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!