Lumen Photography

Wedding | Dani & Dustin | James J. Hill Library – St. Paul, Minnesota

lumen01 — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:42:50 +0000

Hello awesome reader, Let me go ahead and say right away… Boom. What a fun wedding this was to shoot. Meet Danielle and Dustin, two of the strongest and perfectly matched people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet! Their wedding took place in St. Paul at the historic James J. Hill Library. The whole weekend was unfortunately forecasted to have heavy thunderstorms so when I was driving over I wasn’t surprised that they day started out drizzling. Luckily, it didn’t matter a single iota to either bride or groom. From the moment I saw Dustin and Dani, they were only focused on the happiness of the day and I totally respect that.

Being in such a gorgeous location, there were copious opportunities for creative photo ops and seeing as they were both adventurous and outgoing – we totally got some killer pics. From smooching in the stacks to a gorgeous natural light ceremony, quite literally, the entire day was perfect. Then, we got even luckier when the rain stopped and we were able to get outside for some family and bridal party portraits. I just want to throw out a big thanks to everyone at the wedding for making the day everything it was. I had a ton of fun and I hope you love your photos as much as I do!

If you really liked everything, make sure to “like” the Lumen Photography Fan Page on Facebook! At 500 fans, I’ll randomly select someone for a free portrait session. It’ll probably be YOU.

Evan

Portraits | Kevin | Chicago, Illinois

lumen01 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:20:55 +0000

Let me introduce you to Kevin! Roommate and friend, this guy is graduating this year and wanted a few photos to commemorate. He is one of the most laid-back and easy going guys you’ll ever meet and he’ll always have your back. Anyways, of course I agreed to take some photos for him provided he would take a few “goofy” photos for me. At spread through out the actual photos down at Loyola Universities Lake Shore Campus, you’ll see some assorted pictures of this guy… with a Chinchilla (not a stuffed animal but a real living and cute rodent)… in a Spider Man button down. In all the photos he looks incredibly debonair; so, I hope you’ll enjoy this latest set.

Evan

Personal | Grandma & Grandpa | Edina, Minnesota

lumen01 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:33:52 +0000

When you’ve known someone for a longtime, you often have an ideal image of them in your minds-eye. I took these two photographs of my grandparents a few weeks ago for my mother’s birthday. This is how I will always remember them. For my grandmother, I’ll always envision her as being happy and playing a game of cribbage with my aunts or cousins. That or baking something delicious! For my grandpa, I usually picture him relaxing in his enormous and incredibly comfy arm chair while reading the newspaper or a book. Or playing one of his infamous handheld games. Thanks for taking the time to read!

Evan

Engagement | Kristy and Nick | La Crosse, Wisconsin

lumen01 — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:41:22 +0000

Let me introduce you to the couple that broke pinterest – Kristy and Nick. Ok… not really but you’ve gotta admit, they’re an incredibly (insert descriptive cute adjective) couple. Our engagement session took place over in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which I learned was a pretty awesome little city. We started off at the Pearl Street Book Store. Now, this is not your ordinary book store like Barnes and Noble, this is one of the most unique book stores I’ve ever had the pleasure to come across. You always hear about, or see in movies, those big rolling ladders in libraries… this place had those! Since both Kristy and Nick were awesome and willing to go with my goofy ideas, they were willing to do lots of fun stuff with the ladders and all over the store. During our time at the book store, I learned that Nick is a HUGE Nickleback fan…. just kidding…. he’s a gigantic Bob Dylan fan. If you look closely, you can see evidence of the inspiration he drew from his favorite music artist. Kristy’s favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird and she got a first edition copy from this store – how neat is that? After the book store, we strolled over to the Mississippi River and got Kristy and Nick in their element! From there a quick stroll back to a delicious little ice cream/candy store and our day was rapidly coming to a close. Overall, from exploring a new town, to spending time with two of the most genuine people I know, to eating some awesome ice cream…. oh and really cute pics, I had a great day. Thanks for reading and make sure to keep an eye out for their wedding. I’m sure it’ll be equally fun!

