A couple of weeks ago I met Clem and Lauren downtown for their engagement shoot. Unfortunately we had to do the shoot on a weekday because of my busy weekend schedules, which put us taking the photos right at rush hour! We didn’t let the hoards of people rushing past get in our way, after all it is Chicago and Clem and Lauren wanted that Chicago feel anyway. I am blown away with how easy Clem and Lauren were to photograph. I definitely could feel the love between them and it really showed through the images.
My goal when shooting downtown is to bring out the essence that is Chicago. I never want the photos to come across as touristy and I think that can easily happen with so many iconic buildings and locations.
To start our shoot we kicked it off at the Lyric Opera House. It was quite congested there, so we didn’t stay long, but we did get one of our best shots of the day there! I love doing long exposures when a crowd is overpowering our shoot.
Our next stop was at the Board of Trade. To get there we decided to walk and capture some shots with the El. Once we arrived we took several shots around the Board of Trade, but my favorite images of all were the photos above. I made sure to take advantage of the beautiful lighting that was reflecting off of the buildings and illuminating the pillared buildings to the right of the Board of Trade.
Our last stop was Olive Park, probably one of my favorite views of the city and it can be especially romantic if you catch it during sunset. We were pushing it on time, but I think we accomplished that warm feel that you can only get during golden hour! Thankfully it was a sunny day!
I am so happy for Clem and Lauren and thankful they chose me to document this special time in their lives! I very much look forward to working with them next October on their wedding day!
