Wen's Blog || Chicago Wedding Photographer » engagement session

Monday: Marry Me? | A cute yellow engagement session at Chicago lakefront

Wen — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:44:31 +0000

It amazes me how many e-session/weddings/photo sessions that I never manage to get up on the blog! Today is an e-session from WAY back in July (*sigh* when it was still short-sleeve-75-degree-warm-sunny July). Ryan was one of those guys who feels generally uneasy being photographed in public – and I don’t blame him – who in the world is used to 1) open public display of affection it the middle of nowhere, and 2) being followed around by paparazzi. But like most guys, he stuck with it, and played along as best he could. So, first of all, Ryan, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU(!!!!!) for dealing with my shenanigans!

-Wen-

This is one of my favorite pictures of the year. Just the way Melinda is looking at the camera, and Ryan is looking away. I promise – this wasn’t a set up by me at all – all I did was ask them to sit at a particular spot (because I noticed the sun light was really pretty right there) and started photographing from a far – they just got into this “pose” on their own!

Your wedding photo website – on steroids!

Wen — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:06:32 +0000

Once your engagement photos are ready, they are uploaded onto your personalized photo website, where all your images, including those from your wedding, will be viewable. This site is a personalized website that can be password-protected if you wish, and has an easy-to-remember web address that was created specifically for you! You can share this link with your friends and family at any time. Here, guests can view information about the wedding, and view galleries from your e-session as well as your wedding. The site will be updated as images become available. Any slideshow that I create will also be stored on this site for future viewing.

Here is an example of a personalize photo website. An optional fun feature — if you are a facebook junkie (I, unfortunately am one of those), this site can also be embedded onto your facebook wall or a tab on your facebook profile, allowing you to view the entire site (including playing galleries and slideshows) directly from within facebook, and to tag your facebook friends who appear in your photos.

I love that I am able to offer this at no additional cost to all my clients who book a Collection. This is THE way to share your wedding photos — a regular photo gallery just won’t do it for me!

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The “Con Job” That Turned Into a Love Story

Wen — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:11:57 +0000

“So, how comfortable are you guys with the cameras?”, I asked Lynn and Sung. “Oh, not at all,” the both of them said in unison. “We’re probably gonna be one of your worst couples.” I think I might have blurted out a nervous laughter when I heard that. =) Sung was pretty clear to me at the start that they were going to challenge me that day.

Lynn and Sung, if you’re reading this, I just want to tell you, that you were NOT difficult at all. So, no, you don’t get the “Most Difficult People To Shoot” prize!

It’s really about being comfortable with each other, even if you’re really uncomfortable with the camera. The crazy-camera-totting me may be following your every step, but that’s easily forgotten once you get into the groove of things. A little bit of awkwardness at the start is very typical for everyone. But with my stay-back, laid-back, shoot-from-afar style, people tend to just ignore me after the first 20 minutes or so, and instead, focus on each other. THAT’S when I start shooting.

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I’m a fan of the cupid. There’s a cupid in every relationship — be it a co-worker, a family member, a waitress, a book, or even a cab driver. The cupid in Lynn and Sung’s story was Sung’s sister, who was determined to set them up.

Lynn called it the “set up,” while Sung called it the “con job.”

It all started one evening while planning for her Halloween party, when Lynn decided to ignore Sung’s sister’s phone call, knowing that she was going to bug her about introducing Sung to Lynn at the party. By missing this call, Lynn never heard the end of it for the entire week after that. Out of guilt, Lynn decided to finally let her set up a meeting with Sung over dinner and a movie, having been promised that it was going to be “totally casual, its soo not going to be a date!”.

Of course, once the non-date evening started, Sung’s sister felt conveniently tired, and proceeded to excuse herself to go home early, leaving Lynn and Sung to spend the rest of the night alone.

“But we were ok with that anyway, because we liked each other even from the start,” Lynn said shyly with a smile as Sung rubbed her arms and held her close to keep her warm as the temperature dropped with the setting sun.

Years later, Lynn was telling this story to a friend, when Sung exclaimed, “What Halloween party??” The “con job,” as they now call it, is that his sister never invited him to the Halloween party. The guilt trip that Lynn got for the entire week after the missed call was just a con job to get Lynn to agree to a date with Sung!

And, my friends, they lived happily ever after. The end.

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The Night Cupid Struck

Wen — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:52:31 +0000

One fateful night, Robert was standing outside Hangge Uppe on Elm and Rush in downtown Chicago, about to call it a night, until a cab pulled up in front of him.

Then he saw her.

Robert described that moment to me: “…and then, Noly walked out of the cab, dressed all in black, and alofasu’n I started gett’n the pitter-pat…….right here….” he said as he patted his palm on his chest. “…she took my breath away.”

“He reached out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into Hangge Uppe,” Noly said, with her oh-so-cute Spanish accent.

Needless to say, they hit it off, and “technically” had their first date that night! “And then I snuck a kiss at the end of the night,” Noly gave me a little wink as he told me that.

“And ever since, we’ve been together.”

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Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | Follow Me on Twitter | Visit My Facebook Page! | View My Portfolio

Stasia + Carrie are Engaged!

