Argentina Leyva

A great competition experience

2009-11-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

I have actively been submitting images for competition at different professional associations and these are some of the images that got a degree of recognition.

This image won a Merit of Excellence at the 1st Annual Photography Seminar in Mazatlan, Mexico sponsored by SMFP, Mexican association of profesional photographers.

These two images also participated in Mazatlan and where short 1 point from getting a merit, sooooo close! This is the album of a favorite wedding of mine, Thessa and Robert. I presented this album and the following images at the annual APPI convetion in Lisle Illinois. They all got judged and even though I didn't get any merits, all the images had high scores that place them in the exibition hall for the rest of the convention, my consolation price :(

Amy and Jack, The Metropolis Ballroom, Arlington Heights

2009-10-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Amy and Jack's wedding was the last wedding of my 2009 season. Being an October wedding, my favorite time of the year, we hoped for a nice sunny day and we got instead a cloudy and rainy day. That didn't stop me from taking advantage of the good disposition of Amy and Jack to take them to the cold and wet environment of downtown Arlinton Heights to take some beautiful images. I love to shoot at the Metropolis ballroom, it's one of a kind hall on the second floor where the ceremony took place in the ballroom and while cocktails were being served, the staff rearranged the room as a banquet hall. The day went superb and I trully enjoyed all the 80's music that Amy and Jack personally picked for their party, they truly brouhgt the house down!
Thank you guys for your patience and dedication to your photography, I'll see you soon to see the rest of your images.

CanCun 2009

2009-08-30T19:00:00.001-07:00

I recently spent a week in Cancun, Mexico with my brother's family. I refuse to be a photographer that photographs everybody's families except hers so, I dragged all my equipment to Cancun and on a beautiful day at sunset, we went to the beach and did a photo session. My brother returned the favor and photographed me and my better half the next morning under blasting sun, but you can't tell by the photos! Anyway, I will be going to Mexican beaches to do seminars and destination weddings and I will be offering photo sessions for whoever wants to have a beautiful portrait at the beach. I call them "OCEAN PORTRAITS". The following dates are confirmed for Ocean Portraits: October 10-12 in Mazatlan, Mexico and December 27-30 also in Mazatlan, Mexico. I will be in Cancun in January 2010 but dates are still to be confirmed. To inquire about OCEAN PORTRAITS and to make reservations, contact me via email or phone at photographer@argentinaleyva.com, 630-667-4633

Stefanie and Brandon, Marriot Resort, Oak Brook IL

2009-08-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

It's the end of the wedding season for me and I closed my season with the beautiful wedding of Stefanie and Brandon. From the very beginning, it was a farie tale wedding that will be close to my heart for the longest. It was so emotional that I cried in several occasions with the family, I could have not asked for more! Stefanie and Brandon, I just want to keep photographing you for the rest of my life! Check my Facebook for a mini video with more images.

Thessa and Robert, Patrick Haley Mansion, Joliet

2009-08-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Thessa and Robert are a beautiful couple that I had the honor to photograph on their wedding day. It was a beautiful (and Hot!) June morning at the amazing Patrick Haley Mansion in Joliet, IL. After the wedding, we headed to downtown Chicago to do their portrait session and we had absolutely amazing images. We finished at their hotel, the Hyatt at the Magnificent mile before they went on their honeymoon. Thessa and Robert, I can only say, thank you so much for allocating so much time for your photos, I was really able to display all my artistic passion working with you, I plan to submit your wedding album to competition, so, thank you!

Crystal and Jelani, Chicago

2009-08-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

I always have fun at weddings, but Crystal and Jelani's wedding was particularly a pleasure to photograph. They chose an intimate ceremony at city hall with their families, then headed to the Trump hotel to to change into their chic wedding clothes, the view from their suite was breathtaking. We spent almost two hours walking along the river and the magnificent mile hitting great locations for some amazing shots that wouldn't have been possible without the allocated time. Thank you Crystal and Jelani for caring so much about your photography, you are stunning!

Linda and Pierre, EnVent, Chicago

2009-06-30T18:23:00.001-07:00

I had the priviledge of photographying the wedding of Linda and Pierre, an amazing couple with great taste and original ideas. They had a beautiful ceremony and reception at an amazing venue, EnVent, if you've never heard of it, check out their website, it's the perfect space with a lot of opportunities to get creative decorating this space, if you're having a winter wedding, you should realy look at this space. Linda and Pierre decided to have their photo session the next day and we spent about 2 hours creating amazing images in Chicago downtown, I enjoyed this day so much because I had another wedding in downtown the same day after their session, duble the fun! Thank you Linda and Pierre for loving your photography so much and, I felt realy privileged to work with you!

