P.S. Congratulations Amy & John!!!  See more DIY wedding photography here.

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See more Patrick Haley Mansion photography here.

This wedding took place at the beautiful Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet, IL.  Lexie was such a beautiful bride her new husband Rich was a hoot.  We had a great time together.  We started the day at Lexie’s mothers beautiful Shorewood home.  Then traveled to downtown Joliet for some fun shots near the Realto Square Theatre.  We ended the day at the Patrick Haley Mansion where the ceremony and reception took place.  It was a beautiful day and we had a blast partying the night away with an awesome bride and groom.

Thank you Lexie and Rich for the great time and the new friendship!!!

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What can I say, I love backyard weddings.  Especially when they’re in small towns.  Everyone coming together, family, friends, neighbors.  It’s amazing sometimes how two people falling in love can bring an entire community together for one special occasion.  This wedding was shot at Goose Lake near Coal City, about an hour or so south of Chicago.  I love how they incorporated their love for lake life into their wedding.  Here are some of my favorite photographs from the day.  See more outdoor Chicago-land wedding photography here, and outdoor Chicago-land wedding photographer here.

I fell in love with this antique Cadillac De-Ville.  The shallow depth of field really draws your eye to the badge.

Here’s another shot of the car, this time with the bride sitting on the back.  I like the contrast of the white dress, black car, and the colorful bouquet.

Instead of dad walking his little girl down the aisle, they rode together in an antique boat that he rebuilt himself just for her wedding.  It was really touching, and a little stressful since he was still working on it up until a few minutes before the wedding.  This was the maiden voyage.

I can’t say it enough, REAL SMILES, that’s what makes my job so wonderful.  It is just so satisfying to capture a true expression of happiness.

LOL.  I had to include this one, just because this was the only expression I could coax from this little guy the whole day.

An old dock, a beautiful sky, and two beautiful people dressed in all white wedding apparel.  What’s not to like?

Thank you guys for the really fun time and the boat ride…haha.  Me and Michelle had a great time!

-Corlis :: Contact Me!

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When it comes to beautiful ceremonies, this one takes the cake!  This beautiful wedding began at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL.  The ceremony took place at the exquisite church Queen of the Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church which is  located  LaSalle, IL.  Finally, the reception took place at Oak Ridge Golf Club in Seneca, IL.  As a Chicago wedding photographer I get the opportunity to travel to a lot of wonderful locations all over Illinois.  These are some of the best when it comes to rustic beauty!  See more Seneca Oak Ridge wedding photographer photo’s here, and Seneca Oak Ridge wedding photography here.

The natural light coming through the stained glass in this church was simply amazing.  It allowed me to shoot without a flash and capture all of the shadow and light detail.  What I love about this photograph is stunning shimmer of the gold wall.

Shooting from the organ/choir loft here gave me a different perspective and allowed me to capture more of the detail of this beautiful wall.

The shallow depth of field in this image draws your attention to the emotion in Audrey and Marks faces without losing the beauty of the background.

Here the architectural detail of the balcony adds to the drama of this high fashion group shot.

Getting down low and using the low sun to silhouette

Thank you guys for the wonderful time!  We had a great time taking the golf carts for a ride and freezing our butts off LOL.

-Corlis :: Contact Me

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This amazing wedding took place at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL.  Just about an hour and a half southwest of Chicago.  Starved Rock has to be one of my favorite places for a wedding getaway.  The lodge is beautiful and the scenery is second to none.  This wedding was no exception.  I have to say, Laci and Ian are, what I like to refer to as, “beautiful people”.  We all wish we were as good looking as these two.  At least I do, lol.  It was virtually impossible for me to take a bad picture of them.  To top it all off, they were genuinely just good hearted people which made my job just that much easier.  For this Chicago wedding photographer, this is as good as it gets.  See more Ottawa, IL wedding photographer photo’s by Corlis Gray here, and Ottawa, IL wedding photography here.  You can also see Laci & Ian’s Chicago engagement session here.

I probably looked pretty silly from other people’s perspectives, but laying on the floor and adding a slight camera tilt, gave this shot a little edginess.

Here the shallow depth of field draws your attention to the groom gazing at his soon to be wife.

I love the very editorial look of this photograph.  The punchy colors ad to the drama of this photo.  Just a small note, this was NOT posed.  I just captured a really stunning moment of Laci gazing out the window of the trolley, just soaking in the days events.

Here the shallow depth of field and the sharpness of Laci really brings out her eyes.  They are almost mesmerizing.  It doesn’t hurt that she’s done some modeling either.  LOL.

In this image I placed a flash behind Laci and Ian as they were dancing to capture a silhouette of them dancing while using another flash to give a slight fill light.  With the long shutter speed I could grab some of the ambient light surrounding them and in the background.  I think it’s a wonderfully romantic image.

Ian and Laci, you are truly two very wonderful people, and I wish you all the best.  Your wedding was almost as rockin’ as you!

