The Way We Click BLOG

Tasneem and Imran met by chance on a retreat organized by both of their parents. Neither one was looking for love, but they were lucky enough to find that and more, each others best friend. There was one little hitch in their romance however…. Tas lived in the suburbs of Chicago, and Imran lived thousands of miles away in England! To build a life together was no small feat considering how much they had to go through to actually BE together! Being from traditional Pakistani families, it was crucial to follow the beautiful traditions inherent to their muslim faith and so began an event that spanned over a week with tons of events and ceremonies. One of the first, and the first one I got to photograph started at Tasneems home with some fun Hena art (also known as Mehndi) and blessings.  Needless to say this will be a series of posts, and there are TONS of amazing images from their entire event. For now… I give you a few casual shots I took on day one of a family loving each other, and having a little fun! Check back in to see the images for days two through four!

Nick and Nicole are one of those couples that everyone loves… and maybe loves to envy a little too! They met randomly when Nick stopped into a tiny hole in the wall bar in San Francisco on a super hot day to get a beer. Nicole was the sassy bartender minding the store. Somehow, Nick made his way back to that spot more and more frequently, and it wasn’t because of the drinks! It’s really no wonder that Nick fell head over heels for her, Nicole is a truly beautiful person inside and out, and has the best sense of humor to go with it! I haven’t laughed as hard as I did on their wedding day in ages… my cheeks actually hurt by the end of the day!

As Nick’s family is a very conservative Russian Orthodox group, there really was no other place they could think to get married except the breathtaking St. Johns Academy Church in San Francisco. Having a wedding there is a very special thing, and the beautiful traditions of this ceremony were fitting to the mood of the day. Two people must actually be married in the foyer of the Church and the vows and ring exchange are done here before they are allowed to enter. Once they are married, the couple enter and are blessed by not one, but three priests to seal their union. This space in particular with its stunning gold domes on the outside, and the wall to wall decoration inside transforms you. St Johns Academy Church is by far the most awe inspiring place I have shot in recent years.

One of my other favorite things about shooting this wedding in San Francisco was the wonderful opportunity to take some extra time to get amazing portraits. Nicole made sure to bok out 2 full hours for us to run around the city for portraits! Having the Golden Gate Bridge in your wedding photos is a dream of mine, so I got to live vicariously through Nick and Nicole… and take full advantage of Nicks favorite secret spot! We only had to do a little hiking to get there… and even hiking in heels and a wedding gown Nicole had us roaring with laughter the entire time.

The Hotel Monaco with its quirky sitting room, elegant ballroom, and grand staircase created the perfect backdrop to Mexican traditions of Nicole’s family! Throw in a little shot of vodka for good luck, and you have a day that I will never forget. This is one of my absolute favorite events I have had the privilege of taking part in, and I can’t wait to go back to the City By The Bay again!

2011 was an incredible year for me personally. My life has changed so much, and mostly for the better. This adventure of building a life in Chicago hasn’t been without its bumps, but I can honestly say that I couldn’t be happier than I am at this moment. I took a look back through my  journal around this time last year and re-read the goals I had set for myself. I didn’t reach them all, but I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I am proud that I moved in the direction that I worked so hard for, and that I set in motion in the pages of my diary a year ago.

This year carried with it some terrible losses, my beloved Great Grandmother Ann and my sweet Grandma Tootie both left this earth, which was so hard to swallow. It’s easy to get caught up in the sadness of so much loss in such a short time, but then my thoughts turn to all the beautiful things that have come from this year, and I could only feel overwhelming gratitude. Alex and I have more love for each other than I ever thought possible, and our family grew when we welcomed our little pup Sasha into our family. I was able to spend more time with my family this year than any other year since I moved out at 17, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have had that time. I turned 30 (and still look pretty good haha)! I had one of the most interesting and wonderful wedding seasons of my career, and I was very fortunate to have some good friends, my darling sister, my 2 nieces and 2 nephews here Thanksgiving week to remind me of just how much love I have in my life. So I’ll leave you with just a few shots I took after cooking our Thanksgiving meal for almost 8 hours solid (after going shopping in the morning thank you!!). I hope they remind you of the the beautiful little things you are grateful for, and inspire you to think about what you are looking forward to next year. I am grateful to you all…. and I hope you all had a beautiful holiday!

Becca and Jon are two of the most awesome people I’ve had the opportunity to meet here in Chicago, so it was no surprise that when they asked me to shoot a local Chicago engagement session  I jumped at the chance! Their wedding will be in Napa, specifically in the gorgeous town of Yountville, but they wanted some Chicago flare to their engagement session to reflect both sides of their style. We brainstormed some ideas, and they showed up with the cutest chalkboards and hand painted signs, as well as their adorable Pup Taz as props! We ran all over Chicago, but focused on the South Pond area of the Lincoln Park Zoo which has an incredible view of the Chicago skyline, as well as one of the most fun architectural spots to photograph anywhere in town. We then headed south to one of my new favorite spots to get a little more of the country feeling to complement their Napa nuptuals. With one of the more windy afternoons to contend with, Becca was a great sport and had to change her hairstyle more than once to keep it out of both of their faces! Overall however, the most important part always shined through, and their love for one another was easy to capture. Thank you for an amazing day, and special thanks to Taz for being such an amazing model!

