Naperville Wedding | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography » wedding destination http://corlisgrayphotography.com Christian, Father, Photographer :) Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:20:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Love, looovveeee, looooovvvveeeee, is a beautiful thing :: Zack & Amanda http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/love-looovveeee-looooovvvveeeee-is-a-beautiful-thing-zack-amanda/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/love-looovveeee-looooovvvveeeee-is-a-beautiful-thing-zack-amanda/#comments Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:20:45 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=338 | Naperville Wedding | Photography

Zack and Amanda’s wedding took place at the beautiful St. Josephs Church in Manhattan, IL. From there we headed to an all to familiar place, the ! You might remember it from a previous post of mine “What the heck is an Oberwortmann” LOL. Zack and Amanda are just good people. With pure hearts and a taste for country living. Here’s a little taste of their amazing and FUN FUN FUN wedding! :)

P.S. The blog title is from a Phil Vassar song “love is a beautiful thing”…I just love that song…lol.

Corlis Gray Photography

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]]> http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/love-looovveeee-looooovvvveeeee-is-a-beautiful-thing-zack-amanda/feed/ 0 Ian & Laci :: Wedding http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/ian-laci-wedding/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/ian-laci-wedding/#comments Sun, 27 Jun 2010 01:36:51 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=265 This amazing wedding took place at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL.  Just about an hour and a half southwest of .  Starved Rock has to be one of my favorite places for a wedding getaway.  The lodge is beautiful and the scenery is second to none.  This wedding was no exception.  I have to say, Laci and Ian are, what I like to refer to as, “beautiful people”.  We all wish we were as good looking as these two.  At least I do, lol.  It was virtually impossible for me to take a bad picture of them.  To top it all off, they were genuinely just good hearted people which made my job just that much easier.  For this , this is as good as it gets.

I probably looked pretty silly from other people’s perspectives, but laying on the floor and adding a slight camera tilt, gave this shot a little edginess.

Here the shallow depth of field draws your attention to the groom gazing at his soon to be wife.

I love the very editorial look of this photograph.  The punchy colors ad to the drama of this photo.  Just a small note, this was NOT posed.  I just captured a really stunning moment of Laci gazing out the window of the trolley, just soaking in the days events.

Here the shallow depth of field and the sharpness of Laci really brings out her eyes.  They are almost mesmerizing.  It doesn’t hurt that she’s done some modeling either.  LOL.

In this image I placed a flash behind Laci and Ian as they were dancing to capture a silhouette of them dancing while using another flash to give a slight fill light.  With the long shutter speed I could grab some of the ambient light surrounding them and in the background.  I think it’s a wonderfully romantic image.

Ian and Laci, you are truly two very wonderful people, and I wish you all the best.  Your wedding was almost as rockin’ as you! :D

-Corlis :: Contact Me

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]]> http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/ian-laci-wedding/feed/ 0 Chase & Karen :: Wedding http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/chase-karen-wedding/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/chase-karen-wedding/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:10:01 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=282 Chase and Karen had a beautiful in the Bahamas.  Unfortunately I wasn’t invited :( LOL, but I did get the opportunity to photograph their reception when they returned.  The reception took place at Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Resort in Utica, IL.  At first I was a little apprehensive about what the quality of their might be since this is more of a family getaway facility with water parks and carnival rides.  But I have to admit, the banquet hall was stunning!  It was really well decorated with beautiful lighting and a superb staff.  Not only that, with a “carnival” near by it was rediculously fun!  hopping on rides with a is more fun than you might think :D .  Here’s a little taste.

I caught these two love birds having a quiet moment outside of the banquet hall.  I love the direction lighting falling on the couple and the tonality it adds to the picture.

I thought this cool ambiant light the DJ had set up along the wall really made the cake pop.  A little camera tilt gave the image a little more flair.

This silky black and white image beautifully captures Karen and Chase happily gazing at each other during their first dance as .

I know this seems out of place but I just couldn’t resist.  At Grand Bear they had this cute baby leopard.  Check out the bling this cat is rockin’!