Kim and Dave

2009-05-31T20:17:00.001-07:00

I opened my wedding season photographying the wedding of a really cool couple, Kim and Dave. We headed to Itasca downtown after the ceremony to take photos, the limo driver assumed I would be taking the photos at the local park (on my worse day would I stop at a park!) and decided to have some initiative on his own and drop the bridal party at the park where all the kids going to prom were taking pictures! Dave came to the rescue when I finally cought up with them and hussled everybody back into the limo and we headed to the train tracks and the entrance of a golf course that had a lovely creek and the sun set was really providing some amazing lighting. We lost precious time with the driver's good intentions and I had to really push everybody to get the amazing shots that really showed off the bride's maids' amazing blue dresses.
Thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to capture your day, I had a lot of fun and look forward delivering you wedding album! See a video in my You Tube page at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvjG7qhd5jQ

3 out of 4 International Merits of Excellence!

2009-04-30T14:46:00.001-07:00

Dear friends, these are the three images out four that competed in Monterrey, Mexico on April 20th in the annual SMFP convention (Mexican Society of Professional Photographers). I want to mention that all three images caused long debates among the judges. I've never seen so many judges get up from their seat to take a close look at the images, I was a nervous reck! It was a long day waiting for my images to come up but it was worth the wait. By the end of the convention, all the members of the board of directors knew who I was and since then have sent me emails inviting me to participate as a speaker in other conventions! Well, may be in the future, I need to get my Master's degree first! I want to thank Samantha, Gina, Thessa and Robert for allowing me to guide them in the creation of the winning images, I'm a winner thanks to them!

"Samantha"

"Gina"

"Thessa and Robert"

The Omni, The Bride Society and Me!

2009-03-22T19:59:00.001-07:00

I recently joined talents with the girls from TheBrideSociety.com to do a fashion photoshoot at the Omni Hotel Downtown Chicago. The models were former brides of mine, the Bride Society girls and the Omni's own recently wed management team. Claudia, the catering manager provided us with a suite to spend the night so we could do a photoshoot late Saturday night after all the customers were gone from the restaurant and bar area, Marianthy, my former bride was the model. The next day, the other two girls, Gina and Jeniffer, arrived early and we spent several hours changing looks and accesories to create different images. These images will be used for the Omni's marketing campaing and the Bride society's own editorial. To all future brides, I highly recoment the Omni for your wedding reception, it has two wonderful ballrooms, a striking view of Michigan avenue and of course, you're right there at the Magnificent mile for tons of photo oportunities and your guests shopping indulgence!. The food at 676 is outstanding, try the Sunday brunch, the omelettes are to die for!

2009 Accolade of Excellence Album

2009-02-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Wedding Gallery

2009-02-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Mario, Chicago

2009-02-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

This weekend I photographed Mario, a singer of Spanish music. Mario has won several singing contests and is launching his professional career here in Chicago. I enjoyed so much working with Mario because he gave me green light to create a series of fashionable images to promote his career as a singer and model. We started at my home studio using available light and then we proceeded to the train station to create really cool images outdoors and we got lucky when a train actually passed by. Despite of the cold, he and his friend Monica who helped with the flash and later as a prop for the last images back at the studio, put up with me without a complaint unitl I had created the images you see below. Lately I've been doing promo shoots for people in the entertainment business giving my work a twist since I mostly focous on weddings. I plan to use the experience gained to include a fashionable touch to this season's weddings so stay tunned!

The Dizz, Chicago

2009-01-24T19:35:00.001-08:00

I recently did a promotional photo shoot for my best friend Victor Blackful, the heart of Soul 106.3 radio station. Being one of the top DJs in Chicago, I wanted to do something that told a story about who he is other than a DJ, the way I know him. Besides music being his life and Chicago his home, Victor is a business man, a nature lover and one of the most caring and dedicated men I've known, he's pure inspiration to me as he has been to thousands of people that he has touched through his years of broadcasting, even Oprah!

We did the photoshoot at my home studio and then I took him for a surprise photoshoot in the middle of the snow! I had this idea in mind of combining his passion for music, his love for Chicago and it's cold winters and his love for nature to tell a story of his constant search for a path to reach more souls and leaving a trail of him behind for people to also find their way, like the story of Hanz and Gretel. With no complains from his part, he put up with knee deep snow in just a sweter and the results were very pleasing for both of us, I hope you all enjoy and decide to check his show brodcasted in the internet at http://www.soul1063radio.com/.

