Happy Holidays!

Emily & Alan 12.20.08

On Saturday Monica & I met up with Emily & Alan downtown Chicago to shoot their engagement session.
Our first stop was Union Station and from their we went to the library, a park on Columbus and up north near North & Milwaukee.
Chicago has hundreds of great places to shoot so it was hard to pick just a few.

It was really hard to pick out my favorites but here are a few.













You can see the rest of the set HERE.

Patty & Al 12.07.08

Monica & I did a day after session with Patty & Al at Turtle Bay Resort.
While walking around & taking pictures a guy named Dennis who works for the resort said he had the perfect place for us to shoot. So we hopped on his golf cart & he took us to this little secluded cove area.
So thank you to Dennis for helping us get some beautiful shots.

Here are some of my favorites from the session.

The pictures below are from the cove area that Dennis brought us to.

You can view the rest of the session HERE.

Patty & Al 12.06.08

Patty & Al 12.06.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

As some of you know Monica & I were just in Hawaii for a week to shoot Patty & Al's wedding in Ka'a'awa, Hawaii.

The weather was an average of 80 degrees all week & I can't wait to go back.

Check out some more of my favorites from the wedding HERE.

I still have pictures to post from Patty & Al's day after session & all of our other Hawaii adventures. So keep checking back for more updates!

Catching Up...

Just got home from Hawaii this morning.
Jet Lag knocked us both out pretty hard so most of my day today has been spent in my wonderful king size bed.

So expect a lot of updates over the next week from the wedding, snorkeling, hiking in the jungle and all the other wonderful things that Hawaii has to offer.

SKY 11.25.08

SKY 11.25.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

On Tuesday I was out & about doing some last minute grocery shopping & preparing for our Vegan Thanksgiving get together.

While driving home from Chesterton I drove past this wide open field area & the way the sun was shining just looked beautiful. So I quickly drove home, grabbed my camera, drove back & snapped off a few shots.

Luckily everything was still the same when I got back.

I have decided that I need to keep my camera & at least one lens on me at all times. I can't afford to miss something like this.

Check out the rest of the pictures HERE.

Vitanza Family 11.13.08

Vitanza Family 11.13.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

For those who didn't catch my blog a couple of weeks ago Monica & I were in Austin, TX doing some work / taking a small vacation.

While were down there Monica's aunt scheduled a family session for us & it turned out wonderful.

I posted a small handful of my favorites HERE.

Reggies Rock Club 11.21.08

I have a whole bunch of editing & prepping the house for Vegan Thanksgiving so this is just going to be a short & sweet post today.

Energy
Cruel Hand
Bane
H2O
11.21.08
Reggies Rock Club
Chicago, Il

H2O
Myspace - More Pictures


BANE
Myspace - More Pictures


Cruel Hand
Myspace - More Pictures


Energy
Myspace - More Pictures

BUSY BUSY BUSY 11.20.08

Just a few updates...

Well if you didn't know Monica & I were in Austin, Tx last week doing some photo work. Monica has some family down there so we stayed with them.
We ended up doing a family session, two corporate shoots & a lot of relaxing.

I of course did some records shopping on the trip. I really can't go anywhere with buying records. Yes I am a nerd. Here's a link to my TRADE LIST for anyone that might be interested.

So I have a whole bunch of editing & updating to do over the next week.

This Friday I am shooting Bane again in Chicago.

On Sunday Monica leaves for her Mexico wedding.

We do Vegan Thanksgiving every year at our house on Thanksgiving day so that will be happening again.

Then we go to HAWAII on Dec. 3rd to the 10th!

So there is a lot going on so be ready for some very big updates!

The Beat Kitchen 11.09.08

Last night Monica & I jam packed our car with some friends & went into Chicago to check out a show at The Beat Kitchen. Of course before the show we grabbed some Veggie Bite.

The Line up was (with myspace & picture links)

Convicted - Pictures


Let Down - Pictures



Blacklisted - Pictures



Ceremony - Pictures


Have Heart - Pictures


You can check out all the pictures HERE.

