Tag Archives: Chicago wedding city shots

robilyn & darell :: wedding rehearsal

Here are some shots from Robilyn & Darell’s wedding rehearsal.  One word summarizing their rehearsal = organized!  I usually do not get a bride and groom who are so actively part of the whole planning process.  It’s usually one or the other, but with these two, they had their own personal tasks and they shined in all tasks involved!  Robilyn with her very creative skills taking care of all the details of the wedding.  If you haven’t seen their wedding invitation yet, click here! She had made everything from scratch!  And Darell with his awesome organizational skills… you both rock!

Photography is all about light!  When we photographed Robilyn & Darell’s wedding rehearsal, I knew that the lighting that we had during the rehearsal wasn’t going to be the same lighting that we’d have for their actual wedding… It was a good 4 hour difference between the two… So when I saw this shot, I was a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to get it on their wedding day, but at least I got it for their rehearsal… This is Dad & Robilyn during the procession… They were walking down a small hill overlooking their ceremony site on the beach… Aside from the beautiful blue skies, it was super windy that day!  And we actually didn’t even get the clear blue skies on their wedding day, but overcast with clouds… (blog post coming later)…

After the rehearsal, they had a pool side luncheon for their friends and families.

They also had a surprise birthday cake for Darell’s mom :)

Next blog : Robilyn & Darell’s Wedding

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robilyn & darell :: engaged!

Over Valentine’s day weekend, we had the honor and pleasure of photographing Robilyn & Darell’s beach wedding.  Remember when I photographed their wedding here in Chicago? Well, this is part 2 of their wedding celebration.  They chose the beautiful Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort! But before I blog on their wedding photos, I wanted to blog on their engagement session first.  As expected, we all had a blast exploring the grounds of their hotel…

The next photo needs some explaining… The staff at the Hilton Cancun was nice enough to allow us to photograph on their Golf Course and they actually brought us to this sleeping croc… Needless to say I was terrified of this gigantic thing just chillin’ on the green… I was shooting with a wide angle lens, and kept creeping up to him to get my framing… and when I finished shooting, I realized that I was A LOT closer than I thought… haha… Anything to get the shot, right?

I loved the little petal details on Robilyn’s dress!

There isn’t really a true  golden “sunset” in Cancun… at least from our hotel side, but we did manage to get a little bit of color as the sun was coming down…

I really loved shooting on the beach because we don’t have beaches in Chicago…

Thank you for the laughs Robilyn & Darell!

Many many more photos to come…

Stay tuned for a few photos from their Rehearsal… then more photos from their Wedding… then lastly, more photos from their Rock the Dress Session…

Lots coming up on the blog, so please check back! :)  or RSS feed it!

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richelle & rick

Congratulations to Richelle & Rick!   Richelle is technically my sister-in-law =D  My brother married her sister… so through the laws of marriage, we’re related!  They had a small intimate wedding reception a couple of weeks ago at Entourage in Schaumburg.  Here are just a few of my faves…

Entourage in Schaumburg, IL

Thank you Richelle & Rick for allowing us into your lives! :)

Michele & Andy

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2009 rewind

It’s been a great 2009!  I know I’m a little late for this post, but due to personal reasons, it was delayed longer than expected… Anyway, better late than never… First of all, we would like to say thank you to all our clients who have become part of our lives in 2009, without you guys, we wouldn’t be able to do what we love to do.  Thank you to our families who have supported us from day one with our photography.  Thank you to our parents for watching Misha on the weekends while we go out and shoot.  Thank you to all of our fans on Facebook for their continued support.  And last, but definitely not least,  thank you to all our blog readers, especially to those who comment on our blog posts… We read each and every comment and we appreciate you taking the time to leave us a message!

As you can see, Andy and I have been working hard on some of the back end of our business with our new blog look :)  It’s a work in progress and there’s definitely more to come.

It is now 2010 and we would like to take a moment and reminisce about the major things that happened in 2009.

In February, we went to our very first photography conference known as WPPI where wedding and portrait photographers from all over the world go for seminars and the tradeshow.  If you are a wedding or portrait photographer, I highly recommend going!  We’re definitely going this year which is actually going to be held in March (instead of February).  Here’s more info if you’re interested.  Going to WPPI truly got our gears in motion for our 2009 season and we’re very excited for what’s in the works for our 2010 schedule.


In March, we had the opportunity to host a free photography seminar which consisted of different photographers with varying skill levels across the board.   We had a chance to photograph models and study available light shooting.  We had called our seminar “let’s shoot with Misha Media“.  People have been asking us if we will be hosting another seminar this 2010.  Andy and I actually haven’t decided if we’re going to or not.  We will definitely let everyone know if we do decide to have another one.  If we do host one, it will be in the month of March again… so stay tuned!  We also started a Facebook Group “Let’s shoot with Misha Media“  and we were thinking of taking a different route for it this 2010.  We used to have monthly ‘contests’ but we noticed that some photographers didn’t always submit their photos… So stay tuned for the changes that we’ll be doing for that.  Members of the group will be notified.

