Jen and Joe weren't going to let the pandemic stop them from getting married last year. Although it did alter their plans a little bit as they couldn't have it at their original location in mid August and went with a late September wedding at their home on the lake in Antioch.
Last year during Pride Month in June, I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Tatiana and Taylor. This was the first time I photographed a same-sex wedding. Also, this was the first time I did a sunset session.
Stephanie and Allen's wedding was the first wedding I photographed last year all the way at the beginning of May. While some weddings were cancelled due to the pandemic, these two didn't let that stop them. This was nothing like the wedding they envisioned but they did a great job making due with life during the pandemic
Or I guess you can since it has been over 10 months since I last posted anything on here. Honestly, I’ll just leave deciding what to consider this up to you because what does it really matter. I never really went away and instead have continued to worked but just not posted about it. Basically I’m here today to tell you can expect me to start posting again soon and allow you a glimpse into what I’ve been up to with my photography over the last almost year.
So I’m guessing you might be wondering why I haven’t posted on here since time hasn’t particularly been scarce during this pandemic. I’d say that it can mostly boil down to the fact I’ve generally erred on the side caution. In my mind by not posting I was putting myself out there less and being safer as a result. Over the last year with photography there has definitely been a bit of hesitancy in taking on new photography work. When I did do photography, in the back of my mind there was a little bit of worry as to whether I was putting my health at risk by working and felt a little bit of guilt as a result.
Early on in 2020, it was looking like I was going to be having my best year in business. The shutdowns due to the pandemic definitely threw me off that trajectory as weddings were called off and having portrait sessions in my studio had to be halted. I realized that it’s pointless to dwell on what last year could have been like without the pandemic so I don’t spend much time doing that. Myself like many others has found a way to survive in this new normal. For me as a photographer that has meant still shooting weddings and only have portrait sessions outdoors while doing my best to wear a mask.
My studio space is the same place it has always been but it just hasn’t been used in about a year at this point. There have a been a few times where people have contacted inquiring about studio sessions which I’ve turned down since my studio is located at my parents’ home and they would prefer that I not bring any clients over at this time. Right now, I am aiming for starting to have the option of using my studio for photography when May rolls around. I figure by that time my parents’ will be be fully protected by the vaccine and I might have even received my first dose of the vaccine myself.
While my studio space hasn’t seen much in the way of portrait photography over the last year, it hasn’t just sat empty and unused. Instead near the beginning of the pandemic, I rearranged things so I could use it for my side hustle of reselling a variety of items on eBay and Mercari. This side business has certainly helped to keep me afloat during these tough times and it’s pretty cool to think these items that had simply been gathering dust are finding a second lease on life. The only real downside of running both my businesses out of the same space is cleaning up and switching things around when the times comes but I figure future Dylan can figure that out.
The beginning of March seems like such a distant memory at this moment. At that time, there was a slight fear of coronavirus at that time, but most people could not foresee how things would drastically change in a couple weeks. I remember at the beginning of the month going to a couple events that had a decent sized crowds, like the Lobby Day in Springfield and CharletheFirst show in Milwaukee, and not being too worried at that time. Then the next week, I remember things beginning to change vey quickly with events being cancelled and places beginning to close leading me to realize how serious we should be taking coronavirus. That is when worry started to creep into my world and I began to question whether I would have been better off skipping those events.
The seriousness of the current situation really began to sink in during the evening of March 11th. On that evening it was announced that the NBA season was being suspended, Tom Hanks and his wife had tested positive for coronavirus, and that there would be a ban on travel from Europe. As I went to bed that evening, I remember being stressed and hoping that when I woke up the next day that I would find out this was all a bad dream. Of course when I did wake up the next day, I found out that the world was not returning to normal and I was wondering what to expect next. At that time I had a couple photo jobs scheduled in the next couple days and I was unsure if those would still be occurring.
Those couple photos gigs did end up going along as planned and were the last bit of photography I did before social distancing and shelter-in-place went into effect. My daily has not been changed all that much during this pandemic versus prior to it. Most weekdays no matter what’s going on in the world, I spend most my working hours over in my office/studio space at my parents’ place. The main difference is having more people over at my parents’ home. My sister, Josie, came back early from studying abroad in Prague since her program was closed down early because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, my mum, who is an elementary school teacher, has been home as well since all the local schools were closed down around the middle of March.
So I’m sure you are curious to know how things have been for my business during the month of March and what I’ve been up to. Well, this month actually started off strong with a few photography gigs. Before things began to shut down, I had an engagement session, did headshots for most of the staff at Heart of the City, and a senior portrait session. Then during the second half of the month, I’ve had time to work on a couple things. The main task that has taken up a decent amount of my time was putting in work on reselling items on eBay. A lot of the items that I’ve listed most recently were from an early March rummage sale in Gurnee with a variety of other items that I found at both my home and my parents’ home. This time has also allowed me to finally update listing of prints I was selling on the Facebook page for my business. Part of the thought process was that I was hoping to contribute to the virtual ArtWauk. However, when I went to participate I didn’t see much of anyone posting their work. Well, that’s it for now, I hope everyone out there is staying safe during these trying times.
Kristin and Nick’s engagement session happened back at the beginning of this month. We contemplated a few different locations before deciding to go with Glacial Park in McHenry. I must applaud Kristin for making a good choice for the location of the session especially since I’m not overly familiar with the McHenry area. This session up to this point definitely goes down as the one with the windiest weather that I’ve ever photographed in. In spite of the conditions, I got a lot of great photos of this couple as well as a few with their son too. This session was a lot of fun including the moment near the end of the session when I suggested the prom pose and Kristin got into the pose quicker than I’ve ever seen at any of my past sessions.