Elenora 11.01.08

Elenora 11.01.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

I got a call from my friend Nathen (who I have known since 2nd grade) telling me that his band is playing in Lake Station, IN & I should come check them out. Since I don't see Nathen very often & I had nothing else to do I packed up my camera, hopped in the car & went to the Lake Station Eagles Club.

To put it simple Elenora is a metal band. They have one demo song on their myspace & they are recording a new demo very soon. The song on their myspace page is defiantly not a good example of what they sound like now. To be honest it isn't very good. So bookmark their page & give them time to record their new demo & check back later.

You can check them out on myspace HERE.
You can see the rest of their pictures HERE.

Hope & Adam 10.26.08

Hope & Adam 10.26.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Check out more of Hope & Adam pictures HERE.

Amanda & Adam 10.25.08

Amanda & Adam 10.25.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

See more of their pictures HERE.

What a weekend!

I wanted to get a quick blog in with some samples from the two awesome weddings we shot this past weekend.

The first two are from Amanda & Adam on 10.25.08 & the second one is from Hope & Adam on 10.26.08.

On Sunday our friend Thomas Marlow came out & shot with us. Check out his website HERE.

Well it is time for me to hit the sack. I have a lot of editing to get done. So keep an eye out for some new blogs in the next couple of days.

Kate & Joe 10.18.08

Kate & Joe 10.18.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

This past Saturday Monica & I made the drive up to St. Joe, Michigan to the Blue Dress Barn to shoot Kate & Joe's wedding.

The Blue Dress Barn is pretty much a really cool big old Barn & I was able to get some cool shots of it. I made my first attempt at a HDR picture (which you can see on my Flickr photostream) with some shots I took of the barn.

Anyway... Kate & Joe were a great couple to work with.

You can see the rest of the pictures HERE.

Graue Mill & Monica 10.14.08

Graue Mill & Monica 10.14.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

On Tuesday before our first of three meetings started we had some extra time so we headed to Graue Mill in Hinsdale, IL.

The first 14 years of my life were spent in Brookfield, IL which is just a couple of towns over from Hinsdale. As kids my mom would take us to the McDonalds right down the street and then we would picnic & walk around Graue Mill enjoying the scenery & all the ducks & geese. Actually one time my sister got her foot bit by a goose. It was pretty funny (yeah I'm a horrible older brother... oh well).

So anyway... We walked around for about a half an hour snapping a few pictures here & there before we grabbed some Chipotle for lunch.

You can see the rest of the pictures HERE.

Sandi & Don 10.12.08

Sandi & Don 10.12.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

This past Sunday Monica & I met up with Sandi & Don at Creek Ridge County Park to shoot their Engagement Session.

Creek Ridge County Park is a cute little park in Michigan City, IN that has a dog park that we frequent & some fun trails. It's a great place to get out and relax.

The mosquito's were out for blood like crazy so we left a bit early & drove to Washington Park & walked along Lake Michigan.

You can see more of the pictures HERE.

Danielle & Ryan 10.11.08

Danielle & Ryan 10.11.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Last Saturday Monica & I were lucky enough to shoot Danielle & Ryan's wedding in Dyer & Scherreville, IN.

Make sure you check out the pictures of their wonderful yellow lab puppy Boiler.

Check out more of the pictures HERE.

Mary Lynn & Bill 10.10.08

Mary Lynn & Bill 10.10.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Last week Monica & I met up with Mary Lynn & Bill at Centennial Park in Munster, IN to shoot their engagement session.

Centennial park is fairly new and is a wonderful location to shoot.

You can see the rest of their pictures HERE.

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Centennial Park, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

What a weekend!

Friday evening was an engagement session at Centennial Park in Munster, IN (pictured above) with Mary & Bill.
Saturday was Ryan & Danielle's wedding in Crown Point, IN.
Today was another engagement session with Sandi & Don at Creek Ridge County Park & Washington Park in Michigan City, IN.

Each day was absolutely wonderful!

