Metropolitan Imageworks

Hilary and Wayne and a fabulous group of family and close friends gathered for a delightful afternoon tea in honor of Hilary and Wayne’s upcoming wedding this fall.  In lieu of a Wedding Shower with gifts, Hilary’s sister and mom themed it as a Sprinkle and asked guests to bring their favorite recipe.  The delicious tea-time treats were prepared with care by mom and sis and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who went back for seconds on the cucumber sandwiches and sugar cookies!  It was so much fun watching the guests of honor open cards and share the recipes, and unsurprisingly there was an underlying bacon theme.  Check back on the blog soon for a sample from Hilary and Wayne’s engagement session that I shot the following weekend!

In 13 years of shooting weddings and multiple events at Danada House in Wheaton, I finally got to shoot my first outdoor ceremony.  All the other times I was rained out!  Allison and Nick had a very large wedding party with 10 bridesmaids, 10 groomsmen, 2 ushers and 2 beautiful flower girls and it was perfect for the venue and to fill up the space with their closest family and friends.

Allison knows me well, I had already photographed one of her bridesmaid’s weddings and that bridesmaids sister’s wedding and a few more of the sister’s friend’s weddings!  As soon as I arrived she showed me her stunning wedding day shoes, a pair of blue Christian Louboutins.  I entertained myself for the next 15 minutes finding the perfect space for the perfect shot of Ali’s perfect shoes! I just love how they peeked out from under her dress for the rest of the day!

Guests were welcomed into the garden with bottles of cold water and flutes of champagne, Ali and Nick had the right idea by making part of the cocktail hour come first before the ceremony!  Nico, a good friend and former coworker of Ali’s officiated the ceremony and he made the kindest gesture and brought out some pre-ceremony tears when he shared his handiwork with Ali (which I personally am thankful for because I love to capture real emotion!)  Nico had Ali and Nick’s vows inscribed onto a gorgeous scroll.  Anyone would tear up at such a thoughtful gift!

The ceremony was perfect with the backing of late afternoon sun and the manicured grounds at Danada, as soon as it was over we took a few more wedding party and family photos and then the celebration began!  Guests dined in the atrium and tore up the dance floor for hours.  I was able to grab Ali and Nick for a few night shots right before I left.  Total wedding day success!

Enjoy your honeymoon in Hawaii!

Ceremony and Reception: Danada House, Wheaton, IL

DJ: Toast & Jam, Chicago, IL

Jayme and Rob’s wedding day dawned a bit cloudy and threatened rain.  Thankfully the only drops we encountered was a slight splattering on the way to church and for the rest of the day we were graced with sunshine and lovely spring temps.  FUN PARTY FACT: This is the 3rd time I have photographed a wedding at a St. Maria Goretti in as many states within the past 13 months!  I cannot recall the last time I laughed so hard and so often in church, their priest was lively and kind and he really focused in on Jayme and Rob’s personalities, as they really seem to laugh their way through life.  After the ceremony the wedding party, a few spouses and myself boarded a limo bus to cruise around Madison and stop for some photo ops and of course a beer at the Union on campus and a visit with other guests at the Old Fashioned on Capital square.

BEST LIMO BUS RIDE, EVER!!! Seriously.  Hats off to whomever came up with passing a coconut a la Hot Potato – you are a genius!  I need to find a way to carry around a coconut in my camera bag, just in case I’m ever on a limo bus or trolley that needs a little livening up.  Now to work on my coconut passing dance moves while also toting a camera and flash!

All the guests re-convened at the East Side Club for further celebration of Jayme and Rob’s union.  I think it’s a three-way tie of the biggest hit of the evening – the pig roast on display, the amazing tower of cupcakes with eleven different flavors (all fabulous, I know because I sampled four – in my defense I did split each one with my assistant photographer so that really only equals two full cupcakes) or a surprise visit by Bucky and the University of Wisconsin Marching Band!!!  Bucky and the band tore up the dance floor, it was PACKED and each and every guest was out there enjoying the live music and Bucky’s dance moves.

