Kate + Nick's Wedding at Byron Colby Barn

One of the benefits of having a lot of irons in the fire is that I don't HAVE to do weddings.  What I mean by that is I'm able to choose couples who's style and attitude mesh well with mine.  I don't feel like I have to take every wedding that comes across.  Kate & Nick's style and wedding location were a perfect fit for my approach.  They got married, and had the reception, at the Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake, IL.  It reminded me a lot of my first wedding at Oak Hill in Galena.  Great space with a lot of energy.  It was a little cold that day, but every really stepped up and sucked it up and you wouldn't even know it was in the 30's when you look at the pictures.

Ceremony & Reception: Byron Colby Barn - Grayslake, IL

Second Shooter: Mike Durr

Dan + Meredith

I had the pleasure of photographing Dan + Meredith's wedding 1 month ago today.  The images came out great and they were great sports at the forest preserve we went to where the previous day's rain decided to bring the bugs out.  I delivered the most images I've ever sent a couple (800+) but it was just so hard to put the camera down.  Reception was at Pinstripes which is an awesome Bocce & Bowling place that I need to go back to just to hang out.  Some of my favorite images are below.

Connor & Lindsay Engagement

Like you saw from the sneak peak yesterday, I had a great time at the Morton Arboretum with Connor and Lindsay.  It's amazing what the arboretum as done from the times I would go there years ago.  Some of my fav photos I've taken have been from there.  I had a great time with Lindsay and Connor.  We went around the West Loop and found some great spots and ended at the visitor center.

Shooting Details: 5d Mark II, 24-70mm f/2.8L, 580 EXII at times (although I hate using flashes), processed in Lightroom.

Jess & Mark

This wedding was a fun one for me. I knew most everyone in the wedding party and at the wedding so it was good to catch up with people and make some images of my friends. I'm REALLY happy with the way things worked out and this wedding is going to lead to some tweaks in how I approach things (aka, time to buy some new gear). Check em out... Ceremony/Tea: Calvary Church in Naperville, IL Reception: Hotel Arista in Naperville, IL

Your name in print...

There is nothing like seeing your work printed out. When I first started shooting digital I wondered why anyone would print things, then I bought my Epson 3800 and it was insane. The first time I saw a photo of mine on a magazine cover... even more insane. Today I got the Hanselman / Davis book back from an amazing printer and it looks out of this world. First time I used them and it looks great. Take a peak...

Alli & Matt

Another day, another wedding post. I’ve spent a lot of my time recently shooting/editing/booking weddings. Like I said below, I really like it now that I’ve done a bunch. It’s just creating cool images in a different way and my style is really starting to come through. This was a fun wedding. It was very laid back and the bride and groom were cool with seeing each other before the ceremony so that gave us time to create some great images without the pressure of getting to the reception and eating up everyone’s time. We had planned to shot in a park in Elmhurst, but the weather didn’t agree. Luckily I remembered that Wilder Mansion (http://www.wildermansion.org) was newly remodeled and or a very small fee they let us shoot. I LOVE these images. My goal when I shoot weddings is to make photos that I would want to hang on my wall, regardless of who the couple is. These definitely meet that. Check em out…

Ceremony: Faith Christian Reformed Church in Elmhurst, IL Portraits: Wilder Mansion in Elmhurst, IL Reception: Arrowhead Country Club in Wheaton, IL

Devin & Tim - Galena, IL

So the whole reason I started shooting weddings was because a good friend of mine had watched my work progress on Facebook and really liked my style and asked me many times to shoot her wedding. At first I was not into it at all, but the more I thought about it the more interested I became. I finally said I would do it and theirs was an AMAZING wedding to shoot. It was at a place called Oak Hill in Galena, IL. A very pretty setting with a little chapel and barns for the couples to get ready in. The reception was held on site as well in a tent and it was just a really, really fun time and a great spot to make photos in. I have a special place in my heart for Galena so that probably helped as well. Check em out... Ceremony/Reception at Oak Hill in Galena, IL

Stephanie & Chris

So this year I’ve started doing weddings and I’m really enjoying it. The first couple were stressful, but now that I’m used to it I love just going out and making images. I’m going to post some galleries as I go along, here are some from the Hanselman/Davis Wedding. Ceremony: Springdale Community Church Reception: White Eagle Country Club

hollys wedding...

In the last two years I've attended a LOT of weddings of varying style.  This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending my girlfriend's friend's wedding in Barrington.  It was a good time.  Some bonding with the potential brother in-law (should he and I both decide to propose at some point to our prospective ladies) and general wedding good times.  It was a LATE one (wedding at 6/630, dinner at 9, went till midnight) but it was fun.  Some random selects from my very assorted photo taking...

Devin and Tim's Engagement Photos

My friend Devin asked me to shoot her and her fiancé's wedding next August.  I'm really excited about the opportunity and we went out two weekends ago to shoot some engagement photos.  They came out great and everyone is really happy.  Enjoy!

I'm WAY behind

So I'm way behind on updating this, but expect that to change VERY shortly.  I've got a bunch of great new stuff to post.  On the exciting news front I launched my site: CalvinEngel.com  I've had a lot of people asking about my kid's portraits and my wedding stuff so that's all hosted over there.  Go check it out!

Connecticut

This past weekend I hopped on a Southwest flight (for the first time, I was pretty impressed) to Connecticut for my cousin's wedding. And I must say, it was BEAUTIFUL. The area was very pretty, but the place her wedding was at was breathtaking. The area where the service was overlooked this deep valley, then dinner was outside a beautiful house that looked over that same valley, and dancing took place in a really old barn that had been updated for that task. It was really amazing.