The lovely couple riding this awesome carousel at the amusement park.

And last but not least, who can resist a quick kiss in front of the swing buggy?!  It’s like blinky light heaven! LOL.

A special thanks to Chase and Karen for the amazing time we had at your beautiful reception.  And an extra extra special thanks to the wonderful staff at .

-Corlis :: Contact Me

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]]> http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/chase-karen-wedding/feed/ 0 Starved Rock Engagement :: Audrey & Mark http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/starved-rock-engagement-audrey-mark/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/starved-rock-engagement-audrey-mark/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:34:23 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=200 Audrey and Mark are some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.  They are truly genuine and kind spirited people.  I really enjoyed this shoot because they were just so playful! They had no problem gettin’ a little dirty AND WET.  It was just like going hiking with two good friends I’d known for years.  The engagement photography was done at in Utica, IL.  (It sure does seem like I’m there an awful lot doesn’t it? Maybe I should just move out there and become the “Starved Rock ” LOL.)

I just love doing this shot.  People are always so much more relaxed when the pose isn’t really a pose.  The greatest expressions always come when a couple is simply interacting naturally.

This shot is so great!  I told Mark and Audrey to play and have some fun and that is exactly what they did.  All of my clients and friends know I like to get a little dirty when I’m shooting, so I’m glad they joined in the fun.

This shot is great because Mark was being such a gentleman.  He volunteered to carry his lovely fiance’ out of the water.  Plus the contrast of the rock behind them was just beautiful.

I love this depth of field photograph.  It really draws the attention to the flip flops in the sand and gives you the impression they’re in some cove in the tropics or something.  Even though their just at Starved Rock.

Genuine Smiles!  They always come after the fake one people give for the .  LOL.  This is one of those special moments I look for when people think I’m not shooting. ;)

Audrey has some beautiful eyes and I wanted to capture that.  I love how they are dead center and your eye is drawn there immediately.

Thank you guys for such a fun time.  You know how I like to get dirty and roll around on the ground and you had NO problem with that.

-Corlis :: Contact Me!

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]]> http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/starved-rock-engagement-audrey-mark/feed/ 0 Hot Town Summer in the City :: Laci & Ian http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/hot-town-summer-in-the-city-laci-ian/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/hot-town-summer-in-the-city-laci-ian/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:34:23 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=182 Laci an ex-model turned hair stylist and Ian were a pleasure to work with.  They were just so easy going and surprisingly prepared :)   It was as if they were born in front of the camera, they were just so at ease and that made my job that much easier.  Their engagement session took place in downtown near the Lincoln Park Zoo.  It was a fairly hot day with some extremely harsh light, but we found lots of great shade to shoot in and had a great time!  I just can’t wait to do their !

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What I like about this shot: The light was perfectly soft underneath the umbrella on this bistro table which allowed me to perfectly expose for their faces.  I thought it was great that I could get the name of the cafe’ into the shot to document the beautiful location we were at.

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I added a little vignette to this image to focus our attention on the beautiful couple.  Notice how Laci has created a broken angle with her leg, adding more drama to this image.

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This close up is just amazing!  There are some beautiful highlights in their eyes giving them a sparkle.  We were in some beautiful shade on this one which gave us really great and even skin tones.

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I used a fairly shallow depth of field on this image to give it a more artistic look and to get rid of some of the distractions in the background.  I love the relaxed expressions on their faces, they were naturals!

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This is a really fun and playful image.  The light breaking through the trees in the back ground adds drama, and since the couple were fully shaded the skin tones are beautiful.  The shallow depth of field draws the viewers attention directly to the subject.

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I walked around for a while to find this spot.  It was pretty difficult being that it was downtown .  I love the contrast of nature meets urban landscape in this one.  It looks like they are spending the perfect afternoon downtown picnicking.

I cant say enough how much of a great time I really had with you guys.  I love any excuse to get to the city and just spend a day taking in the sights and I couldn’t think of two better people to do it with! :)

-Corlis :: Contact Me!

