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Amidst the busy days that FotoEnvy has been having, we still have found time for that ever important photography thing. One fine afternoon we found ourselves at Alpine Park in Rockford to shoot Josh & Kim for a lovely engagement session.

Albeit the liar of a weatherman said it would be in the low 40′s, the sun came out to visit us for an absolutely beautiful day. Stephen and myself had decided to tag along with Chris, before we had some meetings in the afternoon. But being we were yet to receive our Nikon D800′s, we would simply be observing and giving fine moral support (aka, making fools of ourselves as to entertain Josh & Kim). But Chris had other plans.

Upon arrival, Chris handed me his D700 and said shoot. This is a typical Chris move, and I was stupid to not have expected it in some way. So, having never shot a Nikon, and JUST meeting this couple, the day was mine for the taking. The evening prior Stephen and myself had been researching a new method we wanted to try our hand at, but not let Chris know, as to try and gain a slight upper hand due to our competitiveness. But, this sounded like a good go-to in order to jump into the situation that had been thrust upon me.

I won’t go into too much detail about the method, but the below image is 53 images taken in a particular manner, in order to create a photo with an immense amount of depth. For a first attempt I’m pretty stoked on the outcome of it. Along with some Diptics (something I’m trying to use in order to spice things up a little more) I’d say this was a fantastic shoot as far as moving in a forward direction goes.

I’ll skip telling you all about the verbal man-love that happened between Josh, Chris and Stephen, no one needs to hear about that. Instead, enjoy the photos!!!

March 2012, in the midst of the renovation of our new studio, I wipe off the saw dust, find my faithful green paisley tie, lace up some chucks, and the Wedding season has officially begun!

It’s quite the feeling to be able to jump right back into the swing of things. A Wedding day is unlike any other venture. Albeit the general “template” always remands the same, like a snow flake, no two Wedding days are ever alike. This one even more so then the others. We found ourselves at Briggs Manor in Downtown Rockford, only minutes from the new space. Near the end of the 2011 season, we shot here as well, so it was fitting to start here again. We knew the place, we knew the owner, we knew the light, and more then any other time, we knew the Bride.

Deb Harris, a long time friend of Chris as well as FotoEnvy in general was our bride to be. She was clear on the details: Nothing traditional, nothing cheesy, and nothing lame. And the rule is simple with Deb…don’t mess with Deb, and do what she says.

The day began at a nice slow pace, I found myself spending quite some time with the Mustang. But was quickly pulled away by Mr Chris, before I could drool on the car. We had our new intern Taylor with us as well. Never really being put in the position of a photographer at a Wedding, or ever being behind a Pro Camera for that matter made her pretty nervous. But, as the day progressed, as did she, and I must say she did rather well with simply there aspirations to learn more of the biz.

I thought I’d sum up the things that were different about this day, and why they were awesome:

• Bride saw Groom before Wedding (creates a new awesome scene for intimate photos, as a BUNCH of Family images can be handled ahead of time
• The rehearsal took place 90 minutes before the actual ceremony (in a place like Briggs, with such a small place and a ton of guests, it’s good to get your bearings, and something likes this helps you prepare rather well)
• Only extremely close family was invited due to space limitations (this meant when Deb walked in, she was greeted with nothing but ear to ear smiles or tears of pure joy. The crowd was so much more intimate)

And my absolute favorite part!!!

• During the ceremony, all cell phones and cameras we’re asked by the Bride’s request to be turned off (this is something new that’s been happening, and I’ve been waiting to get the opportunity to experience it. It’s such a joy from a Photographer’s standpoint to capture an event such as this with no other distractions)
• And lastly, there was no dinner service. Simple a wide variety of desserts brought in by all of the family members (I obviously like this because it’s sweets, I mean…c’mon, duh)

The evening wrapped up early, but not before Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce was played for the Groom to dance his heart out to!

This was a great start to 2012, and the coming year is certainly one of the most exciting yet for both myself, and more importantly FotoEnvy!!!

Lucky Boys Confusion is a band my friends and I have listened to, followed and enjoyed for a number a years now. So when I found out one of the singers from the band was going to be playing a solo show, I jumped at the oppertunity to shoot it.

Adam Krier is the backing vocals for Lucky Boys Confusion, a Chicago punk/rock band that had a pretty large following in the early 2000′s. He later went on to be the lead singer in a band called AM Taxi. These bands commonly affiliated with bands such as Motion City Soundtrack, The Plain White T’s and a number of other larger bands springing from the Midwest area.

The awesome dude SwizzleSteve who books me on my shows in the city was also playing a role in this particular evening too, as he was the opening solo acoustic act.

This was one of the few 17+ shows I shoot in the city, so I grabbed Michael and we went on our way to Beat Kitchen in Chicago. Arriving slightly early, I got the chance to meet and greet with some players, as well as the video coverage team Rhapsody Productions. The venue was a large space behind the actual bar area itself. I’m coming to realize the budget on lighting varies an intense amount from venue to venue. For a place whose walls are covered in band stickers, and plays a ton of shows, their lighting was some super cheap par cans with gels over them. Almost all red, and barely aimed correctly. This was bound to be a challenging evening.

Steve took the stage and began his acoustic set. I managed to find myself a neat area to the side of the stage where the stairs were, to get some different vantage points. During his set, I was still able to move semi freely around the place, as it wasn’t packed yet. But I knew that was gonna change pretty rapidly. Just as I had returned from one round of runnin’ around and the place began to fill up, Michael saw the look of despair on my face and asked what was wrong. I replied explaining I had left my memory card wallet across the venue in my bags. I had to make the trip back.

Another solo acoustic player named Kevin Andrew Prchal was next on stage. He started quiet, but grew into a phenominal set. It reminded me of a mix of The Decemberists, Mumford & Sons and The Joy Formidable. He grew an instant fan, and as usual I found all his info on FB and began checking out any other shows he’s done that have been shot.

And on to the main event: Adam Krier. Adam stepped on stage with a drummer and some other players, and this was not another acoustic set. This was the gritty Chicago punk/rock I truly loved to shoot. In his 60 min set, a sort of musical musicians game was played. A constant amount of people were stepping onto and off the stage at all times. From the drummer of Lucky Boys, to the drummer and guitarist/pianist of AM Taxi, Darren Vorel & Yvonne Szumski of The Scissors, Andrew took the stage again, and then a surprise appearance from Tom Higgenson of The Plain White T’s. Such a wide variety of fantastic musicians. Being that all these people have been friends for such a long time, and varying bands have gotten larger then others, there was this glowing sense of nastalgia. The one thing I noticed and took away, is that Adam surrounds himself with an exceptional group of talent.

Both AM Taxi and Lucky Boys have future shows I am hopeful to be shooting, along with the other artist that played! On to the next adventure!!!

SwizzleSteve Facebook

Lucky Boys Confusion Facebook

AM Taxi Facebok

Kevin Andrew Prchal Facebook

The Scissors Facebook

The Plain White T’s Facebook

Along the many adventures of Em & Them I have had the pleasure of meeting with, and collaborating with a phenomenal illustrator named Adam Richardson. Adam along with Em & Them decided to put on a last minute show at The Hidden Shamrock for the man’s 29th Birthday. Needless to say, I was in attendance to shoot and drink…or maybe the other way around.

 Em & Them Website

 Em & Them Facebook