Laura+Tim: Promised | Chicago Olive Park Engagement Session

After an absolute WHIRLWIND month and a half filled with many sessions yet to blog, a ton of family time, a fair amount of home decorating, and celebrating our new girl's first Christmas, I am trying to get back into the cycle of blogging those sessions! One of my big business goals for 2015 is to start blogging more consistently, and also to start blogging about MORE than just this business that I adore- more on that later!
For today...HAPPY NEW YEARS! I can't believe it is January 1st, 2015. And I could not think of a BETTER session to ring in the new year with than this engagement session, which marked a wonderful beginning for me. I grew up near the beautiful city of Chicago, and have spent much TIME there, but I hadn't gotten to photograph there. Enter Laura and Tim!! Laura contacted me about photographing her Springfield wedding next year (on Mike's and my FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY- And truly, we are so excited to be spending that day together in that way!!) and mentioned she was interested in a Chicago engagement session since her and Tim live there. I was immediately elated--I have been just waiting and waiting for one of my couples to ask for that, and knew we would be traveling there over Christmas. After much discussion of locations and what we were looking for, I think we had the BEST day possible for this, and I am thrilled with the images. When I showcase a couple, I try to show "pretty" images, and a few portrait shots of them smiling at the camera- but the thing I really love are images that make me feel something...and this session is full of so much JOY. I loved it!
Meet Laura and Tim:

Laura and Tim were SO much fun to be around. There is an ease about them, a comfort in how well they know each other. They are so free to be themselves around each other. Tim jokes about Laura's fast driving, Laura laughs at Tim's silly expressions...and my camera LOVES them. I told Laura that I think she has a bit of SJP in her...and who doesn't love photographing a girl who looks a little like Sarah Jessica Parker?! Do you see it??

Beautiful.

They make each other laugh. A LOT.




One of my FAVORITE bloopers of the year happened right after that shot--but I will just save that image for them to share if they want! :)


Those feelings I was talking about? Here is the joy.

And here.


We went to warm up inside one of my FAVORITE buildings in all of Chicago.

I end with the last frame I took, in a very quick moment...I love it, and I love how if I hadn't been there, I wouldn't know that it was freezing and windy and crowded and loud. It is just Laura and Tim. I cannot WAIT to capture their wedding next fall--Happy New Years you guys!!!