We had the opportunity to meet Baby D a couple of weeks ago- and he’s pretty adorable. Ah! Calm little cuties are the best. Cherita and Jesus had simple, organic natural light photos for their Chicago family mini session at their beautiful home in Chicago. Cherita decorated their home with wonderful neutral blue, tan, and grey tones. Even Baby D’s (or should we say Jesus’) toy R2D2 fit the bill for the color scheme! The most awesome decor for a Chicago Family Mini Session.
For family sessions, we like to focus on the family themselves, keeping it simple. Simply family- essentially having the opportunity to capture all of you hanging out together. So that they can remember exactly how it was… as opposed to stiff posy posy stuff. (Trust me, everything is posed- but in more of a lifestyle and real feel) And with the all famous, adorable Baby D, he made it easy.
Super congrats on your growing family you two! Thank you for letting us shoot your film family session, it was an honor. I hope that the 3 of you are had an awesome first summer together! (Holy cow- Labor Day weekend is upon us)
We like to shoot family mini-sessions primarily on film, and I want to thank The Find Lab for always being awesome at developing anything from our Contax 645 for our Chicago family mini session.
We had the opportunity to photograph a few couple’s New York City weddings this year. The experience was amazing- we travel alot for destination photography events, and New York is the most amazing metropolis in the world. With it being the most amazing, I wanted to make sure to have a couple of extra days to spend here, and have a random mini-adventure. We wandered all over 2 boroughs of the city- Brooklyn and Manhattan (I still regret not stopping at King Of Falafel &
But onto a piece of the adventure. (Coney Island will get a post all on it’s own) All photos are either from Kodak film or Ilford shot on the Contax645 or CanonEOS1v processed by The Find Lab and edited by yours truly.
Yea… we went to Times Square. I was on a mission to see the Naked Cowboy.
Union Square continues to be my favorite place. 
And onto the train across the river..
I always wish we could stay longer… Like forever. But, that was our small taste of NYC.
We had the opportunity Jordan and Justin’s Blumen Gardens Wedding in Sycamore. Jordan and Justin are so incredibly sweet! Ah! And Blumen Gardens has the most lovely outdoor wedding space. We feel so blessed to have met these two. Even with Chicago’s unpredictable weather, this summer wedding season, we always are fans of outdoor wedding ceremonies. I love how personalized outdoor ceremonies are and hands down we love photographing wedding ceremonies outside.
Blumen Gardens has the most wonderful rustic and charming outdoor ceremony space, and it’s not too far from Chicago. Jordan and Justin actually got ready in Naperville, before heading to Sycamore for their wedding. Jordan chose to get ready at her parents’ house, because it’s close the her and Justin’s new apartment, and perfectly on the way to Sycamore. I love it when people get ready at their parents’ house because it adds a lovely personal touch to their wedding day. 🙂
Ok, more jabber later- here are the photos from their Blumen Gardens Wedding.
Ah Jordan, you’re so lovely!!
Jordan’s parents’ house was so pretty. Here’s the ladies in front of the side garage. 🙂
And on to Jordan and Justin’s first look! We stopped by Herrick Lake Forest Preserve on our way to their Blumen Gardens Wedding.
And we made it to their Blumen Gardens Wedding venue! No traffic and just in time. 🙂 You guys, everything is a photo op here. <3
This shot that Jason took is my personal favorite from Jordan and Justin’s Blumen Gardens Wedding ceremony. Jordan is a huge fan of Black and White photos, so we made sure to include extra and even shot a couple of rolls of film in black and white as well. <3 
Shhh… sometimes film can be blurry… I like to call it dreamy. #dreamyjustmarried
Yay! When we are outside of Cook County, we actually get to experience the signing of a marriage license. 
Thank you you guys for having us a part of your wedding day. I am so happy that the weather was amazing and that you got to have an outdoor ceremony with all of your friends and family. It was like a fairytale! (A fairy tale with a mesmerizing amount of photo ops).
Super congrats again! I hope that your honeymoon in Punta Cana was awesome! And a big thank you to all the vendors we got to work with to make Jordan and Justin’s Blumen Gardens Wedding possible:
Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Blumen Gardens Wedding in Sycamore
Getting Ready Locations: Naperville, IL
Florist: Jordan’s talented and wonderful friend Leah Hillman, boutonnieres were provided by Phillips Floral in Naperville
Hair: Tina at Mario Tricoci
Invitaions: Designed by Maid of Honor Nicole Irons
Shoes: Louise et Cie
Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal
Catering: Nats on Maple
Cake: Whole Foods
Music/DJ: Music By Design
Groom’s Suit: Pronto Uomo
Tie Brand: Kenneth Cole
Hurray! Katie and Josh are having their A New Leaf wedding this weekend! Here are a few photos from their engagement session. We started off at North Avenue Beach at sunrise- and headed down to Millenium Park for the rest of the session. The only time we ever take photos at The Bean is for sunrise engagements, so that way people are able to have that spot to themselves. Or… mostly to themselves- there were already about a dozen people at the Chicago bean for sunrise! Crazy!
After the bean, we wandered up Millennium Park towards the river. Every inch of that area is an engagement session photo op! Especially when you have the city to yourself. We had the most amazing light by the Wrigley Building next to the river. Ah! All of these sunrise engagement sessions make me want more. I’m now kind of addicted to this magical light.
Thank you guys for braving the early hours with us! Can’t wait for your wedding day at A New Leaf!!
We are excited to blog Jordan and Justin’s Blumen Gardens Wedding next week! I wanted to share a few shots we caught on 120mm BW film at dust, just before the sun fully set and the light was fleeting.
Blumen Gardens is an incredibly amazing and beautiful wedding space, and we were lucky enough to have had the opportunity to capture Jordan and Justin’s big day there.
Here are a quick few snaps from their wedding day in Sycamore, Illinois: (until I post the rest of the amazingness next week!!)
