hannah + adam, plus the bike story
CHICAGO: the engagement portrait chronicles, part two.
i still can’t believe how lucky i was to be able to shoot on 3 separate occasions in chicago! shoot number two consisted of hannah and adam, possibly the single most animated couple i’ve ever had the pleasure of shooting. never a static moment, never a lack of expression on their faces or in their movements. we took advantage of the textural appeal of millenium park and navy pier. i had been crossing my fingers that someone would want to get some photos near the ferris wheel and on thursday we did (i’ve been obsessed with it ever since i read “devil in the white city,” even though i know it’s not the original…)!
here are some of my favorite shots, although i gotta be honest, it was hard to choose.
ugh! so cute! and why is the water there so blue and beautiful and the water in TN so green and yucky? anyway, hannah and adam, you were champions of braving a dreadfully cold several hours and making it seem like you didn’t even notice. you can see the rest here!
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THE BICYCLE SAGA
a true story by hannahelaine
for those of you that have been asking to hear the full story about my little driving incident…here it is…
when i started booking shoots for my trip to chicago, i decided that i was going to have to rent a car because of where i was staying and how unfamiliar i am with the city and the trains/buses, etc. it just made more sense to me. of course i immediately hated driving there because of a) the freakin’ toll roads (i always wondered who actually still carries cash in this country, then i figured it out: people who live in states with toll roads and super expensive parking meters), which brings me to b) parking is ridiculous to say the least, and finally c) the other drivers on the road. i’ve never been honked at so much in my life. and i didn’t think i was being all that annoying! yeah i had a few false alarms with turning but nothing to completely throw off the fung shui of the road system. i mean, when every other intersection is a 5-pointer, trying to find which way is straight is a little difficult.
but i digress…
so i’m leaving navy pier and am headed up to the garage where i left my car. $26 later, i’m driving up either chicago or illinois…some street, trying to get on to the expressway to head out. i think i picked 1 of 2 roads in all of downtown that don’t have an access ramp to 90. before i realize i had clearly missed something, i am way out in the ghetto. i turn around (which, with all the one way streets is a chore in and of itself) and start back tracking to find the road i need.
**hang in there, i’m finally getting to the story**
driving in front of me is this massive landrover (why anyone would want to drive a 4×4 all terrain mountain climbing vehicle in the middle of downtown chicago beats me….sorry, digressing again…). we’re going through an intersection and the landrover does one of those false alarm turn things. they start to turn and stop half way. i am freezing cold and irritable at this point for getting lost and having a long way to drive. so i pull around the landrover to continue going through the green light. out of nowhere this bike comes screaming down the street from the opposite way and turns right out in front of me. he was going so fast i barely had time to brake, but luckily for him it meant that most of his bike cleared the front of my car before i could hit him so that i just clipped his back tire. of course it sent him flailing over the handle bars and into the street. and of course the guy in the landrover took off. and of course there were like 12 other people on bikes that saw the whole thing. i thought for sure i was about to get burned at the stake for being a bike-hating anti-environmentalist mongrel. i park the car and walk over to the guy who is screaming out his innocence and demanding justice at the top of his lungs…and something about his leg hurting. we checked it out and he wasn’t bleeding, no bones sticking out or anything. i’m sure his whole left side is fairly black and blue, but it didn’t seem like any major damage. he went to the hospital just to make sure he hadn’t reinjured his leg that he broke in a similar accident last year. apparently he had been drinking, and unfortunately for him, i had the right of way as well even though we couldn’t see each other because of the massive tank vehicle blocking the view in between us….fortunately for me, that means i won’t be getting sued or going to jail or anything like that. one hour, one police report and one angry friend of the biker later i’m back on the road…still lost and still about an hour from where i need to be and pretty in shock to say the least.
there are so many little side stories as you can imagine, but that’s the gist of it. and now you know….the rest of the story….
4 Comments
Kbuggmusic
That couple was amazing! Those photos look straight out of the magazine. Great job girl! Once I finally get a man (and become to like the idea of marriage again) you are so hired and were going back to Chicago!
You always amaze me!!
LeleGreen
These are great! I can’t wait to work with you.
funks
as always nanners, wonderful photos, but let’s be honest…the story beats the photos by far.
i love the way that you tell stories. i wish i could just see your face while you were telling it. i’m sure i’m missing a lot by just reading it. maybe you could record me a video of you telling the story?!? just sayin’.
hannahelaine
haha, thanks funks. oddly enough, i thought of you immediately after it happened, wishing you could have seen it all go down!