Carole & Matt

I completely freaked out when Carole and her bridesmaids decided to come down from the bride's room while the groom and his guys were still hanging out at the bottom of the stairs.....



Luckily the joke was on me because they had already decided to see each other before the ceremony!




So since they were already together, why not knock out a few pictures.....




And then it was time to head off for the ceremony.....









I think Matt seceretly wants to be a formalwear model.....






To me a good wedding venue isn't about the food or the style of the room, it's all about what places have features that lend themselves to creative portraits. The Danada House http://www.danadahouse.com in Wheaton is perfect for this because of the endless possibilities it presents!

Mary & T.C.

Congratulations to Mary & T.C.!




One of the cool things about going to the salon with the bride and her bridesmaids the morning of the wedding is how a good stylist can somehow turn this.......



....Into this in a matter of minutes!



A few (hundred) cicadas tried to crash the party, but Mary & T.C. weren't going to let a few bugs bother them.

Keeping up with a blog is pretty tough once you're a parent.......







If Baby Jack hasn't figured it out yet, modeling is part of the job description when you're the son of a photographer......



Although I did manage to squeeze in a wedding along the way too....

Back to Work.....

Despite being a bit sleep deprived, I think the adrenaline of being a new father made it a bit easier to get back to "work" the weekend after Jack was born. Maryam & Jeff decided to do their engagment pictures on the Chicago lakefront, which is a great location because of all the different options it presents





And then I followed that one up with Jill and Ed, who picked an entirely different, but also very neat location out in the western suburbs. Maryam and Jeff went for the more urban contemporary look, while Jill and Ed wanted something a bit more natural. Both locations are great ideas and both couples were a lot of fun to work with.





Ed says they still haven't taken dance lessons yet....although it looks like they have a lot of the moves down already!



This was NOT my idea...to have them walk out into the river at the top of this waterfall, and the whole time they were out there the thought of me having to dive into the river to fish out my clients kept flashing into my head, but it was a great idea that Jill came up with and I think the final result turned out great!

Catching up with Jack

I know I promised more pictures of Baby Jack, but I gotta be honest, being a new parent makes everything you do go just a bit slower and take just a bit longer! Hopefully these are worth the wait!

Here's the little guy only a few mintues old....the fact that I could take this picture is proof that I didn't pass out in the delivery room!

I felt really bad for Amy because she had to have a cesarian delivery, and was still a bit out of it the first time she got to see her son.

The Grandparents couldn't wait to see Jack....I think they would've camped out in the nursery all night if they could have!

We were a bit worried about how Otis would be with the baby, but he was really cool when we brought him home, and couldn't wait to check out his new baby brother.

Just Jack!

I've seen so many cool pictures from other photographers when they're own children were born, that I had all these great ideas in my head when my wife went to the hospital earlier this week to deliver Baby Jack into the world. However at some point during the day/night I made the decision that I wanted to be there as a Dad and a Husband first, not as a photographer. So despite making my living taking pictures, I didn't exactly go crazy with the camera.

The last few days have been very hectic, however both Mom and Baby are doing well, and can't wait to come home from the hospital. More pictures will definitely follow, but I wanted to post at least one picture to introduce everyone to Baby Jack! And for those of you keeping score at home.....7lbs 13oz. 21 inches long.