Usually writing my monthly blog post late into the month doesn’t seem all that strange. However, with everything that has occurred with the coronavirus pandemic, it feels a little strange this time around. February really does feel like a time when life much simpler and everything seemed to be moving in the right direction overall. If you were to take the month at the surface, it didn’t look over impressive, but I was certainly feeling hopeful about what would be coming the rest of the year.
This month didn’t bring with it much in the way of photography gigs, but it certainly felt like things were moving in the right direction. I once again participated in the bridal tasting and preferred event at Illinois Beach Resort in Zion, IL. Compared to when they held their event in January, the event in February was better attended and there was just a much better energy in the room overall. It was nice getting to participate in an event like that early in the month. The rest of the month I got a few different inquiries from brides about being their wedding photographer. It was beginning to look like I would be having a busy summer with a calendar full of weddings.
The month of February also saw me begin to get into the business of reselling to make some money on the side. I started off my business with a combination of unwanted items from both my apartment and my parents’ home. I have a strange assortment of items from clothing all the way to figurines left behind by my Nana available for purchase. I was really excited when I thought I had sold my first item pretty quickly after listing them. However, I would soon find out that the only reason this person was interested was because they knew I was new to selling and were trying to run a scam on me.
I also had a decent social life during the month of February with some interesting variety to it. To start the month I went to CLC for a Friday evening showing of the Chinese film, “A Long Day’s Journey into Night”. The next weekend, my mum and I did our usual and checked out the February edition of ArtWauk. Then following weekend was one with a couple performance with a Friday night trip down to Three Brothers Theater for a visiting comedy group called Deep Space Comedy. The next night I went over to Waukegan High School to catch their performance of “Midsummer’s Night Dream. So I’d say looking back at February now and especially in comparison, it was a pretty darn good month really.
Growing up just down the road from Illinois Beach State Park lead me really to sort of just take it for granted. At the time I didn’t quite realize how lucky I was to have such a beautiful location so very close by. I think it was the fact that for most my life I would go there a few times a year whether that was for the occasional class field trips or adventures with family and friends. In recent years as I’ve gone on a few solo adventures around Illinois Beach, I feel like I’ve gained a better appreciation of the beautiful state park just down the road from
My love of this state park is the very reason why I didn’t hesitate to respond when a Facebook friend of mine was accepting applications to be preferred vendors at the resort over there. And then I was ecstatic when I received word that I would be one of the preferred vendors over there. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to photograph a couple events as well as a few portrait sessions. I have yet to photograph a wedding at the resort, but I’m certainly looking forward to the opportunity once it does happen. I mean based off of my past experience, this park makes for a great backdrop for portraits and events.
I feel like Illinois Beach Resort is a hidden gem as far as wedding venues are concerned. I feel like this is partially due to it’s location in on the outskirts of the Chicagoland. Of course those that do discover this lovely state park find it hard to be anything but impressed with it. There really aren’t many other venues that can compare with it as you can get married with Lake Michigan as your backdrop. Then utilize the amazing landscape of the dunes and beach for portraits. And finally, you can celebrate nearby on the property with a delicious catered dinner and a fun filled reception. This is definitely a place that I would recommend checking out if you’re looking for a venue for your wedding.
2020 has gotten off to a bit of an uneven start, but I’m happy to say that I feel like I’m making progress. My energies have mostly been related to my photography. The first Saturday of the month I spent my afternoon at Illinois Beach Resort for their bridal tasting and vendor event since I am a preferred vendor over there. Then the following Thursday, I had my first photography gig of the new year. I did photography for an event to celebrate the fact that Feroze Hanif was donating the money that he won as one H&R Block’s Franchisee of the Year to the Ray Bradbury Experience Museum. The Thursday after that I was yet again doing event photography with this time it being for the Lake County Community Foundation’s Engage Lake County that took place out at the University Center in Grayslake. The final victory I had in my business during the month of January was getting booked for three more weddings this coming year.
I like many people have tried to make changes to go with changing of the calendar to a new year. One of my goals for the new year has been keeping up with my routine of running semi regularly. At the end of 2019, I was doing pretty good on keeping up with my running. Unfortunately in the first month of the new year it has been really hit and miss for me. Part of my problem is that I’m resisting getting a gym membership even during the cold winter months and as a result have to coordinate my run with the Field House’s times where Waukegan residents can use the indoor track for free. The first available time for city residents to run is at 9am ends up cutting into the work day. Meanwhile for the later time starting at 7:30pm, I struggle to motivate to change into my running clothes and hit the track after the work day.
There are also a couple new ventures of mine that have started in 2020. For one, I’ve been spending about an hour each day doing a little housework at my parents’ house. This is meant to help supplement my income during these slow winter months. The second new endeavor for me is I’ve entered into the area of stock photography. Starting in the middle of January I started to upload some of my past photos to Adobe Stock. Here I am more than a month later and I still haven’t quite caught up with my back catalog of photos. You can bet that once I am caught up, I’m going to start getting back out there to take some new photos.
Overall, I’d say it has been a decent beginning to the new year. My social life has been fairly quiet the last month, but I won’t complain too much about that. A lot of time my weekend nights have been spent being a homebody cuddled up on the couch with my cats enjoying a few drinks and finally watching Orange is the New Black on Netflix. Otherwise those evenings were spent hanging a bit with my parents and even occasionally my sister, Josie, before she headed to the Czech Republic for her semester abroad.
Everything worked out just about right for this engagement session with Frances and Raul. They both are normally very busy since they are teachers at McCall Elementary School and also going through grad school at the same time. So we were lucky to find a time that worked out for all of us during their winter break. Of course we also lucked out in having great weather especially considering that this session took place the day after Christmas. And then to top it all off, we had a great location in the Botanic Gardens during golden hour. I feel like it really doesn’t get much better than this session!
