Chicago Portrait Session | Ryan and Michelle

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Happy Tuesday everybody! Man oh man have we got another fab session for you guys from our time in Chicago! Jeff and I just keep falling more and more in love with this city every time we get to visit, so it was a no brainer to host one of our Two-Day Workshops here last month.

During these workshops, we get to spend a full two days with ten wedding and portrait photographers helping them discover their ideal clientele – the kind of couples, families, and clients that they love to photograph the most. Jeff and I have the privilege of photographing the coolest couples over and over again, and it’s because we know exactly what kinds of brides and grooms we connect with the most and who connects deeply with us in return. As artists, it’s transformational for us to work with people that inspire us creatively, and watching photographers discover this information for themselves has been a powerful journey!

On the second day of the workshop, Jeff and I demonstrate how we connect with our couples on a shoot, and our lovely models for our Chicago workshop were DA BOMB. Let me tell you a little bit about Ryan and Michelle… We had so many people volunteer to model for us in Chicago, and I had a tough time choosing between all of the wonderful couples. Then a friend of Ryan and Michelle sent an email to us with the sweetest note raving about how giving, loving, compassionate, and ambitious these two are and how much they are impacting the world around them in their day to day lives. The shoot also landed on their two year anniversary, so it would be the perfect way to commemorate the milestone. I just knew that we had to get to know this couple if their friends were so willing to stand up for them and sing their praises!

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

The snuggles, the colors, the smiles – oh my!

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

How gorgeous is this girl? Those eyes are killer!

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE… LOVE!

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

Heck yes! We couldn’t get enough of these two and their infectious smiles!

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

My favorite series. A little brick, a little rust, a little L Train and you’ve got yourself a Chicago portrait session.

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

 

Chicago portrait session, The Youngrens Two-Day Workshop, The Youngrens Shooting workshop, Chicago portraits, North Chicago portraits

Ryan and Michelle: We so appreciate you guys coming out for our workshop and your big, warm hearts for each other and those around you were evident immediately. Your sweet spirits were a perfect fit for this shoot and even interacting with you for just a quick morning was a total honor! Happy two year anniversary!

Hugs,

Erin

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We teach photographers to build life-giving businesses that they absolutely love.

About Us

We're Jeff & Erin

We’re Jeff and Erin Youngren – and it’s our mission to help you thrive not just as a wedding photographer, but as a business owner. It’s time to set aside the stress and comparison of a hustle mindset, and build a life-giving business instead.

We met in college, got married, and started corporate jobs before we discovered (and fell in love with) wedding photography. But like many creative entrepreneurs, we were booking anything we could, strapped to our laptops and living dangerously close to burnout.

So we dug in and learned how to build a thriving business that supports our dream life – instead of a joyless business that runs a stressed-out life.

Today, we photograph only 10 Dreamie weddings per year, but we also run two other wedding brands plus a commercial studio in San Diego, CA. And we do it by only working the hours that fit into our life. The other hours? We spend those living a joyful life raising our two beautiful sons, James and Samuel.

hugs,

Jeff and Erin

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