Lifestyle Photography

I feel like sometimes it’s possible to speak something into existence. That’s partially the reason why I’m writing this blog entry on lifestyle photography. Recently, I’ve become interested in trying to do something a little different from many other photographers in my area and offering family lifestyle sessions. I’m sure there are some people reading this who are very knowledgeable on this and others who are not quite sure about what is lifestyle photography. Well, this post is meant more for the latter, the person who is here trying to find out about lifestyle photography.

by Nestling Photography

Lifestyle photography is a blend of portrait photography and documentary photography. When most people think of having family portraits taken, the usual idea that pops to mind is getting a little dressed up, going to a scenic park or a studio, and smiling for the camera. That is considered portrait and in that situation a great deal of the session might be under control of the photographer as they direct different aspects such as light, backgrounds, poses, props, and clothes. Meanwhile, documentary photography is the complete opposite with the photographer acting as a fly on the wall and simply capturing events as they unfold.

Lifestyle photography blends components of these two types of photography in that the photographer will assert some direction in a session and then take a step back to capture people in action. These sessions are meant to reflect a slice of everyday life and as result choosing a location of significance is the responsibility of the client. Of course, normally the best spot is the family home since being there is part of most people’s typical day.

by Nestling Photography

When on location in a family home, the aspects of a shoot that a photographer controls is usually limited to the lighting by deciding where to shoot in a room and location by moving furniture or other items to improve the layout of an area. That is the extent of a photographer’s control during a lifestyle session. Instead of the photographer directing clients into specific poses, they will provide actions as a starting point. From there it’s the photographer’s job is to provide an authentic glimpse into family members interacting with one another.

by Simon Laroche Photographie

Lifestyle photography sessions provides a welcomed change from a traditional portrait sessions. These sessions are a pleasant mixture of authentic and staged, that give you more than a reminder of what life looked like, but also what it felt like. Plus, who can resist a photo that captures genuine emotion during a candid in between moment of life. If this type of session interests you, get in contact with me so we can make it happen.

Note: The images included in this blog post are not my own work, but rather examples of lifestyle photography from Simon Laroche Photographie and Nestling Photography

Veronica & Kevin | Courthouse Wedding

On a Saturday morning in late October, I was a at the courthouse to photograph the wedding of Veronica and Kevin. The funny part is that the last time I did photos for a wedding at the courthouse, it was the same weekend of the previous year. Surprisingly, the two days could not have been any more different from one another. First of all, the location has changed to the newly opened Lake County Court Tower after previously being performed at the Babcox Justice Center. Also, the wedding party for this one was a friend of the bride, while the one I photographed last year had the parents of the bride and groom in attendence

The biggest difference this year to me was the weather. I remember last year being surprised by how beautiful the weather was for late October. This year I was keeping an eye on the forecast and I wasn’t too optimistic about how it would turn out so I suggested we take photos inside the courthouse. For a moment when I arrived, I thought maybe my concern would be unfounded as the weather seemed alright. However, taking photos indoors looked like a very good decision when I went outside after the ceremony was over at received a greeting from cold weather and gusty winds. Plus, since the security at the courthouse knew I was a photographer they told me the best location in the building for portraits.

Urban Edge's Last Stand

This past year has been rough for the Urban Edge gallery to say the least. When I think of Urban Edge, I used to think of it as a gallery that could be counted on to bring intriguing, original art exhibits to Waukegan. Over the last year that hasn’t been the case as it unfortunately has been very hit and miss as to whether this gallery will have an art exhibit on display and as a result I’ve been a bit of a let down. I know I am not alone in lamenting what has become the all too often absence of shows at the gallery.

The general consensus seems to be that the sporadic absence of the Urban Edge has been detrimental to ArtWauk this year. I’m not sure if people were aware of the impact of this gallery, but there’s certainly no denying it after seeing proof first-hand over that last year. The very disappointing part of all this is that future of Urban Edge is very uncertain. Even the one of the curators of the gallery, Vickie Marasco, said that it was bittersweet hanging the work for the current show. There are still a couple opportunities to visit the gallery one last time as it’s open the next two Saturdays, but yesterday may have been the last chance to visit the gallery as a staple of the ArtWauk circuit.

While I mainly think of Urban Edge for the great art exhibits that were brought within walking distance to my home, I was reminded in my research that at times it was more than only a gallery. It saw use for a variety of events including live music, book signings, stand-up comedy, and much much more. Of course since I’m a visual artist, I always made sure to pay a visit to see the artwork offered up by the gallery. There was so many great pieces that graced the walls of the gallery that it’s hard to focus in on one show. Although, if you really wanted me to pick one I’d say Xavier Nuez’s photography from when Urban Edge first opened. His work is simply stunning and I could only dream of ever emulating it.

