Metropolitan Imageworks

Our talented Metimages associate photographer, Elizabeth, had a lovely portrait session with newborn Lauren last week.  I had previously photographed big sister Elayna about a year and a half ago and we were very excited to be asked back for the new arrival!   Mom, Dad and Elayna graciously showed little Lauren how it was done.   And the little one is such a fast learner – she totally rocked the session!

Maddox is one of my 2011 Milestone babies and her family joined me at Disney for her 6-month portrait session!  Maddox’s mom and dad are avid Disney fans and I am sure Maddox is following in their footsteps.  We met up at the Grand Californian and started with Maddox posing in their room. Then we headed out onto the lush grounds and had ample time of a happy baby for some family shots as well.  Grandma and Grandpa recently celebrated 50 years of marriage in the area and were able to tag along for the session.  Little Maddox sits up like a champ and is in love with a silver baby rattle that her grandma gave her. And of course, what teething babe doesn’t love having a Sophie around during portraits?

If you want to see images from some of the best photographers in the world – check out Fearless Photographers.  I am honored and ecstatic to be a part of such a talented group of photographers who see light, color, contrast, emotion, moments and beauty that is both simplistic and breathtaking at the same time.  Gone are the days of just taking pretty pictures with which to remember the wedding day.  It’s been kicked up quite a few notches, folks.

Here is my image that placed in the Round 5 competition.  Yes, I won an award for taking a photo of a few butts!

While you’re at it, you should peruse the entire gallery of winning images from this round – Fearless Photographers Round 5 – and be sure to click LIKE for the ones you like as they narrow it down for a best in show!!!

Our awesome Metimage’s intern, Barb, filled in for a Milestone portrait session with Bianca a couple weeks ago in Chicago, and it was hot out!  Bianca and family met up with Barb on the grounds of Dominican University and spent a lovely morning documenting Bianca’s 9-Month session.  Fortunately they were able to escape some of the heat and prevent a melt-down a little longer by heading inside one of the buildings to finish off the session.  Bianca once again aced the portrait session and showed her many smiles and smirks!

It’s been a while and I am feeling in the contest hosting type of mood.  Details are being worked out so just stay tuned for the big announcement.  And I mean BIG this time!!!  This contest will call for creativity and use various social media so add this blog to your RSS feed, follow Metimages on Twitter and become a fan of Metimages on Facebook!

Check out these two cutie- patooties!  Maddie and Lanie were such troopers during our very hot and humid portrait session!  I, for one, felt the trickle of sweat dripping down my back as we trekked around the gorgeous grounds of Cantigny.  I’ve had the pleasure of photographing both Maddie and Lanie as newborns and then again for a couple sessions in-between.  The girls are so much fun and do so well in front of my camera!  Mom and Dad requested a few shots of the two of them, something they haven’t done since their wedding!

I’ve had the great pleasure of second shooting for Rachael Michael at two fabulous weddings this summer.  As I’ve hurled headlong into the dizzying world of wedding extravaganza, it has been interesting to observe that each wedding has many details that make it special.  Brides are often told not to sweat the small stuff – nobody is going to notice that the color of the place cards match the calla lilies in the bridesmaid bouquets… I’m not sure I agree with that 100%

Second shooters must support the primary photographer by noticing all of those little details. While Rachael is doing her magic capturing the essence of the bride and groom, I get to do some very fun stuff!  For example, Diana and Rob’s wedding had the most beautiful place cards I had ever seen, and I found myself obsessed with documenting them.  Diana carefully crafted paper flowers, complete with wired stems, and “planted” them in a bed of grass.  Guests had to search through a verdant meadow in order to find their names written on paper petals, and then carried bouquets back to their seats– how fun is that?

Typically, once they’ve been claimed, I’ve seen place cards strewn haphazardly at the reception tables.  However, as I roamed the reception room looking for details to capture, I kept coming across these flowers… carefully laid across a plate, popping out of a chair ribbon, tucked into a guest’s hair, etc.  Not only did these flowers provide an element of whimsy for the guests, I believe they were a beautiful representation of this bride’s particular sweetness and femininity.  Details like these appeared everywhere – from the happy pink posies on the cake, to the Victorian-style dried flowers at the bridal party table, to the soft pink paper hearts, which would eventually serve as the couple’s guest book.  This couple was all about life, warmth, and love… and it showed in the details.

At Amy & Todd’s wedding earlier this summer, there was a lot going on behind the scenes.  For example, as the guests were being seated for the ceremony, Amy and her girls were waiting for the procession to start in the hotel’s lobby.  The wedding coordinator chose that moment to come by and ask the girls whether they’d like to see the reception room being decorated.  I found myself witnessing one of the sweetest moments of the day –when Amy and a couple of her bridesmaids saw the beautifully decorated reception room for the first time.  It was such a pleasure to capture this special moment –one that the guests never would have been able to see otherwise.  As wedding photographers, I learned that paying attention to the extra moments that happen beyond the classic footprint of ceremony & reception can yield some of the most amazing details of the day.

It is this very reason that I love second shooting for Metimages – I am all about the details and it is a fun challenge to work the room and discover them. I’ve been that guest at the wedding that has actually noticed when the reception napkins match the bride’s shoes. As such, it gives me great pleasure to preserve these thoughtfully chosen details – they mean something! – and what better way to preserve those memories than through beautiful images?

