Wedding Photos at Notre Dame: Basilica of the Sacred Heart

If you ever have the opportunity to watch a wedding ceremony at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus you simply can not pass up the opportunity.

As a wedding photographer I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to shoot several weddings in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and yet I still can't help but pause every time I walk in for the first time on a wedding day and look up to admire how incredibly beautiful the church is.

The weddings I've photographed here are always incredible and the best thing is the bride and groom don't have to worry about decorations, just show up ready with your wedding vows and you are sure to wow your guests!

Although the Basilica does not allow wedding parties more than a half hour for wedding pictures it's typically plenty of time for a few important family photos before heading out onto the beautiful Notre Dame campus for a photo walk with your Bridal party!

I think one of the best things about having your wedding at the Basilica is the fact that you really don't have to go anywhere else for photos, you can walk out of the church and have as many options as you'd like for family photos or bridal portraits.

These are just a few of my favorites from throughout the day, as you can see you don't have to make every shot about being on the Notre Dame campus,

this classic bridal party shots are the perfect compliment to the photos of you and your new husband or wife in the Grotto or with the golden dome in the background!


Check out more recent wedding photos at Notre Dame here!

Engagement Photos in Saint Joseph Mi

Kim, Ernie, and I spent some quality time hanging out in Saint Joseph Michigan by cool brick walls, walking along the beach, talking about wedding pictures, and oh yeah we took some engagement photos too! As I'm sure you can tell by the pictures these two are a lot of fun to work with!! I can't wait for their wedding in Southwest Michigan this September!












To view a selection of more recent Engagement photos on the Beach in Southwest Michigan please visit my new blog!

Chicago Wedding at A New Leaf

Congratulations Matt and Angela!! The happy couple tied the knot at A New Leaf, which is an amazing location in down town Chicago just blocks from North Avenue Beach. While shooting at A New Leaf in Chicago IL was a real treat I think my favorite part of the day were the preparations with Angela. I love photographing all the details, the anticipation, and the reactions of the people when the first see the bride.








































This wedding was unique because the bride and groom requested non traditional wedding photography, I was asked to shoot strictly in a photojournalistic style and really capture the day as it happened without posing any pictures. While I am accustomed to shooting weddings in a documentary style it is unusual not to have an opportunity to do any bridal portraits but I think I managed to capture some really great pictures of the bride and groom together without them noticing. To see even more wedding photos at A New Leaf click here!

WPPI conference in Las Vegas

WOW what a week in Las Vegas! As usual the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International convention (WPPI) for short, was an awe inspiring week full of seminars, workshops, and shooting! This year brought another Award of Excellence for one of the prints I entered in the competition, I also presented a couple of small seminars for photographers, and Dan Terpstra and I did a quick Photography Team flash seminar on the streets of Las Vegas where we had live models! It got a bit crazy and stopped more than a little traffic as people tried to figure out who the models where but all in all it was a great time, and I think everyone walked away with something!

Here's one of my favorites from the Photography Team workshop on the strip...



And this is the shot that won an Award of Excellence in the international print competition...

Engagement Session in Saint Joseph Mi

Kirk & Carolyn spent an hour running from the rain and hiding from the cold, during their engagement session in Sain Joseph Michigan. Luckily for them their wedding isn't until August 16th, so I'm sure it'll be quite a bit warmer! Watch out for their wedding photos later this summer!

Wedding Photography, it's all in the details!

One of the most interesting things I document at every wedding are the details. Whether it's the rings, the cake, a center piece, or the invitation, no detail is to small to warrant my attention. Good detail shots require a little time and thought, careful composition, the right light, and practice. Coming up with something unique and beautiful is a challenge I look forward to at every wedding!