Evan

Engagement | Aaron and Becca | Excelsior, Minnesota

lumen01 — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:20:15 +0000

Let me introduce to you Aaron and Becca! This fun loving couple was an absolute blast to get to know and photograph. The morning started off cold – but let’s be honest – for mid-march in Minnesota, it was an incredibly balmy day. Plus it warmed up quickly. From the docks in downtown excelsior to the old trolley tracks, throughout the morning with Aaron and Becca, I found out some really neat things about them. Becca lived up the street from me many moons ago when we were in elementary school. If that isn’t a crazy coincidence, I don’t know what is. Both of them have a phenomenal sense of humor, case in point when Becca pretended to push Aaron into Lake Excelsior, lucky for Aaron she was only joking because the water is still only 40ish degrees. Also, these two are incredibly comfortable with each other and that makes all the difference when you’re trying to get a an awesome photo. Their natural smiles, laughs, and kisses really made them a breeze to shoot! Aaron and Becca, it was a ton of fun getting to know you the other day. I can’t wait till your wedding when we can get some more amazing photos of the most important day – to date – in your lives.

Evan

Wedding | Scott and Kristin | Northfield, Minnesota

lumen01 — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:24:07 +0000

WEDDING SEASON HAS BEGUN!

Canine Therapy | Documentary | Chicago, Illinois

lumen01 — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:34:41 +0000

Dog serve many roles in our lives ranging anywhere from casual companion, to service dogs, to therapy and rehabilitation dogs. We’ve had the opportunity to look at some of the other roles our four legged friends have in our lives. Today, we’ll be looking at, in my opinion, one of the neater ways dogs can enrich our lives. Last week, I had the privilege to join the Canine Therapy Corps for one of their sessions at the Swedish Covenant Hospital on the North side. The Corps main directive is to use animal-assisted therapy to achieve goal directed interventions for people in hospitals. Their aim is to improve the physical, cognitive, and emotional health during their time with their clients. The evening started off with everyone being paired off with a human and dog companion. They would get to know each other and do some basic memory exercises together. Then they would start to learn the commands necessary to get the dogs to do more advance work. The commands themselves consisted of a combination of hand movements and voice commands. They would learn the basic: come, sit, lay. Once they understood the basics, the fun would begin. Balls appeared from nowhere, agility obstacles were brought out, and treats made for a action-packed evening. Everyone got the opportunity to play with the dogs and work them through their paces. Some people focused on making them jump the agility ladder, others decided to focus on fetch and ball tricks, they even let Ida, the small Corgi, out into the hallway so the client could call her back in! At the end, there was a show and tell session where everyone would demonstrate what they learned to do with their dog! Guaranteed, by the end, no one wanted to leave because they were having such a wonderful time. I would say that the Corps achieved their goal of bettering someones night – and life. Overall, it was an incredibly heartwarming experience to be allowed to join the Corps. The one tough aspect of the evening was how you could tell some people owned dogs in the past, and it was hard to remember them and not miss them. Once they had a chance to play with the dogs though, their faces lit-up and you could tell what the Corps was doing was making a difference. I would heartily recommend donating to them if you are looking for somewhere this year to donate. They provide a great service in the area for people to learn about the love of a dog, or be reminded, how a dog can cheer us up, get us moving, and remind us of a few of the good things in life.

