Leslie and Ray made me the happiest photographer of all time earlier this month!  Not only did I get to visit one of my favorite cities in the world, but I got to spend the weekend with one of my favorite couples in the entire universe. Leslie and I have been great friends since college and I have never seen her as happy as she is with Ray.  If you think you’ve met the nicest guy in the world, then think again, because as far as nice guys go – Ray is tops. No joke. I am beyond thrilled that Leslie will be spending the rest of her life with him!

They met in Chicago, but when Leslie got relocated for work and Ray followed her out there, I knew it was serious. Just a few months ago, Ray proposed on the Sky Deck of the Willis (formerly Sears) tower when they came home to visit family. They will be tying the knot in their hometown of Chicago, but it was so important for them to document their engagement session here in New York where their relationship blossomed.

The main part of the session was  shot in Central Park.  Here they are taking a stroll…

Leslie is a dancer at heart, so here she is showing Ray a few moves…

A nice portrait of the two of them:

Leslie has always wanted a fall engagement session because the leaves are so beautiful this time of year…

I am SO in love with this shot! Notice the little heart shape made by the twigs on the right? <3

He adores her. Clearly.

After Central Park, we wandered around Manhattan for a bit – and these two got a bit goofy. They have WAY too much fun together, which made my job extremely easy:

This next set was taken a little earlier in the day. There soooo many good spots to shoot in NYC!

  We took these night shots in Jersey City, right down the street from where Leslie and Ray live. These were some of my favorite shots of the entire day. They look comfy here, but they are troopers! The temperature had dropped about 20 degrees and it was FREEZING out! Good thing they have their love to keep them warm

So in love…

Leslie and Ray, your love is an inspiration! Thank you for having me out there to document this time in your lives!

When Cathy and Tine approached me about photographing their wedding, I was so touched. Cathy has been like family to me ever since I can remember, and for her to trust me with a day like this was one of the biggest compliments I could ever receive. They started off thinking it would be a pretty small and intimate celebration, but as the Filipino way would have it, it turned into a wedding with over 200 guests (OK, I guess for some people that is a small wedding, but still!).  I’ve never seen St. Martha’s chapel so full before! It was a testament to the fact that Cathy and Tine have so many people who love them, and their day was a beautiful celebration of love, life, and family.

I’ll start off with one of my favorite images of the day:

Here is what she looked like the first moment that I saw her,  just about to put on her dress – looking gorgeous already:

Cathy got ready with her mama sitting by just a few feet away. Happy Birthday Tita! You looked amazingly beautiful!

Since the day was literally packed from beginning to end with no time between the ceremony and the reception, Cathy and Tine opted to see each other before the ceremony, what we photogs call doing the ‘first look’. I love when the bride and groom do this because it allows me as the photographer to capture the beauty of these real moments -  just the two of them seeing each other and interacting without being distracted by hundreds of people watching them. One of the most wonderful God-given gifts about being a photographer is having that ability to share  a unique perspective. Knowing this couple for as many years as I have, I wanted to make sure they could really see what I see when I look at them. Cathy and Tine, here’s what your love looks like to me:

It is deep, and profound, and beautiful…

It is strong and nurturing:

It is exactly the perfect kind of love that everyone hopes for:

A detail shot of the beautiful bouquet:

Just a pretty, soft portait of Cathy:

Tine ready to make this bride officially his!

We headed over to the church right after the first look. This is the same church that Justin and I got married in four years ago, at the grammar school that Cathy and I both attended growing up, so it has such a special meaning to our families:

Cathy is absolutely glowing here:

Married!

A few more heart felt moments at the reception. I’ll admit this is exactly when I lost it and had tears flowing down my face as I was shooting these:

How could you not? This is what wedding days are all about – these moments right here:

Their first dance together as husband and wife. Cathy sang the song to Tine with her whole heart:

Congratulations again Tine & Cathy. Love you both!

To view more images from Cathy and Tine’s wedding click here.

Late last month I had the great pleasure of photographing a gorgeous e-session of Grace and Anthony in downtown Chicago. We started off near the Drake hotel and found some beautiful light right across the street. Grace and Anthony have such a sophisticated style while still being so light-hearted and fun, and I felt that in each image I captured that day. Here are a few of my favorites:

 They are just so natural together: 

Mee-yowww!

I love how they laugh together!

We headed over to the Planetarium and took a little walk along the lake. Love the feeling of this one:

Classic sophistication:

And finally, we ended up at Navy Pier, where Anthony popped the question a few months ago. (Side note:  The story of their engagement was one of the best I’ve ever heard! Anthony rented out the IMAX at Navy Pier, pretended NOT to be in town while Grace’s sisters pretended to take her to the movies. Anthony had the theater employees play a slideshow of some of their favorite pictures together on the big screen while Grace was sitting in the middle of the theater, completely stunned. Then from behind the screen Anthony appeared, and walked up the stairs to her while holding the ring box. I cried hearing the story! Great job Anthony!)

My favorite, romantic image:

Grace and Anthony, I wish you sooo much love! Thank you for asking me to document such an important time in your lives!

I have known Katelyn since she was only four months old… and I really can’t believe how much she has grown. Just a few months ago, she looked like this:

And now, she is such a big girl!

We had a lovely session in Lincoln Park this past October… She had her butterfly wings on for Halloween:

Jenny, Mark, and Katelyn, I simply adore your family. Thank you for inviting me to document your lives as your little girl is growing! See you soon!

