Chris Withers Photography

🍂📸 **FALL PHOTO SESSIONS ARE HERE!** 🍁✨

Location: Lincoln Memorial Gardens in Springfield, IL

📸 The weather is turning and I am excited to create some inspiring Fall portraits.

My booking calendar is now available online at the link below.

These sessions are simple for all ages and at a beautiful location in Springfield, IL. I am also able to offer weather backup plans.

If you’ve been thinking about updating your portraits, planning something creative, celebrating an important season of life, or simply creating photographs that actually feel like you, I welcome the adventure.

I have a select few dates available for September and October. with a bonus $75 store credit booked within this time. Visit the link for more details.

👉 https://chriswithersphotography.hbportal.co/public/6a9b8ea782b0a1a331524b86

Chris Withers Photography
Springfield, Illinois

Which photo from their session is your favorite? Drop the photo number in the comments. 👇

Give me two people in love, an incredible historical building, and permission to wander... and I’m pretty happy. 😂❤️

Aaliyah and Brenden gave me exactly that.

For their engagement session, we spent some time exploring Chapter II Events in Jacksonville, wandering from room to room and looking for interesting light, hidden corners, dramatic architecture, and anything else that inspired us along the way.

These two made it easy.

Aaliyah and Brenden love each other deeply, but they also have these wonderfully free spirits. They aren’t afraid to try something different, laugh at themselves, experiment, or trust me when I say, “Okay... I have an idea.”

And that is usually where some of my favorite photographs come from.

We weren’t just trying to make nice engagement pictures. We were trying to create something together.

That makes me even more excited for their wedding because I already know these two are going to let us explore, play, and make some pretty incredible art.

And Chapter II was the perfect place for it.

The building was once the historic Henry Pfeiffer Library on the former MacMurray College campus. Today, Eric and Kayla are giving the property an entirely new chapter.

Their connection to the property became even more special when they also took over the neighboring Annie Merner Chapel, where Eric and Kayla were actually married themselves.

And then there are the chandeliers. 😍

Several of the incredible European chandeliers inside Chapter II reportedly appeared in Disney’s *Cruella*.

So yeah...

Give me a historic building, giant movie chandeliers, beautiful light, and an adventurous couple and I’m probably going to disappear with my camera for a while. 😂

A huge thank you to Eric, Kayla at Chapter II Events for being so welcoming and allowing us to wander, explore, and create.

Aaliyah and Brenden...

This was only the engagement session.

I cannot wait for the wedding. ❤️

Now I want to know...

🔥 DON’T LET HOMECOMING LIVE ONLY ON A CELL PHONE! 📸✨

Quick question for Springfield-area parents and students: Would anyone be intrigued in a Homecoming portrait session on Saturday, September 26?

I’m considering opening a limited number of appointments at my Springfield studio for individuals, couples and friend groups. These would be polished, dramatic portraits that feel more like a magazine shoot than ordinary front-yard pictures.

If you’re interested, comment HOMECOMING below or send me a private message, and I’ll share the details!

No AI was harmed during the creation of this post.

SOME NIGHTS REMIND YOU WHAT A COMMUNITY CAN BE

I arrived at The Muni a little after dark. Cars were still streaming onto the grounds as attendants guided everyone toward the parking area. I flashed my lights, explained that I was there to photograph the evening, and continued around to the back of the theater to unload my gear.

There is something special about arriving at a venue just before a performance. From the outside, everything appears calm. Behind the scenes, however, an entire world is preparing to come alive.

As I wandered around the stage area, I could feel the nervous energy of the dancers preparing to perform. It was that unmistakable mixture of anticipation, focus and excitement that exists just before someone steps into the light and offers a piece of themselves to an audience.

Beyond the stage, conversations drifted through the night air as guests found their places. Some sat quietly reading, waiting. Others settled into lawn chairs and visited with the people beside them, waiting for the spectacle to begin.

Then I learned that the evening’s performances would be inspired by the music of Prince. As a longtime fan, that immediately caught my attention. Prince’s music is theatrical, emotional and wonderfully difficult to contain within a single style. It invites movement, color, individuality and a little bit of rebellion, all of which made it a remarkable foundation for ballet.

Once the performance began, the atmosphere changed completely.

The stage became a place of movement, expression and storytelling. Through my camera, I watched these dancers pour their hearts into every performance. Their discipline was evident, but so was their joy. Photographing dance is always a challenge because its beauty exists in moments that disappear almost as quickly as they arrive. A leap, a gesture, an expression or the perfect meeting of movement and light may last only a fraction of a second.

I am deeply grateful that I was given the opportunity to preserve some of those moments.

A special thank you to The Muni and Rockballet for inviting me to document such a memorable evening.

If you live in Springfield and find yourself longing for something different, look toward the people and places creating local art. There is remarkable talent here—sometimes closer than we realize. Events like this allow us to step outside the familiar, experience something beautiful and connect with the creative spirit of our own community.

