Puppy Photo Shoot

As many of you know, we are huge supporters of animal rescue, and give a donation to Second City Canine Rescue in honor of every couple who hires us to do their wedding photos! Last week, we had the chance to work with SCCR to bring some awareness to the awesome things they are doing with homeless dogs in our community. Recently SCCR rescued a beautiful, skinny, and amazingly sweet Mama St.Bernard who had just given birth to 8 happy, healthy, and chunky puppies.

We were so excited when the puppies were finally old enough for us to make some magic with this stunning family.

We teamed up with the lovely Christine Nendick, of Rescue in Style, to start collaborating on ideas. We then reached out to Kate Lerman of Chicago Vintage Wed. Kate is an incredible force in the wedding industry - and we also happen to know that she is a huge advocate of rescue!

We decided to do a simple photo shoot at Chicago Vintage Wed’s Pilsen Studio, and incorporated the use of Buffalo Plaid, an adorable mini Liver Cake, and 8 teeny Peanubutter Pupcakes provided by the Happy Dog Barkery (if you have pets and live in the western suburbs, the Happy Dog Barkery is a MUST for all your pet needs).

We had so much fun snuggling the puppies and we were completely blown away by how sweet and gentle their Mama is. All morning long, we kept commenting on how we wished we could always have Monday mornings like this!

These puppies are not yet available for adoption, but watch SCCR’s website to find out when they will be looking for homes (hint, they’ll start accepting apps Nov 12th).

Here are a few of our favorite images from the shoot. Make sure to check out Christine’s post, on Rescue in Style to read a bit more about the shoot and the awesome things Second City Canine Rescue is doing!

Puppies provided by: Second City Canine Rescue
Model: Christine Nendick, of Rescue in Style
Venue and Styling: Kate and Andria, of Chicago Vintage Weddings
Puppy Cakes: Happy Dog Barkery
Collars provided by: Knox Dog Wear

Kelly and Matt's Wedding

There are a lot of photos in this post, but it's just the way it has to be.

This.was.an.amazing.wedding.

We didn't know each other before we did their engagement session, but shooting Kelly and Matt's wedding was like being at a private outdoor concert with friends.  Only two people just happened to get married, and we just happened to document every incredible second.

First of all, if you're going to have your dog at your wedding, and she's going to be wearing a floral wreath, you know we are going to get along just fine.  Couple that with amazing music by the Waydown Wanderers (who we have since been listening to non-stop), plenty of DIY details, homegrown flowers, a jaw-dropping BHLDN gown, and damn good people, all on your family's farm -- you've got yourself a recipe for one of our favorite weddings of all time.

Please enjoy a few (ok, many, many) photos of Kelly and Matt's beautiful farm wedding...

xo

Jake and Jennifer

Giving Back: A Little Announcement

When Jake and I got married, we knew we wanted our little family to be generous of heart, and involved in giving back to our community.  We didn't quite know exactly what that would look like, but soon found a calling in animal welfare and rescue.  We brought home our first foster dog not too long after our wedding, and have been actively fostering homeless animals ever since. To date, we have fostered 93 homeless pets, including 52 dogs, 39 cats and 2 rabbits.  There's a good chance that we'll be throwing ourselves a little party when we hit 100 lives saved!

We are very excited to announce that, going forward, every time a couple books us for their wedding day, Two Birds Photography will be making a donation in their name to one of our favorite rescue organizations: Second City Canine Rescue!  Second City is an incredible organization, one that we are continually impressed with, and proud to be a part of.  We know that these donations will be used to help homeless dogs reach full health, and find amazing forever families.

That feels good.

And you can feel good too, by spreading the word and telling your friends about us!

It is our dream that one day every dog will have a home, and that if someone is looking to add a pet to their family, that they will choose adoption.

Thank you for supporting us on our journey, and thank you for being here to share the news with!

And now, please feast your eyes on a few of the incredible dogs we have fostered and found homes for through Second City Canine Rescue:

xoxo

Jake + Jennifer

Elizabeth and Matt's Engagement Session

Elizabeth and Matt are such a great couple.  It was a joy getting to know them, and Maggie their beautiful Golden Retriever, during their Engagement Session last month!  I loved that they chose to do their session at an alley by Green Street Smoked Meats,  on the Kinzie Street bridge and in the Mary Bartleme Park!  These locations turned out great and we had a fantastic time! I'm so glad we had a chance to do these photos right before I shot their wedding a few weeks ago!

Here are a few of our favorite images from their shoot:

-Jake and Jennifer

The Animals We've Fostered

As many of you know, we usually have a foster animal or two hanging around the office. Fostering is a wonderful and super rewarding way to make a HUGE difference in the lives of homeless animals.  We began fostering in 2007, but took a break when we started having kids.  In 2012, however, we got back into it and in the past year and a half alone we have found homes for 24 kittens, 1 rabbit and 4, going on 5...WAIT, no make that 10+ dogs, because our current pup is expecting puppies!!

These are a few photos of some of the animals we have helped to find homes for -- starting with Millie, our current foster dog:

As it is the beginning of a New Year and many of us have resolved to do something positive with our lives, I would encourage you to think about fostering!  Make a difference!  Save a life!!

Above all, if you're thinking of adding a new pet to your family, please make adoption the only option.

xoxo

-Jennifer