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]]> http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/hot-town-summer-in-the-city-laci-ian/feed/ 0 Chicago Botanical Gardens :: Chris & Jeanette http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/chicago-botanical-gardens-chris-jeanette/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/chicago-botanical-gardens-chris-jeanette/#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:09:17 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=392 | Naperville Wedding |

When it comes to happy smiling people, these two take the cake!  Chris and Jeanette have no trouble finding something to smile about.  We had a wonderful time exploring the .  I especially love the fact they didn’t have a problem getting a little dirty and going off the beaten path.  Although the day began a bit wet with ominous clouds overhead, God saw fit to open up the sky just for us, and we had a beautiful shoot.  Here’s a little peek :D

Thanks Chris and Jeanette for the really great time and all the laughs!

-Corlis

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]]> http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/chicago-botanical-gardens-chris-jeanette/feed/ 1 Jonathan & Jamie :: Engagement http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/jonathan-jamie-engagement/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/jonathan-jamie-engagement/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 05:15:22 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=274 If you’ve visited my site before, or if you know me on a personal level, then you know I spend A LOT of time out at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL.  I just love it there.  Engagement sessions, weddings, and even just hiking and being silent in God’s creation.  So this day was no exception, Jonathan and Jamie live in Ottawa, IL and wanted my suggestion as to where they should have their engagement session.  Since Ottawa is very close to Starved Rock, that’s immediately where my mind went.  This may sound contradicting, but to give the images from their session a fresher look i  gave many of the images a vintage treatment.  Here is a small sample.

I separated Jonathan and Jamie and shot with a wide angle lens to show the immenseness of this canyon.  The vintage processing really gives this photograph an aged appearance and brings out the contrast detail of the waterfall.

Here the sun is acting as a hair light intensifying the dimension and the separation from the background.

Here the shallow depth of field diminishes the distractions of the background and brings your attention to the beautiful couple.

I love this natural pose.  It really shows a true interaction between Jamie and Jonathan.  No fake smiles here.

I used a lot of negative space in this photograph to accentuate the towering trees and show how vast this forest really was.

This canopy of evergreens was just too beautiful to pass up with the sun setting behind them.  The long shadows add to the drama along with Jamie and Jonathan being silhouetted with a halo of light around them.

Thank you Jonathan and Jamie for spending the day with me in such a beautiful place just getting to know each other.  It was great to share a walk in such a beautiful place with some great conversation.

-Corlis :: Contact Me

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]]> http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/jonathan-jamie-engagement/feed/ 2 Julia & Shane :: Engagement http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/julia-shane-engagement/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/julia-shane-engagement/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 05:15:21 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=375 Wedding | Naperville Wedding | Photography

Julia and Shane are a super cute couple.  We had a really great time exploring the .  I absolutely fell in love with the Japanese garden!  I had no idea you could create Bonzai Trees that big!  LOL.  Although the heat was a bit intense we pushed through and were rewarded with some beautiful light at sunset :)   The sweetest part was that this was were their first date took place 4 years ago.  Awwww :D

Special thanks to Shane for the great tour of the gardens.

-Corlis

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]]> http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/julia-shane-engagement/feed/ 1 Cooler than the Flip Side of My Pillow :: Anthony & Kristin http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/cooler-than-the-flip-side-of-my-pillow-anthony-kristin/ http://corlisgrayphotography.com/wedding/cooler-than-the-flip-side-of-my-pillow-anthony-kristin/#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 22:42:27 +0000 Corlis Gray http://corlisgrayphotography.com/?p=371 | Naperville Wedding |

Yet another beautiful day at the Downtown !  I have to admit, it was a bit hot, but Anthony & Kristin were troopers!  Amidst the hustle and bustle of what seemed to be an entire town congregated in one location, we captured some truly beautiful moments of two wonderful people in love.  Even though we were surrounded by groups of people cheering on these two love birds, it looks as though no one else even existed at the moments they got lost  in each others eyes.

Michelle and I had a wonderful time  hanging out with you guys, just walking and stopping for the occasional Corona ;)

-Corlis

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