Springfield would benefit greatly from even more evenings like this, and these artists deserve our attention, our applause and our support.

Also a warm thank you to Copper Coin Ballet Company. Great work!

Enjoy this sneak peek.

There are some people you photograph who just naturally bring a little extra creativity into the experience, and Hanabelle was definitely one of those people.

Hanabelle is incredibly artistic, creative, and expressive, especially through her love of dance. But beyond that, she has this free-spirited energy about her. Full of kindness, passion, and a genuine sense of who she is.

It was such a pleasure getting to capture this milestone in her life and going on this creative journey with her. Sessions like this are always special because they become about so much more than just taking senior pictures. It becomes an opportunity to capture a little piece of who someone is right now, before life begins opening all of these new doors.

Hanabelle, I hope this next season of your life is filled with amazing experiences, new adventures, creativity, and opportunities to keep doing the things that make you feel most alive.

Congratulations on your senior year. I’m excited to see where your journey takes you next. ❤️

Is AI ruining photography? Maybe a little, but maybe not for the reasons you think. What are your thoughts? My thoughts are in the comments.

LOOK FOR COUPLES TO MODEL

I remember taking this photo several years ago during a fun styled photo-shoot. It brought back some good memories. I thought it would be a fun photo to share with this post. If you see yourself in this image, please tag yourself. I would love to catch up and see how life has been for you.

Hello, Springfield, IL! 📸✨ Do you or someone you know love modeling?

We are seeking male and female models for upcoming styled shoots. 👗💄 Wardrobe, hair, and makeup styling are included.

Please give a shout-out to anyone you know who might be interested! 🙌

Shoot dates coming up very soon!

Some photo sessions are about more than just taking pictures. ❤️📸

Every once in a while, we get invited into a day where something bigger is about to happen, and we know before almost everyone else does.

I remember pulling onto this beautiful property with a crew behind me, my wife Jessica, a few assistants, and myself. We knew we weren’t just there to photograph a family. Somewhere in the middle of it all, we were going to help preserve a moment that would change two lives forever.

When we first arrived, most of the family was still inside getting ready, so we had a little time to walk the property and take everything in.

And it was beautiful.

There was wild, tall grass moving softly in the wind. The water was quiet and calm. Sitting almost perfectly in the middle of it all was a gazebo that felt like its own little perfect photo opportunity.

Everywhere I looked, I could see possibilities.

I even noticed the swimming pool and made a mental note that, somehow, before this session was over, I was going to try to convince a couple to jump in for a photograph. 😂

More on that later.

One of the parents eventually came outside, said hello, and asked if I was the photographer. I enthusiastically told them yes, and we continued looking around, figuring out where we wanted to photograph everyone and how we were going to let the afternoon naturally unfold.

A little while later, the gentleman involved in the surprise proposal approached me.

Excited.

Nervous.

Happy.

And very aware that, in a little while, he was going to ask someone he loved one of the biggest questions of his life.

I had brought along this big, beautiful wool blanket for the session. It had this vintage Persian rug style to it that I absolutely loved, and I already knew it would look incredible against the tall grass.

That blanket became part of our plan.

At the right moment, I would bring it out onto the grass and create a natural little scene for the two of them. It gave us the perfect excuse to bring them together in one spot without giving anything away.

And then, when the moment was right, he would get down on one knee. 💍

Until then, we simply photographed the family.

People laughed.

People joked.

Families stood together.

Couples held onto one another.

The tall grass moved in the wind, the water sat quietly behind us, and for a while it was simply a beautiful afternoon with a family making memories together.

And then came the moment we had all been waiting for.

The blanket came out.

They stepped onto the grass.

And suddenly, all of that nervous energy and quiet planning became real.

He got down on one knee and asked her to become his bride. ❤️

For a few seconds, everything else seemed to disappear.

There was love.

There was family.

There was laughter.

There were nerves, excitement, hugs, and the beginning of an entirely new chapter happening right in front of us.

Somewhere in the middle of what began as a family photo session, we were given the opportunity to preserve the exact moment a family grew a little bigger.

That is the part of photography I never want to take for granted.

We don’t just get to make photographs.

Sometimes people trust us enough to stand beside them during moments they will talk about for the rest of their lives.

And for that, I am forever grateful.

I took the liberty of sharing a few of my personal favorites from this session because there were simply too many moments I loved not to share.

And yes...

I eventually got my swimming pool photograph. 😂💦

After a little bit of convincing, they officially took the plunge and jumped right into the pool.

And somehow, I can’t think of a more fitting way to end a day that was already about taking a pretty big leap together.

To this family, thank you for letting Jessica, myself, and our team be there.

Thank you for allowing us to laugh with you, celebrate with you, and capture a small piece of your story.

And to the newly engaged couple, I hope this was only the beginning of a very long collection of beautiful memories together.

I wish you an incredible life, an incredible marriage, and many, many more moments worth remembering.

Thank you for letting us capture this one. ❤️📸