thirty-one twenty-three get-a-room street

knee-deep in engagement shoot photos again, today, i just had to break away and do a post on my blog... for a few reasons. 1) i told my friend, heather {in these photos}, that i would give her some sneak peeks as i go, rather than waiting to show her everything until i am done processing them ALL. 2) i could use a break from working on these photos in a strictly business sense by doing something with them that is more for fun {this post}. 3) i could't not share the funny photo below.

but before i get to that, i'll give a little bit of back story...

for the third part of our day of engagement pictures in chicago, we drove to the coffee shop where the couple had spent part of their second date and where they still like to go for some really good coffee. it's called intelligentsia. i've had {and blogged about} their coffee before at a coffee shop called lovely, so i wasn't surprised... but i was pleasantly reminded about just how good it is, thanks to heather and rob buying me a cup!

anyway, when i was discussing with heather where we might shoot for her engagement photos and how we both wanted to get photos of them frequenting their favorite spots in the city, this establishment came up. i jumped on the idea, because i remembered back to some pictures i took a couple years ago... one shot in particular that i love... when i was at a different coffee shop in chicago and got some photos from the sidewalk into the cafe of my brother and a friend sitting near the window talking. i was so happy with how the photo turned out... the subject clearly visible through the glass... but also the background environment showing via reflection in the window, telling much of the city-vibe story of where we were.

i realized that would be a perfect way to capture my friends here, too.

and we were lucky enough to get the prime seat for the kind of shots i envisioned, because just as we arrived, the customers who were sitting there previously were leaving.

that was serendipitous and made my job easier. what did not make it easy was the fact that there was a tree, a car and a sidewalk table outside directly in front of that window seat {which i thought was the best place to get the shots, because the unobstructed logo is right there on the window}. so i had no choice but to work around the tree and the car and the gentleman who was sitting there in a chair at the sidewalk cafe table.

he eventually left, too... at which point i boldly stood up on the chair to try to get some shots from above. i could go on and write about how i made a big fool of myself by almost tumbling off that chair onto the cement when attempting to dismount it. but i won't. let's just say, i had visions of myself reaching out to the coffee-sipping dog owner to my right to ask him if he would make sure that isaac got the message that i love him very much if i didn't make it. but i regained my balance and i was once again on firm ground. and that's all i'll say about that...

'cause here is the part i wanted to get to. did you ever take a picture that you were so focused on getting, you didn't take the time to see what was going on all around your photo's subject? this shot below is one such photo. sometimes, those shots can be "oops" photos. but sometimes, they can be golden. i found this particular shot to be the latter.

do you see it? i was not even aware that the guy on the right was there. if i remember correctly, i purposefully did not center heather and rob in the photo... so as to be asymmetrical and make the photo a bit more visually interesting. but it would appear that it was also done with intent so as to include the neighboring customer. not so, though. that part was just a happy accident. i mean, look at his face! {you can see it better here.} could it be more perfect of a face to juxtapose against this happy kissing couple?

i reality, he may have been downright ticked that i was out front taking pictures and disturbing his cafe experience. or, he may have been talking to someone we can't see in the photo... telling a story that made his brow furrow. or maybe he did not like what someone walking down the street was wearing. i have no idea. but without knowing, it looks as though he is a love-crossed cynic filled with disdain and contempt toward the public display of affection going on right next to him... and not just that it was going on, but that it was being photographed by the chair-climbing, tree-maneuvering paparazzi in front of him. he appears to be thinking, "really?... here?... now?... really?... get a room, already!"

i got such a chuckle out of his presence and expression in the shot when i discovered it upon viewing the photo on a large screen. he almost seems like a bitter, jilted, anti-love onlooker. i fully realize that there could be a number of reasons he appeared this way. but no matter what the cause, it couldn't be more perfect a look to go with the kissing couple who appear to be in their own love-sick world.

just made me laugh.

it was a nice little unexpected surprise to break up my long hours of sorting through and processing photos. not that i am complaining about that. i can't tell you how many times smiles come across my face when i'm looking through these photos and i see my friend. she had to kiss some frogs before she finally found her prince. and i was there for a lot of it. how lovely it was to see her find rob and then watch their love grow... and watch them seal the deal with a ring.

how lovely it is to go through each photo {hundreds more than what i've posted here} and see how happy she is and think about how much she deserves this great guy. friends don't come more high-quality than her. and she has been one of the best i have ever had. so you can imagine my joy for them.

are they sweet, or what?