Bahá’í Temple | Cityscape | Wilmette, Illinois

lumen01 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:05:58 +0000

The Baha’i faith is a religion that originated as a sect of Islam but has since then evolved to be its own independent religion. This house of worship, occasionally referred to by its Arabic name “Mashriqu’l-Adhká,” is located in Wilmette, Illinois. Some of the main tenants of the Baha’i faith are that it is a constantly changing. That is to say, the religious history is told through a group of messengers who are viewed as holy. Some of the most prominent messengers include: Abraham, the father of all Abrahamic religions, Buddha of Buddhism, Jesus commonly attributed to Christianity, and Muhammad of Islam. In my opinion, one of the neatest parts of this religion is that it can adapt to suit the time and place (for example dietary restrictions). Also, the Baha’i faith is monotheistic. This means that they do not believe in multiple gods; more so, they believe in one God who is eternal and has a purpose and will. He dispenses his desires through his messengers stated above. While this is only a brief summary of a very complex religion, as all are, hopefully this exposes some of you to a new religion that you may not have heard of or know much about before. If you want to learn more, hit-up the wikipedia page to get some basic knowledge and then take some time to follow their references to see some more legit articles.

Thanks for taking the time to read,

Evan

Doggy Donations | Documentary | Chicago, Illinois

lumen01 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:35:06 +0000

DISCLAIMER: This post is about dog blood donations. While no especially graphic images are included, there are images that involve needles and blood.

For pet owners around the world, we know and understand that taking on one of these little critters means we’re responsible for every facet of their lives – be it dog, cat, or spider monkey. One of the things I had never thought about was how, in emergency situations, our dogs get blood. The answer is a small group of dedicated and awesome volunteers who take time out of their days to have their dogs donate blood. Earlier in the documentary, we introduced “Adventures with Bailey.” Adventures is a non-profit based in the Chicagoland area. They focus on providing animal assisted therapy and activities free of charge. One of the things that Susan and her five leonbergers also do is donate blood. Earlier this week, I drove out to the Animal Emergency & Treatment Center to follow the dogs as they donated blood. It was a phenomenal experience and the incredibly talented vets and vet techs their made the process easy and painless. On average, they take about 450 grams of blood per dog. Before they get to that though, they give each dog a thorough physical examination and an updated blood screen to ensure that their are no contaminates in the blood. Then they give the dogs some electrolytes to ensure that the blood that is donated isn’t missed by the dog. When the time comes they go ahead and bring each dog into a examination room individually and work to hoist the 100+ pound dogs onto the table. The blood is taken from a vein in their neck and gravity driven into the bag. One would think that the initial entry of the needle would frighten the dogs but the skilled ladies who were working with the dogs today made it painless donation. Afterwards, everyone was nice enough to take me back to where they process the blood and seperate some of it out into plasma in their huge centrifuges. The AETC supplies area clinics with plasma and blood along with a few other locations including one in Boston. I want to thank everyone from the AETC and Adventures for letting me illustrate to everyone a side of dog ownership that is rarely considered. If you have a dog that is large enough and healthy enough, you should definitely consider becoming a donor. Your contribution could save someones best friend.
Thanks for reading,
Evan

PAWS | Documentary | Chicago, Illinois

lumen01 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:05:22 +0000

Today, I bring you the next part of the documentary – “Dog People.” One of the trends now-a-days in the animal shelter movement has been a paradigm shift towards no-kill shelters. In the vanguard of Chicago’s no-kill shelter movement is the PAWS Animal Shelter. Founded in 1997, since its inception, PAWS has dropped the number of euthanization of dogs and cats from its peak of 42,000 a year to just over 15,000 a year. Their goal is to reduce that to none. Not only have they done a great job at reducing Chicago’s stray animal population but they are leaders in changing the way a shelter has to be viewed. While all shelters serve an important purpose, PAWS has reinvented the notion that shelters have to be barren and solely efficient. The best way to describe PAWS is that their animals are kept in the five star hotel of animal shelters. Many dogs have a roommate who they have been matched to, to keep them company. Their rooms are gigantic and they’re given opportunities to go on daily walks and have time outside on their rooftop play space. All in all, if I were going to adopt a dog in Chicago, PAWS would be the first place I would look to get my new family member. They have awesome people who care about animals who both work and volunteer there! Thanks again to everyone from PAWS – hopefully you enjoy the images!

Evan