I wanted to throw up a quick recap of the weekend before I crashed out for the evening. So there you go...

We have 3 meetings in Chicago over the next 2 days. Not including the one Monica had today (I stayed home to nurse this cough I have had for the past week & to take care of the puppies).

So get ready for more & more updates coming within the next few days.

City Methodist Church - Gary, IN 10.05.08

City Methodist Church - Gary, IN 10.05.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Yesterday I ventured into Gary, IN. with my friend Jeremy of J. Jacobs Photography (he will have his own blog soon and I will post a link so everyone can check out his great work).
If you don't know to much about Gary I will give you a quick run down from what I know...

- Once was a booming city before most of the Steel industry left. US Steel still remains fully functional but that's about it.
- 60% + of downtown is abandoned.
- Gary goes back and forth with Detroit and New Orleans as the murder capital of the United States.
- That's what I know about Gary but you can read more on Wikipedia.

We stopped at a few locations I have visited before & one new spot that I have seen pictures of before but never visited myself.

Our first stop was the City Methodist Church (pictured above).

Completed in 1925; half of the cost was given by United States Steel. The nave had seating for 950 and, during the congregation's heyday, there were nearly 3,000 members. By 1973, that number had dwindled to 300. The congregation left the building in 1975, and it was used brieflly by another congregation. It was abandoned in the early 1980's and ravaged by vandalism over the ensuing years. A fire in 1997 did considerable damage to the nave, basically just leaving the walls and some ceiling
From City Methodist we traveled over to the Post Office & then to the Sheraton Hotel.
The Gary Sheraton Hotel opened in 1978, went bankrupt from lack of business within 5 years and closed in 1984.
And to finished of our day in Gary we visited what used to be Union Station.

Overall Gary is a very interesting spot to check out. If you do decide to venture out that way please BE CAREFUL & don't get caught. A lot of the buildings we entered are falling apart & are not safe at all.

And as usual you can check out the rest of the pictures on my FLICKR page.

BANE 10.04.08

BANE 10.04.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Last night I packed my car full of friends & made the drive up to Milwaukee, WI to see BANE.
I haven't seen Bane play in about 5 years so the trip was extra special for me.

On the way we stopped at Soul Vegetarian East on 75th & Indiana to grab some food. If you haven't been there I highly recommend it. I have taken quite a few of my friends who are not vegan & they loved it.

You can see the rest of the pictures HERE.

If you are interest in more info about Bane check out the following...

Bane on Wikipedia
Bane on Myspace

Furry Friends 09.29.08

Furry Friends 09.29.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

So today at 1:05 I sit down in front of our new tv, turn it on and go to channel 9 only to find out that the White Sox game has been put on a rain delay. So instead of going back to the cleaning that I had been doing earlier that day I took out my camera & popped off a few shots of the furry friends that live with us.

You can check out the rest of the pictures HERE.

Right now we have 2 dogs & 2 cats.

Diamond, a black lab & pit bull mix. Probably the sweetest dog on the block (unless you are a squirrel then sadly you are being chased across the yard). We found her at the Michiana Humane Society 2 weeks before we closed on out house. The Humane Society was wonderful enough to hold her for us & we actually picked her up right before we signed the papers on our house.

Lilly, the grey tabby. We picked up Lilly from the Humane Society about 2 weeks after we got Diamond. To be honest she is kind of lazy (like most cats) & if someone enters the bathroom she has to be in there also & will cry until you let her in.

Saffron (we call her Saffie), is a puggle. Unlike most puggles who are half pug & half beagle she is 3/4 pug & only a 1/4 beagle. Monica & I were grocery shopping one day when we ran into some friends of hers & they mentioned that they had puppies & if we were interested we could come by & take one home with us.

Ginger, the orange tabby. Ginger is another Humane Society rescue & is probably the strangest cat you will ever met. I have woke up early many mornings to her sitting on my chest & licking my face.

South Shore Train 09.25.08

South Shore Train 09.25.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Long time no blog... Things have been really busy around here.

