A man and woman walk hand in hand in front of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline behind them while the woman smiles back at the man

Engagement Session with a Hazy Chicago Skyline | Maya and Grant

A couple embrace while smiling at one another with Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline in the background behind them

Maya and Grant ended up with one of the most unique and interesting engagement sessions that I’ve photographed to date! During the summer of 2023 Canada was unfortunately dealing with some terrible wildfires. This led to Chicago experiencing some pretty crazy smoke and hazy conditions. This wasn’t exactly the most fun time in Chicago, but it did give Maya and Grant a very unique and one of a kind backdrop of the Chicago skyline for us to work with for their engagement session at North Avenue Beach!

Lake Michigan with the Chicago skyline behind it on a hazy day

An Engagement Session with a Hazy Chicago Skyline

If you’ve been following me for a while now then you know just how much I ADORE North Avenue Beach and its view of the Chicago skyline for an engagement session. From articles going over my favorite engagement session locations in the city, to galleries featuring North Avenue Beach, even to a whole guide about planning your engagement session at North Avenue Beach, it’s safe to say this is one of my favorite spots in the city!

There’s just SO much to love, from its gorgeous views, lakefront vibes, and even its location, it all combines to create one of the best spots in the city to capture and celebrate your love for one another. Experiencing all of this greatness with the added atmosphere of the haziness from the Canada fires really created something truly unique though at North Avenue Beach, let’s take a look at Maya and Grant’s session to see what I mean!

A couple embrace one another and kiss while standing in front of a lake
A woman smiles at the camera while hugging a man who kisses her on the cheek with the lake behind them
A woman smiles with her eyes closed while hugging a man who kisses her on the cheek in front of Lake Michigan
A couple embrace and kiss one another on a foggy day with a lake behind them
A man and woman embrace and kiss on a foggy day while standing in front of a lake
A man and woman smile at the camera while the man hugs the woman from behind in front of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline
A woman looks over her shoulder and smiles to a man who is hugging her from behind and smiling at her as they stand in front of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline
A man and woman walk hand in hand along Lake Michigan and smile at one another during their engagement session with a hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A man and woman smile while walking and holding hands along Lake Michigan during their engagement session with a hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A woman looks over her shoulder and reaches her hand out behind her towards a man who is reaching to hold her hand as they both smile while walking along Lake Michigan
A man and woman kiss one another and embrace while standing next to Lake Michigan and with the Chicago skyline behind them
A woman's hand with an engagement ring rests on a man's shoulder as they both smile at one another in the background with their noses touching
A man and woman smile at one another while holding hands and facing each other during their engagement session with Lake Michigan and the hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A man and woman kiss one another while holding hands with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline behind them
A man smiles at the camera while hugging a woman with her back to the camera with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline behind them
A man and woman smile at the camera while hugging one another with Lake Michigan behind them
A man and woman smile at the camera while hugging one another with Lake Michigan behind them
A man and woman kiss and embrace during their engagement session with Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A woman smiles while dancing with a man in front of Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline behind them during their engagement session
A man and woman dance with their eyes closed with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline behind them
A man and woman embrace and smile while dancing in front of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline
A man and woman kiss one another and embrace during their engagement session with Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A man and woman walk hand in hand in front of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline behind them while the woman smiles back at the man
A man and woman kiss one another while standing in front of Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline
A woman is dipped and kissed by a man in front of Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline

Maya and Grant’s Engagement Session at North Avenue Beach

For Maya and Grant’s engagement session we wanted to keep things on the simpler side location wise, opting for using North Avenue Beach and its view of the Chicago skyline as our setting for the entirety of our session. Outside of the location however Maya, Grant, and I got pretty creative with their session! From Maya’s super fun and colorful second dress, the champagne pop towards the end of the session, the haziness of the skyline I’ve been mentioning, and of course A LOT of love between the two, their engagement session was honestly such a blast! Having the Chicago skyline peaking through the haze on an otherwise perfectly normal, sunny day was such a surreal experience. It’s something that I’m SO glad we were able to capture for their session and I’m so pumped with how their album came out!

A man and woman kiss one another while standing in front of Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline during their engagement session
A woman smiles at the camera while hugging a man as he kisses her on the cheek with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline behind them
A man and woman look at the camera while the woman stands behind the man and puts her hand on his shoulder while they stand in front of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline
A man looks over his shoulder as a woman behind him kisses him on the cheek in front of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline
A man smiles over his shoulder as a woman behind him smiles while touching her nose to his cheek during their engagement session
A woman smiles while being hugged from behind by a man who kisses her on her head with Lake Michigan behind them
A man and woman sit facing towards Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline and smile at one another while touching their noses together during their engagement session
A man and woman hold hands and look out over Lake Michigan towards a hazy Chicago skyline as they face away from the camera
A man and woman kiss one another and embrace while standing in front of Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline
A man and woman hold hands and face one another with a hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A man picks up a woman and they kiss one another with a hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A woman lifts her leg while a man kisses her on the cheek during their engagement session with Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A man and woman face away from the camera and wrap their arms around one another with a hazy Chicago skyline behind them
A woman smiles while looking up as a man hugs her from behind and kisses her on the cheek with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline behind them
A man and woman kiss one another with a cloudy gray sky above them
A man and woman smile while standing in front of Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline during their engagement session, the woman is spraying a bottle of champagne
A man and woman smile at one another while each holding a glass of champagne in front of Lake Michigan and a hazy Chicago skyline
Close up photo of a man and woman holding glasses of champagne and smiling at one another, the woman's hand has an engagement ring on it

Maya and Grant really did get to experience one of the most incredible views of the Chicago skyline for their engagement session. North Avenue Beach already offers such a beautifully scenic location for engagement photos, but getting to experience it with this added haziness gave us a session like none other. Ready to book me for your Chicago wedding and engagement session? Be sure to send me an inquiry through my contact page to reserve your date today!

A man and woman kiss one another while embracing in front of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline
A woman looking over her shoulder kisses a man as he hugs her from behind with Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline behind them

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About Jayde 

Docu-torial Photographer

I'm a Chicago wedding photographer with a passion for people, candid moments, authenticity, and golden hour. I document weddings with a ferocity for the real moments that matter on a wedding day: the moments you lived with the people you love. With 200+ weddings under my belt, I use my expertise to guide my clients to feel comfortable and confident so their images feel like them. 

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