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Roni & Rick’s Wedding

Last week I posted Roni & Rick's engagement session.  Posting two of this couple will feature their wedding. 

Roni was working the box office at IO (formerly Improve Olympic) when Rick came in and tried to finagle a free ticket (which he claims he should have received). He never got past the entrance mainly because he spent the entire night talking about everything with Roni.

At the end of her shift, she asked him if he wanted to finish the conversation over coffee and cake at the Pick Me Up. At 3:30am, they were asked to leave. But that didn't stop the two from moving the conversation to their car. Eventually, all good things must come to an end. And they said their goodbyes. No kiss. No numbers were exchanged. The two just hoped they would see each other again around IO.

bride and groom walking along lake

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Roni & Rick: engagement session

In the summer of 2006, Roni & Rick married.  During the past three and a half years, they never went away.  And that's a good thing.  They have continued to be active with my business in many different forms.

But you all must be curious --- Why am I blogging about former clients from a long time ago?  The two were special from the beginning.  To know Roni means you know how to go from a simple smile to a gut-busting and knee-slapping laughter.  

She is a hoot.  Odd (in a fantastic way).  Honest.  Direct (related story about this in next week's blog). Caring. Giving. Appreciative. A fantastic listener.  And, she burps.  Loudly.  With theatrical body movements to boot. 

couple laughing at the beach

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Sylvia & Marcello: engagement session

Sylvia & Marcello met through a blind date via a mutal friend. 

Four years later, the two are going to marry on June 26, 2010.  Sylvia was referred to me by a former bride and groom from October of 2004.  Funny, it doesn't seem as if I have been shooting weddings longer than 3 years.  But 8 years later, I am about to begin my 9th year.

On Wednesday, September 24, 2008, Marcello proposed to Sylvia in their home.   

couple in front of skyline in grant park, chicago

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Shawn & Tyler’s Wedding

Two of my favorite portraits for 2009 were taken at Shawn & Tyler's wedding on July 31.

One is of the bride and her bridesmaids dressed in green dresses against the bright blue sky and cumulus clouds.  What attracts me to this image is the surreal quality as if the people have been cutout and placed into a backdrop. The depth of field of the lens, the additional off-camera lighting, along with the color of the sky and clouds, is what makes this image delicious.

The second picture is the two of them kissing outside the Lincoln Park Conservatory.  This was some more fun with off-camera strobe, overriding daylight with my shutter speed to make the ground go black, bringing the sky down to a deep blue, and once again, those Simpson-esque clouds. 

These are some techniques I learned while studying off-camera lighting using small flashes with Joe McNally this past April.

shawn and tyler under bridge in lincoln park chicago wedding portrait very dramatic light

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Regina & Jon’s Wedding

Regina & Jon's meeting story is truly "by chance."

Jon works for Puma Running division, and Regina works for a hotel downtown.  That specific weekend, Jon was working a Puma running booth for the Road Runners of America conference at the Embassy, and Regina happened to be working (she only works one weekend every quarter).  When he set up shop at the hotel, he noticed "a dark-haired beauty carrying four cups of coffee in a Starbucks coffee tray. Looking back I would bet that one of the cups contained a grande non-fat vanilla latte with a Splenda and a straw."  The event was SLOW.  And after a few days, he realized that "dark haired beauty" was the manager on duty.  

"My goal was to see that smile as much as possible over the weekend. She would periodically walk around the hotel to make sure that everything was in order. Me being me, I would crack jokes and show her my favorite videos of jumping lizards, sports mascot bloopers, and TV clips."

Luckily, Regina had a good sense of humor.  She laughed.

bride and groom portrait in a field of trees in chicago's millennium park

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