In Michigan City the South Shore train runs right down the middle of 11th street. I was driving around town and it was stopped so I hopped out of my car real quick and snapped a few shots.

I only posted a few but of course you can view the rest of them HERE.


We also purchased a new car yesterday. A 2007 Toyota Matrix!
I will snap some pictures of that soon and post them up here.

JERSEY SHORE 09.11.08

JERSEY SHORE 09.11.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Long time no blog...

For the past few days we have been relaxing in New Jersey and New York City with some awesome friends.
Our friend Tom took us to Point Pleasant, NJ the other day where we walked along the beach and Monica swam. I of course brought my camera and popped off a few shots here and there.

You can check out the rest of the pictures here...
http://flickr.com/photos/xchriszx/sets/72157607264768184/

NYC is a wonderful place and if you haven't checked it out you need to ASAP! Great food, great records stores and just the overall feel is awesome.

Monday we are going to a White Sox vs. Yankees game at Yankee Stadium!

We are out here until Tuesday then we make the trek back home to Indiana.

Last night we shot a great wedding for Joe & Stephanie in Basking Ridge, NJ. I will get some of those shots up very soon!

Dan & Nikki 08.31.08

Dan & Nikki 08.31.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Quick Update...

This past Sunday Monica and I were lucky enough to shoot a wedding with out friend Robyn from Studio R Photography.

The day started out at the Embassy Suites hotel and then moved on to the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

If you haven't been to the Gardens you need to check it out. It's such a beautiful place.

I have a few posted on my Flickr page and as usual they can be seen here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xchriszx/sets/72157607093557073/

I will have more pictures from Sunday and from out Saturday wedding posted very soon.

Sarah & Jeff

Check out the slide show in Monica's blog from Sarah and Jeff's wedding last night.

http://monicazphotography.blogspot.com/

I will have my fun pictures up soon!

TWITTER

I recently signed up for Twitter.

Check it out!

https://twitter.com/christopherz

Stephanie & Dave 08.26.08

Stephanie & Dave 08.26.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Last night Stephanie and Dave brought over their cute little puggle puppy (named Piper) to play with our dogs and then Stephanie, Dave, Monica and myself headed out to shoot.

We spent about 3 hours shooting and hit up the following places...

Former Pioneer Lumber location
Abandoned gas station / auto shop
Abandoned Brewery
Washington Park / Lake Michigan

This was my first Trash The Dress session and I am extremely pleased on how well the pictures turned out.

You can view the rest of the pictures here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xchriszx/sets/72157606983144057/

Jon & Becky 08.23.08

Jon & Becky 08.23.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Shot a great wedding in Valparaiso, IN over the weekend.
The wedding was held at this great venue called Taltree Arboretum. I highly recommend checking this place out!
http://www.taltree.org/

More pictures from the wedding can be seen here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xchriszx/sets/72157606936305204/

MONICA 08.22.08

MONICA 08.22.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

Went into downtown Michigan City, IN again today to do some pictures of my wonderful wife Monica.

We took out little dog Saffie for some of the pictures also.

To view the rest check them out here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xchriszx/sets/72157606900504619/

VOTE FOR US!

http://scarlettlillian.blogspot.com/2008/08/contest-finalists-day-3.html#links

JOEY 08.14.08

JOEY 08.14.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

While shooting Bill today our friend Joey showed up on his motorcycle (mine is in the shop) and we have talked about doing some pictures of him on it so we popped these off real quick.

There are many more motorcycle picture ideas in the mix so be on the lookout for that.

You can view the rest here...
www.flickr.com/photos/xchriszx/sets/72157606734702910/

BILL 08.14.08

BILL 08.14.08, originally uploaded by xChrisZx.

I switched hours at my full time job so I can go out and get some shooting done.
My dear friend Bill's sister recently got married so he had a brand new suit and he was nice enough to pull it out of the closet and walk around downtown Michigan City, IN a bit.

You can view more here...

www.flickr.com/photos/xchriszx/sets/72157606738177033/