Seek shelter!  Everybody ducked and covered as they bolted towards the doors of Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro on this stormy evening.  The guests settled into their seats as Nora’s dad led her down the aisle and into the arms of her decorated man, Mike.  A bit of rain began to fall indoors (in the form of joyous tears, that is!) as our beautiful couple giggled and sniffled through their vows.  The lovely little flower girls insisted on playing a bigger role in the ceremony by dancing about, rolling around and singing, causing lots of laughs…until grandad whisked them away….for a few minutes anyway.  Once the nuptials were sealed with a kiss, the flower girls made sure that our newlyweds found their way over to the cocktail area.  After many hugs and well wishes were given and received, all of the guests indulged in an awesome selection of beers and some of Mrs. Murphy’s finest grub. Sweetie Pies supplied a decadent array of miniature cupcakes  that were quickly gobbled up.  Each flavor  was outstanding but the candied bacon cupcakes seemed to be the winner…duh!  It finally stopped raining outside so the couple and I quickly slipped outside for a few pictures and returned for a bit of dancing as the evening came to a close.  Thanks to Nora and Mike for choosing me to document such a delightful, laid back and intimate wedding!

A couple weekends ago, Tom from Shake Shop was kind enough to let me set up a pop-up portrait studio in the front room of his Logan Square guitar repair shop.  My good pal Todd Klebenow is mostly responsible for that fantastical sunset and mushroom painting. The curtains were provided by my windows at home!  Lot’s of friends stopped by and a handful of curious strangers poked their heads in to have their photo taken.  It was a success and more of these scenic studios will be popping up around the city in the near future.  So be on the lookout!

Kara and Trent were married earlier this month….in Tucson AZ. I could’t wait to bolt outta the cold, gray and snowy trappings of pre-spring Chicago so I could hang with a super fun couple and their buddies in the (usually) sun drenched Southwest Desert. The Wedding took place in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains at an illustrious estate called The 5600.
While family members beautified the back yard with Trent and Kara’s handmade decorations,   heads were spinning inside the house as the bridal party hammed it up in a mirrored hallway. Then,  the young lovebirds and I took a quick stroll among the cacti for a few portraits just before a storm rolled in.

A bit of rain began to fall and we all nervously awaited the outdoor ceremony that was about to take place. The big moment arrived and suddenly the rain stopped and a sliver of sunshine magically beamed above Kara and Trent.  They exchanged vows, smiles and a big smooch and all was good.  Suddenly the rain fell down again.  It was the perfect cue to send the guests toward the bar for a big ol’, tropically decorated beverage.

After some cocktails, everybody feasted on an amazing dinner that Kara’s brother Kevin single-handedly catered.  Cake was cut and an indulgent spread of dessert, including homemade Pop Tarts on a stick,  were gobbled down.

As the mercury fell in the evening air of the dessert, Nobunny took the stage and worked the crowd into a heart warming, booty quaking frenzy of everyones favorite Rock N Roll oldies.

After the dance party, the guests perched and posed  for a photo on the paper moon that Kara and Trent’s friend Joe built .

I was so lucky to get to travel and be a part of Kara and Trent’s incredibly fun and super cool wedding!

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Mark Porter recently had an installation of his newest kinetic sculptures at The Mission Gallery on Chicago Ave. As I walked down the basement steps of the gallery, a motion sensor woke the machines up and they immediately started shaking, rattling and spitting up reddish hues of foamy stuff all over the place. Go to Mark’s website to find out when you can see some of these things in person.

Way back in December of 2012, folks believed that the End Days were upon us. Chris Hefner painted this badass end of the world snow globe backdrop and we set it up in a corner of The Kimball Arts Center as part of a benefit to fund the final touches of Chris’ film, The Poisoner. The end of the wold jitters seemed to make everyone real drunk and sloppy and our beautiful backdrop eventually came tumbling down. Fortunately, the real globe is still hanging and The Poisoner will be upon us shortly.  The official trailer was released today.  See it here!

Keri and Ted’s Big Ol’ Day began with some photos at their Oak Park home with their beloved dogs Clare and Felix. After hanging out on the porch and in the yard, we grabbed the dogs and headed to a park near the venue for more pics and then proceeded to The Carleton for a real cool ceremony and some dancing. Such a great bunch to spend the day with!

Toast & Jam threw their annual farewell to the wedding season bash where all of our favorite vendors have their chance cut loose and party down like no one is watching…..but I was there taking photos. Here’s some photographic evidence that Toast and Jam DJ’s can rip it up!

I recently photographed Kim and Luke’s 2 day wedding extravaganza. The first day began a bit more intimately with lunch, tea, a few Indian ceremonies and some playground action.  Day 2 was a bit soggy but that didn’t stop us from getting some beautiful shots around town at their favorite spots! We managed to squeeze in a few karaoke numbers at Louie’s in Wicker park before hitting the reception at the Westin Lombard. Sarah from Toast & Jam kept the dance floor alive and kickin’ all night. Both days were filled with swirling colors and smiling faces. I had a blast photographing this vibrant couple and being a part of their celebration!

I met up with these lovely folks for their annual autumn photos. The young’uns kept me on the run while I got a few shots of them  around their habitat.  I’m looking forward to next year!

A few of my homies stopped by on Halloween.  They all had pretty damn good costumes so I rolled down the seamless backdrop, turned on a couple lights and stuck those costumed people in front of the immortalization machine.