Every wedding that I shoot is special in one way or another. I strive to create actual friendships through the process of getting to know a couple before I shoot their wedding, so I can create something magical, and more importantly, meaningful for them on their most important day together. In this case… I had a years long head start as my amazing friend Breandan married his amazing wife Veronica in San Diego last month. I honestly can’t explain how awesome I think Breandan is… he is one of the most genuine, solid, and talented people I have the pleasure of knowing, so I knew  Veronica must be something incredibly special to hold a place in his heart. I couldn’t have been more right. Veronica and I had only met briefly before Alex and I headed out to Chicago, so I took every opportunity to catch myself up on their whirlwind romance while she was getting ready. From everything I saw and heard, I honestly couldn’t have imagined a better match for my friend, and playing such a pivotal role in their wedding day became even more special for me.

The wedding was a beautiful small affair at the lovely Presidio Park in San Diego which overlooks the city and the bay, and with rain on both ends of this weekend I was so surprised they landed on the one beautiful sunny day! While the family went on to Breandans’ brothers house where the reception was held to set up, the three of us stole a couple of hours to take a few photos in the park, and go have a cup of coffee and a treat in Little Italy at the absolutely delicious Cafe Zucherro. As the sun slowly set over the Pacific ocean less than a mile away, the backyard reception complete with home made paella, beautiful drinks and h’ordeurves , and a selection of cakes from the to die for Extraordinary Desserts felt more like being among friends than work… because that’s exactly what it was. Congratulations to the both of you, and all of my love to you both for the future.

Spending the day with Anjali & Udai is nothing short of a pleasure. Sweet, fun, sentimental and completely in love, I felt really connected to the two of them immediately and was really looking forward to shooting them. We started their downtown and River North engagement session at the place where they met. Martini Park bar is no longer open, but the sign was still there so it was a great place to get a sentimental shot of the two of them at the place where it all began. We covered some serious ground in the hour and a half we wandered around, from the bridges, to the wonderful river access walkways, and a fun house like mirror where we just had to get a shot of us all. All in all a perfect day with a perfect couple.

So I’m completely open about the fact that I have a love affair with my hairstylist. No seriously… I obsess… because somehow Irene at Salon Blonde always seems to know exactly what I want, event when I can’t articulate my way out of a paper bag! I always leave there feeling effortlessly fierce, so when the ladies over there asked me to do some awesome funky hair fashion shots for their upcoming mid-summer makeover event I jumped at the chance. Here are a few of my choice favorites from the shoot… and a few of my favorite styles too! Seriously ladies (and gentlemen) if you need anything at all in the way of hair, makeup or styling, you would do yourselves a huge favor by stopping by and meeting all my favorite people!

For the past few years, I’ve been really feeling like an addition to our family is something I’ve really wanted, so for my 30th birthday this year, Alex relented, and we welcomed our baby Sasha Pig McDaniel into our family. Shes adjusting to her new family as well as can be expected, and if she would just stop bugging Mouse I think we’ll all be just fine! Shes a little red head with green eyes, just like her mommy… so heres a few choice pics of her first few days at home. <3

At the end of August I had a crazy whirlwind trip to the east coast to shoot a gorgeous wedding in Philadelphia (more on that soon!), visit with my best friend in New Jersey for her birthday, and do a portrait session with the amazing Falk Family! Nicole and Randy are the epitome of the cool laid back alternative couple. They work for NECA which is a toy company responsible for some of the most crazy and awesome toys and collectibles out there! I knew they would be really fun and easy to shoot so we opted for a really relaxed wander around the neighborhood to capture all of the fun little things. We managed to catch a perfect day in Hoboken right on the river, and spend the afternoon wandering around with their beautiful baby girl Penelope! Pea is SO cute, and I got to see her discover grass which was really fun, work her walking technique, and show off her amazing flexibility when she stuck her entire foot in her mouth. Gotta love those little moments!

So after a crazy move, and an even crazier first month in Chicago, I got to take a much needed respite to go back to my hometown and shoot Kira and Dave’s wedding! After the success of the engagement session despite the crazy cold rainy weather, I knew that the wedding day would be awesome. I’m such a huge fan of Kira, and Dave is the only man who was ever really worthy, so it was hugely emotional for me to be there, and to be such a big part of the day as well! It was a super bright sunny day which is exactly what I would expect for such a bright sunny person, and Kira’s mood the entire day was  nothing short of sunshiny too! Having the ceremony at the top of Heavenly was just that, heavenly, and the rustic ski lodge fit their personalities perfectly and provided a stunning backdrop as well. Everything was perfect from Kira’s awesome bouquet and flowers by local favorite The Enchanted Florist to the supper yummy cake by Flour Girl Wedding Cakes. I had a great time, and managed to actually get some awesome shots while surrounded by lots of my favorite people! My job is awesome!!!