Seth Morris Photography » Blog

May 08 2013

Bill & Shaun {Peoria Wedding Photography, Peoria IL}

Bill & Shaun met with me last year and explained their very different situation for their wedding. Shaun said she just couldn’t wait around the entire day to see Bill so they decided to have a morning ceremony.

I LOVED the idea. You spend the entire day together celebrating with your family. It was an awesome plan and one I’d seen work many times previously.

But she wasn’t done explaining.

“Then we’re going bowling.”

These two had planned a day that really revolved around their personalities and spending time together with their family, celebrating their marriage. We were so excited to be a part and be able to capture the day, one frame at a time. (Haha, a little photo/bowling pun.)

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Here are a few of my favorites from their day!!

Shaun’s grandmother made the veil and it was gorgeous.

We took a few outside the church in the morning. I love this portrait Seth took to include the branch at the top. My picture is focused more on the two of them. We love having two shooters to get different shots!

Again with the veil, I love it!

Onto the ceremony. That face. Oh Shaun, so sweet, seeing her groom.

We can’t always get a shot like this because it’s not always available depending on the layout of the sanctuary. But I was happy to sneak up and grab a few with some the windows behind them.

Shaun had said she wanted one with a magnolia tree and there was a beautiful one just by the church so we made a pit stop to use this guy’s yard as our backdrop.

Next stop, an AWESOME lunch at Weaver Ridge. It was sooooo good. Here they are cutting the coffee cake.:)

On Shaun’s “must have” shot lists was one of her sister’s family. They haven’t had a family picture since Forrest was born and she requested a special one for them. I thought that was a very sweet thing to do! And of course, we loved working with this little guy! So smiley!!

Off to Luthy Botanical Gardens for a few more pictures!!

So I had to get a picture of the cupcakes with this fish picture behind it. When you have a bowling reception at Bass Pro Shops, this is a must have photo!

We had the greatest day with these two and their fun families. It was definitely a unique wedding and reception but it suited them so well.

Thanks for having us as your photographers and a special thanks for mozzarella sticks (from Seth).

There are a few more pictures below in the slidehow. When the blue bar appears, the pictures have loaded. If you don’t mind, click the facebook link so you can add it to your page and share the pictures. And make us feel super popular on facebook, which is basically why we exist.:)

Apr 26 2013

Matt+Crystal {Starved Rock Wedding Photographer, Utica, IL}

My mom always says “Happy people are happy”. I think of these two when I think of happy people. No matter what comes their way, Matt + Crystal face it with a smile. They are two of the most joyful people I know who, not only adore each other, but seemingly everyone around. Their wedding weekend happened to coincide with this area’s record  flood causing all the traveling guests to face a longer commute with our entire town shut down. But they happily posted directions and made sure everyone was ok and went on their way to having an indoor ceremony (instead of outdoor) for their chilly wintery type April wedding (instead of spring and, from my perspective, neither of them missed a beat. They were happy to be together, with their family, and start a new life and marriage together.

It’s easy to capture a happy couple in love when that’s what they really are. Plus, it makes it fun for us and we feel like a part of the party.

So these two happy people are married and have a beautiful family with their son. We were so blessed to be a part of the day and hope you all enjoy the pictures.

Without further ado…here are a few favorites with some commentary. At the bottom there is slideshow of a few more images…..

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Starved Rock Lodge is really beautiful. The fireplace is so pretty and we try to use it even when there is an outdoor wedding. I loved the back of Crystal’s dress and her tattoos. If you’ve ever seen Seth, you’d know, we love tattoos!

Then we headed out for a few pictures. It wasn’t too bad out, thankfully, we were able to hit up a couple different spots without getting to muddy.

I just love this one. Probably one of my favorites where they aren’t both laughing. I love those ones the most.:)

Sweet family shot.

The guys and girls were such a hoot. I also want to point out that it’s more flattering for girls to shift all their weight to one foot. They all did this naturally. They are the perfect bridesmaids.

