Liza and Shibu :: engaged
- September 17, 2008 - posted by chicago wedding photographer nate mathai

categories: Formal Engagements, Modern Events
tags:

interested in booking? Head over to the the contact page or shoot me an email to info@natemathai.com

Liza and Shibu will be having their wedding in India next year, and they wanted to be able to celebrate with their family and friends here in the US with a formal engagement ceremony.  Normally (in our community) these things would host anywhere from 75-150 people or so…not these guys!  My estimation would be 300+ joining them to celebrate at India House in Schaumburg, IL.  Although there is something special in the small, intimate events, I do love seeing so many people come together to celebrate the lives of two people progressing in unity.

One thing most people know of Indian events is there is plenty of color everywhere!

After the formal announcements by the fathers comes the handshake…or hug!

In addition to the formalities, Shibu and Liza had some special events planned – they had a few songs by their close family and friends and also a skit put on by Liza’s church friends.

The skit was a reenactment of how Liza and Shibu met…pretty hilarious!

Liza closed it all off with a special song dedicated to her fiance.  How special is that?

Shibu and Liza, thanks for allowing me to document another step in your lives.  I wish you guys all the best as you plan and prepare for your upcoming wedding and married life!

[09.08.15] Monday Night Recap
- September 15, 2008 - posted by chicago wedding photographer nate mathai

categories: [MNR]
tags:

interested in booking? Head over to the the contact page or shoot me an email to info@natemathai.com

• [Photo Challenge] Already got a couple submissions so far, so keep ‘em coming!  About two weeks left in this month’s challenge.
• [Storms] Chicago got hit by a tropical storm over the weekend, and it was madness!  I pulled out of my house on Saturday morning to find my entire sub-division flooded (not too deep, though).  On the drive to the wedding there were so many road closures with flooding, and we actually saw a car with water up to the headlights!  And today, my normal 15-20 minute commute to the train turned into an hour in the morning, and an hour and a half on the way back!  Very upsetting.
  And to think while we all were concerned/complaining about this, down south Hurricane Ike was raging through.  It’s crazy to think of how powerful and uncontrollable the weather is.  It gets me thinking that regardless of how big and great we think we are, there is always something greater.  We are weak people.  Perspective is always good to have in life.
• [Persecution] Also on a serious note, there has been persecution going on in Orissa, India.  In recent weeks, Hindu zealots have burned churches and houses, killing many.  Even still, evangelists and missionaries are still there, some fleeing into forests for safety and protection.  More than anything, just lift up prayers for those enduring the pain and struggle.  We are so blessed with the freedom we have here.
• [2.1] Apple came out with the 2.1 update for the iPhone, which was supposed to fix many of the bugs.  The too that I’ve already noticed (of which I am pleased) was the typing and contact search are more receptive (it used to stall) and battery life has greatly improved even with 3G on all day.  Of course, my battery did die yesterday at around 7pm, but I think thats because I was checking my fantasy stats every 5 minutes starting at noon.  Have you guys had any positive/negative changes with the update?
• [Paris] I was flipping through the channels, and stumbled upon previews for Paris Hilton’s upcoming reality show: “My New BFF” on MTV.  I was seriously shocked.  Is this really what reality shows have come to?  I guess its a good thing because it will force me to watch TV less.  Anyone actually interested in watching this show?
• [Caroline and Chris] On Saturday, I helped Kenny Nakai out with wedding out in Evanston, Illinois at the First Presbyterian Church.  This was a much different “second shooting” role, though – Caroline is Kenny’s sister, and he was groomsman!  I was greatly impressed with his ability to be both a groomsman and the primary photographer.  Obviously, an update will come later, but we all need a teaser (I wish I could tease you with more…but it will just have to wait):