-Corlis :: Contact Me

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Congratulations you guys.  I wish you all the happiness in the world!  And don’t forget you promised to name your baby after me LOL

Your Friend,

Corlis – Contact Me!

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This beautiful wedding took place in small town Morris, IL.  About an hour southwest of Chicago.  As you’ll see, we found a hidden treasure of this old rundown building.  While traveling to Gebhard Woods, a small community park, I got a little lost, lol, and found this great place.  It really contrasted the elegance of the wedding attire.  Here’s a small sample of this truly gorgeous wedding.  See more Morris, IL wedding photography here.

The cross process look and extreme sharpness of this image give it a very editorial feel.

I love the smooth tones and contrast of this image.  This old iron stairway gives it a really grunge/urban feel even though it was shot in a small rural town.

The shallow depth of feel gives this image a artsy feel.  While the fast shutter speed freezes the tiny candy hearts in mid air to really add to the detail in this action shot.

Here the vintage process applied to the image gives a really dramatic feel to another very urban feeling image.

In this image I wanted to give the impression of a high fashion magazine style image.  The contrast and bright colors really make it pop.

Another vintage treatment with a GQ style pose really makes this image stand out.

Thanks Joe and Ashley for not letting the weather dampen your spirits.  You were truly great sports.  We gad a great time and hope you love your pictures as much as we do.

-Corlis :: Contact Me

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Chase and Karen had a beautiful destination wedding in the Bahamas.  Unfortunately I wasn’t invited LOL, but I did get the opportunity to photograph their reception when they returned.  The reception took place at Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Resort in Utica, IL.  At first I was a little apprehensive about what the quality of their banquet facilities might be since this is more of a family getaway facility with water parks and carnival rides.  But I have to admit, the banquet hall was stunning!  It was really well decorated with beautiful lighting and a superb staff.  Not only that, with a “carnival” near by it was ridiculously fun!  hopping on rides with a wedding party is more fun than you might think .  Here’s a little taste.

See more Ottawa, IL wedding photography here, from Ottawa wedding photographer Corlis Gray Photography.

I caught these two love birds having a quiet moment outside of the banquet hall.  I love the direction lighting falling on the couple and the tonality it adds to the picture.

I thought this cool ambiant light the DJ had set up along the wall really made the cake pop.  A little camera tilt gave the image a little more flair.

This silky black and white image beautifully captures Karen and Chase happily gazing at each other during their first dance as husband and wife.

I know this seems out of place but I just couldn’t resist.  At Grand Bear they had this cute baby leopard.  Check out the bling this cat is rockin’!

The lovely couple riding this awesome carousel at the amusement park.

And last but not least, who can resist a quick kiss in front of the swing buggy?!  It’s like blinky light heaven! LOL.

A special thanks to Chase and Karen for the amazing time we had at your beautiful reception.  And an extra extra special thanks to the wonderful staff at Grand Bear Resort.

-Corlis :: Contact Me

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It was about 11 am.  I started packing up my camera bag with all the essentials…you know…camera’s, lenses, flashes, cards.  I headed out for a quick brunch and ran some errands.

Sounds like a normal day as a photographer.  I headed out at about 2 to scout the area where I’d be shooting Tim and Madison’s engagement session.  Little did I know I’d be driving around for the next 2 hours back and forth past the very place I needed to be.  LOL.  Nobody’s perfect right?  Good thing I left 2 hours early.

Enter Gebhard Woods in Morris, IL.  A pleasant little treasure trove of green foliage and manicured lawns.  We had a great time hiking and getting a little dirty to get some great shots

See more Morris engagement photography here.

Thanks to Tim and Madison for the great time

-Corlis :: Contact me!

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What I like about this shot: The light was perfectly soft underneath the umbrella on this bistro table which allowed me to perfectly expose for their faces.  I thought it was great that I could get the name  Cafe Brauer into the shot to document the beautiful location we were at.

I added a little vignette to this image to focus our attention on the beautiful couple.  Notice how Laci has created a broken angle with her leg, adding more drama to this image.

This close up is just amazing!  There are some beautiful highlights in their eyes giving them a sparkle.  We were in some beautiful shade on this one which gave us really great and even skin tones.

I used a fairly shallow depth of field on this image to give it a more artistic look and to get rid of some of the distractions in the background.  I love the relaxed expressions on their faces, they were naturals!

This is a really fun and playful image.  The light breaking through the trees in the back ground adds drama, and since the couple were fully shaded the skin tones are beautiful.  The shallow depth of field draws the viewers attention directly to the subject.

I walked around for a while to find this spot.  It was pretty difficult being that it was downtown Chicago.  I love the contrast of nature meets urban landscape in this one.  It looks like they are spending the perfect afternoon downtown picnicking.

I cant say enough how much of a great time I really had with you guys.  I love any excuse to get to the city and just spend a day taking in the sights and I couldn’t think of two better people to do it with!

-Corlis :: Contact Me!

