Jenna Cole Photography-Chicago, IL » Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer

Leah and JP are getting married in Dallas next Spring. So you would think I’d be courting them to let me shoot their wedding, right? Not so much, as their wedding date is actually my baby’s due date! They have a great wedding photographer lined up, but I’m a bit bummed I won’t be spending more time with them after the great session we had.

They chose to start their session in a courtyard next to one of my favorite restaurants, Greenz Salad for Z’Adventorous (don’t mind the cheesy name). It was really hard for me resist suggesting we go get some pear salads when we were soooooo close. These two love to eat out and try new foods so there was probably a small chance they would have agreed.

JP actually wrote the following describing how they met for their wedding website. I thought it was sweet he took the time to record the events from his perspective.

The day two lost souls came back together. Was not quite the Cinderella tale you find in the book but was close. On a long labor-filled night of cleaning a close friends apartment, Larry Smith, Leah thought the daunting task of cleaning a bachelor’s apartment was NEVER going to end. When a tall handsome man from Leah’s past came walking in he quickly noticed Leah’s expert cleaning skills, not to be attempted by any amateur of not only cleaning but organizing a true bachelor’s pad. He had to have his own bachelor pad cleaned and perfected; offering a king’s ransom of $100. After hours of tedious work Leah soon realized she had meet one of her most changeling tasks of all time. Once finished with JP’s apartment he just had to have Leah over to share the enjoyment of the perfect apartment out in Addison Circle premier night of entertainment. The 3rd of July, Kaboom Town. After one night of pure flirtation, young puppy love the two where on there way to true love. That is still riding the most touching, heart riveting, and story filled times of their life!!

This is right next to the spot where JP proposed! They became all giddy and cute as soon as we got there.

They brought along the box the ring came in and let me play around with it as a prop a little bit. I adore props!

SOOC! I tell my clients that sometimes an image only works in black and white (sometimes they request a certain photo in color that I’ve only provided in b&w), and I think this before and after is a good illustration why.

Cute pose, but the photo just wasn’t jumping out to me.

I decided to try a black and white version and I loved the result! I think the two of them really pop out of the photo when the color is removed.

THAT SHOT!

My favorite because of those colors and the way the trees are framing them.

Leah and JP,

I’m so glad we got the chance to work together! Although I’m still bummed I won’t be with you on your big day in April, I think we’ll both have reasons to be celebrating during that time.

Best,

Jenna

Elizabeth and Casey are the first session I am posting that allows me to proudly say I’M SHOOTING THEIR WEDDING! All caps are definitely necessary for such an exciting announcement. My first wedding happened last weekend, and with Elizabeth and Casey I’m doing engagement, bridals, and wedding. It feels really amazing to reach these milestones that I consider to be significant indicators in my professional development. If you didn’t know already, starting your own business is killer work, and I believe those who take on the challenge should take the time to recognize each milestone as they overtake it. So here I am doing my happy dance: *Happy Dance*

But this post isn’t about Jenna Cole, it’s about Elizabeth and Casey, their beautiful faces, and of course their sweet, sweet, love. They met at a concert (seriously, if you are looking for love go to a concert, so many people I talk to met that way) and have been together for 6 years now. They’re both incredibly grounded, taking time out of life to visit the family ranch in Walnut Springs for fishing and camping, and hoping to have a family of their own one day. The three of us had a wonderful time wandering around historic downtown Fort Worth in the early morning light before heading over to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens for lots of “pretty” photos. I thought it was a great mix!

Not that great of a photo technically, but super cool when you look at it knowing that the blur effect was done completely in camera. No joke! I bumped up the contrast and saturation on this one, but that’s it! No idea how I did it, but I hope to make it happen again someday.

I think this Elizabeth’s favorite. The sunburt coming through the kiss is always a crowd-pleaser, and I think for good reason. Plus how many sunburst-through-the-kiss shots have you seen with a prickly cactus in the frame? Not very many I bet.

I like that this crop gives it a bit of a panoramic feel.

My cowgirl grandma likes this one the best!

Just in cast you were wondering, we did not visit this lot. Obviously, since it’s “Privite”.

