Katie + Chris

My cousin, Katie, brought her fiance home for Thanksgiving (she lives WAY too far away--in Houston--right now). He got to meet the family in a nice, quiet dinner of 27 crowded around Grandma's table. The poor boy. But, Chris not only survived, he seemed to enjoy himself and impress the crowd to boot. I know he impressed me. I got to take the Texan couple out into the 15 degree weather for some photos and test this boy's tolerance for Wisconsin winters. It's possible that Chris's smile was simply frozen on his face, but he toughed it out while Katie acted like it was nothing (though we later found out she had added layers of long underwear and undershirts--unbeknownst to Chris). Anyway, check out this happy couple:












Mostly, I noticed that they like to laugh together (a lot), which made it not only enjoyable for me, but seemed a clear sign that they are right where they should be. Here's to laughter for years to come.

Theresa + Matt

Meet Theresa and Matt.



A smiley couple...



who are up for anything...



and really fit well together.



They recently got engaged on the Stone Arch Bridge, so we returned to the scene of the crime, camera in tow.



We even took photos at the exact spot per Grandma's request.


This is how he said "I love you" that day.


We stepped inside for a few shots. That's where I saw them show some real attitude. I loved it.






Here's to many more tender forehead kisses and lasting smiles.

Laura & Tom

Laura and Tom recently got engaged and asked me to do the honors of taking their photos. This beautiful couple displayed some of the most honest affection and I've seen. I never once had to ask for a smile, kiss, lean or look. It's clear that they make each other very happy.







Luckily, they were up for anything--from lying in the wet grass...


...to copping a 'tude...
(I have to quick thank Laura's sister (and my rockin' friend) Kristen here for art directing/assisting the whole shoot and coming up with this sunglasses idea)


...to jumping around in sandals.



And Tom came up with the idea to use the bean in Millennium Park to reflect them.


We took several stage/theater shots, as Laura and Tom are both very musical. In fact, I believe the proposal was on stage and involved music.






I wish Laura and Tom all the best as they begin their future together.

Family of Five

Meet the Warner family, who I had the honor of taking photos of a few weeks ago. I got to spend time with Angela, her fiance Chuck, and her kids Stella, Colin and Liam.


I have to say, the kids made my day. They were total hams--cheesing it up in front of the camera and being goofy any chance they had.






Colin mostly wanted to give me crazy faces, but he had a great smile once we found it.



Stella was crazy cute with her hat. And very eager for camera time.




Liam's eyes were awesome. Clear blue.



Near the end of the session, I got to take some engagement shots of Angela and Chuck. I thought they might have trouble gazing lovingly into each others' eyes with the kids jumping around behind the camera, but the minute they turned their attention toward each other they lit up. Clearly a very beautiful couple who is very in love. They made my job easy.

Ann & Jim

Ann & Jim* got engaged in March, but I don't think an engagement is official until there are photos to prove it. So, congrats, guys. You're officially official. Anyway, they trusted me with this critical photo-taking task--the first engagement shots I've done.
*I tried to give them a celeb name, but had no luck. It just doesn't work with one syllable names. "Jin"? "Aim"?






We took some classic close-ups.




I was inspired by Karissa's photography work on this photo. I thought they gave a nice display of attitude.


This is a couple that is very into each other...



And they couldn't stop laughing. It started when I asked them to do this awkward pose, which absolutely did not work out...



...and kept up until they were done frolicking in the fountain. (They were great sports and jumped in the fountain despite its freezing water.)

Jim's dog, Jax, made an appearance in some shots. As you can imagine, he had little interest in sitting still or saying cheese...


I wish them many more smiles, kisses and laughs in their future.