From here on out I might put in special requests to my brides and grooms for wedding day necessities that might entail coconuts, cupcakes and Bucky . . . just sayin’!

This little flower girl was FAST! I had to wait until she sat down to put her shoe back on to get this image!

Coconut on the Limo Bus!

During our quick stop for a beer at the Union, we counted no less than seven other bridal parties. And what happens when an area is overrun with brides and grooms? Some head smooshing I believe!

In case you always wanted to try a pickled egg, the Old Fashioned is your place!

Can’t find the garter for the toss? No worries, as long as there is a coconut available!

The Metropolitan Imageworks 2011 Wedding Season kicked off on Saturday in Payson, AZ at the Tonto Natural Bridge – believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world.  Congratulations Edy and Earl, it was the most gorgeous Spring day with sunshine, blue skies and temps in the 90′s.  I’ve been to the Tonto Natural Bridge before, as a tourist, and it’s a pretty amazing site with lots of trails and obscene elevation changes.  Thankfully we only hit a small, rugged trail to get to a waterfall with the wedding party AFTER the ceremony.

Edy and Earl were married against the backdrop of a rustic cabin right next to the lodge.  Their sweet and tender ceremony was officiated by Edy’s uncle Edgar, which was such a personalized touch.  After their vows and ring exchange, everyone regrouped for a round of family and wedding party photos.  Then most of the women changed their shoes into more suitable hiking footwear and we headed out to hike down the Waterfall Trail. Let me just remind you that going down is so much easier than coming back up!  But it was well worth it for a series of photos with the waterfall as a scenic backdrop.  As I huffed and puffed up the 300 steps with 20 lbs of camera gear, I was glad the hard part was almost over.  As a group we then made our way to scenic viewpoints 1, 3 and 4 for more photo ops and then caravaned back into Payson for a reception at Mojoes with toasts and more celebration for the newlyweds!

One awesome detail I noticed all day and evening – Edy is so genuinely vibrant and has an amazing laugh!  She was such a happy bride and I loved watching her laughter exude over and over again!  Earl can be pretty funny himself, too.  As a visual artist and one whose job it is to watch and capture moments on the wedding day, it’s just so fun to work with a happy and carefree couple.  I say carefree because Edy took even the littlest hiccups in stride.  Don’t have something blue?  No problem, as her sister applied a final coat of Moisturizer Chapstick in a blue tube and had Edy tuck it into the top of her dress!  Forgot to grab earrings?  No problem, as a dear relative (and mother of the flower girl) took out her diamond studs and handed them off to Edy!  Can’t find the bouquets you and the girls worked hard on assembling in the days prior to the wedding?  No problem, Mom has this one covered!   (Disclaimer, it’s not recommended to “borrow” flowers at a State Park but if you’re stealthy it can work!)  Groom dripped chocolate from the chocolate fountain onto his shirt and speeches are about to start?  No problem, he’ll run out and buy a new one and be back in 10 minutes.  Actually I think he was back in 9 minutes, it was that fast!

Edy and Earl, I am wishing you both a lifetime of laughter!

Here are some of my favorite images from the day:

My love of shoes continues

Yet another reason why I love weddings – it’s the special moments I capture between the special people.

Bride’s dad and mom

Groom’s grandma and grandpa

One of our weddings is featured on the Wedloft Blog today! Take a peek and relive Liz and Mark’s Indian Summer wedding day at the Morton Arboretum last October!

I cam across this interesting article yesterday with the down and dirty details of how the official photographer, Hugo Bernand, conducted the royal family and wedding party portraits in 26 minutes.  He even went so far as to stage the photos with stand-ins in the days leading up to the wedding and timed the poses!  Not knowing exactly what Kate’s dress would look like – big, small, train, no train, he had to have ideas and back up upon back up of ways to pose the groups.  He also brought in artificial lights and tons of gear and had it all set up and ready so that by the time the royal family arrived, he would put them in place and snap away.

