Dirty Jobs

I get to spend a lot of time with people on one of their most important days.  Talking about what people do and getting the inside information on some very interesting jobs is always a highlight of getting to know my clients.  I guess it's the "behind the scenes" feel that makes it interesting.  Jobs are a funny thing.  People who do the jobs and the people who see the jobs being done have a very different perspective.  To an outsider, many jobs seem glamorous and interesting.  To the person doing the job it can often be just another day at the office. 

As a photographer I've met modern cowboys, dolphin trainers, police officers, countless models, private pilots, professional athletes, news reporters and even the CEO of Facebook when I photographed his sister's wedding.  It's been interesting to say the least.  Some years ago, my assistant asked me what it was like being a photographer versus what I imagined it to be before becoming one.  It was the first time anyone had asked that question.  I tossed the thought around for a few minutes and replied, "Being a photographer is more fun and glamorous than I thought it would be."   

It was at Michelle and Brian's wedding where I again thought about jobs in general and the life they introduce us to.  Michelle and Brian are huge fans of Mike Rowe from the show Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel.  While I'm not as avid a follower of the show as they are I really do admire Mike Rowe and his accomplishments.  He's been a professional opera singer, television pitchman, writer and now the host of one of the most popular shows on cable TV.

Michelle and Brian's fascination with Mike Rowe gave everyone a good laugh at the rehearsal during Michelle's sister's toast.  It also gave me one more glimpse into who they are.  To be so interested in random jobs and wanting to get behind to scenes of those jobs and all the messy details that come with them told me they were two very curious people with a sense of humor and adventure.

I think Michelle and Brian's sense of humor and curiosity will take them on a lifetime of adventures big and small.  I just can't wait to hear all those stories.

Their beautiful day can be seen at www.dennisleeslideshows.com/michelleandbrian

Rain Rain Go Away.

Weather is never far from a wedding photographer's mind.  Ask any professional and they can probably tell you about when sunset is on most any day of the year.  I'm sure most have a weather application on their cell phones as well.  Just as an FYI, for brides planning their wedding, other than the winter months of December through March, October is the driest month in Chicago. 

This year has been one of the most interesting weather years across much of the country.  First there was the snow in the east coast, then the rain and now the heat and rain in midwest and east.  Since the weather can't be controlled, it's making for an exciting season.  Sure perfect sunny days would make my job easier but I wouldn't change the weather I have.  You see, changes in weather also bring changes in light.  Sometimes it's sunny summer days, other times it's dramatic cloudy skies.  Whatever condition, it makes for different light and the opportunity to take advantage of it.

As if Lauren and Charlie's wedding wasn't exciting enough, there was the threat of rain all day.  In fact, it did rain.  The rain would hold off as we were outdoors taking photographs and then start as we went indoors for their ceremony.  Lauren and Charlie embracing the weather instead of fighting against it, brought their umbrellas and smiling attitudes that could have brightened any rainy day.

At the end of the night, as we were watching the finish of the fireworks exploding in the clouds over Nay Pier, the rain started falling.  It sounded like wind rushing through trees but was rather rain moving across the top of the venue coming toward us.  We made it indoors just in time to snap the last photo of the evening with Lauren and Charlie still smiling ear to ear.

The photos of the day can be seen at www.dennisleeslideshows.com/laurenandcharlie

CS Brides Bride of the Week Contest. Send in Your Engagement Photos.

CS Brides is having a contest for brides to submit their favorite engagement photo along with the story of how they met or got engaged. I know I have some amazing brides and wanted to reach out to encourage everyone to send in their photos.

How to enter:

Send your Bride of the Week entry to modernluxurybridesonline@gmail.com and you could possibly be featured by CS Brides and even win a VIP ticket to An Afternoon of Bridal Luxury with complimentary entry for the bride and her guest ($90 value) if you are chosen as Bride of the Week. Please include the name of the bride & groom, the story and the name of the photographer. (Engagement pictures may be featured even if the bride isn’t chosen as Bride of the Week.)
 
