In August of 2021 I took a trip to Chicago with my wife to visit her friend and fiancé, Waverly & Matt. Shruthi and Waverly grew up together and remain close friends. She had bought a townhome with Matt not too long ago and we went up to check it out and see the sights.
We started by just walking around her neighborhood, Bucktown. It had a very "Chicago-feel".
Oh, did I mention they just got an ADORABLE puppy: A golden doodle named, Nala.
After catching up and exploring the neighborhood, we went for Tacos at Taqueria Chingon. We have no shortage of tacos in Texas but Chicago's tacos are pretty solid too. I like the very old style of this menu pic below.
After tacos we went to one of Waverly and Matt's favorite drink spots down the street called Remedy for a cocktail. It had very chill and casual vibes. Living walking distance to it, they go all the time and I can see why. The drinks were unique and it's definitely a place to be a regular at.
The next day, we went for bottomless mimosas and brunch at Takito Kitchen. It was super good and also BYOB so we continued the buzz throughout brunch. Below is one of my favorite film photos I've ever taken. I feel it captures the mood of brunch super well.
After brunch, Matt got a text from some coworkers to join them at Big Star for some drinks. We walked over for some margaritas, which were super good, and his coworkers were great as well. Below is also another one of my favorite photos I've taken with my Minolta X700. The "Order Here" sign with the colorful plant and cashier set up looks so vibrant. The film grain adds a bit of vintage feel as well which I'm a huge sucker for.
We did a short engagement shoot at Garfield Park Conservatory for Wavery and Matt, which was essentially a huge green house with lots of plants and greenery. I love taking film photos of water. The koi fish in this small pond at the conservatory look so cool under the reflection of the moving water. I feel the film gives it so much more character than an iPhone shot.
Our final stop for the day was Milton Lee Olive Park for part 2 of their engagement shoot. Not film, but here are a few from their shoots I really like:
After the shoot, Waverly and Matt went to find parking while Shruthi and I walked downtown a bit to our dinner spot at Il Porcellino. Downtown Chicago at night was so cool. So many bright lights and sights to see. I wish we had more time downtown to explore. Next time for sure. Dinner was delicious. Definitely my favorite meal of the trip.
I also grabbed a few night driving shots. I took these after dinner just to kill the last few shots I had on my roll, but the beauty of film is that you never know how shots will come out. I love the feel of these shots. The colors of the sun going down and the blur from the lights makes for a calm mood.
Thanks for the great time guys! Can't wait to come back!