Meet Brittany and Kyle! They've been a couple for almost four years now and recently realized that they have no nice pictures of themselves together! And that is a crime because they are such a fun-loving and attractive couple! So they hired me to capture this special time in their lives. Shooting them was a joy and we were helped out by the unseasonably warm winter we've continued to have here in Chicago! Brittany is an aspiring actress and model, while Kyle is an industry product specialist. I always try to get to know my couples prior to our shoot so we don't feel like complete strangers. Included in that is a face-to-face meeting as well as a questionnaire every couple fills out about each other.
Read More »Engagement
Hi everyone! Just a quick reminder of our February promotion! I know for most of you reading this, it is cold and gross out where you are (except for my sister in Florida :-p ). But chin up! Spring is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate then by booking your first photo session of 2012! During the month of February, book any session for 2012 and receive a $50 credit towards a canvas gallery wrap of your choice! Sessions can include but are not limited to: children, families, infant, maternity, engagement, boudoir, etc. The session can be scheduled for anytime in 2012, but must be booked this February. You can schedule simply by emailing us at ben@benelsassphotography.com.
Read More »Meet Kristen & Ian! I was so stoked when Kristen & Ian hired me for both their engagement session, as well as their wedding! They'll be getting married at the Hotel Palomar in downtown Chicago in June! It's safe to say it will be a bit warmer in June for their wedding, then it was for their engagement shoot in January. :-) Kristen and I formulated this idea of a wonderful wintertime engagement shoot in downtown Chicago: snow on the ground, winter boots, holiday lights still up, etc. What we didn't plan on though...was the cold. It has been unseasonably warm here in Chicago this winter. For example it is almost 50 degrees outside today in the middle of February! That's unheard of.
Read More »Hi everyone! It's time for our February promotion! I know for most of you reading this, it is cold and gross out where you are (except for my sister in Florida :-p ). But chin up! Spring is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate then by booking your first photo session of 2012! During the month of February, book any session for 2012 and receive a $50 credit towards a canvas gallery wrap of your choice! Sessions can include but are not limited to: children, families, infant, maternity, engagement, boudoir, etc. The session can be scheduled for anytime in 2012, but must be booked this February. You can schedule simply by emailing us at ben@benelsassphotography.com.
Read More »Another day, another blog post and another engagement session. This time it is Jan and Susie who will be getting married in Cleveland in 2012! We began in Lincoln Park and made our way South along the water ending at sunset on North Avenue Beach. Jan and Susie share a common love of traveling and exploring and got engaged in South Africa! Jan is also quite the avid photographer himself. Check out the preview of their session!
Read More »For the first blog post of 2011, meet Nic & Erin! They met back on Erin's 21st Birthday and are now getting married in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in August of 2012 at the downtown Courtyard! This is unique because I was a groomsmen earlier this year at the exact same hotel! For their engagement session, we headed over to Lincoln Park, and most specifically the new boardwalk extension of the Zoo. It made for some beautiful images. Here are a few samples from their day!
Read More »Being from Ohio, I always welcome the opportunity to head back home to photograph many of the family and friends I know from the 20+ years I lived there. Even when I was living in Los Angeles, and now in Chicago, Ohio has always been home to me. I'm originally from a small town called Springboro, which is about 45 minutes north of Cincinnati, and 25 minutes south of Dayton. When I travel home to shoot, I'm usually in these areas, but am open to traveling to other locations within the state as well. My next trip back to the Cincinnati/Dayton area is October the 12th through the 17th. The fall colors will be turning and this is the perfect time to get those family photographs done for your Christmas cards!
Read More »Meet Bryan and Michelle! For their engagement session, we went down to the Loop here in Chicago on a Saturday morning and it was an absolute ghost town...which is great for an engagement session! Bryan is from Canada (this is where I would normally insert a Canada joke, but I'm sure he's heard them all) and she is from Omaha, which is where they are getting married in September. She is a lawyer and he is a mechanical engineer; little known fact, 23.2% of all Canadian males aged 18-35 are mechanical engineers (I have no idea if that's true; I just made it up). On Bryan and Michelle's first date 8 years ago they fell in love over a fondness for numerous Miller Lites. I'm SO excited to be shooting their wedding in 2 months!
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