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Lupe & Harry & Kate & Jorge.  Lol…what’s that saying? Threes company and fours a crowd?  Not in this case.  This double wedding was a truly great experience for me.  It took me some time to figure out how this all came about, but eventually I got it.  Lupe and Jorge are siblings, and Harry and Kate are the significant others.  The great thing was they all got along like they’d been family forever.  From clever banter to hugs and joy, they never skipped a beat.  I do have to admit.  Keeping up with two couples and making sure everyone got an equal amount of camera time plus ensuring I got the shots and they looked natural, was quite a challenge.  I was exhausted by the end of this beautiful wedding.  The ceremony and reception took place at the Chateau Bu-Sche’ in Alsip, IL.

Chicago | Wedding | Photography | Photographer | Naperville | Alsip

Chicago | Wedding | Photography | Photographer | Naperville | Alsip

I don’t know what they were saying to one another, but I’m sure it had something to do with calming a few wedding day jitters

Chicago | Wedding | Photography | Photographer | Naperville | Alsip

Chicago | Wedding | Photography | Photographer | Naperville | Alsip

Now this is one handsome ring bearer.

Chicago | Wedding | Photography | Photographer | Naperville | Alsip

Chicago | Wedding | Photography | Photographer | Naperville | Alsip

Nothing like some gangsta white suspenders for your wedding

Thank you Lupe, Kate, Harry, and Jorge for letting us spend your unique Chicago wedding with you.  We just hope the photography did it justice.

-Corlis :: Contact Me!

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Audrey and Mark are some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.  They are truly genuine and kind spirited people.  I really enjoyed this shoot because they were just so playful! They had no problem gettin’ a little dirty AND WET.  It was just like going hiking with two good friends I’d known for years.  The engagement photography was done at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL.  (It sure does seem like I’m there an awful lot doesn’t it? Maybe I should just move out there and become the “Starved Rock Photographer” LOL.)  See more Starved Rock engagement photography here, by Starved Rock engagement photographer Corlis Gray, and Starved Rock engagement photo’s here.

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I just love doing this shot.  People are always so much more relaxed when the pose isn’t really a pose.  The greatest expressions always come when a couple is simply interacting naturally.

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This shot is so great!  I told Mark and Audrey to play and have some fun and that is exactly what they did.  All of my clients and friends know I like to get a little dirty when I’m shooting, so I’m glad they joined in the fun.

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This shot is great because Mark was being such a gentleman.  He volunteered to carry his lovely fiance’ out of the water.  Plus the contrast of the rock behind them was just beautiful.

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I love this depth of field photograph.  It really draws the attention to the flip flops in the sand and gives you the impression they’re in some cove in the tropics or something.  Even though their just at Starved Rock.

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Genuine Smiles!  They always come after the fake one people give for the photographer.  LOL.  This is one of those special moments I look for when people think I’m not shooting.

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Audrey has some beautiful eyes and I wanted to capture that.  I love how they are dead center and your eye is drawn there immediately.

Thank you guys for such a fun time.  You know how I like to get dirty and roll around on the ground and you had NO problem with that.

-Corlis :: Contact Me!

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When it comes to happy smiling people, these two take the cake!  Chris and Jeanette have no trouble finding something to smile about.  We had a wonderful time exploring the Chicago Botanic Gardens.  I especially love the fact they didn’t have a problem getting a little dirty and going off the beaten path.  Although the day began a bit wet with ominous clouds overhead, God saw fit to open up the sky just for us, and we had a beautiful shoot.  Here’s a little peek   You can see more Chicago Botanic Gardens engagement photography here, by Chicago Botanic Gardens engagement photographer Corlis Gray Photography.

Thanks Chris and Jeanette for the really great time and all the laughs!

-Corlis

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This fabulous engagement session took place in historic Downtown Naperville, near the Riverwalk.  Just 30 minutes south of Chicago.  What an extremely fun and beautiful couple!  What started out as a one hour session turned into three hours of just hanging out getting to know each other.  We found a cute little wine cellar (Petersons wine cellar)where we tasted some wine while Mike and Corey told me how they met.  It was truly one of my most memorable sessions!  Here’s a sneak peak.   See more Naperville engagement photography here, and Naperville engagement photographer here.

This picture is where we crashed a little party at the American Saloon Black Finn.  It’s always nice to cause a little trouble while capturing that perfect moment

Thanks Mike and Corey for such a great night of getting to know each other!

-Corlis

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Julia and Shane are a super cute couple.  We had a really great time exploring the Chicago Botanical Gardens.  I absolutely fell in love with the Japanese garden!  I had no idea you could create Bonzai Trees that big!  LOL.  Although the heat was a bit intense we pushed through and were rewarded with some beautiful light at sunset   The sweetest part was that this was were their first date took place 4 years ago.  Awwww   You can see more Chicago Botanic Gardens engagement photography here, by Chicago Botanic Gardens photographer Corlis Gray Photography.

Special thanks to Shane for the great tour of the gardens.

-Corlis

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