Wen — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:14:00 +0000

Do you believe in fate? When you look at who’s sitting next to you in this journey called life, do you sometimes think that fate must have something to with it? That something or someone must’ve brought you together, because you are so like-minded, and fit so perfectly for each other, that there’s no way this was an accident? I believe Stasia and Carrie are two of those people.

Stasia is a Hematology/ Stem Cell Transplant nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Carrie is a Field Officer for Amnesty International.

Carrie completed the Chicago Half Marathan benefiting the AIDS Foundation.
Stasia completed the Chicago Triathlon benefiting for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Stasia was a Villanova University graduate ’07, and was a member of Delta Gamma, an international fraternity built upon the motto “Do Good.”
Carrie was a Villanova University graduate ’03 and returned for her Masters ’07. Also a member of Delta Gamma.

And then they met.
They became friends.
Then they hung out more and became more than friends.
They got engaged while skiing in New York in January 2010.

There is something very beautiful when two people with the same kind and giving spirit, who spend every day of their lives helping other people, find each other and decide to spend the rest of their lives together. Stasia and Carrie are incredibly in love, and it shows in these images. Congrats girls!

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I’m loving these new press-printed books!

Wen — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:05:28 +0000

So Traci and Charles are getting their wedding guest book made using their engagement photos, and the book came today!!! It’s got a classic fabric cover, with hinged pages, meaning they lay flat beautifully. The print quality is wonderful and the pages have substantial weight. These are the BEST press-printed books ever! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | View My Portfolio

Engagement Session in Downtown Madison, WI – Traci + Charles

Wen — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:21:30 +0000

Welcome to my new blog! There are lots in store in the coming weeks..including a whole new website. This blog is the first to go out..more to come soon!! To those of you who do not have flash, fear not! You will see a featured image for each post, and clicking on it will take you to the full non-flashy gallery in a new window!

To kick off the new blog, let me introduce — Traci and Charles! They wanted a guestbook made for their wedding, which will be held at the House on the Rock, WI, next month. So we went around downtown Madison last week to get some shots for the book. Congrats guys!

Where we went for this shoot
Downtown Madison streets
James Madison Park in Madison, WI
Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, WI

Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | View My Portfolio

Engagement Session at Tenney Park, Madison WI – Amy + Jim

Wen — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:29:52 +0000

Amy and Jim’s session is a great example of how when people enjoy themselves, they are guaranteed great photos! Amy and Jim drove from Oshkosh so that they can do their engagement session right here, in Madison, where I am, isn’t that nice? =)

Amy is GREAT in front of the camera. This girl is full of confidence and is just a joy to photograph. The moment I started shooting, she just strutted her stuff! I just LOVE a great model =)

Amy and Jim — see you guys next year at your wedding! I can’t wait!!

Places we went:
Tenney Park

Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | View My Portfolio

Engagement Session on Chicago Lakefront – Stephanie + Tsvetan

Wen — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:20:16 +0000

Stephanie and Tsvetan have got to be my favorite couple for allowing me to bring them out at 5am (YES, 5AM) for sunrise photos at the Chicago Yatch Club in downtown Chicago. Once we caught the sunrise, we walked over to Millennium Park and Grant Park for more cute pics. The adorable canine you see below is Gracie, who was totally confused all morning long probably because she couldn’t figure out why they dragged her out of her doggie dreams to wander around for hours in the middle of nowhere!

The primary purpose of this shoot was to get images for their wedding invitation, and hence many of the photos have lots of negative space to allow for text overlay. I’m pretty excited and can’t wait to see the final result!

Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | View My Portfolio

Engagement Session in Madison, WI – Sarah + Mike

Wen — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:55:18 +0000

Most of us don’t know how to model and pose for photos. We’re not professionals, and as regular people with regular jobs, we’re not supposed to know how! And in my opinion, its really the job of the photographer to give the right directions and put the couple at ease and make them look good, natural, happy and let their true self shine through the photos – that’s something I know that I need to still work on. Sarah and Mike were really shy in front of the camera, and was painfully aware of the fact that I was following their every step as we went around the city for their photos. Although I was not very good at making them feel more comfortable (note to self: something to improve on), I assured them that it was ok, that it didn’t matter that they didn’t know how to pose or that they seem less affectionate than usual. And while it felt awkward to them, I knew what I was capturing behind the camera, and I was confident that all was going to be ok! =) And judging from the look on Sarah and Mike in these photos..I think you’d agree, no?

Engagement & Family Portrait Session in Madison, WI – Amanda + Joe

Wen — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:19:46 +0000

Despite the poor weather, I managed to get out with Amanda, Joe and their 3 kids for some fun family photos at Vilas Park! The sun NEVER came out that day, and in fact, it started to rain as we were wrapping up. I did the best I could with the dreary weather, but why worry, this gorgeous family is all I need to make beautiful photos!

Amanda and Joe are getting married at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells on Memorial Day weekend and I’m super excited about it! The ceremony is going to be outdoors (YAY!), and the reception will be in one of their banquet halls. The Wilderness Resort have even assigned a planner for their event (how nice!). All I need to do now is figure out how to do the rain dance so that I can guarantee perfect weather that day! =)