Xavier Nuez, Alleys & Ruins no. 83, Stadium (2006, Miami, FL, 3:30am)

I always appreciated that while they brought in a ton of work from highly regarded artists, they also gave local artists a chance. I nearly took advantage of every opportunity to exhibit there as an “On the Edge” artist. In fact by participating in those, my art nearly bookends the existence of the gallery. The first time had work on display there was in December 2011, which was the second month that they were open. Then by submitting a piece in the “On the Edge” 4’x4’ art challenge, I currently have a piece on display at the gallery right now.

Myself and my artwork for the On the Edge Artist 4’x4’ Artist Takeover

It was also very refreshing when they gave significant wall space in the gallery to individual local artists from time to time. Some of those who come immediately to mind are Tracy Adams, David Motley, Mary Neely, David Dallison, Jay Stephen, and Jillian Chapman. It always felt like a prestigious group that I wanted to join, but I might have to call it quits on that dream. Not sure what the future holds for Urban Edge and all I really feel like I can do is hope for the best.

Cruz Family

This portrait session with the Cruz family closed out my very busy month of September. Lacy told me that she was inspired to schedule this photo shoot after she found their outfits during a trip to Gap. The day of this session I was a little worried there would be rain and luckily the weather held up making for a pretty good session. I tried my darndest during this shoot to get the little girl to smile for these photos, but she just was not having it. I’m pretty sure in the ones where she’s smiling a bit, I’m receiving assistance behind the scenes from her parents.

Tim & Korona | Wedding

I’ve been slacking once again on posting photos from the last couple of months so you can expect some new posts over the next week or so. I can’t believe that it has been almost two months since Tim and Korona’s wedding. I think part of it is the contrast in weather between that day in mid-September and today. I remember Tim and groomsman after the formal portraits at South End Park being happy to finally be able to shed their suit coats so they could cool down a bit. Meanwhile this morning after a brief trip out to my car grab something, I decided it was finally time to figure out where I had put my gloves and hat after last winter.

Well, enough about the current frigid temperatures we’re experiencing here and on to Tim and Korona’s wedding day. Their wedding was by far one of my favorite weddings that I have photographed. I always like when people I’ve known for awhile contact me about my photography service and I think that’s what helped make this wedding so enjoyable for me. Tim and a couple of his groomsmen were all connected by the fact that we went to Waukegan High School. It was truly a day where my job did not feel all that much like work.

October 2018

I’m a little late on posting about the month of October, but the optimist in me figures it’s fine since the month of November isn’t quite half way over right now. Overall I would say October was a decent month even if there was not a ton going on in my world in regards to business and social life. I had a couple different photo sessions and one major social event during the month.

My first photo session was late in the month and brought me to the new tower of the Lake County courthouse for wedding photography. I was a little unsure of what to expect when I decided that we should take the formal photos indoors since the weather was not looking particularly good on that Saturday. I was happy that security there helped me out and pointed me in the direction of the best spot for photographs in the building.

The other photo session was with the Vasher family and took place on Halloween at Independence Grove. I was surprised at how nice the weather was for this shoot as it was comfortable to be outside even without a jacket. This is actually the third time I’ve photographed them over the last year-and-a-half. It’s always interesting getting to see the growth over time and being able to capture it.

The big social event for the month of October was going to Florida for Suwannee Hulaween with some friends of mine. Normally when I’ve attended festivals, me and a few people opt for driving to the festival grounds and camp in a tent. This time around we decided to switch it up a bit and fly out and rent a R.V. This was my second year going to Hulaween and enjoyed it as much this time if not more since we had the luxury of our camper to help escape the elements. Some of my favorite acts from the weekend were Manic Focus, Break Science, Minnesota, Gramatik, and Tipper.

Currently, I do not have a ton of plans for the month of November with my business. The only upcoming photography gig this month is capturing pictures for Faith in Place’s Annual Fundraiser. Also, I will once again be participating in Small Business Saturday and selling prints and gift certificates for photo sessions. I will be sharing space with a few other talented artists in downtown Waukegan at the Parlor. I also have some of my artistic work currently on display at Family Piano Co, Urban Edge, and the Jack Benny Center in Bowen Park.

My calendar is looking rather sparse for the rest of the month. This weekend was actually decent as far as events to attend was concerned. On Friday, I paid a brief visit to Booner’s Place for a networking event that drew a pretty sparse crowd. Then on Saturday, I had a good time going to my friend Julio’s new place for an apartment warming party. It was a ton of fun getting to hang out with a group of friends that I had not hung out with in quite awhile. Also, I’m counting this evening as an extension of the weekend since I’m planning on going to Sketchbook Brewing Co. for their 4th anniversary celebration. The rest of the month, I do not have much planned, but then again that can change pretty quickly sometimes. Well, I hope everyone has a good month of November and great Thanksgiving!

