Behind the Scenes of our 2014 Wedding Season ~ Chicago Wedding Photographer

I’m a sucker for these behind the scenes posts from other photographers, because (as you all know) I love when people are REAL. I love seeing the mess behind the scenes, and the funny moments that happen during a beautiful wedding day! I think a lot of people assume being a wedding photographer is a glamorous job (or so people have told me) – but those who do it themselves know that is pretty far from the truth! Lugging around heavy gear in dress clothes on some of the hottest (or coldest!) days of the year, while trying to look presentable (i.e. keep from sweating through your clothes, or losing feeling in your fingers and toes) – is not the easiest thing to do!! haha.

So I thought we’d show some photos from this past wedding season of James and I behind the camera. The real real, ya’ll! 😉 As I’ve realized, we pretty much get a couple of outfits that we love, dry clean them week after week, and wear them to as many weddings as possible. Some other photographers who post and have a million adorable outfits – I’m always in awe of! 1. I have a hard time finding THAT MANY dresses I LOVE to wear for 8+ hours a day! 2. Once I find something I love… I tend to just want to wear that over and over. haha. But that’s just me!

Anyway, here are some of the behind the scene moments from our 2014 wedding season!! Let’s do this! 😉

 

Me trying to hurry up and get out of the way in photos… especially before the First Look!

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Hey, look! I’m not the only one sneaking into the frame!! Ahem, James!

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Wedding photographer in the wild! For real!

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It’s impossible to make normal faces while standing in for the other to test their lights. haha

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Tugging at myself and who knows what in these flattering photos! haha

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Trying to one-up each other with the weird faces in the series of photos below! 😉

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Someone tell me never to let my hair air dry in a bun while shooting a wedding in a tropical locale, mk? Thanks. (Hi, frizz! Whoa.)

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Really great candid moment you’re getting there James! I’m going to go ahead and walk right in front of you instead though! hahahah Oops.

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I think he was worried about a bird pooping on his head…?

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Walking and talking, walking and talking, as Mr. Tyler does. Always keeping the mood light! 🙂

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“You see… I’m going to need you to go over there and do what I tell you to do. Mmmmk. Thanks.”

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A true gentleman… holding one bride’s veil, and holding the door open for another!

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Hey James! I’m doing a wide shot of the room! Okay!! Great!

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I like to make weird faces, apparently. Poor Jason didn’t even know the weirdness happening behind him! lol

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James explaining in much too much detail where Michelle and Jason should stand and why. Meanwhile, their faces say it all. Shhhh James. We get it. Picture time! 😉 haha

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And below, the many impatient faces of me….  1. Can I help you?

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2. Hurry up and test this light already.

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3. Are you really STILL testing the light on me?!

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James’ turn to stand in random places to test light! Hall of Lions at the InterContinental Chicago…

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On the stage of the Civic Opera House…

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On LaSalle Street in the freezing cold… helping me get my settings before making the bridal party step out into 10 degree weather!

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At a church in the suburbs, looking suspiciously at something off camera?! haha

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Looking extra handsome with all the twinkling lights behind him. Awww.

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I love that our clients are so into each other they’ll continue to kiss even when we clearly aren’t taking photos of them at the moment!!! LOVE.

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I too wear many hats, friends! Hair and veil fixer extraordinaire! Brian and I are really joining forces for the veil operation on Abby! 😉

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Sometimes I make normal faces for James, sometimes I just feel like being really weird. Also – can we talk about how obsessed I am with this dress?! I got this in one of my Stitch Fix shipments and am in love!! It is work appropriate, stylish, comfortable (i.e. easy to squat in!) and more fun than just the plain black dresses I tend to wear during cooler months. I love the color and the edgy leather accents, not to mention the skirt is lined so my dress doesn’t stick to my tights or ride up! Magic! And I get lots of compliments on it, which is always nice. 🙂 (I may or may not be scoping out other goodies on AndrewMarc.com since getting this one from Stitch Fix!)

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Sometimes I pretend I’m extra sweet. 🙂

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Sometimes James is a super dork, and gets tired of being in photos…

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James in the wild.

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James in a different wild.

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Why I don’t trust James when he turns the long lens on me!! I mean, really! SUPREME CLOSE UP!

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Hey look! James jumped in my photo again! 😉 (You know this is pay back for him saying I’m always stepping into his frame, right? :))

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I finally learned how to properly pin boutonnieres and now I’m the go-to boutonniere rescuer! 😉

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Talking shop with Steven!

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Talking shop with a wedding guest!

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What it looks like when we are shooting an exit in the pitch dark and need to test our off-camera flash, but need a video light to focus! LOL

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Where’s Waldo? I mean, James?

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Hey, crazy lady!!

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I’ve gotten very good at squatting wherever necessary to switch out lenses. This is why all dresses I buy must first pass the squat test!

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What it looks like when a guest insists on taking our photo (and knows how to use a camera)!

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What it looks like when a guest insists on taking our picture and doesn’t quite understand back button focus! 😉

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What it looks like when a (drunk) guest insists on taking a selfie with us on our camera?! LOL

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Explaining the art of the cake cutting photo… and probably eyeing up somebody’s salad while my stomach digests itself! haha

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James in his element…

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… hiding out for some top secret ceremony photos…

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… squeezing in by the kiddos for some of my favorite shots he got this year!

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My tropical (i.e. frizzy) hair at the end of a warm wedding day in the Dominican Republic! Ha!

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I forgot I owned this dress below! It looks cute, but does not stretch at all and I had some seriously battle wounds around my shoulders and armpits by the end of this wedding! OUCH!

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The girls are in their own world here, and Joe is clearly in his own world too! haha. Love it.

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Hey… I’m just going to go put some of this stuff down somewhere….

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Looking iffy about his 1 millionth test shot while pretending to cut the cake. hahahaha

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James looks pretty framed by flowers. 🙂

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Leading the pack at one of our favorite spots – Cuneo Mansion!

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Hey, you again!

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Carrying dresses…

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… and fixing dresses! All day errday! 😉

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I believe this was the end of this dress!! Pretty sure this was the wedding where I ripped a giant hole down the back seam right on my butt! Oh yeah! haha

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“You again?” (thinks James… haha)

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Like photographer, like bride! 😉 Love this one!

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Here’s to another amazing year in 2015 and more fun behind the scenes with each other and our awesome couples!! xoxo Happy weekending everybody!!

 

*This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.

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