Valerie contacted me back in August about photographing her to celebrate her graduation from the masters program at UIC. We settled on a November date and were so excited for a beautiful, fall session!
Well, our date came and we had a huge snowstorm that came through! We had to postpone her session for a later date and ended up with a beautiful, overcast, and super windy, late fall day! This girl is a wind goddess, though, and worked her magic while I worked mine and together, we got the most gorgeous photos!
We met on campus and walked around to various spots that I had explored and loved. Luckily, there were lots of great locations that offered barriers from the wind! Valerie's plaid skirt and shacket set was perfect for this setting and the colors paired so beautifully with all of the tones of the buildings and the remaining leaves that were left on campus.
Valerie told me that this session was a gift to herself to celebrate graduating with her Masters Degree! I think that is SO special, and honestly, the perfect gift for a loved one, or for yourself!
I love senior sessions of all types, but college or graduate school senior sessions are amazing because it's marking the close of that chapter, and also creating really great images for you to remember that time, and to use on LinkedIn and other job hunting sites, and even on a personal website, Instagram page, or resume!
We got to take some photos in her cap & gown, which blew beautifully in the wind! I love how these photos turned out!
When we finished up on campus, we headed to a nearby parking garage because it offers awesome city views! It's one of my favorite spots in the city for a great skyline shot, but not your typical view such as the ones from Adler Planetarium or North Avenue Beach.
Next, we headed downtown!
Valerie spent most of her college career traveling back and forth from the city out to her hometown in the burbs, via the Amtrack from Union Station. Since this was such a huge part of her college experience, we both thought it'd be a beautiful & meaningful spot to capture her at.
We met there and did a quick outfit change, then snapped some photos outside by the large, iconic pillars of Chicago's Union Station.
After we were done at Union Station, we stopped at a nearby bridge for a few photos overlooking the south end of the Chicago River. I love the views from here with all of the buildings and lights in the background!
Then, for our final photos, we wrapped up in the business district, and my oh my was it beautiful! I love love love the city lights we captured. So epically Chicago!
If you're reading this and thinking that you'd love some portraits around the beautiful city of Chicago in 2023, now is the time to reach out! I am booking portrait sessions NOW and would love to hear from you!
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