So end in your entries and good luck.

You Are What You Eat...Yes, Another Food Post

You Are What You Eat.  I've heard this phrase since I was a child and it struck a cord with me.  I'm not exactly sure when I first heard it but I've always said it and still believe it to be true.  My view is that what is going on in food culture, whether in the home or even the greater outlook of a country, is a very accurate snapshot of the culture in general.  In addition, consider the fact that what you are eating is what becomes the building blocks of who you are.  So I think that the food habits of a person are very telling.

When I first met Monica and David, we immediately hit it off.  Why?  Well, the conversation almost immediately went to food.  They talked about their rehearsal being at Spiaggia in Chicago and Tony Mantuano, one of Chicago's most revered chefs, doing the cooking for the rehearsal dinner.  Looking back, I'm not sure how much we talked about the actual photography for the wedding.  What struck me was their openness to foods and how they looked at the culinary scene.  They were adventurous, passionate and interested in the happenings of the city's food culture.  Considering that I think that most sushi is about as exotic as a pizza it was refreshing to spend time with people who have a similar outlook.

With Monica and David approaching their lives and each other with the same passion, interest and adventurous spirit they do with food, I can only imagine all the great moments they will have in their lives together. 

Monica and David, may the Cubs win, the wine flow and the meals you share be as wonderful as the love that you share.

The beautiful day at the Drake can be seen at www.dennisleeslideshows.com/monicaanddavid

Summer Skiing

It's mid summer in Chicago and while I do enjoy the heat, sunshine and dramatic storms, not to mention the early evening light which makes for great photography, I start to miss ski season and the excitement that brings.  While most people love taking time off in the summer, I hold on for winter.  You'd think that having spent nearly all my life in the midwest and thus some of the flatest land in America, it would have been easier to fall in love with a more accessible sport.  But love like many things don't strike you at the time of your choosing.

It all started in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.  It was there that I first stepped into a pair of skis.  Whistler being the largest ski resort in North America, you'd think I would have started smaller.  I didn't know it at the time, but that day tumbling down all the green runs on Whistler and plowing my way through the first turns would lead to my love affair with skiing.  What I also could never have imagined was that Whistler would start another lifelong love affair for Be and Christina.

Exactly a year before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, I was in Vancouver to do some skiing.  Sadly, when I arrived it was the worst snow season Whistler had seen in more than a decade.  Thus, I found myself spending more time gripping a beer and looking for souvenirs than I did gripping my ski poles or looking for untouched snow.  At that same time, unbeknownst to me, Ben was in Whistler as well, but he wasn't looking for souvenirs and probably couldn't care less about the snow conditions that day.  Instead he was looking for a place to propose to Christina.  We never met on that trip, but our lives would cross again months later.

On my first meeting with Ben and Christina, the topic of conversation went to skiing.  When I told them about my trip Canada, we realized that we were all up there at the same time.  We immediately bonded and I was very much looking forward to their wedding.  The wedding was a beautiful affair that culminated with some of the most exhilarating dancing I've ever been privy to.  All evening I was on my toes not to miss a laugh, look, tear or hug which there were plenty of. 

But there is one photograph that I missed and so wish I could have gotten; the one with Ben proposing to Christina at Whistler.  Being so close and yet so far away.  Whistler is an amazing place, it started my love affair with skiing and the lifelong love affair that Ben and Christina now share as husband and wife.

You can see the day at www.dennisleeslideshows.com/christinaandbenjamin

Chicago's Best Photo Location Contest

I've been spending a quiet Sunday evening after a long wedding weekend watching a show about some of Chicago's best things.  Now anyone who knows me knows how much I love Chicago and its history and I firmly believe Chicago has some of the best things in the world.  Logically, that means if it's Chicago's best, it's got to be some of the world's best.  I love sharing my food, photography and stories with people.  I'm always looking for new locations for my own photography and would love the people of Chicago to share their favorites with me.  So I've come up with a crazy idea.

