Last night, after 2+ years of courting, my two friends, Aurum and Sarah finally got engaged! Aurum, my ex-roommate, employed Dennis Joy and I to document this whole experience.

Last Thursday, the three of us had a ‘walk through,’ with Aurum telling us where he wanted to go and where he was planning to propose. Dennis and I looked around to pick our hiding spots. A combination of ninja and sniper skills would be required for this shoot. =)

Fast forward to yesterday. The drizzling rain required a change in scenery for the proposal, as he originally wanted to be sitting on the grass. We would have to await Aurum’s text message to know where and when the proposal would occur. Due to the precipitation, many visitors left early and these two had the park largely to themselves.

Here they are entering the gardens…I am a good 150ft away behind a tree and a bush.

The drizzle lasted for about five minutes…and I must admit, it was easier to follow them through the rose garden with the umbrella showing their location.

Right before this shot, Sarah had turned around and I thought she caught Dennis and I both standing in the middle of the pathway shooting from behind! But apparently she didn’t see us…just yet.

While on the Japanese Islands, Aurum texted both of us a simple message: “bridge.” So I found a nice sniping spot and settled in. Dennis ended up hiding behind a small pine tree. I wish I had taken a photo of him crouched behind it. All the visitors thought he was a weird stalker or something. =)

When Aurum & Sarah went up on the bridge, a large group of twenty young girl scouts happened to be following. Their chaperones waited to give the couple a moment of privacy. One of them joked that it looked like he was going to propose. They were shocked when they saw him pull out the ring!

I think the next few photos speak for themselves.

After they hugged, all the little girls started applauding and cheering for them! It was soooo cute!

And of course she said “yes!” Aurum was stoked and Sarah was fighting the emotions. =)

One of my favorite photos of the day…

Aurum announced to his faithful viewers: “SHE SAID YES!” for one last round of cheers and applause.

This rock was passed down from Aurum’s mom…down from her mom…now to Sarah.

The happy couple…laughing about the whole ordeal and enjoying the moment.

This grassy area was the original spot where Aurum wanted to propose…

Sarah just found out that the ‘study group’ that Aurum was with last Thursday wasn’t really a study group from Trinity. =)

Admiring the new addition on her left hand.

At this point…Aurum and Sarah were almost walking on air. Their faces were glowing. =)

The sun peaked out from behind the clouds to provide some great lighting. I also liked how the sun added to their natural ‘glow.’

Aurum giving himself some cred after a well planned proposal. =)

One last group shot before we headed downtown to lounge and celebrate. The happy couple with their sniper ninjas.

Headed out to Japonais on Chicago Ave. Amazing ambiance. Great recommendation from Aurum’s sister.

The lounge area was open air to the river walk. Beautiful. Perfect weather. Pretty dark, so not too many shots indoors. Here’s one as Aurum retells the story to the group…

The ladies…

The guys… (photo credit: Sarah)

Funny pic with everyone (photo credit: Dennis) Mad props to all who drove from Chambana to celebrate with the happy couple!

What a wonderful day! If you want to hear the rest of the stories, be sure to track them down for more details.

Aurum & Sarah: It was a privilege to be apart of it all. Congrats and…Praise the Lord! May He continue to use you both as you serve him faithfully!

I had so much fun with this…if you would like to book a “I Hope She Says Yes!” photoshoot, email me at info@nakaiphotography.com =)

I love photographing engagement sessions because I get to travel all over the city. For this session, we headed out to North Avenue Beach where Chris had proposed to Kim. These two have been together for a long time, and I am excited to be apart of their wedding next month!

The weather was perfect for an engagement photoshoot…

Desaturated color in this one…

The wonderful city in the background

North Avenue is famous for their volleyball courts. Were able to find some empty courts on this Sunday afternoon.

My favorite shot of the day: I love the look Kim has in this photo…

Sitting on the pier…

Chilling near the water…though it was a bit windy, were were able to find this area of calm water near the pier.

A fantastic silhouette shot on the water-

The beautiful light from the setting sun…

Thanks guys! I’m looking forward to seeing you guys on your wedding day!

I met Peter and Sophia at the Glencoe Beach for our eSession. It was my first time at this particular beach, and I was impressed. Though there is an entry fee, this beach is well maintained and very clean. =)

These two were a bit camera shy when we first started, and so it took them some time to warm up…but once we got on a roll…things kept getting better and better!

Sophia did a great job at making Peter laugh in between shots…

Hanging out by the sailboats for a bit…

Peter was willing to roll up the khakis and get a little wet…needless to say, Sophia was a bit scared and nervous!

A whole bunch of laughs as they had some fun in the water-

So yea, if you request a photoshoot on the beach…getting a little wet goes a long way in getting great shots!

Enjoying a nice moment together…

The Park District had these beautiful stone buildings…so we had to stop and grab a few images with one of the archways.

Peter turned and caught Sophia off guard with a nice sweaty nose…

Chillin in the park…

The relaxed couple on a beautiful day…

Thanks guys for a great time! See you both in a month!

A couple weeks ago I met Jon & Michelle at the museum campus right off LSD. It was a beautiful evening…even with the rap concert blaring in the background. Since it was a Sun evening, the only people out and abouts were those on a leisurely stroll. The setting sun provided awesome light throughout our time at the lake front.

Having fun with the shadows. Jon thought to do a “Catch Me if You Can” pose.

This was the first shot of the evening…also one of my favorites:

Having a nice, relaxing time.

Gotta love the columns of the Field Museum.

A kiss on her tippy toes. =)

He wasn’t ready for this one. Michelle liked to have these ‘sneak attack’ kisses. Kept me on my toes. =)

From Allen & Helen’s eSession, I thought to try the ‘dip’ again. This was their first ‘dip’ together. I think they hit it wonderfully. =)

Jon saw the moon and we were able to snap this photo…

Hanging out at the Field Museum…

Thanks so much for a great evening guys! Good luck with those dissertations! =)

Last Sat morning I was able to have an eSession with Allen & Helen. It turns out that Helen was at UIUC while I was there…but we never ran into each other, even though we were both apart of Covenant Fellowship Church. We were planning on having our eSession at the Lake, but the Air & Water show was going on.  However, due to their quick thinking, we were able to find another park nearby for our photoshoot.

It was a beautiful day with an overcast sky and gorgeous diffused light…

Allen and Helen were a lot of fun as they continually made faces at each other throughout the morning…here are a few of the funny ones:

but…in the midst of the fun…we were able to get some good shots:

The ‘serious’ look. =)

This park was a little gem in the city…a surreal moment…

We hung at the playground for a bit…

My favorite shot of the day: a little motion…and a little fun…

bling bling… =O

I really liked this shot too…just a nice, chill shot on the park bench…

You wouldn’t even know we were in Chicago…

The ‘dip’ with the John Hancock in the background…

And one last image…

I had a great time hanging out with you guys- See you in a month!