To be honest, 26 minutes seems like a lifetime where formal portraits are concerned and I am used to dealing with much smaller time allotments due to ceremony venue constraints.

What I also find interesting is that while I have not yet personally photographed a royal wedding, in the 325+ weddings I have photographed, the formal portraits and wedding party photos as just as important to my clients as to the royal family.  I don’t do dry runs with stand-ins or have 6 assistants as did Bernand.  But I do pride myself on my short and sweet motto, my crowd control ability and the ways I make one of the more stiff and uncomfortable portions of the day enjoyable through my efficiency.

This usually starts with talking to my wedding clients about expectations and time frames.  Do you want the proper documentation of the key players through photos?  Do you want the images to be balanced and pleasing to the eye?  Do you want to spend only a few minutes on this part and spend the rest of day living in the moment and enjoying the festivities?  Then you have come to the right place by working with Metropolitan Imageworks on your wedding day.

I have found that short and sweet does sum up how I attack this part of the day.  I have a suggested photo list I give my clients at the very first meeting with about a dozen groupings listed, which are the most common arrangements I typically encounter.  Of course they are welcome to tailor the list to fit their needs but as long as the list is kept to 10-15 groupings, I can absolutely capture those images well within about 15 minutes and then we can move on to alternate locations for photos with the wedding party or head to the reception and continue the celebration.  The formal portrait session need not take hours, because although the images captured during that time are an important part of the story of the wedding day, it really is only a small percentage of all the images I capture throughout the entire day.

Some fond memories of past formal wedding portrait sessions:

-  I crossed my groupings off the list one by one as I took the images, did a few extra final shots of the bride and groom and then told them we are all done and the response was, “That’s it?!”  (I get a lot of variations on this one with the same sentiment about how quickly portrait session passes.)

- I had a large 300+ guest wedding with a wedding party of many bridesmaids and  groomsmen, primary and secondary sponsors, coin bearers and extended family members and we have a mere 6 minutes after the ceremony to get the most important group photos before we had to exit the church.  I started with the groups of sponsors (using my outside voice inside to gather everyone and line them up and get the shots), then on to the brides family, the grooms family and finally one large wedding party shot.  Cheers went up when I exclaimed I was done within the 6 minute time frame and we exited and headed out on a trolley with the wedding party to get more fun photos around the city.

- One priest decided to help me by standing at the podium and giving me warnings, loudly into the microphone – “Ten minutes left for photos.” “Nine minutes left for photos.” “Eight minutes left for photos.” “Seven minutes left for photos.” . . . . . “One minute left for photos.” “Thirty seconds left for photos.” I still thanked him with twenty seconds left to spare.

- Often times churches have multiple wedding ceremonies throughout the day and each wedding party is allowed a certain amount of time after the ceremony for photos, but that doesn’t stop the church wedding coordinator and church staff from walking back and forth behind my groupings and re-arranging the altar area – the entire time. This takes awareness and cunning to actually take the photo when the folks in the background are sufficiently hidden by the folks in the foreground yet keeping the folks in the foreground (my subjects) entertained enough that they still look comfortable and engaged and smiling for the camera.

- Often times I get to work with a family member who is stiff and just doesn’t smile.  This is when I use my rapier wit and pull some funny phrases and suggestions out of my repertoire to get them to relax and smile along with the rest of the group.  Usually it only takes a small bit of coaxing but capturing a group image when all the subjects are laughing really is worth the effort and makes for such a fantastic portrait.

- If you’ve never been in a wedding before and you don’t have a coordinator telling you what do to and where to go each step of the way, you may find yourself in an impromptu receiving line after the ceremony.  I have no problem gathering up the wedding party and family members and herding them to the photo location so I can cross the groupings off my list. Again this is where having a voice really comes in handy.