Here's the deal, let's combine two favorites, Chicago and photography, into one contest.  Send me one photo you've taken of your favorite Chicago location and why it's your favorite in 50 words or less.  Be creative and have fun with it and interpret it however you'd like.  It's not about the technically best photo but rather the one that best showcases the location.  We, here at Dennis Lee Photography International World Headquarters Limited as we jokingly call ourselves, will select our favorite.

The winner will receive a photography session with me and members of my crew.  Everyone knows I rarely photograph family portraits, babies or glamour but this is one time I'm pulling out all the stops.  I will photograph your family, you, your baby, etc.  Depending on the shoot, I will provide the location, set, hair, makeup and styling. 

Send photos via e-mail to info@dennisleephoto.com
Deadline:  July 19th
Please keep photo size 500 kb or less.


Now all the boring rules stuff.  The session is transferable but must be in Chicago.  Date of session will be determined by what works for everyone's schedule.  Session must be scheduled within six months of the notification to the winner.  A copy of the original photo must be presented by the winner. 

Best Wedding Meal Ever

Since the day of Marisa and Eric's wedding, I have been waiting to write this post.  Next to photography, food and Chicgo history are some of my favorite things to talk about.  So here goes.

A part of Marisa and Eric's wedding story actually starts back in 1947. In that year a young man named Maurie, fresh out of the military, married his sweetheart Florence (Flaurie). A year later, to help pay for school, they started a small hot dog stand in a far northwest corner of Chicago that they would operate during the summers.  This hotdog stand would eventually become the most iconic and well known hot dog drive-in in the city of Chicago, the famous Superdawg.  For over sixty years, Superdawg has been serving up arguably Chicago's best hot dog.  Some years after its opening, the now iconic 12 ft. Maurie and Flaurie hot dog couple beckoned hungry Chicagoans with their blinking eyes.   

Fast forward to May 2010.  Marisa now living in Michigan, where her sweetheart Eric is from, was back in Chicago for her wedding.  Afterall, it was the city she grew up in and loved.  In fact, they were getting married at the church her father attended as a child, the church he lived just down the block from.  Coincidentally the church is right near Superdawg, a favorite of Marisa's father.

Marisa and Eric got ready for the wedding in the suburbs.  Chicago is known for having some of the longest and most stressful commutes in the country.  Not wanting to be late, Marisa and Eric planned for everyone to leave with plenty of time.  Oddly, there was no traffic and we got to the church more than 30 minutes too early.  Well what is a wedding party to do?

Marisa's father suggests we all go to Superdawg, I mean we're just a few blocks away, there is time to kill.  It is in fact the only logical option.  I have to give Marisa some credit.  While most brides wouldn't go near a hot dog in their wedding dress, much less in their wedding dress prior to the ceremony, she is right on board and off we go.

It's not uncommon for me not to eat during the wedding day, there is just too much great stuff to photograph and I forget to.  I've turned down prime, dry aged steaks from David Burke's Steak House.  Foregone dinner served up at NoMi in the Park Hyatt.  But when Marisa's father handed me a Superdawg, I couldn't resist.  Camera in one hand, dog in another, it was the best wedding meal I've ever had.  

Going to Superdawg was a great decision.  It took some of the nervousness away and added one more great memory to a day already filled with them.  Plus, Marisa and Eric got a little Maurie and Flaurie statue that would eventually replace what was on the wedding cake.  

Maurie and Flaurie built something that has shaped memories for generations and something so simple yet so pleasurable as a hot dog has brought happiness to so many.  Marisa and Eric, may you always be each other's Maurie and Flaurie and your love be something as simple yet amazing as a Superdawg.

Check out all of Marisa and Eric's day at www.dennisleeslideshows.com/marisaanderic