Valerie and Tasos, Pazzos Restaurant

2008-12-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and Happy Holidays! What better season to celebrate a marriage than the Holidays! I love the Holidays and I was fortunate to have the privilege to photograph the wedding of one of the most amazing couples I ever had. It rained constantly that day and the temperature was in the 50's in December! But not a problem, Pazzos has the most amazing setting for photography so we did everything indoors with amazing results, these are definitely my favorite images of the year, good way to finish the year! We ventured outside for few minutes when the rain gave us a break and we took some great shoots in front of the huge Christmas tree at the Sears Tower and at this point, I was really pushing my luck! Thank you Valerie and Tasos for being so easy to work with and allowed me to preserve your beautiful wedding in these amazing images. Enjoy your honeymoon and I can't wait to show you the rest of the images! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!!!

Valerie and Tassos, Magnificent Mile

2008-12-16T16:21:00.001-08:00

Last Summer I did the engagement sesison of Valeri and Tassos and this Christmas season I will be photographing their wedding. I love to shoot in Chicago, it has so much to offer. We started at the Merchandise Mart and finished at the Magnificent Mile. I wanted to give them images with a very chick feel to it and also a romantic setting so at Michigan avenue we had some fun using the windows of designer stores like Gucci and then we headend to the gardens of a church full with vines and stone that give that Romeo and Juliet dreamy seeting. It was absolutely a delight and can't wait for their wedding next weekend so stay tunned for images from their wedding!

Beatriz and Carlos, Monterrey Mexico

2008-11-27T17:07:00.000-08:00

I recentrly flew to Monterrey Mexico to photograph Beatriz and Carlos, a wonderful couple that will be getting married next March at the amazing Fudidora Park in Monterrey. This was a last minute trip I made before flying myself to spend the holidays with my family at the beach and I'm glad I did it. Despite Beatriz and Carlos being tired from Beatriz' sister's wedding the night before, they were in such good disposition to work with me especially because my style of photography is so unfamiliar in Mexico and they were not expecting...well....to have so much fun! Carlos home served as the setting for the entire photoshoot and we included a small session with Carlos kids, America and Charlie, who were so excited to be part of the photo session. Gracias Beatriz y Carlos por sus atenciones, fuero excelentes modelos y pase unas horas memorables. Gracias por aguantarme y hacer todo lo que les pedi sin queja alguna, espero que les gusten sus fotos tanto como a mi. Saludos desde Mazatlan!

Thessa and Robert, McDonalds Campus

2008-11-02T20:03:00.001-08:00

On a beautiful Fall day I had the pleasure of photographing the engagment session of Thessa and Robert. I love engagement sessions, it gives me the opportunity to bond with the couple and take my time creating images without the pressure of a normal wedding day. I like to photograph two types of session, a casual one and then one more romantic and formal. This session was a delight since the weather was absolutely fantastic that day and the McDonals University campus has so much to offer. After our session at the pond, they changed clothes into a more formal attire, Thessa looked stunning. When I went to the back of the hotel and saw the deck overlooking the pond, I knew I had to create some images there. With the summer gone, the deck has been let dry and had a very monochromatic feel to it, almost like a fishing pier, I thought it was a very romantic setting. After the daylight was gone, we proceeded indoors and I used the multiple paintings that the hotel has hanging on the walls as backdrops to create very unique images that I absolutely love. Thessa and Robert, you inspired me to create these images of the two of you, thank you for being so willing to do anything I asked you to, I confess I can't wait for your wedding day next year!

Nicole and James, Water Tower at Michigan Ave.

2008-10-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Nicole and James' wedding was so intimate and beautiful. Only their siblings attended their ceremony in front of the Water Tower on a gorgeous Chicago Fall day. I felt like a kid in a candy store with them, such a gorgeous couple and so willing to do whatever I wanted. I couldn't resist taking them to the Presbiterian Church on Michigan and Delaware. This is one of my favorite places in Chicago to photograph couples followed by all the fabulous designer stores along the magnificent mile. It was Giorgio's turn to be the stage for the fantastic images we created together. Thank you Nicole and James for letting me create your memories, I knew from the first moment I talked to you that I had to do this wedding. I can't wait to show you the rest!

Amanda and Andy, Danada House, Naperville

2008-10-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

Amanda and Andy's wedding was so close to my heart. Andy is one of my best friends and I was so thrilled when he and Amanda chose me as their wedding photographer and actually picked their wedding day around my schedule. Or may be Andy knew I would stop talking to him if he didn't have me as his photographer! I like the first choice better! Any way, talking about getting my way and they couldn't say no to anything I asked them to do, including protraits at a smelly barn, or having Amanda laying on the floor at the reception hall!
Andy and Amanda, you are just unbeliveable and I want you to know that it was the greatest gift to allow me to photograph your wedding and your future family addition :). I love you guys!