Shortly after the above picture, Matt bobbypinned the veil back onto Crystal’s head….one of my favorite moments EVER! I’ve never seen a groom jump right in to help and of course, the sisters and MOH were there to give instructions and supervise.

It was endearing. But that picture didn’t make the slideshow so you’ll have to wait a month to see it!

So the American Flag is probably my least favorite part of the lodge because in the full frame pictures (especially in color), I feel it distracts from the wood beams and such. But I really like it in this black and white one. I like everything here. Good job Seth.

I don’t remember what was so funny but I love how everyone is laughing!

The black and white linens draped over the dance floor was so cool. I don’t know who did it, but here is your shout out, “WELL DONE!”. They really looked neat during the first dance.

Again, Matt & Crystal, we love you guys and had a blast meeting your friends and family. Thanks so much for meeting me at Culvers and choosing us to capture your special day. We wish you a lifetime of happiness!!

The slideshow below has a few more pictures. When the blue bar appears, click the play button to view.

And if you know anyone in the Chicagoland area looking for pictures….send them our way.:)Click the facebook like to share with your facebook friends…or become our fan and make us feel super popular.

Apr 23 2013

Amy +Ted {chicago wedding photography}

I wish I could begin, “a month ago as winter came to a close”, but I can’t. This winter seems to be never ending this year.

But alas, in March, Seth & I were able to work with a cool couple, Ted +Amy for their winter wedding…in March.

Set at the beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright inspired hotel in the Chicagoland area, we had a great morning shooting their unique wedding and simple lunch reception. It was so evident how much these two were ready to be together surrounded by their family full of joy that they had found each other. Plus the minister made a joke about the Cubs not being very good which made us White Sox fans happy.:)

Here are some belated photos from their indoor wedding at Indian Lakes Resort.

Meeting for the first time before the ceremony. I love the lights in the trees.

 

Those windows were so cool…and provided lots of natural light. A Photographers best friend.:)

 

 

 

The flowers were beautiful…and Amy did them all herself. That art degree just paid off.:)

 

Below is a slideshow of more images from their day. When the blue bar appears, the photos are loaded and ready for you. Hope you enjoy!

And if you know anyone in the Chicago area looking for wedding, engagement or family photos, please send them our way. We’re working branching out up here since we just moved. We’ll go anywhere we can drive and give you a sweet deal.:)

 

Apr 18 2013

m+l {industrial engagement session photos} chicago, il

A few months ago at our bridal show, we had a contest to win an engagement session. Lindsey wasn’t so sure about it, but thankfully, her mother was on top of things and posted one of the best entries of Seth and Lindsey re-enacting the cover of an album. It was hilarious…and it won her & Mike an engagement session.

We postponed it until the spring, but sadly, around here the spring has yet to be seen, really. But we settled for a few downtown pictures ending with a few by the river and I think they turned out super cute.

PS. If you are waiting to schedule your engagement session for warmer weather, I don’t blame you. However, email me NOW to get on the calendar. It’s filling up quickly!!:)

Here they are:

I try to point this out frequently, but here is my picture….

…and here is Seth’s picture. It’s great to shoot together because in one pose we can get different images and different perspectives. It also enables us to move quickly through the shoot so you don’t have to embrace and make out in the woods for an extended period of time.:)

Feb 28 2013

Jackie & Drew {Peoria, IL :: Wedding Photography}

Ok so I’m a little late on this post, but it just snowed for the first time this year, so it’s still winter. I’m now in the mood to post our first winter wedding of 2013!

It was a chilly day, but Jackie & Drew were warmed by their love, their friends, & a little dancing with the bridal party out on the golf course.

We had a great day with them & were so happy to capture their beautiful wedding in Tremont, IL & reception at Metamora Fields, in Metamora, IL. Both beautiful venues for this gorgeous couple. They had a blustery windy engagement session day and still looked stunning producing some of my favorite engagement pictures. We knew we’d be in for a day of fun photography!

