Chicago West Loop Engagement Session | Jasmine & Sourav

I'm so glad that God has brought Jasmine and Sourav together and that I have the privilege of calling them friends. 

Jasmine and Sourav initially met in 2021 on a dating app, at a time when Jasmine almost lost all hope and gave up on the idea of apps altogether. Jasmine wondered why Sourav hadn't asked her out yet after messaging her for some time, and decided to take some time away from the app. It turned out, Sourav was waiting to become fully vaccinated before trying to initiate a date. Eventually, he asked Jasmine to check out a coffee shop, she said yes, and over time, the two realized they had found someone truly meant for them. 

I love the way that Jasmine and Sourav complement one another, make each other laugh, gently tease each other, and refine one another. It was meaningful to not only capture Jasmine and Sourav's love for one another, but to also take photos in a coffee shop, a place that played an important role in their getting to know one another. 

My personal favorites were the photos we captured in Palmisano Park, where the sunlight hit at just the right angle towards the end of a frigid winter day. There's just something so perfect about backlit photos. I'm glad we weaved in the neighborhood of Bridgeport as another character in their story. 

J + S, wishing you a lifetime of choosing one another and growing together. 

Lifestyle Portrait Session | Jesse Hu of Forged In Fire

I can't remember exactly when my younger brother Jesse started taking an interest in forging in our backyard. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, he taught himself how to make a literal knife on his own, from buying the steel to making the blade to making the handle, and I'm still baffled at how he does it. It's been so cool to see him grow over the years to the young man he is today. I never really thought about how much work goes into learning the craft and investing in your growth. 

According to Wikipedia, Jesse "won eight times back-to-back in four episodes during the "Gladiators of the Forge" challenge in season 9. Even though Jesse has accomplished a ton in the bladesmithing community (not sure if that's the right word, but I'm going to go with it because I don't know the terms) he's remained hardworking and focused on refining his craft.  

We took these photos a few years ago, but I realized I hadn't shared them here. I'm proud to be able to have taken some of these for him to document what things were like a few years back in his journey. 

You can connect with Jesse at his Youtube channel, Instagram, and his website. 

What I'm Learning | 11 Things I'm Reflecting On - Summer 2023

June, July, and August. 2023. 

Summer 2023 found me asking myself these questions: What do you love to do? What gives you purpose? Who are you? What are you all about? 

I found myself not knowing the answers to these questions, and that was a scary place to be. 

In no particular order, here are 11 things I learned and reflected on this summer: 

We all worry. We all worry about the unknown. We all have fears. Fears and worries thrive in the unknown and the uncertain.

 

Love takes a sustained intentional effort. It does not just fall in your lap. It requires all of you and more. It requires selflessness. Compromise. Humility. Patience. So much patience. An unrelenting desire to keep choosing one another. It is not just a feeling. It is an action, a deliberate choice.

 

I am human. I will make mistakes. And I have the freedom and the room to make mistakes. To grow. To err. To have a growth mindset not a perfection mindset.

Love is about what you can give, it's not about what you can take or what's in it for you.

Give me today my daily bread - meaning it is okay to ask from God. To receive. In order to receive, you have to ask first. Just bread enough for today. Not tomorrow’s, not this week’s, not this month’s. Just today. It is okay to ask God for what I need. To ask on behalf of others.

None of us is always at our best. We are all a little hard to love, neurotic. God still loves us despite how difficult we are.

It is important to play. To be a child again. To let my inner child be free to roam, play, get messy, roll around in the grass, and to make mistakes. The Ed Sheeran concert reminded me of how nice it is to just let loose and just be. Stop thinking and just be. 

One hour calls with close friends are a soothing balm for my soul. One hour is the sweet spot. Any longer than that, and my social battery dies. 

Time with myself is healing and necessary and sacred. Spending time with others is meaningful and fulfilling. When you’re still enough and stop for a second, you hear things and realize things and connect the dots. The voice inside can then speak. It can’t speak if I’m always busy or always with people. Time with myself is valuable and needed in my rhythms of life, no matter how much I think or believe otherwise. I rediscovered the joy and freedom and lightness and fulfillment in spending time with myself. It's been a long time since I enjoyed time with myself. 

Turning screens off earlier is something I should probably be doing to feel sleepier. 

Garfield Park Conservatory Family Portraits | Chicago, IL