A very close contender for That Shot for me. I tend to process for bright colors and glowing skin, but this shot was crying out for some heavier processing and a bit of desaturation. I think the cart of “junk” on the right side balances the photo out very nicely.

Downtown Fort Worth is the kind of location you could shoot at all day long. Filled with all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore and SO MUCH character

We arrived at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens about 15 minutes before the doors opened and so I suggested that we make the most of our time and take some pictures right next to the parking lot. These two can tell you that with each click of the shutter I exclaimed “Oh my goodness, the light out here is to die for!” I joked that we would pay to get into the gardens (because they charge a fee for professional photography on the grounds), and it would all be unnecessary because the best shots were happening in the parking lot!

Luckily we got some pretty amazing stuff inside as well, so I don’t think they regret the investment.

Casey deserves all credit for noticing this knot at the base of the tree that looked a bit like a heart. I suggested we add Elizabeth’s ring in the middle and so this purty ring shot was born. I hope Casey is planning on bringing that eye for details on the wedding day as well!

Elizabeth and Casey are getting married on October 17, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. And they are good kissers, as demonstrated here, so I know I”ll get something great when the big moment at the altar happens!

The doors to the gardens finally opened and we were disappointed to learn that the information concerning photography fees found on the website were completely inaccurate. We didn’t visit all of the areas we had originally planned on stopping by because of the outrageous fees they are charging, but I think photos like the one below prove you don’t always need to pay to visit the “popular” spots to get gorgeous locations!

This shot makes me laugh each time I see scroll past it. We were walking and I whipped around suddenly and said “Pose!” Casey drew Elizabeth close and I saw this. My clients can assure you that, if anything, I under-direct my shoots, but I like to throw people a curve ball every once in awhile and see if we can get something spontaneous that really works!

The rose gardens were a bit of a disappointment and it was already quite hot, so we stuck to the shade. I balaned precariously on a nearby park bench for this angle.

Remember that beautiful light from the parking lot? There must be something about the trees in Fort Worth because when you gather a bunch of them together in one place they filter the sunlight perfectly. I opened up my aperture to 1.2 and that’s when the magic happened. These are absolutely some of the best protraits I’ve taken to date, and they showed me why some of the best photogs out there swear by shooting wide open all the time!

I told them the jerseys screamed out for a “tough” pose. This is what I got.

THAT SHOT!

The way she is looking at him. The beautiful, beautiful skin tones. The way his pose and facial expression scream out how comfortable he is in front of the camera (or maybe he’s just a really good faker!). I would love to have a million pictures just like this one in my portfolio.

These two know how to have fun and make each other laugh. I count myself lucky to be able to spend so much time with them this year!

Elizabeth and Casey, October 17th can’t come fast enough! I’m looking forward to lots of laughs, a beautiful wedding, and spending the day taking picture of the two of you and your nearest and dearest. Thank you so much for giving me that opportunity. See you in a few!

Best,

Jenna

Shhhhh….. don’t tell their boss, but Jennifer and Rece are coworkers! They met at work 3 years ago and it only took Rece 4 months to start making excuses to walk by Jennifer’s desk a little more often. Then, Jennifer started encountering all kinds of questions about reports (make-believe reports?) that absolutely could not be answered without Rece’s help. Kissing coworkers!

Actually I’m 99% sure that their boss already knows because of the time that Rece and Jennifer went to Hawaii together, back when their coworkers didn’t know they were dating. When they came back from their trip at the same time (after having left at the same time) looking all tan and happy (because everyone comes back from Hawaii looking tan and happy) the office caught on and the cat was out of the bag. Luckily this crazy cool couple works in a crazy cool office where they let you get away with that kind of thing.

I let these two pick our meeting spot, and was pleasantly surprised to plug in the address on Google Maps and discover that it was only about 5 minutes from my apartment (sometimes I drive 40 miles for a shoot!). We met in a high school parking lot and I turned around and said “Can we pretty please walk over to that hill and shoot with the sky behind you?”

I’m not usually one for dramatic and crazy processing but I couldn’t resist playing around with these images a little bit.

I think this is my favorite for the skyline shots. If their feet were just a little bit closer together they would almost form a heart!

Bravo! Bravo! What a wonderful dip, with the wind blowing her hair and her dress.