September 2018

September was positive month for me with both my business and social life. My biggest victory of this month was the fact that I made my monthly financial goal. With the exception of one week, I had photo work of one kind or another every week of the month. I began September with Mariana’s Quinceañera, which brought me out to Des Plaines for the ceremony and then back to Waukegan for the reception. Then a couple weeks later, I had two very different photography gigs in one week. The first one was a 1st birthday portrait session in my studio on a weekday. Then on the weekend, I went out to Dundee to do photography for the wedding of a former high school classmate of mine. The next Saturday, I worked as photographer for Faith in Place’s Green Team Summit at the Field Museum in Chicago. Finally, the last weekend of September saw me having a family portrait session at Bowen Park.

September was a much more active month for my social life than I originally expected. Going into last month, I was planning on staying in and only going out to catch Modest Mouse at the Genesee Theatre. Instead I ended up getting a little caught off guard by people inviting me to different get togethers and events. One of the bigger events that came out of nowhere was a buddy from high school inviting me out to catch the Cubs playing the Reds for a rare Friday night game at Wrigley. Then another Friday night, I went out to Palatine to catch a couple jam bands performing at Durty Nellies. In addition to these bigger events, I went out to a few local establishments and hung out with a few different groups of people.

Despite being nearly a week into the month of October, I’m not entirely sure what to expect of this month. At the moment, I do not have much scheduled for photography work. In fact, the only day of photography work I have could possibly be in the form of two weddings on a single day with a courthouse wedding in the morning and then a different, formal wedding in the afternoon. On the side, I’m back to helping my brother-in-law with some of his contract work on an as-needed basis. Meanwhile, I don’t have a ton planned for the next couple weeks for the social realm. Although, I am looking forward to going to a music festival later in this month.

Promise | 1st Birthday

Last Thursday was my first time having a photo session specifically for a 1 year old when I had Promise in the studio. It was also the first time where I had a session that included a cake smash. The main challenge in sessions like this is usually finding a way to get some cooperation and attention from the child. Promise was no different as she was intrigued by all the space in my studio and wanted explore the area in the room beyond the backdrop. Another challenge was getting her to look in the proper direction and seemed to be pretty interested in ceiling even though it wasn’t running at the time. Finally, going into the session I was hoping that she would one of those babies that would really get into the smashing the cake. However, as you can see in these pictures, she wasn’t very eager to make and mess and play around with her cupcake.

Mariana's Quinceañera

I began the month of September by photographing Mariana’s quinceañera. It has been a couple years since I had last photographed, but I did a good job picking it back up pretty easily. The ceremony part of quinceañera took place at Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines. I was unsure of what to expect since was unfamiliar with this church. Part of me was a little worried since I was not completely sure if the ceremony portion would be indoors and the weather forecast was looking a little troubling. In the end, the ceremony was held outside on a sizable veranda and the weather actually turned out very nice as well. The reception then was held at the Arches Banquet Hall in Waukegan. While it wasn’t my first time being at the Arches, it was my first time having a photography job take me there.

August 2018

Photography work was minimal for the the month of August. One of the bookings that I thought I might have at the beginning of the month for a Racine couple's 10th anniversary fell through unfortunately. Meanwhile as I posted about in my last blog entry, I did the Larsen family portrait yet again this year. Also noteworthy for my photography is that I will have a few pieces on display at the Family Piano Company. Currently the photos on display are from summer since my plan is to have pieces that coordinate with seasons of the year. It's definitely a very cool opportunity that Family Piano Company has allowed me in using their space.

My big adventure for the month of August was going out to Colorado to see Pretty Light Live perform at Red Rocks Amphitheater. I'm very happy that I ended up finally making a trip out to Colorado after talking about it the last couple years. It was a great weekend with great music and friends in a beautiful environment. The only complaint I can possibly think of is that we did not do more exploring. Granted I'm hopeful that I'll make it back out that way some time to explore Colorado further. 

The month of September will definitely be an interesting one. On the first day of this month, I had my first big gig of the month as I photographed a quinceañera. Right now, I'm less than 2 weeks away from photographing the wedding of one a classmate from high school. Meanwhile as far as fun activities, we are now in the midst of one of the most exciting months on the sports calendar. College football started this weekend with my favorite teams, Notre Dame and the Ohio State University, winning their opening games. Then this weekend, the N.F.L. kicks off and the Bears face off against the Packers. And there's also my Cubs making a strong case once again to participate in playoff baseball again.