Lindsay and Leo, The Stonegate at Hoffman Estates

2008-10-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you put together a Polish Designer, a Greek family and a Russian Florist? You get a totaly elegant, amazing, fun wedding! I had the privilege of photographying Lindsay and Leo's wedding on a beautiful September day. Lindsay helped me design my condo which many of you already know. I was totaly amazed by her own place, designed to the last spoon! So you can imagine all the design that went into her wedding! From the bride's maid dresses, flowers and invitations to her outstanding designer wedding dress and culminated with her receptin hall. I couldn't resist honoring Lindsay's talent by photographing her surrounded by her own creation, her master bathroom and livingroom! She combined her talents with Yanni and Tara, from Yanni Design Studio, to put together the most amazing reception hall I've ever seen. Lindsay wanted this Oscar-night look with spotlights illuminating each table and the result was truly a dream. As for Leo, well, what can I say, he's Greek and Greek weddings are the most fun to be at! Family and friends and especially his groomsmen wouldn't stop laughing and having a good time. I definitely enjoyed my time creating your images guys, can't wait to show you the rest!

Andrea and Kevin, Rosemont Convention Center

2008-09-28T12:23:00.001-07:00

If you think you have to go somewhere to take photos when you are having your wedding at the Rosemont Convention Center, think again! I photographed Andrea and Kevin's wedding on a beautiful Labor Day weekend at the Rosemont and I just couldn't have enough of this wonderful venue. It offers everything, the city feel, the romance of the most luxurious venues and a very contemporary feel at night with it's wonderful fountain at night. Their wedding was a blast thanks to the Dan Hayes Orchestra, they are just fabulous! I want to thank Andrea and Kevin and all the members of their bridal party, you guys where awesome to work with, for the second time for some of you!

Wedding in Durango, Mexico

2008-09-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

I was in the beautiful city of Durango, Mexico to photograph the wedding of Sabrina and Salvador, one of the coolest weddings I've done. In Mexico, it is not customary to have a bridal party so the photography is concentrated on the bride and groom. It is also customary for the ceremony to be at night time so the bride and the groom have to see each other before the ceremony to go to a location to take photos. This turned out to be such a great time because we allocated two hours for photography and let me tell you, had they given me four hours, I would have still been short! The location we went was amazing, Internado Juana Villalobos is a colonial landmark of the city that used to be a school and not is a cultural center and museum. At the time of the session, in the big central patio, they had old dance music, I think it was "danzon" and there were old couples remembering their young days. I had never seen people that age dancing with so much energy! It was also interesting dealing with the "street" photographers that sneaked into the church to photograph the wedding in hopes to go to the reception and sell their prints, I was NOT prepared for this! Sabrina and Salvador, it was a delight working with you, best wishes! I want to specially thank my sister Eliana for putting up with me as my assistant. She's an amazing photographer as well and she accepted to be my assistant for this wedding, she could read my mind and anticipated all my movements! My wish of having a double of me has come true! Love you sis!

Fashion shoot in Mexico

2008-09-09T12:28:00.001-07:00

I was in Durango, Mexico over labor day to shoot a wedding and ended up also doing a fashion shoot for a very high end bridal salon. It was so exciting to work with the owner, her doughter Carmen was our model and the hair and make up artist was Maria de Mexico. If you haven't heard of her, google her, she has salons all over Mexico and she's opening a salon in Chicago in the future. If you are thinking of having a destination wedding in Mexico, it's well worth the extra investment to have Maria de Mexico fly to your wedding destination to do your hair and make up. After your dress, those are the most important things you should invest on in order to look fabulous on your wedding day! The bridal salon is called Imagen and has the most stunning European desings. Here are some of my favorite images from the fashion shoot, enjoy!
I will be posting images from the wedding I did in Mexico soon, stay tunned!

Kristi and Jeremy

2008-08-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

When I arrived to Kristi's house I was so in love with her bedroom, I wanted to keep shooting all day there! Kristi and her brides' maids where so happy to do something fun instead of a formal bridal party photo, it's a delight to work with such fun group of girls! I loved how expressive Kristi's Dad was, it brought tears to my eyes... seriously. Jeremy is one of those grooms that let the bride choose the photographer, so we met at the church for the first time. It was obvious from the begining that Jeremy trusted his future wife's common sense, he just surrendered to all my directions, I absolutely loved all his photos. At the reception site the parking lot was packed so I had to park at the very back, and thanks to that, I found this great locations that shelterd us from the blasting sun, don't you just love these images?