We just returned from our annual winter trek to the Idaho mountains for a week of skiing, snowmobiling and time with family. I’m pleased to report that this year I didn’t crash into a tree or have suffer any other snowmobiling mishaps. We spent the week watching the Winter Olympics and enjoying awesome homemade meals. Mom made several batches of her delicious Banana Bread and John made his famous Thai Chicken Curry. Michele and I spent some great brother-sister time watching DVDs, doing puzzles and drinking wine in the hot tub. Dad wrote his flying career autobiography, complete with photos, and presented it to us on the first night. Great stuff.
Sweet little Grace! Our good friends Beth and Joe Englert, whose wedding we photographed in 2007, have a baby daughter and we just loved meeting her for the first time. There are so many great photos from the session that Beth and Joe were hard-pressed to pick their favorite. We love them all!
Weary of the gloomy Chicago weather, and with a few days off, we decided to hop a plane and jetted to the Arizona desert for a couple of days. Got on the road and just went wherever the road took us. Well, it took us to Tucson, actually, but along the way we got some great photos of stuff most people just drive on by. In particular at the (mostly abandoned) town of Picacho, we found this great Motel sign. It’s just off I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson, and literally thousands of people drive by it every day. I wonder how many have stopped and admired it 
from up close?
About a month ago we photographed John’s niece and nephew, Sophia and Alexander, in the studio. I designed a set, including a “glowing” Christmas present, and we had the kids over for a fun morning in the studio. We then put together a custom Christmas card for the family. We’ve been overwhelmed by the comments! ”It’s the most beautiful card I’ve ever seen.” ”David’s grandmother in the UK cried when she saw the card, it was so beautiful.”
And most importantly, it was fun to do! I like the way it evokes the most heartwarming images of the holidays: children, twinkling Christmas tree lights, wonder, and (of course) presents!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 Posted in Weddings
Monday, September 28, 2009 Posted in Weddings
We had a lovely day with Shannon and Joe. Shannon’s brother Dale, whose wedding we photographed last year, was in the bridal party. His lovely bride, Logan, was in the party as well. Seeing their parents again was so nice, and we felt like old friends. We started the day at Shannon’s parent’s house. They have a beautiful backyard
garden, complete with water features and even a bridge! We took most of the family and group photos there. We’ve found that taking these photographs early in the day, before the ceremony, makes the day run much more smoothly. Makeup and flowers are fresh, hair is perfect, dresses and tuxes in perfect shape.
We think the first time the Bride and Groom see each other should be special, and we’ve created something we call “First Glance”. Shannon and Joe were excited to start their day this way. We placed Joe in the far end of the garden, with his back to us. Shannon quietly enters the garden and taps him on the shoulder. He turns around and sees her for the first time, far from distractions, intrusions and the wedding party! It’s always a touching, emotional time. We take a few photos and then leave the couple to themselves. The rest of the day is worry-free, relaxed and fun!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Posted in Weddings
What a lovely couple! Shawn is a fireman for the Fox River Grove Fire Department, and the FD rolled out their 1923 Ford fire truck for photos. Sarah and Shawn even rode on the back of the truck from the church to downtown Cary for pictures!
We were fortunate to have a bright, sunny late-summer weather. Feels like Fall is almost here, but not quite! We took some fantastic photos and can’t wait to share them with you and your families!
There were four kittens and their mama living under our deck earlier this summer! Very skittish. The gray one was braver than the others, so she briefly posed for a portrait. We were going to take them to an animal shelter so they could be cared for and neutered, but shortly afterwards the family moved down the block to a neighbor’s deck and we haven’t seen them since. Adorable! If John wasn’t allergic to cats, we would’ve scooped her up for ourselves!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Posted in Weddings
Picture a sunny, bright and warm Saturday afternoon. Champagne and cocktails all ‘round. Friends and family. Beautiful lakeside setting. Delicious nibbles, hors d’oeuvres and dinner. A fantastic wedding-planner ensuring everything ran smoothly. A rocking band playing well into the night. More cocktails. Wedding cake and dessert. What could be better? Not much.
This was one of those (pardon the pun) picture-perfect days and we’ve got the photographs to prove it! 
Jeanne and Scott arranged the big day at their lakeside house in Sandwich. (A bit of a drive but absolutely worth it.) Their plan for the day was casual fun celebrating with friends and family, and they succeeded in spades.
Chicago band Crawpuppies rocked the tent reception and we had a blast getting photos of the band and the guests. Crawpuppies regularly play the Aragon, Double Door and The Metro in Chicago so they sure knew how to move the crowd. And a surprise was when Jeanne and Scott’s kids and young relatives took over the stage to play some covers, including a great rendition of Tom Petty’s Runnin’ Down A Dream.
We had a great time at Cynthia and Brian’s wedding and were really pleased with the day. We’ve known them for about two years now, since they came to the studio for their first consultation, and we’ve become good friends. We had a fun Engagement photo session in the city last year, and we’ve really been looking forward to their wedding. Brian’s a doctor and Cynthia’s a nurse– both having just started their careers– and they’ve got a bright future ahead. As always, it’s the little things that make each wedding unique. The “Just Married” banner on the limo, we found out later, was a family tradition and had been used three or four times before. The reception was held at the Makray Golf Club in Barrington. The weather was a little unpredictable, as you’d expect in May, but despite some periods of rain and cool temperatures, everybody toughed it out and we got some great photos on the golf course. (We even smuggled some beer onto the course when we got into our golf carts, which is evidently verboten, but, well, you know.)
Cynthia and Brian had to change their honeymoon plans last-minute. They were booked to go to the Riviera Maya in Mexico, but went to Jamaica instead when the flu pandemic began. Glad you guys had a fun and safe honeymoon, and we’ll talk to you soon!
by Jeff
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