I woke up this morning feeling completely depleted. Forcing myself out of bed for an early morning meeting and dragging myself into the office, I felt like a hot mess.  In my haste to get out the door I realized too late that I had not dressed warmly enough. Thank God for the spare sweater I keep at my desk, I thought, patting myself on the back for my overpreparedness.

And not even two hours later, I had managed to put my sweater onto the bathroom countertop, where it immediately fell into the sink, the automatic soap dispenser squirting all over it. Three times.

As I washed my sweater in the sink, I burst into laughter at the way this day was unfolding. Because despite it all, I realized how good I had it.

I am thankful for this crazy busy life that is so full of wonderful moments. From the thoughtful friend buying me a gingerbread latte, to impromptu rides home on a rainy day.  From the amazing entrepreneurs I am priveleged to be surrounded by, to the hilarious memos that have been circulating around the office, to the clumsy accidents I seem to inflict upon myself. For complete strangers who tell me they love my boots, and the friends who I don’t see often enough who can pick up and continue right where we left off last time.

For the devilish grins I see on children’s faces when they discover something ‘cool’ for the first time. For the intriguing novels that I become absorbed in and the Pandora station that seems to capture the exact mood I’m feeling at the time. For the delightful, serendipitous moments that I am finding more and more often and for the delicious Tom & Jerry holiday drinks that leave me depleted the next day.  For the husband who strives to be so much more and the great things I see ahead of him.  For the overwhelming amounts of cuddling needed by my pup. For the ability to chase after the things I love and make them mine, I am grateful. Life is good. Not just good – incredible.

And, since this post is no good without a photo, here’s a shot I took with my iPhone a few weeks ago in the charming town of Princeton. Happy Thanksgiving and be sure to count your blessings!

I’ve been waiting anxiously to post this one for weeks and weeks, as I was asked to keep these engagement photos under wraps until after the wedding. Well, that wedding happened yesterday and now it’s time to unveil these gorgeous photos of one of my favorite couples: Cathy & Tine.

Cathy and I have been friends since I was three and she was four. We grew up a block away from each other and are practically family. And I couldn’t be happier with the man she’s chosen to spend the rest of her life with. Tine has been her rock through the years, and she has been the artistic force that balances Tine out when he’s taking himself too seriously. And when you hear them laugh together, you know God got something right in bringing them together. It was such an honor to be asked to photograph their wedding… and now without further ado, here are are Cathy and Tine’s engagement photos:

Cathy – do you realize how beautiful you are?

And, because I just can’t wait – here’s one from the wedding, more coming soon! Congratulations you two – Justin and I wish you the most wonderful life together!

Earlier last month, I was one of the lucky few able to attend a workshop with Bob and Dawn Davis. I had always admired them from afar and was so ecstatic to finally be meeting them in person. They are such wonderful and giving people – even more amazing in real life than I expected them to be.  I have to say, I was truly floored by the amount of knowledge I walked away with after two days with them. On the first day, we had an incredible shoot with several models. Bob spent time with us in the morning lecturing us on finding the light and also using our flashes to enhance our images.

While I had many successful images using my flash, the first set I’d like to share is all natural light – I focused on finding that light and documenting the dreamy feeling of this gorgeous scene. Our location was the Narnia Estate in Lemont, IL.

This location was an absolute dream! There was beautiful light peeking through the trees giving that perfect touch of rim lighting around Gigi and Carter.

They are devastatingly beautiful, no?

I cannot believe we had a horse in this shoot – so much fun!

I’m in love with dancing, so these next two images really speak to me…

A very Alice in Wonderland kind of moment – Dawn really thought about every detail of this shoot! Can I please have balloons in every session from now on?

Thank you so much Bob and Dawn for being such an inspiration. And just for being the awesome people that you are. You reminded me of what it is that I’m striving for and how to have fun chasing down my dreams.  More images coming soon… stay tuned for part 2

I’m on a roll, this will be two blog posts in one week!  Here’s a session I did with my very expressive niece Valentina. She’s turning into such an amazing little person. I am surprised by the things she does all the time.  Here she is looking very, very quiet…shy even. 

But don’t let her fool you… this little diva is a LOUD one! She has the full-out belly laughter down pat!

She can also be sneaky…

And playful…

And just absolutely adorable and sweet.

And this last one is a few weeks later… but again, she is just so darn lovable… right?!

It’s been over  a month since my last post – it’s been a busy few weeks!  I promise, there are more images on the way! Between travelling to Princeton (post coming soon – even though I didn’t have my ‘real camera’ with me), second shooting a couple weddings, flying to NYC for an engagement session, and the rest of the life I have had in between, there have also been some little cuties that I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. The beginning of October started off with this gorgeous little girl named Milan.  She was just starting to learn to stand up on her own when we did this session and was torn between crawling and cruising around on the furniture. Nevertheless, she looked absolutely adorable no matter what she did! Here are a few of my favorites from this session:

You know how we women always say this baby is so cute, I want to bite her? Yes, that’s how I feel about this little one.  But I refrained from doing so. No babies were harmed during the shooting of this session.

A few family portraits that I loved:

Even though Milan looks squished, I love the feeling of this one Debbie and Dean are so in love with her.

Debbie, Dean, & Milan – love you all so much! Thanks again for letting me share this time with you to document your lives!