• [D3] I feel a little dirty.  With Kenny serving his groomsman/brother duties at the wedding, I would occasionally shoot with his D3.  I never thought I would shoot Nikon…and it sucks because I was (obviously) greatly impressed.  Impressed enough to switch?  I think not.  Now we just wait patiently (like we have for the past YEAR) for Canon to announce the next great beast.  Rumors say its going to be announced this weekend…follow the evolution here.
• [Bears] I don’t want to talk about it.  2nd and 1 at midfield at the end of the game…2 incomplete passes and a failed run to turnover on downs.  Seriously Turner?  Of all the times to start passing?  I’m not a fan of your play calling there.  I digress…
• [Fantasy] 0-2.  Starting to get worried.  I’m very dissapointed in Tavarius Jackson…there’s a problem when you’re up 15-0 because your kicker hit 5 field goals (big ups to Longwell, though)…he needs to get the ball in the end zone.  Insult to Injury – I played the Cardinals D (11 pts) instead of the Giants D (25 pts). And Romo has already thrown 2 TDs and 132 yards…playing those two would have given me the win!
• [No Hitter] How crazy is this.  Carlos Zambrano, 12 days of rest, throws a no-hitter for the Cubs against the Astros in Milwaukee.  10 K’s, 1 walk, and he hit 1 guy.  He also went 1-3 with a run offensively.  To make things sweeter, the Brewers continue to slide, making the Cubs magic number now 7! A question:  which is a more exciting performance – a no-hitter (a la Carlos Zambrano yesterday) or 20+ strikeouts (a la Kerry Wood in 1998)?  As an added bonus, Ted Lilly took a no-hitter through 7 today, and the pitching staff held a 1-hit, 1-run victory.  THIS is the Cubs I remember…
• [United Center] On Sunday, I made my first trip to the United Center in my life.

  

  And I was there for Disney on Ice…how sad.

  

  It was pretty decent actually (if you couldn’t tell from these amazing iPhone pics).  It was mainly for my niece and fiance’s nephew, but most of the siblings came as well meaning there were 2 kids and 9 adults.  What I learned from it:  Disney does some amazing marketing.  The entire show was basically a demo/preview of a trip to Disney World (showcasing the different rides/events, characters and music).  They were able to make a profit by getting people to pretty much watch a live, 2-hour commercial.  Now that’s amazing.

• [Booked] I didn’t think that it would happen so quickly, but I’m pretty much booked (either with shoots or personal commitments) through the remainder of the year!  If you’d like to get a shoot in this year it might be difficult but definitely let me know ASAP to see if we can find a time slot.  Otherwise, let’s start planning for 2009!

  
  ***DUE TO MY OWN WEDDING, I WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING REQUESTS FOR AUGUST2009***

Sudha and Stinson :: portraits
- September 9, 2008 - posted by chicago wedding photographer nate mathai

categories: Modern Portraits
tags:

interested in booking? Head over to the the contact page or shoot me an email to info@natemathai.com

When Sudha e-mailed me about taking some portraits of her and Stinson (and their daughters), I was all about it!  A question I’ve been getting a lot recently has been “Can we do an e-session even though we’re already married?”  My answer is pretty much, “Ummm, of course…but its not an e-session (ie. engagement session), but just some lifestyle portraits”.  Regardless of how long you’ve been together, everyone could use some great portraits.  And even with a family session as we had, its always fun to pull the parents for a few moments to get just a few of just them.

Stinson and Sudha have been married for 10 years now, and it was so encouraging to see such a strong relationship.

We made our way out to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, which is BEAUTIFUL!  (Thank you, Sudha, for opening my eyes to this place!)  With so many acres of land out there, we only skimmed the surface.

This is their youngest…I LOVE it:

Don’t you just love reflections?

We tried to break off occasionally to get a few with just the two of them, which is a lot more difficult than I expected! Every time we pulled away for a few moments, one of the little ones would come running out to find out what we were up to!

We did manage to accomplish our goal, though.

Sudha and Stinson, it was my pleasure to serve your wonderful family this way.  I had a blast spending the afternoon and connecting with you guys!