- Let’s be honest, posing for formal portraits is not on everyone’s list of Fun Things To Do. In fact it can be uncomfortable and challenging.  Add in a countdown clock ticking away and you can end up with a tense situation.  It really is my goal to make this an enjoyable activity for all involved and I take that to heart. Groomsmen also learn during this portion I can dish it out as well as I can take it and I have ways to break the ice, loosen folks up and make it fun while getting the job done.

So if you’re allotting me 26 minutes for formal photos I say it’s a piece of cake!  As a guideline, though, figure a minute per grouping will also come in handy when planning your timeline.

And here is where I point out one of my pet peeves of a formal portrait – look at the photo of the Royal wedding I posted – my eye is drawn to Kate’s train which shows behind Wills legs. That really bugs me!  Prince Philip could use a little extra help with his smile, but other than those two noticeable things in my opinion, it’s a very well-done portrait!

Way back in the mid 1990′s when I was a photojournalism student at Columbia College Chicago one of my favorite PJ teachers ingrained in me the mantra, “It’s the kids, pets and old people that make a photograph.” I have to agree, Indy totally stole the show during yesterday’s shoot. These teasers are only a very small sampling of what’s to come from the half day I spent with Nancy, Christian and Indy. Stay tuned!

Last night was fun – we attended a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel Show and the guest stars were Norm McDonald and Elisha Cuthbert with Funeral Party as the musical guest.  Funeral Party is a local band out of Whittier and it seems 80 percent of the audience was friend or family of the band. Regardless it was a great time all around! Before the taping began the production crew and a sort of MC/Comedian instructed the crowd on how to be perfect for the camera, how to laugh together, when to applaud etc.  There was supposedly a huge sign on the ceiling that would light up and notify the audience when to applaud. I say supposedly because we were actually seated on the floor, in row two directly in front of the stage and we didn’t have a sign but rather a direct line of sight to Jimmy’s desk and the guest chairs. So we just laughed and clapped when we felt compelled, of course laughing louder together with our small group.  Often times unsolicited applause is the most genuine kind.

I’ve been meaning to share some props on my blog. Props in the kudos sense. Kudos in the form of applause.  Shannon was one of my 2006 Chicago brides who had a stunningly beautiful, emotionally moving and overall very sweet wedding at Holy Family Church followed by a gorgeous open air reception at the 63rd Street Beach House. She sent me a message on Facebook a few months ago and I wanted to share.

Rachael – I still look at your wedding picture posts when I have a brief moment and need a little break from motherhood. You are so very talented.

Our upstairs hallway is the wedding wall. Every time I come up the stairs or enter a bedroom I get to glance at your work. Our three-year-old daughter comments on the pictures EVERY day. When you book a wedding photographer you’re not thinking how much your own children will enjoy them some day! Such a treat.

Shannon

Such a truthful message, when you are searching for your wedding photographer you don’t often realize how powerful photographs can be and the impact they will have on future generations.

Reem and Haitham planned a lovely wedding day in a short amount of time from a few states away. Fortunately they had the help of friends and family in the area.  I received an email requesting my availability for a date I was already booked in September but luckily for Metimages and Reem and Haitham, of course, Elizabeth was available and excited to step right in and shoot.

Elizabeth met up with Reem and Haitham at Cantigny on a cool, cloudy and somewhat damp fall afternoon for a portrait session of the two of them around the grounds. No matter the weather, Elizabeth was able to capture some beautiful moments and the backdrop was stunning. Suffice it to say the weather was also in favor of not a lot of strangers milling around in the background. It always works out!  They all headed over to the Marriot in Oak Brook for a fantastic reception with family, friends and lots and lots of dancing!!!

Congratulations Reem and Haitham!

