chicago engagement photos | anna + eric » Caroline Tran Photographer

about the artist

I've always loved telling stories, but never enjoyed writing. When I
found photography, it was the perfect medium for me to express myself. With each shoot, I unveil the unique stories of
my subjects, and tell them with beautiful imagery. People often tell me
that they feel like they know my clients just from reading my blog.

They say photographs are the only tangible memories after a wedding,
which means that my perspective is how you will remember your big day. With that in mind, I have to capture the details (big and
small) in the most beautiful light. I want you to laugh and cry (tears
of joy, of course) when you look at your photos. Whether it's your wedding day or your babies growing up, time goes
by so fast, so it's
my job to document your story... beautifully.

I am based in Los Angeles, but love to travel.

Destination weddings are most certainly welcomed!

In order to give each client my full creative energy, I only take a limited number of weddings a year. (aka I book up fast and don't offer discounts.)

chicago engagement photos | anna + eric

10.14.09 Posted in engagements

When I typed “chicago, IL” in the opening image above, it suddenly hit me that I really shot an engagement session in Chicago! Until this trip, I had never been out of the Pacific Time Zone in the US before! 30 minutes into the flight there, I look out the window and realized we were still over land. I was waiting to see ocean, and then realized that this was my first time ever flying east of LA!

…

Anna actually found me from a single photo of a favor I took that was featured on Brides.com. I think it’s amazing how she connected to that one image and followed that one image to my site. She wanted me to bring my CA style over to Chicago. Honestly, I was a bit nervous, but I’m ecstatic at the results!! So I present to you when this LA girl meets Chicago:

Anna is an architect, so we started at The Rookery, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright! They ended up being super strict and we were not allowed beyond the lobby, so we ran around the city instead…

I LOVE the bridge and tall buildings! I’ve never seen so many tall buildings before with trains running right in between them!

We then headed to North Ave State Beach. I totally felt at home. The only difference is that the sun doesn’t set behind the ocean like it does in LA, but I totally love the end results!

What do you think so far? Have I brought the CA flavor yet? I couldn’t help but to gravitate toward my usual scenes!

And I’ve also never seen a cloud donut around a building until this trip!

And the sunset was amazing. Definitely different than LA’s sunset, but just as beautiful!

Thank you, Anna & Eric, for such a fun trip!! I look forward to returning next year for your wedding!

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by caroline

18 comments

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October 14, 2009 - 1:38 pm Marc Edwards - Awesome shots Caroline! Such a small world; I actually went to college with Eric! Looking forward to seeing your shots of their wedding!!!

October 14, 2009 - 1:42 pm Kelly - Your shots never cease to amaze me - LOVE this session!

October 14, 2009 - 1:52 pm Sophie - Oh, Caroline..these are priceless! So glad you were able to travel to the windy city!

October 14, 2009 - 2:10 pm maomau - omg, u did an amazing job capturing the couple & the city. its your LA touch!

October 14, 2009 - 2:12 pm Davidone - Hi Caroline, This is a really great job ! love this work ! Best regards from France :))

October 14, 2009 - 3:34 pm kelly ann - like always, just stunning! i really love this shoot a lot, it's incredible!!

October 14, 2009 - 4:54 pm connieMchung - eeek!!! these are soooooo gorgeous! so romantic! i love the building shots! great session! and beautiful couple!

October 14, 2009 - 11:40 pm Alexandra - You are so talented! I love these shots!!! You incorporate them into the city so beautifully :)

October 15, 2009 - 12:37 am kat - rock n roll br - the bottom 3 photos....WOW amazing light!!!!

October 15, 2009 - 6:49 am Kayla - These are gorgeous! Love the bridge shots!

October 15, 2009 - 6:21 pm Jenni - Caroline- Hands down you are my favorite wedding photographer. I have been following your blog just recently in the last 2 months (it was because I randomly stumbled upon your page through a friend's Flickr account) and I have been hooked ever since. When I found out that you were coming to Chicago to shoot, my heart just jumped with anticipation because I couldn't wait to see what you would come up with. And all I could say is you didn't let me down. Your photos are amazing. I always knew that you shoot beautifully in CA but in Chicago, the sceneries are very different. I have lived here all my life and I have seen a few works of local Chicago photographers, but none of their work haver really blew me away. I know it's kind of lame to not be overly excited for your own city but personally, I just love the mountains and beaches in the West coast more. I can't help it! But Caroline, your shots from Chicago totally opened my eyes. When I worked downtown I walked down those red bridges everyday and they seem ordinary. But through your lens, they are artistic. You really have proven that you have a special gift. You can go anywhere and you will find beauty!! Your work is astounding.

October 16, 2009 - 11:18 am Kristin - This story reminds me of finding you through a google image search of our venue. :) These are fantastic images Caroline, I love what you've done with the architecture in the first few shots! What a beautiful place and couple!

October 19, 2009 - 10:28 am Stephanie C. - Caroline, I just found you from one of your highschool classmates, Debbie Flores and I LOVE LOVE this engagement session! Though not married (yet) myself, I was the manager of an invitation/stationary store for 6 years in Pasadena and now am in the hotel industry and have been exposed to many wedding/social events and of course, photography sessions. Your style is refreshing, clean, and brings the best of your clients and the scenes out. I'm going to keep you in mind for the future! All the best for your continued success. = )

October 20, 2009 - 11:29 pm Sandy Velasquez - Your artistic eye magically captured the true essence of the moment, the celebration of love between Anna and Eric amidst Chicago's bold architecture and beautiful skyline. Out of your comfort zone but always in your element, you successfully infused that Southern California flavor in the North Avenue lakefront shots. What an incredible picture of the romantic lovebirds with the fading sun!

November 16, 2009 - 1:24 pm Michelle Pham - Dear Caroline, I've been going through all your photos as one of my clients sent me your portfolio site. Amazing, amazing work. I reside in Canada, but if I ever move to the states and end up marrying in California (high possibility), I found my wedding photographer. Were you teaching before the photography job? Cheers, Michelle Pham

February 25, 2010 - 1:27 pm Win - I love your photos. Superb shots. wowww!!!

May 20, 2010 - 5:11 am David Smallwood - Great work, Caroline! So many different great scenes that it look like you guys hit 3 or 4 cities in a day! Awesome pics!!

October 14, 2009 - 2:00 pm Posts about Digg as of October 14, 2009 » The Daily Parr - [...] with the Copy Craft setting from any of the Adobe products which support PDF saving/exporting. chicago engagement photos | anna + eric – carolinetran.net 10/14/2009 When I typed “chicago, IL” in the opening image above, it [...]

Caroline Tran Photographer – Los Angeles Wedding Photography

about the artist

chicago engagement photos | anna + eric