Most brides dismiss their church as a good location for wedding photography. The assumption is that plenty of pictures will be taken inside the church, let’s move on to another spot after the wedding. This was my first trip to St. Josaphat Catholic Church in Chicago. I always like to walk around a church in search of a few places to shoot. The fountain was of course an obvious spot, but with a little searching I found an alley on the side of the church. It was dark and not really appealing however the red door caught my eye so we ventured toward it for a few shots. If you’re still planning your wedding please don’t discount your church as a great spot for pictures. You never know what your photographer might come up with.

Chicago has a plethora of great landmarks to use as backgrounds in wedding photography, but some times simple is more than enough. Step off Michigan Ave to any side street and you will be surprised by some of the places to shoot. As you know, there are no shortage of bus stops in Chicago. I say use them as backgrounds. You never know what you might come up with.

Hopefully the five images below show you why I love Olive Park. For those that like to read: It’s hard to find shooting locations that offer easy access, a lake, trees, a view of the city, and enough room to photograph without tons of people in the background.

Jessica and Mark were lucky to avoid the rain most of their wedding day. However, the Chicago Museum Campus was our last picture location and there was no avoiding it. The rain came and we improvised. Wedding photography seems to resembles my love for jazz. You start with a plan and you never know where you will end up. Some people would look at rain as something to avoid on the wedding day. I say make it work!

I find many of my brides spend quite a bit of time picking out the perfect Chicago wedding reception venue, only to dismiss it when it comes to photography. I know you are ready for a break, but giving your photographer a little time at the reception will be worth it. I usually take 15-20 minutes to hit a spots at the reception that really standout for great pictures. These often turn out to be some of the best images of the day. Here are just a couple images taken at the Murphy Auditorium just before cocktail hour.

We have been spoiled in Chicago lately with 40 degree weather. I find that my thoughts are already drifting to summer time. Then, like the rest of you my dreams are shattered when I look at the weather for next week and I see snow seven days in a row. So, if we can’t have nice weather why not look at wedding pictures that remind us of how great summer can be in Chicago. Nothing says summer like a linen suit and a golf course wedding.

It’s June, it’s hot, and we’re on a golf course at the Hilton Chicago Indian Lakes Resort.

A note to all wedding party members and bride and grooms. It may not look pretty when you’re standing in front of it, but don’t worry I have a plan. Most people don’t walk through their day and have brief moments where they find themselves thinking, “Wow, that decrepit wall would make a killer background at 2.8″
Welcome to the burden of thinking like a wedding photographer. When watching movies we see catch lights in an actor’s eyes and drift off into thoughts of the light source creating it. I can’t make it five minutes into my day with my boys without seeing the way light falls on their faces.

My point you ask? Simple, I promise I won’t let you down. Give me the benefit of the doubt and you’ll love what you see in the end.
Walking up to this location in downtown Des Plaines, I heard whispers and some times louder than whispers, “Seriously, we’re going to shoot here.
{Insert heavy sarcasm} This will look great.” I’m not going to lie, I like a challenge.

These images are the end result of what seemed like a strange place for pictures of a bride and groom. When I delivered the album to Michael and Jill, Michael mentioned that these turned out to be their favorite shots.

The challenge for any wedding photographer is walking into a room that you have never been in and quickly finding places to shoot. Finding light and finding spaces that work for a bride and groom can be tricky, but that’s part of the fun of photographing weddings. You never know what you might stumble upon.
Upon entering a room I immediately put together a plan to use as much of the space as I can. The easy way out would be to shoot everything in the same location. So I am slightly type A and and self diagnosed with ADD. I can’t sit in a chair by the beach for more than 5 minutes, so I certainly can’t shoot all wedding pictures in one location.

Jessica and Mark had their first moment on the wedding day in their suite at the Chicago Trump Tower. You’ll see in these three images I used the light from the giant windows in three different ways.

A lot of my friends ask me how I can keep things interesting week after week when a lot of my clients want the same locations and backgrounds for their wedding photography. When I’m on location the first step is to find a background that creates the mood that fits my clients. I think a lot of people tend to focus on their background strictly because it looks cool. We (photographers) are certainly used to members of the bridal party saying, “Wow, look at that. We should shoot there.” The shots below use the Trump Tower in Chicago in two completely different ways. The bridal party image works really well with the massive tower due to the amount of people. I think just the bride and groom would have seemed tiny in comparison.
The second round of images with the bride and groom were taken up on the 16th floor balcony at the Trump Tower. This view of the building still shows off the city, but seems to be a bit more intimate. On a side note, if you want to shoot on the balcony make sure the door handles are on the door. We went to shoot and were informed that the handles are actually removed to keep people off the balcony. It took a little work, but as you can see we finally got to shoot outside!

Every Chicago wedding photographer has no doubt been to the “bean” in Millennium Park. It seems someone actually named it the Cloud Gate, however I’ve never actually heard that used. The images below are three different angles on two different visits. Some might be concerned that too many people are in the pictures. I think they add to the city feel so I’m fine with the random onlookers in the shots.