Carolyn and Steve go to Michigan for the Weekend

Carolyn and I got back from our trip to Michigan earlier this evening and I have a bunch of pictures to upload.



Here's a picture of us driving up on Saturday morning. (I know a little overkill... but when I was bored in the car the iphone came out to keep things interesting)




Here's Carolyn enjoying some cider and doughnuts and the cider mill which is down the street from Carolyn's house


Front entrance to the cider mill (did you know that Laura Bush visited the cider mill?...)



On Sunday we went to Greenfield Village. The best way to describe the village is that it's a museum like community that showcases a lot of the earlier work of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. The community is also filled with tons of replicas of other famous people houses, workshops, etc. You could actually go for a ride in an original Model T for $4.00. This is a picture of a replica of one of Thomas Edison's offices. He actually visited the offices in the early 1900s and recorded a message for all the visitors. It was pretty interesting to hear the message.



I saw this in Carolyn's garage and I had to take a picture of it. This is Carolyn's original tricycle that her parents have saved.

picture from airplane

I was in Orlando earlier this week and I snapped a picture from my iphone on the way into O'Hare. It's not the best picture, but it's kind of cool to capture the lights of the city.

It's Pizza Night

Carolyn and are taking it easy tonight so we ran out and got some pizza from Bacci. It was our first time there and the pizza slices were HUGE.... Seriously, these were the biggest slices of pizza I have ever scene. I had my iphone with me and I snapped some shots of Carolyn chowing down.

Hello iPhone

Guilty as charged... I finally did it. It hasn't even been more than a week since Apple reduced the price of the iphone, and earlier today I went to the Michigan Avenue store and bought one. It took me about 10 minutes to set everything up and activate it. Everything was really easy. I've been playing around with the phone for about 45 minutes so far.. and here is my professional assessment:

THIS IS THE COOLEST PHONE/IPOD EVER!

I am amazed at how easy the user interface is. It knows exactly how you think and anticipates every move you make. And the screen is awesome. I was a little skeptical about how good the screens always looked on the TV ads, but it really does look that good in person.

Well.. now it's time to go back and start setting up my contact lists and music.

If you're thinking about buying one, please go ahead and get one now. It's definitely worth it. I haven't been this excited about a new toy on a long, long time.

Usher's Wedding

Mike Colon, who is one of the photographers I follow, just shot Usher's wedding this past weekend

From Mike Colon's Blog...

"This is a story I have to tell because it's so unbelievable! I got a call at 2:30am PST on Saturday Morning (9/1/07) and was on a plane at 6am. As I sat in first class on a Delta flight to Atlanta, I couldn't help but lean over and whisper to the sleepy fellow next to me, "I'm shooting Usher's wedding today." It was obvious that he could care less, but that didn't stop me from telling the guy in the seat in front of me next."

Click here to see the rest of the story.

Carolyn's friend Ginger came in today from New York and we just got back from picking her up at the airport. She brought us the best surprise. If any of you have ever been to the restaurant Serendipity in New York, then you probably tried a Frozen Hot Chocolate. If you haven't, it's a combination of a chocolate shake and frosty. And you usually have to spoon it in since it's so thick. Here's a little history about the restaurant which I got from The New York First Company's website

The most famous dessert in New York is served at a place that is part general store and part restaurant, soda fountain and coffeehouse. It's Serendipity 3, nestled in the heart of the Upper East Side, founded in 1954 by Stephen Bruce and his two partners, Calvin Holt and Preston "Patch" Caradine (the Serendipity 3).

Those three naughty boys invented Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, a secret-recipe, icy-chocolate confection served in an enormous fishbowl-shaped goblet, garnished with a mound of fresh whipped cream and shaved chocolate, and accompanied by a mixing spoon and two straws. This frosty, velvety-smooth creation is made from no fewer than 14 kinds of chocolate and exotic cocoas, ground into a rich slush.

Serendipity has been on the cutting edge of food, fashion and fun for over 50 years. Return to childhood as soon as you step inside. The restaurant entrance is a General Store filled with toys, candy, and a dozen different take-home sets of world famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, so you can give the makings of this unbelievable drink as a treasured gift, or keep it all to yourself. Each set includes everything you need to re-create the chilly bowl of magnificence at home: Just empty the instant mix into a blender, add milk and lots of ice, and whirr until frozen.

the new iPods are here...

The media event is over and most of the rumors are true, with the exception of the new version of the iphone. The iphone price dropped by $200 which makes it pretty attractive. Here's a picture of the new lineup of iPods

Carolyn - this is now officially on the top of my birthday wishlist.

Apple Media Event

It’s going to be another big day for Apple as they are holding a “special media event” around noon. Rumor has it that they will announce an upgraded iPod nano with more storage and a display screen. There’s also talk of a new nano iphone. I’m really interested in the nano iphone… if they do come out with one, this could be at the top of my birthday wishlist. I’ve been wanting an iPhone, but wanted to wait until they come out with a second generation version.

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.

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

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 |||

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 |||

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!

Pictures of new house

Here are some pictures of the new house. It's been almost two months since we moved in. Almost all of our furniture will be coming at the end of August, so some rooms look a little empty right now. My studio is the room that is most furnished right now.


Here's the new studio. Still need to hang my artwork on all the walls, but it's starting to look good.




I love the windows in the studio. There's so much natural light in this room.



Here's the front living room that you walk into through the front door.




The back deck taken from the balcony off the master suite. We stained the deck a dark brown color. Check out the new patio furniture! It all arrived in the past two weekeds.



Here's the kitchen which is on the first floor.


Master bathroom.


This is the ceiling in the master bathroom. The ceilings on the second floor are all vaulted to about 16 or 18 feet. They really open the rooms up.

Bean Bag Toss Slideshow

And now.. the much anticipated slideshow of the bean bag toss from Cooper's 30th. What better music to set this action packed game of luck and skill to then Loose Yourslef from Eminem? Click on the link above to play the slide show.

Enjoy!

picture of the girls from this evening

Here's a pictures of some of the ladies from the party earlier tonight. Unfortunately, they all went to Indiana University for undergrad (GO BOILERS!)

L to R: Micki, Sarah, Carolyn, Alison, Shannon and Heather