We drove down the road a little bit to find this tree that Jennifer had spotted. I think I actually gasped when I saw it. It’s the kind of tree a photographer might dream about because it’s just so pretty and perfectly manicured.

Jennifer and Rece are planning a destination wedding on the island of Kauai in Hawaii in late April/early May 2010.  They’ll be getting married on Princeville Beach, which just happens to be the locations of their first vacation as a couple. Sweet touch, no?

I don’t do the classic “pose with the ring in the shot” thing very often, and I did have another shot that was a nice closer crop of their faces, but I LOVE Jen’s ring so I had to include it.

My favorite shots are the ones with motion (and of course emotion). To get a shot like this I tell my couples to “walk past me and act natural, look at the camera, or don’t look at the camera, I don’t care”. Those directions don’t make any sense when I write them here, but look at what they resulted in!

We hopped back in the car again and Jen directed us toward a field of flowers she had spotted on one of her morning runs. All of the locations you’ve seen so far in these shots were discovered while Jen and Rece were going on runs together. They’re one of those couples I really admire, who love to be active together, including mountain biking, running, or hiking. Definitely something my husband and I need to work on!

THAT SHOT!

Look at those sweet smiles. And that sunflower in her lovely brown hair. And I will admit I find Rece’s curly locks adorable (in a very masculineway of course ).

You know, Jen doesn’t like buffalo wings but goes with Rece to eat them on $.50 wing night.  Rece isn’t the biggest fan of sushi, but he happily takes Jen out for it since sushi is her favorite meal. These two have a GREAT relationship because they know how to compromise. They were so happy and sweet together that morning.

Shiny & pretty!

Just as I was taking this picture, the policeman showed up. The sunflowers were quite tall, so he couldn’t see us, but he walked around Rece’s car trying to figure out why someone was parked in a lot full of weeds (“No officer, not weeds, sunflowers.”) As we walked toward him my camera was a dead giveway for our activities and he asked if we were taking “wedding pictures”. I figured that was close enough, said yes, and he sent us on our way, letting us know that this was a construction site and off limits.

Lesson learned. Next time I go back with someone, we’ll park across the street.

The last two spots of the day were my own suggestion, some backdrops I had discovered while wandering around near my apartment. I had been wanting to use them for awhile, and I finally had a couple choose a location close enough by my house to do so.

This spot is muddy and loud (on the other side of that building is a rifle range) but that lovely blue is a color you rarely see and I thought it went so well with the brown hued clothes they changed into.

This is a pose I try with most of my couples, but rarely get good results. This was all set up by me, but doesn’t Jennifer look so natural?  I think a good photographer lets couples interact organically, but helps bring their emotions out by offering suggestions along the way.

The kind of shot Grandma will love. If she doesn’t complain about the top of his hair being cut off.

Jen looks barefoot in this picture and I think it’s cute.

Our last stop for the day was a secret place I’ve been dying to use for months. The day I received my camera in the mail I went out on a photo adventure to try to learn how to use it (I can’t believe that was only 4 months ago!). Next to the golf course, right next to my apartment complex, is a little grove of trees, and inside of these trees I found an old rusted out truck. Jennifer and Rece did not realize what they were getting themselves into when they agreed to hike inside to see it, as the place was full of stickers that stuck to Rece’s pants, my shoes and shorts, and Jen’s dress. I don’t know how Jen got all the way through the stickers in those heels!

But this, THIS, is exactly what I wanted. Oh so sexy with her gorgeous gams and his hand on her thigh and the license plate so rusted out you can’t even read what it says anymore.

Now that I revealed how awful it was to hike inside I don’t think any more clients will follow me there again, but that’s okay because Rece and Jennifer were amazing and gorgeous, and I sorta love them.

Jennifer and Rece you two are smoking hot, and that wedding of yours is going to be amazing. Thanks for visiting my crazy locations and putting up with stickers all over your clothes. I had such a grea time with you, and most of all I can’t thank you enough for referring me to your friends – referring me before our shoot together even happened! Thank you for having so much faith in me.

Best,

Jenna

Cindy originally contacted me about the offer for free sessions I posted on Weddingbee. When I bought my camera and launched Jenna Cole I went on a portfolio building blitz, and offered free sessions on a first-come first-serve basis, but Cindy contacted me too late and so I thought I had lost her. Lucky for me, she changed her mind and decided to book, and put all of her trust in me and let me choose the shooting location.

