Thursday, August 30, 2007

Sabrina and Brendan

I'm a little behind this week since I was out of town on Monday and Tuesday in Orlando. Here are some pictures from Sabrina and Brendan's engagement shoot from this past weekend. Hope everyone has a long and wonderful weekend! I'll be staying in Chicago hanging out.












Who's coming to my website?


I am always amazed at the number of people who come to my website from different parts of the world. Here's a snapshot of some of the countries that made the list. It's also funny to see that when I go in a trip (like to South Africa) I will tell people that I'm a photographer, and then they'll go ahead and google me, and then find my website and my blog.

If you're reading this post and you're from outside the u.s., go ahead and leave a comment below and say hi.

Steve.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Video From Krueger National Park

I found this video on YouTube which was shot at Krueger national park South Africa, which is where I went on my honeymoon. It's about an 8 minute video of an unbelievable sequence of events that mostly involve a pride of lions and a herd of water buffalo. You have to watch the whole video since there are couple twists to the video. It instantly took me back to being on safari. I got this from Heather and Bob's blog

Enjoy


Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Michelle and Justin

I've finally got the slideshow up from this weekend! On Thursday, Justin and Michelle got married on Justin's fathers boat in Dusable Harbor, which is just south of Navy Pier. It has great views of the skyline and is very, very quiet. The weather was cool on Thursday, which was great because it had been in the 90's for way too long. Anyway... it was a great ceremony held on the back of the boat. This was my first wedding in Dusable Harbor so it was exciting to photograph a new place.

On Saturday, Michelle and Justin had their reception at the Signature Room in a privae room on the 95th floor. We got really lucky with the clouds because it cleared up just as the party started. It's really a great place for a party since you can't help but look at the views all night long. Michelle and Justin did a great job picking out all the details of the wedding. I included a bunch of detail shots to give you an idea of what the decorations looked like.

Thank you for everyone who made this two day event so fun. I had a really fun time capturing all of the memories. I hope you enjoy slideshow! I've also posted some of my favorite pictures below.















||| CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW |||

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Karen and Chris

This past weekend I photographed Karen and Chris' wedding which was at Holy Name Cathedral. Before and after the ceremony we were at the top floor of the Allerton for getting ready shots and the reception. The first thing that struck me about Karen and Chris, other than the fact that they are both over achievers (they both just finished taking the bar a couple weeks ago) is that they are so incredibly thoughtful and nice. Throughout our entire time working together, they were so gracious and welcoming. They always made sure that I got what I needed and were so polite. They were also flexible on doing some shots that were a little "out there" which is always great!. Which leads me my favorite shot from this wedding and from the entire summer so far.

It's important to note that Karen and Chris live a couple blocks from the Allerton, so the building has become a staple in their everyday life. So I wanted to think of a way to incorporate the top of the building in a unique way. It turns out the fire escape was open on the top floor, so we actually got to go outside and get some great shots of Michigan Avenue. For some of the shots, I stood right next to Karen, but for the other ones, I went to the other side of the tower and shot across the atrium with a telephoto lense. My favorite shots is of Karen's dad who is taking a picture of her. Here are some of my favorite shots.







||| CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW |||



Karen and Chris - Thank you for being so much fun to work with over the past week. You're wedding was so nice and was a perfect snapshot of everything a wedding in downtown Chicago should be.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Vaughn

Last night we had our neighbors over for dinner - Michael and Myrtala. They have the cutest baby boy who's really funny. He has these huge blue eyes that jump out at you. Here are some pictures of Vaughn crawling around the house.






Thursday, August 09, 2007

Submission to WPJA Contest




I just entered the following two images into the WPJA's quarterly photo contest. One is for the "dancing action" category and the other one is for "Details". Let's hope I come back with at least one winning image!

White Sox win in 13



I went to the white sox game with Carolyn and my parents last night. Man, it's been a long time since I've been to a Sox game. The game went on for 13 innings, but they finally pulled it off in the end. They hit a walk off home run to win the game. I was able to snap a quick picture with Carolyn's camera at the end of the game. GO WHITE SOX!

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Is it a leaf.. or is it a bug?



Carolyn and I went running this morning at 6:45, which is the first time I've gone running this early in a long, long time. The funny thing was that it already felt like it was 90 degrees. On the way back I saw this bug on the front of our house. It looks like a leaf, but it's actually not. I did a little research online and found out that it's called a Katydid. Below are some more details which I found on this bug site


Katydids get their name from the way their songs sound. Some katydids have been called long-horned grasshoppers because of their long and slender shape. However, all katydids are more similar and related to crickets than grasshoppers. One of the things that makes them different from their relatives is their antennae which may be two or three times the length of their body. These antennae are covered with sensory receptors that allow katydids to find their way around in the dark, when most of them are active.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Anne and Tony's Wedding was a blast!





I had a blast this past Saturday photographing Anne and Tony’s wedding. The day started at The Drake at one of their executive suites on the 10th floor. I love the views on the north side of the Drake. You get to see the start of Lake Shore Drive from Michigan Avenue and a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. I got super excited when I saw a placeholder on Anne’s table for Bruce Springsteen, but it turned out she’s a big fan of the boss and she just used it as a sample. (How dare you get my hopes up like that)

After doing some getting ready shots, we hopped in a limo to go around town for some around the city shots, which I love to do for everyone who get’s married downtown. We went to the Planetarium and then Ohio Street beach for some posed and photojournalistic shots. We then went back to the Drake, where we went to the small park directly across from the hotel. Anne and Tony exchanged gifts between them and also gave gifts to the maid of honor (Kelly) and best man (Greg). After that we re-grouped at 4pm to do some family shots outside, but it started to rain, so we decided to head over to Spiagga which is where the ceremony and reception were. I really love Spiagga’s private floor they have for weddings. It’s such a unique space and has a great view of the lake. The room worked really well for both the ceremony and the reception. Anne’s dad performed the ceremony which made it extra special. It really added an emotional element. My favorite part was when Anne’s dad delivered the line… “Tony, do you take my daughter to be your wife…”. Another funny line was when he referred to Anne as “Anny Bannany” (not sure if that’s the official spelling… I defer to Anne on that one).

This truly was a great night and I felt really lucky to photograph this wedding. Anne and Tony are headed off to Hawaii for their honeymoon. I hope you guys have a blast! Thanks for a wonderful two days of fun and memories!

||| Click on the above picture for the slideshow |||

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Fun at the Cub's Game

Carolyn and I went to the Cub game yesterday to hang out with Anne and Tony who are getting married this weekend. It was sooooo hot yesterday. Thank god we had seats in the shade or we would have melted by the 3rd inning. I'm really excited to photograph their wedding today. We're going to start with getting ready shots at the Drake, some Chicago shots around town, the ceremony, and then a reception at Spiaggia. I can't wait. Enjoy the slideshow!