Metropolitan Imageworks

Blake was just a few weeks old by the time he had his very first professional portrait session with Metropolitan Imageworks! He was a very good newborn baby and posed very well on the bed, in the basket, on the ottoman and on the couch.  We only needed to stop 3 times for feedings during his session which is pretty par for the course.  I included a crying teaser image just because the faces he made to show his dislike were so insanely cute!

How awesome are his checkerboard Vans footies?!?

This little cutie-pie is the three-month old son of Diana and Eric, Metimages wedding clients from 2007.  Diana called me a couple weeks ago to ask about scheduling a portrait session for David and of course I was extremely happy to oblige!  David was a perfect gentleman for the camera and showed no fear.  We spent a glorious hour with David posing and cooing and showing off his outfits.

Can’t wait to work with you all again!

The last time I saw Brody he was six months old and had just mastered sitting up by himself.  Now he is 15 months and loves to walk and run and explore! We spent some time in his home but he was feeling a bit of cabin fever so we ventured to one of the common rooms in his condo building with much more space for runnning around in circles.. And run around in circles he did!

Aiden is seven months old, sitting up on his own and issuing smiles for the camera! It’s amazing when the little babies hit a certain age and come into their own little personalities.  His appearance at this portrait session with Metropolitan Imageworks was much improved from his three month session. Aiden and I also have another connection, we share the same birthday! I’m excited to photograph him again in June when he turns one and I turn 29v6. Maybe I can have some cake too!

Pleave leave comments about this cutie pie on the blog!

Luca was a ham for the camera plain and simple.  She was also pretty speedy, as is typical for a one year old, and loved crawling off the backdrop.  We found that a strategically placed stuffed animal, Everywhere Chair or a little table helped keep her centered long enough for me to get some great moments. I loved when her tongue made an appearance too!

If you think she is as cute as I think, please leave some comments on the blog!

And world, meet Ella Rei! It’s very heartwarming to work with wedding clients on the most exciting day of their lives (up to that point) and then just a few years later, be invited to photograph the even more exciting happening in their lives – a newborn baby!  I had a blast working with Lee and Marianne on their wedding day in 2007 and was honored to be asked to photograph their new daughter at just a couple weeks old.  Ella Rei performed smashingly for the camera and allowed quite a few costume changes as well as going along with mom and dad dressing her up in some whimsical knits. We also lucked out as although it was a typical grey January day in Chicago, the natural light in their home was just perfect for the portrait session.

I think we lucked out with yet another temperate fall day last Wednesday when I met up with Anjali and Paul downtown to photograph their engagement session.  The weather was mild as we posed and pranced down Michigan Ave. and it was even warmer at the lake on Oak Street Beach. Not at all what I expected for the day before Thanksgiving.  I did see a few raindrops on my way back to the suburbs, but it held off the entire time we were outside!

See you guys in June, I cannot wait for the full day of festivities!

This is my first Emily & Michael of 2009.  What’s really funny is that I was anticipating this particular Emily’s email inquiry for wedding photography last summer. I finally got an email from Emily getting married at the end of summer and I wrote back immediately thanking her and telling her I was waiting for her email! But oops, wrong Emily!  (Don’t worry, she booked me too!) The right Emily finally emailed a few weeks later and we got it all sorted out.

Emily and Michael had a wonderfully intimate ceremony at Old Saint Patrick’s followed by a quick stop with the wedding party at Union Station and a longer, but animated and fun limo bus ride to the Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge in Hinsdale for the reception. And I must point out their wedding party had the best snacks I have ever witnessed on the limo bus.

Some people like cake and some people don’t. Emily and Michael fall under the latter category and decided to go all out on pie. They had a pie buffet with Chocolate Silk, Lemon Meringue AND Key Lime pies. They were all delicious. Yes, I tasted all three flavors.

After all the guests devoured the pies, everyone headed upstairs for more cocktails and dancing and talk about a rip roaring party, the dance floor is an entire room on the second floor of the lodge and it was packed the entire time!

View full gallery and slide show.

Ceremony: Old Saint Patrick’s, Chicago, IL

Reception: Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge, Hinsdale, IL

Band: 312 Chicago from Stitely Entertainment, Chicago, IL

Caterer: D’Masti Catering, Blue Island, IL

Carolyn and Jason are getting married next April at the Chicago History Museum, one of my favorite Chicago venues!  We spent some time Sunday morning doing a “warm-up” session aka engagement session! It’s a great way to get used to each other and for my brides and grooms to experience what it’s like to be in front of the camera. Although we’ll be doing a lot less posing on the actual wedding day.

My job is made even more special when I get to work with families over and over again. Hillary and Paul’s wedding marked a repeat Wadhams performance for Metropolitan Imageworks. I met Hillary for the first time at her sister Allie’s wedding in the fall of 2007. Hillary’s day was almost a mini-reunion of sorts as Tina & Dollie did the flowers for both sisters and the Steve Edwards Orchestra worked their magic again and transformed Hillary and Paul’s reception into a vivacious celebration and I was chosen to document the events and present the images in my photojournalistic and artistic manner.

Saturday, June 6th started a bit grey and overcast but thankfully the only rain we encountered was on the way to the church and it had stopped by the time the ceremony was complete.  Game on for portraits of the wedding party around downtown!

Trolley time with the wedding party is always a blast and provides a great location in itself for wedding party pictures. Seriously the celebrating begins hours before cocktails at the reception location! Although Binny’s wasn’t originally on the list of photo locations, we did make a quick stop to refill the coolers and take advantage of a photo op with Hillary and Paul.

If I needed to pick one word to describe the Empire Room at the Palmer House Hilton it would be regal. The gentle glow of the lights, the spectacular architectural details,  the detailed ceilings, and the history of the room evoked awe from the guests as they entered after cocktails.  The food, the speeches and the sense of families blending together warmed my heart.

As the dance floor opened, Hillary busted out the moves during the father-daughter dance and keeping with the pace and audience amusement, everyone enjoyed some fancy footwork by Paul and his mom.

And then Steve Edwards unleashed the frenzy on the dance floor, it was wall-to-wall people dancing & moving & partying & reveling in the musical entertainment.

Congratulations Hillary and Paul, it was a truly special day and thanks Wadhams for allowing me to be a part of the festivities again!

View full gallery here.

Ceremony Location: St Pauls Church, Chicago, IL

Reception Location: The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL

Florist: Blooms By Tina & Dollie, Chicago, IL

Band: Steve Edwards Orchestra, Oak Park, IL