Things started out muddy, and a little bit smelly, but these two smiled, laughed, and cuddled their way through like professionals.

Oh and by the way, Cindy has a daughter of 7 months. Can you believe that? They are the cutest little parents.

Paulino was not comfortable in front of the camera, but we (as in Cindy and I) worked hard to make the process as painless as possible. It wasn’t that bad was it Paulino?

I loved this spot we stumbled on, with a great big island located across the water. If only we had a little rowboat to take out to it.

These are the looks I work to capture. The unscripted genuine looks of love that make our worlds go round.

While driving over to our first meeting location I spotted this playground wall, and suggested that we wander over to it and see if we could make some magic happen.

If this isn’t magic I don’t know what is. The smirk on his face, the smile on hers with a look back toward him, the hand holding.

Our last stop for the day was in a random field of flowers located close the the playground. The house next door looked deserted so I felt relatively safe tromping through their field of flowers.

I rate this my best dip photo so far and I owe it all to these two.

Paulino didn’t mind one bit when I suggested we do a shot with Cindy as the focus. Can you blame him? Does she even have any makeup on? Natural beauty is my favorite kind.

THAT SHOT!

My first shot of this style, and I LOVE it. Sometimes I look at just when I need a little pick-me-up, that’s how darling I think it is.

The end of the night, we were losing our light, and I asked them to spend just a few more minutes in the flowers.

Cindy and Paulino, I have a lovely, lovely time with you. You trusted me so completely, and I think it paid off for all of us in the end. Paulino, you’re such a great sport! I hope that you will feel a tiny bit more excited to have your picture taken from now on. Cindy, thank you so much for coming back to contact me again. I really enjoyed working with you.

Best,

Jenna

Meet Emily and Martin.

Emily designs jewelry.

Martin is a photographer. *Gulp* And not just any kind of photographer, the kind of photographer who worked for National Geographic for over a decade. I’ve barely forgiven Emily for keeping this from me until the day of the shoot.

Emily and Martin were the last of my free sessions (done in an attempt to build up my portfolio very quickly) and I’m happy they ended up on the tail end of that part of my career because they ended the gratis work with a bang.

Oh yeah, and meet Ruby. We can’t forget darling Ruby!

This is not an advertisement for Starbucks. They just go here a lot so I wanted to try something new.

That pink tongue! That red hair! That green necklace! I want it all. Even the pink tongue. And especially the red hair.

Oh, and I want the button nose. But I’m not sure I could make it work like Ruby does.

I wanted to do these pictures on the bench across the street with less “clutter” in the background, but Emily wanted to do the pictures on this bench instead. Evidently the first time Martin and Emily kissed it was in a parking garage. And she kissed him. And then he ran away.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! That’s sock you in the face kind of color.

And then Emily brought out the red Vespa. Emily and Martin met when Emily was working at the Vespa store and so I love that they included hers in the shoot.

I can’t help myself around gorgeous rings. Sometimes I decide to stop focusing on the face and take a moment to drool over the bling!

THAT SHOT!

I mean, seriously “j’adore” in the background with the red scooter with the dog with the cuddle?

It just doesn’t get any better than this my friends.

I realize all three of these shots look almost exactly the same, but I just couldn’t help myself. I love them mucho mucho!

Emily chose this as her Facebook profile picture and it makes me smile every time I see it. Ooops, did I just out myself as the kind of photographer who stalkers her clients on Facebook?

Anyone who has worked with me knows I spend a lot of time holding my camera over my head and shooting blind. This is the product of that little technique of mine, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

One more pretty ring picture.

We’ll end with a shot that will make all of the dog owners say “Awwww!” and all of the dog-free people say “Ewwww!”

Emily and Martin, I think your sessions ended up being incredibly sophisticated because the two of you are both so elegant and inspiring. Martin, thanks for taking the time to “talk shop” with me during some of the down time, and your kind words about my shooting techiques. I hope you are pleased with some of the photos as well. Enjoy your big day next month, I have no doubt that it will be as beautiful as teh two of you are.

Best,

Jenna