler Planetarium, Buckingham Fountain, and Millenium Park are a just a few of the most popular photo opps on a wedding day. While these places can be great for photographs they are typically more about the location than the couple.

One thing I think more brides and grooms should consider is finding a quite place where they can take a few minutes to relax, enjoy each one another and allow the photographer to take beautiful photographs that focus the couple on their wedding day.

One great location that allows exactly that is the Art Institute of Chicago. There's a beautiful little garden on Michigan Avenue just south of the main entrance of the Art Institute where a couple can stop for a few quite photos together.

It's away from the hustle and bustle, and crowds of bridal parties you'll find at the Fountain or Millenium Park but that doesn't mean the photos will be any less beautiful!

In fact, the simplistic backgrounds and simple settings focus the attention on the couple and the connection they have with one another which is really what the wedding day is all about. Rather than oohing and ahhing about the skyline or fountain, your friends and family will be saying things like, look how In LOVE they were on their wedding day! This is one of the reasons why Engagement photos at the Art Institute of Chicago are such a great idea

So, when you begin planning the photo walk for your wedding day, talk to your wedding photographer about a less touristy location that will compliment those amazing photos of the bridal party with the skyline in the background and take a moment to enjoy one another on your wedding day!

Thank you Adam and Tatiana for allowing me to spend an afternoon with you this November and congratulations on your engagement, I can't wait for the wedding!!!


To view a collection of more recent Chicago Engagement Photos please visit my new blog here, or check out the Engagement Photos at Sunrise in Chicago, here!

Wedding photos at W Hotel - Lakeshore Chicago

A couple weeks ago I was in downtown Chicago at the W Hotel - Lakeshore shooting a wedding in the Altitude room overlooking Lake Michigan. The weather was perfect and the W Hotel was an amazing venue for a wedding reception.

Following are a few photos from throughout the wedding day. The bride and groom started the day at the W Hotel with prep in individual suites before heading to the Holy Family Church for the wedding ceremony. On the way back to the W we stopped at North Avenue Beach for a few quick portraits. North Avenue beach is a great location for wedding photos in Chicago because it's close to down town and it's easy on and off from Lakeshore Drive. If you've got a wedding on the north side of Chicago it's a great alternative to driving to the museum campus where most other wedding parties go for skyline photos.


After a few quick portraits it was back to the W Hotel - Lakeshore for cocktails and the reception in the Altitude room. The details were amazing and the view was spectacular!


Every Saturday Navy Pier has fireworks, and they made for a spectacular show during dinner, this is the view from the wedding reception at the W hotel.

We wrapped up the night with a quick shot of the bride and groom in the bathroom. Yes that is correct, this is the womans bathroom in the Altitude room. If the W Hotel puts this much attention to detail and style into their bathroom it's no wonder they can create such an unforgettable wedding experience for brides and grooms!

Engagement Photos by the Beach

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to meet up with Emily and Dan and do their engagement photos by the beach. We started out in Grandmere State Park where the mosquitos tried to eat us alive and then moved up the beach to St. Joe where we ended the shoot at Silver beach. Emily and Dan where so much fun to work with and they look amazing in the pictures!







To more recent Beach Engagement Photos click on the link provided!

Rain Rain Go Away!

What a mess the weather was this weekend! I had two weddings in Chicago this weekend the first of which was Chris and Niki's. The bride and groom flew all the way from San Francisco to Chicago to have their wedding here in Chicago on Wrigley Field but the weather had other ideas for their day! Unfortunately there had been so much rain leading up to the weekend that absolutely no one was allowed down on the field. The bride and groom were disappointed of course but we didn't let the weather prevent us from having fun taking pictures around the city!
We started out trying to take pictures of the skyline by the Planetarium but as you can see it was raining so hard you could barely see the buildings.

You can only keep a wedding dress so dry under an umbrella so after a few quick shots we were off to find some place nice and dry!

We ended up at Union Station in Downtown Chicago along with 2 or 3 other bridal parties. Unfortunately we all got kicked out by security for not having permits... apparently they aren't very sympathetic when it comes to brides running from the weather. But at least we got some fun shots before they asked us to leave including this shot of the bridal party by the south entrance!

Finally we headed for Wrigley Field to get a shot by the Marquee along with a few other photos around the stadium before finally taking cover from the weather once and for all in the Batters Eye!

Chris and Niki where so much fun to work with and I couldn't believe how they just kept having fun in spite of the weather. They actually embraced the rain and I couldn't have been happier to spend a rainy day with the two of them! Congratualations to them both!!

Congratulations Kim & Ernie!!

After finishing my blog post last night I realized everything was about the reception at the Blue Dress Barn and I'd hardly shown anything from the wedding day so I thought I'd throw up a few fun photos to give you a feel for what went on during the day!

We started out at Mane Street Salon and Spa and managed to get the hair and veil done just before the electricity went out!

Weddings require a LOT of energy so on the way to the church we just had to stop for a little coffee!! =)



After getting ready for pictures I surprised the bride by bringing her into the basement of the church for a few quick portraits. Yes, she did wonder what we were doing in the basement... but after seeing a few of the pictures she got the idea, as you can tell she looked incredible in her wedding gown. I especially love the picture of her with her Mom and sister!


I love how this classic pose brings out all the details in the Kims amazing wedding gown and bouquet!

The ceremony was at The First Church of God in Saint Joseph Mi. It was a beautiful church to shoot in!


After the Ceremony I took the bride and groom down to the basement for a couple quick photos and then we stopped at the beach for a few more pictures before heading to the Blue Dress Barn!


All in all it was an amazing day and I was so excited to be a part of it! Congratulations to Kim and Ernie!!