Andrea and Paul’s wedding day provided crisp fall temperatures and beautiful blue skies and bright afternoon sun. I was armed and ready to shoot my final 2010 wedding in the Midwest before heading to my winter location in the Southwest. (Funny side-note: One of Andrea’s bridesmaids was married at my final Midwest wedding in 2008!) When I first arrived at Andrea’s parents house to photograph the girls getting ready, her dad greeted me at the door and gave me a shrug and a small grunt when I introduced myself and ask how the morning went. I thought he was just being a typical dad surrounded by a group of ladies getting make-up applied and hair coiffed all morning. As I made my way farther into the house, I realized there was a small snafu with the bouquets not looking exactly as Andrea had imagined. Fortunately the florist hightailed it back to the shop and returned with some more yellow flowers to fill in the bridesmaids bouquets with minutes to spare before all the girls piled into the limo to head to church.

I’m sharing this because weddings are a big deal. A very big deal. Most of my clients spend many long months making decisions about attire, flowers, colors, accoutrements, locations, themes and anticipate an overall feel of the day. It’s very easy to set certain expectations of exactly how the day will play out. It’s also very easy to get emotional when something doesn’t go according to plan. I remember with my own wedding eight years ago I made a cut-off for myself the week prior to the wedding and delegated anything that needed a decision at that point. I figured my friends and close family knew me well enough and knew what I expected out of my wedding day to answer on my behalf. I think I also realized at that point things were beyond my control and the most important part of the day would happen – we would say our vows in front of our family and closest friends and be married. Never mind that our officiant didn’t bring copies of the vows we wrote and emailed to him three weeks prior. When I learned of this about five minutes before the ceremony began I shrugged and said, “Oh well, we’ll still be married no matter what vows we use.” Which of course prompted my friends to look at me in shock and awe and wonder where the real Rachael was. It’s also pretty easy for me to talk about it now, since the day is just a memory for me. It’s also easy for me to say my awesome friend and go to girl for the day, Lani, handled a lot of the little things like answering questions about placecards, candles, wedding party members asking where to be and most importantly finding the florist before she left the venue and having a bridesmaid bouquet redone after it was accidentally drop kicked. Sure Murphy’s Law is pretty evident and because there are so many important components of pulling together an entire wedding – something is bound to go awry. I have seen it all from no show limos to the wrong color flowers, to a bridal gown without a bustle (I was able to make one with some giant safety pins at the reception), to missing bartenders to broken zippers on bridesmaid dresses during getting ready to a fainting groomsman during a ceremony to missing centerpieces to ice-storms and rainstorms and heatwaves and snowstorms. But in all my time I have never once had the ultimate goal delayed – my couples always get married!!!

Just look at the pictures of Andrea – you couldn’t wipe the grin off her face all day long, unless of course you gave a tearful toast but then that’s to be expected. Congratulations Andrea and Paul,  no matter how little or how much yellow was in the bouquets, you had a beautiful day shared with fantastic friends and family and you’re married!!!

I’m also proud of the wedding party who braved the cooler temps and romped around the park with us after the ceremony – that late afternoon in the fall sun was too glorious to not take advantage of for wedding party photos. We were all rewarded with an appetizer spread at Charleyhorse during the extra time we had before the reception at Tiebel’s.

Photographers: Rachael Michael and Ariel Biscan

Ceremony: St. Maria Goretti, Dyer, IN

Reception: Tiebel’s Restaurant, Schererville, IN

- I’m making it my own personal mission to photograph a wedding in a St. Maria Goretti church in every state in the US. This past April I was at St. Maria Goretti in Scottsdale, AZ and for Andrea and Paul’s wedding in early November I was at St. Maria Goretti in Dyer, IN and next spring I will photograph a wedding at St. Maria Goretti in Madison, WI. So here is my personal request for more weddings at St. Maria Goretti churches. It would have been perfect if she was the patron saint of wedding photographers but I looked it up and she is the patron saint of chastity, rape victims, youth, teenage girls, poverty, purity and forgiveness (according to Wikipedia.) -