The doctor prescribes: Love. Devon and Greg have a lot of it – you can see it in their eyes! We had
such a great time photographing them around Chicago. These two doctors and fun loving couple
will be tying the knot in November 2011.

We were at the Chicago French Market during lunchtime this week for a new event called “Dine Around the Market.”  It is going to be a monthly cooking demonstration using ingredients found at the French Market. This week, chefs from the Blackstone Hotel made three courses: a sweet potato soup with bacon and sourdough croutons, a salmon sandwich with Taleggio cheese, and bananas with custard. And the best part: free samples afterwards!

We love visiting the Shedd Aquarium for various reasons, but my favorite part is going to the reptile section. I have been an avid collector of reptiles and amphibians since I was quite little. I don’t have any now and miss them. This is just another reason to get to Chicago and go to the aquarium!

We got to hear a variety of speakers who are all wanted to help us succeed! We heard “Weddings—Taking it to the Next Level” by Sal Cincotta. He inspired us to refine our business plan, where we want to be in the next year, in five years, and in ten years.

Dawn and Bob Davis were originally only scheduled to host, but they had to fill in for a speaker. They spoke on “If You Believe in Yourself, then Success Will Follow.” We got to chat with Dawn for a bit after her presentation, and she really gave us confidence that we can be just as successful!

Rich was really excited to hear from TriCoast Photography, who taught off-camera lighting. Learning the theory behind a multiple flash system gives us the ability to control and compensate for different situations. We got some great ideas for the next couple of shoots!

Lastly, Jasmine Star spoke on “Marketing You.” We recently listened to her on Creative Live where she spoke to viewers all over the world via the web. Some of the things she said were the same, but it really was great to see her in person and to hear the things again; it helped put things into perspective.

There was also a trade show, where we got to talk to vendors and examine their new product offerings. Canon had a booth there, and Rich tried out some of their new lenses (photos on this post were taken with the 16-35 L II and 100L).

Honestly though, I think the best part of the tour, besides all of the new thoughts bombarding my mind about business and where it will take us, was meeting some new people. We met Amandalynn from Image Serenity. She was very sweet and really captures great emotions in her photography!

We had a comedy section behind us at the event. Rob from Robert Gustafson Photography and Jake and Simon from Valo Photography The guys were quite funny, we even got along so well, we took them out for some real Chicago Pizza afterwards. Thanks for hanging out with us guys, and be sure to let us know when you need some real pizza again!

Starting off in the sand for the first time was quite uncomfortable for little Levi, but a hand from daddy helped him find his balance.

Mark taught Levi how to make sand castles

Next, we brought Levi to Navy Pier for the first time! Levi was fascinated by the big fountain out front

We were on the pier when the Air and Water show began, and Levi excitedly pointed some out for us; he loves planes!

Shelby:

Holli:

St. Patrick’s Day may be in a few days, but here in Chicago, we start celebrating early! On the closest Saturday before the holiday, they hold a parade and dye the river green. While you may notice that the water is green all the time, this is beyond that.  It really is neon.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!