(Of course we had to include some other great captures by Barb this summer!)

* Barb, always a fan of photography, purchased her first DSLR in 2009 and has taken multiple photography classes at the Chicago Photography Center and immersed herself in the Chicago photographic community.  A logical next step on her quest to hone her skills was to approach a professional and ask about starting from the ground up.  Since we have been friends going back to 2001, I jumped at the opportunity to introduce her to the arena of professional portrait and event photography and help her grow.  Barb began as an intern with Metimages in the Spring of 2011 and has quickly proven herself with her talent, willingness to learn, and calm, professional demeanor with Metimages clientele.

Ezra and Zora are back on the blog again, this time for their two and a half year portrait session. We started out at home with them smiling, making faces and showing off some of their new jumping tricks.  Oh to be two and a half again and fearless!  After that we headed to the local splash park for a little late afternoon cooling off, though it seems Ezra and Zora had more fun on the playground swings rather than in the water!

Climbing on the furniture is fun!

Jumping off is even more so!

Check out Ezra’s form!

I think it’s safe to say they really like when I photograph them now!

Mom really enjoyed the water!

I have a challenging job.  And I love it!  What happens when you have a lovely summer day, a beautiful bride and handsome groom, an equally good-looking (and fun) wedding party and a photographer’s eye-candy in terms of backdrop and location?  You get a heck of a lot of images.  The actual day-of the wedding is second nature to me in terms of timeline, activities, emotions, working with families and capturing all that I need to capture to tell a story and document the day for my clients.  Throw in a little weather, be it humidity, rain, direct sunlight, snow, no matter as I have seen it before and I have conquered it before.  The real challenge is working with the images after the day is over and the last guest has departed.  Part of the reason my clients place a high priority on their wedding photos and choose me is for my vision and ability to capture the day for them.  The other part is my ability to take the many images myself and my associate photographer have captured and cull through them to find the best of the best and pare it down to a reasonable number so as not to put anyone – bride, groom, parents, guest – into sensory overload with an unreasonable amount of final images in that story.  When we have a beautiful day with a beautiful crew such as on Diana and Rob’s wedding day, it is a much harder and longer process. But well worth the wait when all is said and done.

My 2011 wedding season is midway through and I must brag about how much I adore my Metimages clients.  Diana and Rob found me through a referral (which is still how 95% of my clients find Metimages) and we had a fantastic meeting last fall and then met up again a few weeks later for a city engagement portrait session.  Starting at a hidden oasis in the heart of Lincoln Park and ending downtown after dark was a perfect adventure and a good warm up for all of us.  Diana and Rob each earned an A+ and I didn’t notice any issues with them as Metimages subjects.  Well done!  I was asked to join the crew for the rehearsal dinner on the eve of the wedding and I decided to start a little earlier during the actual rehearsal of the ceremony.  It was a blazing hot day, direct sun blaring down with barely any breeze and we all suffered through.  Thankfully their friends and family follow instructions well and only had to run through it once.  The rehearsal dinner was held at Hugo’s Frog Bar in downtown Naperville and the private room was wonderfully air-conditioned and provided a nice respite from the heat.  Many of us were checking weather updates for the following day and were excited to learn it would be about 20 degrees cooler and have much less humidity. Game on!

Diana and the girls did their getting-ready prep at the Dairyman’s Cottage on the grounds of Cantigny, where the ceremony and reception were to take place, and it was the perfect suite of rooms complete with a fully functioning and modern kitchen.  The girls were able to spread out and relax all morning.  I arrived just as Diana was sitting down in the make-up artist’s chair.  As soon as all the bridesmaids floated down the stairs in full wedding day attire and Diana’s smile lit up the entire room, it was her turn to don her wedding day dress and accoutrements.  Another reason I get excited for weddings is because although there is a similar format  - girls get ready, bride and groom say I Do, we take photos, celebration commences – many of my clients work very hard to put their own touches on the day. Diana was no exception with the selection of flowers, bridesmaid dresses and her incredibly unique and perfectly fitting bridal gown, complete with pockets!

We headed out for some bridesmaid and then groomsmen portraits around the grounds of Cantigny and then all convened on the East Lawn for the late afternoon ceremony. As we anticipated more movement of the sun, you can imagine our delight right as the ceremony began when a cloud cover blossomed over the entire area.  It was like a giant diffuser and not only provided the right atmosphere for the ceremony it also provided the most perfect condition for outdoor photographs. After a touching ceremony with elements from each of their faiths, Diana and Rob were married and ready for some family formals and fun wedding party photos. In the meantime, the guests headed back to the visitors center for cocktails and to await the arrival and introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Rob Springer!  First dances, heartfelt toasts, a delicious meal and general guest socialization all took place before the DJ opened the dance floor and an all out dance frenzy broke loose!  I’m talking packed floor, dance-offs, spin the bottle, double dutch, the worm and all out good times were had by everyone, young and old.

Here are just a few of my favorite moments from throughout the day:

Pockets!

Visual eye-candy!

Maid of honor.

Best man.

Diana is a teacher and some of her students attended the ceremony and stuck around for a quick photo op!

I love it when a dad gets emotional.