Metropolitan Imageworks

Oh my little Sammy, I have such a fondness for this little guy!  He has graced my camera at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and most recently at 2 and a half years old.  I also photographed his Mom and Dad’s engagement photos and then their wedding photos in 2008.  And of course, one of my favorite childhood dolls was this cute little boy baby named Sammy (who was anatomically correct and could drink water and go potty!!!)  I have since gifted my Sammy doll to my bestie’s young daughter and I hope their dinner parties also entail the adults gathering around the loo . . .

For this session we met up at Cantigny and delighted in all the fall colors, perfect weather and of course Sammy LOVED climbing on the tanks and looking at the koi fish in the pond.  We even saw a hawk swoop down and rest on a wooden fence.  See you all again next fall!

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 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.

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!

I’ve been very honored to photograph Evelyn every year since her first birthday and now she is about to turn four years old!  Her little sister Catherine just turned one and this marks her third session with Metimages.  Being that the girls have grown up in front of my lens, they are extremely comfortable around my camera.  We met up last weekend at Cantigny in the west ‘burbs and got to walk around and enjoy the lovely spring temps and see some beautiful spring flowers in bloom.

Saturday’s wedding marked the kickoff of the Metropolitan Imageworks 2010 wedding season! I personally love a winter wedding. It’s fresh and exciting since it’s technically in the “off season”. The guests seem a little more amped up to celebrate. And of course, snow pictures!

I arrived at Denice’s parent’s home for getting ready photos before the girls got back from the hair salon, so Mom, Dad and I chilled for a bit.  Not that they could chill that much since it was their daughter’s wedding and they were a bundle of nerves. Now they will be old pros by the time of their next daughter’s wedding in September, and I’ll be there early again to help them relax!

Denice and Jake are a very creative couple and they designed, printed and assembled their Save the Date cards, Wedding Invitations, Shower Invitations,  Programs, Table Numbers & Placecards in one continuous theme.  When they are not planning a wedding, they also make their own soaps!  That venture started a couple Christmases ago when they decided to make presents for everyone instead of buying them.

Of course the Photobooth was a huge hit after dinner (and a few drinks!)

Ceremony: St. Louise de Marillac, La Grange Park, IL

Reception: Red Oak Room at Cantigny, Wheaton, IL

DJ: Toast and Jam, Chicago, IL

Photobooth: Shutterbox Entertainment, Naperville, IL

A Metimages milestone was seeing FIVE Metropolitan Imageworks couples celebrating in one place. (L-R)

Denice & Jake 2.20.10

Jenny & Lee coming soon – 7.10.10

Emily & Michael 8.15.09

Amanda & Dave 5.31.08

Jackie & Mike coming soon – 9.25.10

Thank you so much everyone for trusting Metropolitan Imageworks for your wedding day imagery.  See you all again in July!

Logan and his mom met up with me at Cantigny early one morning last week.  We had some sun and cool fall temps, but it was still a great day to be outside running around.  The purpose of this shoot is a surprise for dad at Christmastime.  Let’s just hope mom can keep a secret for one more month!

Cancan and Nhan hoped for some great fall colors during their engagement session with me last weekend and the weather came through for us. The grounds at Cantigny were just bursting with color!  We were worried about rain and wet, but the skies were blue and the sun was shining. So we had to find other use for their umbrellas, like sword-fighting.

Can’t wait to work with you guys on the wedding day in 2010! And Nhan, you have almost a year to work on the relaxation face that comes before the smile!!

Jenny and Christian met at Rutgers in New York. I heard during the speeches their first meeting entailed a Halloween costume party and someone dressed in a full fledged cow outfit complete with udders. You have to guess which of the two it was.

Jenny is now in medical school and planned her wedding from out of state with the insurmountable help of her parents. My first meeting was actually with Jenny’s parents, Rose and Paul! I was able to connect with Jenny and Christian via email and phone over the months but I did not get to meet them face to face until three days before their wedding. I still feel like I knew them well and we were old friends by the time the wedding day rolled around and it was hours of non-stop fun!

The day went so smoothly, I was able to surprise the bride and groom during the reception with a digital slide show of images we photographed THAT day. Talk about instant gratification!

View the full wedding here.

Ceremony: St. Isidore, Bloomingdale

Reception: Le Jardin at Cantigny, Wheaton

DJ: Sounds Abound, Naperville

Florist: Kio Kreations, Naperville