Here are a few of my favorites with some comments/explanation. If you are just here for the pictures and not to make friends, that’s fair. Skip to the end and you’ll see a slideshow with a few extra pictures. If you don’t understand why one is in there, you’ll have to come back and read the commentary.:)

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Something about this picture makes me laugh. How many bridesmaids does it take to button a dress?

Like I said, it was a chilly January day. So we had their first meet in the sanctuary. The doors and stained glass was beautiful so we used it a lot. But this one is in b&w because I love Jackie resting her head on her groom. I think she was just so excited to see him that it calmed all the nerves and I love the emotion of the picture.

Here are some of the windows. We try to keep you inside as long as possible when it’s cold. But it’s important to get some pictures outside if you can. The natural light is better (for our style/in our opinion) so we take everybody outside! Winter brides are not exempt. But typically they aren’t too cold. It’s the bridesmaids who really suffer.:)

The church had this neat door so as we wandered about, we took advantage. And it wasn’t in the sun. Which is a bummer for heat, but is good for afternoon pictures. If the church has a cool door, check to see if it’s in the bright sun around noon, it’s hard to use without squinting!

Bahahaha! Seth told me about this picture when he came back inside. “They did the pencil jump!”. It is hysterical!

I am asked pretty frequently how we work during a ceremony since there are two of us. I am posting this picture to illustrate.

I stand in the back, typically in the hall with everyone, and then I swoop in when the bride is about halfway down (and no eyes are on the back) and get a few shots of her walking down from the back and then her father giving her away. As I was moving to get ready to sneak in (since this aisle was short) I caught this picture quickly of her dad looking at her that I just think is so sweet.

Seth got a picture of that above moment too, but this was his next picture that I also love. He squats in the front and gets pictures of the groom’s face and the front picture of everyone coming down the aisle. When she gets to close to the front, he sneaks around the side and out of the way. A huge priority for us is to not be in anyone’s way or to be seen. We are ninja like. Don’t underestimate our sneakiness.

Winter weddings are truly beautiful and I in particular just love the season. That being said, you have to be careful how you schedule your day if you are getting married in Day Light Savings Time. We lost the light around 4.45 on this Saturday. So we could have stayed at the church and done some group family photos, but I knew that doing outdoor pictures at the reception was really important to Jackie & Drew. {Make sure to communicate that stuff to your photographer!!} So we decided to skip the family photos at the church and do them after dinner instead which worked out just fine. It also gave us a good 30 minutes at the golf course for some pictures with the perfect light!

Key to keeping warm….movement. Here we are having a dance party in attempts to keep those girls warm!

Metamora Fields is beautiful. The windows and the light fixtures and everything is just terrific. If you know anyone looking for a spot for a wedding, this is one of my favorites. There are other golf courses in Peoria, but they just aren’t as nice as this one. Check it out.

Mother and son. Gets me everytime.

I just love using lights in my shots. Seth takes the more traditional shots of the first dances and I like to do this.:)Shout out to Mark @ Top Hat Productions. He is our go-to recommendation for DJs in Central IL. He is great and even has a photo booth now! Check him out.

Ok I’m posting this to encourage you couples to DANCE AT WEDDINGS! You could have a totally cool picture like this of yourself for just the cost of a blender at Bed, Bath & Beyond or wherever your friends are registered.:)I love her looking at her guy. Sweetness.

It was a great day and I hope the pictures speak to that and the amazing relationship Jackie & Drew have. We wish them a lifetime of health & happiness.

Check out the slideshow below (when the blue bar appears, it’s loaded) and you can like us on facebook or click the facebook button below to share these pictures. It would be nice of you to do that since facebook makes businesses pay to advertise and post now.

Anyway, if you need pictures in Illinois, give us a shout. We live in the boonies so we travel all over the state without charging any travel fees!

Thanks for reading and not skipping ahead. Here’s your reward: