Evanston, IL
I'm a sucker for beautiful locations, venues, and cities. It's a game changer and even if I've never had the chance to scope out a spot before shooting, when my clients say "Trust me, you'll love this place." My heart goes flippity flop. That's exactly how I felt when Anja messaged me about doing her and Kevin's engagement session in the city they met, Evanston. Evanston is a gorgeous city in the Chicagoland area. We settled on the campus they both attended, Northwestern University.
Now being 4 hours away from Chicago, I was eager to make a full on trip out of this experience. It just happened the weekend Anja and Kevin suggested was my husband's birthday! The stars couldn't have aligned more perfectly. We booked our Airbnb and were off. As we started our drive, I checked the weather for the weekend and it was like a rain cloud formed over my head. Literally. Thunderstorms were in the forecast for EVERY DAY that we were set to be there. Anja and I figured out a few inside location options and she even made TWO emergency stops at two different targets to get the clear umbrellas she loved. We had both been looking forward to this shoot for month, and we were going to make it happen no matter what!
Alas, the photography gods must chose to bless us, and we didn't have a drop of rain their entire session! With Anja and Kevin currently living in Virginia and us in Ohio, it was like they knew this couple deserved a beautiful outdoor session on this gorgeous campus! And trust me, this couple deserved this for more than just one reason!
Anja and Kevin were one of my Covid- 19 couples who sadly, had to push their wedding back over a full year. They've waited a long time to get some gorgeous photos of themselves. I've known these two for years now and my heart wanted nothing more for them than to enjoy their session and get some gorgeous shots for them.
Kevin, who growing up we all called "KJ", and I literally grew up together. We are just over a month apart in age and our moms met shortly after we were born. I even was able to find an old photo of us. Can you say #ThrowbackThursday? KJ is on the far left and I'm on the far right. When him and Anja started dating years ago, it was like she was always part of our family!
Kj is on the far left and I'm on the far right! His older sister is the cute one in the middle!
Okay, okay, that's enough from memory lane. Let's get back to how easy Kevin and Anja made my job.
I'm not playing favorites but...
So, I try my best not to play favorites when it comes to specific images with clients. I truly think each image is beautiful in their own way, but when you tell me there is beach involved... it's hard not to! Of all the photos we took, I think these stole my heart.
A little BTS...
Since Markus was with us for this shoot( he really is the best sport when I want to show couples the poses I'm thinking of <3), he was able to capture a few BTS, or behind the scenes, photos for me! It was cool to see what I look like in action. The first picture is of me and the couple and the second is the finished image!
Until Next Time Chicago!
Thank you for an incredible trip Evanston! We can't wait to be back for Kevin and Anja's wedding. I have a feeling it will be even more beautiful than we could imagine!
