Finding solitude in the concrete jungle is powerful and peaceful.
- Mike Dolan


I am inspired by all types of locations. Some even surprise me. This one did not. Though it might surprise some to have an engagement session on top of a parking garage. But for Michigan natives, Alicia Lyon and Dan Trader, picking the location was a no-brainer.
Alicia used to work close to The Z Park and used to spend lunch breaks enjoying the awesome views.

It was definitely a super fun location for me up on 10A.
Alicia and Dan met in DC although, ironically, they grew up only 2 hours apart in Michigan.
And Michigan is where they are planning to hold their Autumn 2018 wedding.

Congratulations to Alicia and Dan on their engagement as well as their fourth anniversary which falls on today, the day before Thanksgiving!

Much love and best wishes to you both and thanks for introducing me to the Z ;)



 

Man's Best Friend

One rainy Sunday I met a Vizsla named Marina along with her humans, Kevin and Maxine.

Dealing with inclement weather has been a true issue as of late but luckily I am not a shy person. So I found the site of a local barn (with some assistance) and without hesitation did some quick talking with the owner. Twenty dollars later and we were in business. A place to wait out the rain and take a few shots.
Six month old Marina found the location pretty interesting. She wanted to sniff and see everything. The only time she stopped checking things out was during her coffee break ;)


Marina seems to have quite the life with her humans who have been together for 27 years. Though they have nieces and nephews that they adore their only child is their fur baby Marina. She is the third Vizsla they have owned over the many years.

Kevin is the Head coach at St. Francis de Sales High School in Chicago while Maxine is a stylist for a vintage jewelry line, Plunder Design. (Make sure and check out the link at the bottom of the page for the awesome and affordable pieces).


Thanks to Marina for braving the

weather and hanging out with me and for bringing her mom and dad, Kevin and Maxine, along as well!

Much love!




www.plunderdesign.com/maxinewolfe1

 

Rain Rain Go Away.

On an otherwise, almost mild, late October day, I had the pleasure of meeting this photogenic family, the Yonan's.
Meeting them and photographing them was the easy part.
Finding a place to do so? Not so easy.



As with all my clients, location is determined well in advance of the session. It is very much a custom location based on the client's vision, with me giving input as to places I feel might work.

Plan A
In the case of the Yonan family, mom Regina decided on the Osaka Garden in Chicago. I was super excited about the spot since I had never photographed there before.
But then the rains came.
Plans had to be changed on a dime or we would have to reschedule.

Plan B
So we decided on the atrium at Harold Washington Library.
Only when I got there early to scout the new location I found the top floor was off limits due to a wedding.

 Plan C
How about the Chicago Institute of Art?
I raced over on foot to the museum while the Yonan's were en route.
Arriving there I found long lines, high entrance fees and worse of all-- no inside flash was allowed. Sort of rough when you have a dark rainy day dimming the light in an interior location.

Plan D
I exited the Art Institute quickly and jumped into the Yonan's vehicle, just as they were pulling up.
What to do now??

Thinking fast I realized we were right around the corner from one of my  favorite shooting spots. Lurie Garden.

The rain had considerably ebbed.  So we decided to go for it.
 
Once we arrived the rain miraculously stopped. The city skyline was covered in fog but the beautiful fall colors were definitely on display and now was our chance to take advantage of the awesome backdrop.

And so Plan D it was!!

Thank you to the Yonan family for being up for the adventure that our session date turned in to!


At the end we got beautiful photos which made for our very happy ending, and that is truly all that matters :)

Much love to the beautiful Yonan family. I hope to see them again and again.




Nine year old Lyda was a picture perfect little model from moment one!

And though it took 3 year old Luca a minute to warm up to me, he didn't waste anytime once he was ready to go. His true personality came shining through again and again.