Pub and a Walk, Engagement Session

Janine and Jim are to be wed this month!

We met up with them last fall for a meet at a pub and to walk around North Pond, where they were engaged. We can’t wait to photograph them again on the big day!

Movie and TV Inspired Wedding

Chewie and Bryan are more than film and television buffs

They’ve made their love of media into their careers, and this love was showcased in all the details of the wedding. We’re talking Dr. Who cake and centerpieces, theme of Game of Thrones for the recessional and friends even brought light sabers for the reception. As soon as those came out, we quickly brought the bride and groom to the silo of the Byron Colby Barn to capture the moment. Before the ceremony, we trekked to a nearby prairie hill and horse barn for photos. Lizz told the rain to stop, and it did. Chewie and Bryan even stepped across a puddle and into the grasses to get to the location, what (storm) troopers! The result were beautiful portraits of this fun, energetic couple in a lovely setting under a dramatic stormy sky. May the force be with these two forever!

Wedding Blogs and the Photographer

Recently, there’s been lots of talk around Studio Starling

About wedding blogs and how they effect our photography and our couples. We love being featured on wedding blogs. It’s great promotion, they are inspiring to look at and have lead us to some of our favorite couples. But sometimes, looking at other people’s photography makes us emulate them and gets us into a mode of wanting all our couples’ weddings to be featured on blogs. We have a problem with this.

One popular blog, Style Unveiled, posted an article on choosing a photographer. Including tips such as “Does it look like the photographer has been published in wedding magazines and on wedding blogs?” as well as “It’s important that the photographer you choose takes detail shots of your wedding. Why? It goes back to #2 … getting your wedding published. If your photographer isn’t excited about snapping detail shots or doesn’t take many detail photos of your wedding, getting it published will be quite a challenge.” Although this article offered many other helpful tips in making the choice of a photographer, these points were disappointing.

Since then, we’ve seen a few articles addressing this issue. Resource magazine, a photography industry publication, ran an article with an interview with another popular wedding blogger, Green Wedding Shoes, who also touched on the subject. “Shows like Say Yes to the Dress and Ace of Cakes fetishize wedding props and photographers have followed suit by taking stunning photos of gowns hung on customized hangers that say “Mrs.” and artistic shots of table numbers.” Then adds, “The average couple isn’t going to care about having photographs of their shoes by the tenth anniversary. Likewise, the artistic shot of the chocolate fountain won’t matter as much as the one of the ring bearer sticking his hands in it. As stylish as weddings may have become, they are not fashion shoots: photographs that capture the love and joy of the couple and their guests are what stand the test of time.”

This post on Rock N Roll Bride sums this conflict up best “I’ve also been hearing from many of my friends who work in the wedding industry, that some of their clients are now putting so much emphasis on wanting to get their wedding featured somewhere, that they’re adding a whole extra dollop of pre-wedding stress on themselves and their suppliers. This is complete madness. Since when was ‘getting featured on a blog’ something to add to the bottom of your ever-expanding wedding ’to do’ list. Enjoy this time in your life. Enjoy planning for your wedding and your future. Don’t for the love of God, think that without a blog or magazine feature the wedding was a bust.”

Here at Studio Starling, we’ve decided we will look at and submit to wedding blogs occasionally, but this is not the focus of our business. We will be inspired by love, family, the light and weather of the day. Our promise is to get our photographic inspiration from history, other art forms, life itself and also from our instincts as artists. Our focus is on you.

Humboldt Park Engagement

Rebecca and Ty are having an August wedding.

We went out on one of the nicest days of the year so far to explore Humboldt Park and make some pictures. Ty was not too keen on doing an engagement session, but with Rebecca’s promise of a Kegerator (Ty makes his own brew), he just couldn’t refuse. They quickly got into the beauty of the park and the excitement of a warm Spring day, when all Chicagoans are out and about. We are so excited for their wedding this summer!

Winter Wedding at Ravenswood Event Center

Lindsay and Chris had a February Wedding…

In Chicago. They did not let the cold weather or snow hold them back from going around the city for photos. Lindsay, in her grandmother’s gown, strapped on her Sorel boots and we photographed them downtown and in Lincoln Park. Although it was chilly, a fresh snowfall a couple of days before made the city look picturesque. All the bridesmaids and groomsmen also joined in the fun wearing their coats and boots, or just rocking the heels, for pictures. This couple had a beautiful ceremony on the third floor of The Ravenswood Event Center, and also had dinner and dancing on the third floor. This was a great way to showcase the space and the tree that Lindsay’s parents chopped and brought from Michigan on a truck. This event was also the premier of our new upgraded camera gear, and we just love the results! Congratulations to Lindsay and Chris!

Fulton’s Wedding

Singin’ in the rain!

That’s what Drew and Scott decided to do when their Fulton’s wedding happened to be on a rainy October day. Nothing was going to distract these men from having fun on the most important day of their lives. We walked from Fulton’s to the Chicago Theater with some rainbow umbrellas the guys brought. We were making photos that day, regardless of the drizzle (later turned downpour). This pop of color and a huge love was exactly what we needed to brighten up the grey Chicago day.

Since Fulton’s is right on the river, the guys and the wonderful planners at Lola had their ceremony entrance by water taxi! Their friends and family were awe struck as the men to be married pulled up by boat to their patio ceremony. Lizz traveled with them on the water, while Nicole stayed at Fulton’s to capture the arrival from shore. One of the toughest events we did all last season: rain, timing boats, capturing a Kiki (a really fun dance the grooms and their friends did), it led us to really flex our problem solving and photographic muscles. We are so proud of the images we did that day and hope they bring Drew and Scott joy for years to come. This was a beautiful, joyful wedding that will not ever be forgotten!

Salvage One Spectacular

Emily and Jerad were married in November

They chose Salvage One as their venue for ceremony and reception. We’ve photographed this space oodles of times and the wonderful thing about this space is that it is always changing. New furniture, new nooks in which to photograph couples and the effects of light from the time of year and weather keep this place fresh. We also push ourselves with each shoot to try something unique.

With Emily, we chose to pose her with her hanging dress. We thought she looked adorable in her flannel and wanted to do a different take on the hanging dress photo. We also found a pretty wall of ivy outside where we did individual portraits of the couple. The light sinks quickly in November, so we did all our portraits first and for the rest of the evening, used our lights and the warm light of the space to document the evening. We hope that these photos will keep this couple happy with memories of Chicago as they head back to their new home of San Francisco.