The second time was a charm when it came to finally photographing Stef and Jake’s engagement session on the campus of the University of Illinois. The first attempt was called off because of heavy rains and even some snow flurries up in Champaign, IL. I definitely wasn’t ready for any snow! I don’t think Stef and Jake were either so we rescheduled! A week later we were able to make their session happen on the campus where it all started. Both Stef and Jake attended and graduated from the U of I and loved the idea of returning to the place where their love story began. I adore when I have the chance to photograph couples in locations that are meaningful to their relationships. We began near the spot where Jake popped the question! They said the exact spot wasn’t necessarily meaningful place until Jake got down on one knee. Now that quaint little piece of sidewalk on campus is a place the pair will never forget! We then wandered about campus past buildings where they spent many hours over their time at the university as well as the quad that brought back plenty of memories that Stef and Jake were reminiscing about throughout our visit to their alma mater! It was sweet to watch them together and learn their personalities and see how they interact together. Stef and Jake are more on the shy side at first, but once we started chatting and they were getting more comfortable in front of my camera they opened right up! We talked about their wedding plans, our families, and Jake’s love and my hate for mathematics! If he’s not careful I’ll be calling him later in life when my daughter is getting into fractions! We finished their session at the Arboretum on campus, where I have photographed before. I had my spots picked out and knew exactly where I wanted to take Stef and Jake. Until we arrived at the Arboretum and realized a cross-country race was going on and the place was packed! There were people all over including the athletes as well as ropes to define the course. And everything seemed to be happening right where I wanted to photograph this wonderful couple! So…We improvised! Thankfully, Stef and Jake are amazing and rolled with the ideas I came up with as we explored different areas of the park. And I definitely think it paid off with some incredible photos showing off their fun-loving and gentle natures and even a few fall colors popped out just for them. I’m very excited to continue the journey with Stef and Jake as we head towards their big day! 

Warm Regards, 
Lauren

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•