At the end of March, we went to NYC for my cousin’s wedding Karen & Jayr.  No, we did not photograph their wedding… we were guests!  Our friends out in New Jersey,  MPW Media Group documented their day and they did an amazing job!  Although we weren’t the offical photographers for their wedding, we did have a chance to capture an engagement session while we were out in New York.  Here’s their my blog post and below is my favorite.

Aside from spending time with family, we had a chance to visit the actual B&H Photo Video store where we buy most of our gear… and man, we were like kids in a candy store!  We shot around as we walked the streets of NYC and here’s my fave:

We also had a fashion shoot on a roof top in New York.

After New York, we drove to Washington DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

… and shot some images at night

In 2009 my parents celebrated their 60th birthdays.  I love them and without them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

In April, we also had the opportunity to photograph an engagement session in Wrigley Field and had tons of fun doing it!  Thanks Liz & Nevin!

We officially started our 2009 season in April, with our first wedding of the year with Cathy & Mike.

In May, we had the honor of capturing Noelle & Joey’s wedding

Mindy & Doug

And in May, my lil sis graduated from UIC College of Education.  I love you Stine!

Majka & Ziggy started off our June weddings

Hanna & Christian

Liz & Nevin

“E & J”

In the beginning of July, we went to the Philippines for my brother Chris and Gilda’s Wedding.  This time, I was a bridesmaid, Andy was a groomsman, and Misha, a flowergirl :) The official photographer for their wedding was Dino Lara.

I did photograph their engagement session here in Chicago back in 2008 :)

When we got back from the Philippines, we hit the ground running for  Gina & Josh’s wedding at the end of July.

In August, we received an Accolade of Excellence award in the 8×10 print competition for WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) in the Engagement Category.  Click here to see our winning image.

Our August clients : Miriam & Andrew

Liz & Tyler

Diana & Roger

Meann & Brainard

Our September couples

Cheryl & Rich

Robilyn & Darell

Lisa & Eric

Maria & John

Robbie & Joe

Sadly, on September 25th,  the Philippines was devastatingly hit by a typhoon called Ondoy.  We hosted a photo fundraiser “Shoot for a cause : Ondoy Typhoon Relief” and we were able to raise $3,000 and collect 6 large boxes of canned goods.  It was a huge success!   Thank you to those who donated their time, money, and goods!

October brides & grooms:

Amy & Nadeem

Dana & Mike

November:

Kaori & Anthony

Lyssette & Richard

And last but not least, our last wedding of 2009 in December : Leslie & Brad

Seeing all of these images really brought back some great memories.  Thank you to all of our 2009 couples for choosing us and providing us with the opportunity to photograph your wedding and allowing us to continue to do what we love to do!  We had such a great time and you’ll be forever in our hearts.

Thank you for being a part of our growing Misha Media family.

Michele and Andy

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destination wedding invites

We have been fortunate to be commissioned for four destination weddings in 2010 and I wanted to share an awesome, awesome idea from one of them… Do you remember Robilyn and Darell?  They actually got married last 09.09.09 in front of their immediate families and they are planning to have another celebration at the Hilton Cancun in Mexico next month!  It’s always nice to receive our clients’ wedding invitations in the mail.  It makes us feel really welcome and part of their celebration.  When I received their save the date and wedding invitation, I was blown away!  Such creativity and thoughtfulness went into the whole idea of having a destination wedding, from their save the date, to their wedding invitation.  I simply LOVED it!  I had to ask Robilyn if I could blog on their invites… And of course she said yes =D.  These were all designed by Robilyn herself.  She is so creative and her attention to detail is remarkable!   I cannot wait to see the details at their wedding!  Their last names were edited out for their privacy…

Here’s their save the date cards, which totally set the tone for their guests!  And Misha Media is always passport ready…

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Look at the details that were added to it!  Amazing!

And here’s their wedding invitation…

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We usually book our own flights for our destination weddings and when I received this in the mail, I totally thought it was the real plane tickets… I totally fell for it!

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Notice mine and Andy’s name off to the right side =D

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Robilyn & Darell, see you guys in a month in sunny Cancun, Mexico!  We’re so excited!

Michele & Andy

Here are our travel dates thus far in 2010:

Cancun, Mexico : February 12-16

Las Vegas, Nevada : March 3-12

Southern California : March 13-20

Rome, Italy : August 4-16

Playa del Carmen, Mexico : October 14-19

Southern California : October 21-26

If anyone is interested in booking a photo session (engagement, kids, or just because) please contact us immediately!

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