Liesl Diesel Photo » Portraits

Sweetly Running Bank of America

Liesl — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:13:02 +0000

Kristine & Jonathan have a pretty fun story!

They are high school sweethearts and now they both work at Bank of America and are also into running. The real kind of running; the kind most of us look at as some kind of super hero power because they do it for hours and hours on end. This can only lead me to believe that, since they are both sweethearts, love running, and both work at Bank of America, that within a couple of years they will be Sweetly Running Bank of America!

Hey, it makes sense to me!

We started our portrait session at the Chicago Board of Trade

As we walked toward the intersection of Jackson & LaSalle I saw this light dancing back and forth between the buildings, I love it!

I love this expression!

After Jackson & Lasalle we headed to the BP Bridge

This canvas will soon be on their wall!

Bench at the Lurie Garden

You two are so wonderful, I can't wait to shoot your next big life event!!

Twist Out Cancer

Liesl — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:37:04 +0000

Have you ever had to force yourself to smile to try to change your mood?

Have you ever started dancing in hopes that your spirit would rise?

Have you ever had to Twist Out Cancer?

Tiny Twister has been an inspiration to me for nearly a year, and I finally got to meet her a few weeks ago!

I found her blog through mutual friends and became enchanted by her open and real style of writing, and encouraged by her stories that are so full of hope, pain, honesty, fun.

Today is her Cancerversary.

What does one say to someone who is “celebrating” their one year diagnosis of cancer? Honestly, I don’t know what to say. All I can really say is thank you, Tiny Twister, for taking this year to encourage and inspire.

And thank you so so much for letting me photograph you.

You are beautiful.

So beautiful, in fact, that I really can’t even choose which images to blog. You can see all my favorites on facebook.

Liesl Diesel

On a tightrope!

Liesl — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:14:20 +0000

After their ceremony at Zed451, Jamil & Carrie and the entire party jumped into the Zed Van and toured the city!

The first stop was the Tightrope Sculpture on North Lasalle.

Balance found!

love this sculpture!

The next stop was the opera house on Michigan Avenue, what a beautiful facade!

A quick walk on the BP Bridge with Pritzker pavillion in the background

I love Jamil's expression

Carrie. simply perfect.

beautiful and natural updo

Jamil & Carrie at the head table

Dawn & Mark’s Rose Garden Engagement!

Liesl — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:29:14 +0000

Congratulations to Dawn & Mark! Today I will be shooting their wedding at the Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach, SC!

I photographed their engagement session back in June at The Little Theater Rose Garden in Raleigh, NC and designed a custom guest book from the images.

Here are a few of my favorite images, as you can see this wedding is going to be SMILE CITY!!!

Can’t wait to see you both!

Liesl Diesel

Dawn has a contagious smile! I love it!!

Mark is such a joker, he can make Dawn laugh and keep his poker face at the same time :) oh it's going to be fun!

The arena at The Little Theater in Raleigh, NC has some fun graphics to work with!

and of course rose gardens are always à la mode!

True Chicago-Style Engagement! Urvita & Shital!

Liesl — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:01:38 +0000

If you follow my blog you will see that I am behind on my posts!!

Not only is this because I have a normal busy summer, as would be expected of most wedding photographers, but also because of my recent move to the GORGEOUS city of Chicago! I am excited to catch all of you up with everything I have had the opportunity to witness over the past few months! It has been RIDICULOUS!!!

Back in May I photographed Urvita & Shital’s engagement session at Navy Pier and Union Station.

Of course the weather cooperated PERFECTLY!

And so did my models!

It was Memorial Day weekend and the crowds were out in true Chicago fashion!

What a charmer!

Our perfect weather did not last all afternoon, so we headed to Union Station

These two were so much fun to hang out with, as you can see!

I love Urvita's expression!

The inside of Chicago Union Station is so beautiful!

faint!

Thanks for spending so much time with me that afternoon, you two were so fun!!

Have You Ever?

Liesl — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:59:28 +0000

Renee & Roosevelt

Have you ever met someone you were so jazzed to be with?

You think they are such an ace!

even when they need some space . . .

Whether you see eye to eye

They face your heart

and heart your face.

They think you're too cool for school.

You think they just rule the pool.

You hug

and kiss

and fool around

You both feel free to act like clowns

He's got your back

You've got his neck

You both figure "what the heck!?"

You take one another by the hand

They choose you

And you choose them

To dance

Until

Your dance

is done.

Canandaigua, NY Wedding Portraits

Liesl — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:54:56 +0000

Before heading to their reception at Steamboat Landing, Anna & Rich stopped at the beautiful Park by Canandaigua Lake.

Dress from Peggy’s Bridal

Hair by Megan Brusseau of Adore Hair Studio

The whole crew! Not a bad looking bunch!

The weather was so beautiful!

And the boys were so nutty :)

I did finally get them to straighten up!

This image was made possible by my beautiful green Alien Bee. Thank you, greenbee!

Engagement Portraits at The Center at High Falls, Rochester, NY

Liesl — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:00:32 +0000

Todd & Elisabeth might have one of the coolest proposal stories you have ever seen.

You have to check out the video of how Todd popped the question!

I shot their engagement session at The Center at High Falls, Rochester, NY

See all my favorites on facebook, and their proof set on Pictage!

So happy for both of you, can’t wait to see you again soon!

Liesl Diesel

Jericho Road Ministries

Liesl — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:37:33 +0000

Anna recently hired me to shoot a day in the life of her refugee drop in center in Buffalo, NY.

I spent the day watching hard working people solve problems for refugees who were overwhelmed by issues of paperwork, transportation systems, immunization records, green cards, etc . . . that they simply could not deal with without the help of a translator. In fact, some of their issues would have been hard to solve for an American-born English-speaking citizen!

Anna’s own words on why she founded Hope:

“I co-founded Hope Refugee Services in 2008. After several years working in refugee resettlement, I realized that a huge gap in services existed and this frustrated me. For refugees arriving in Buffalo, the majority of services ended after six months, and for many this was simply not enough time to adapt to life. Literacy is required for life in America more than most people realize. The ability to fill a simple form is needed to get medical care, maintain food stamps, apply for a job, or even rent an apartment. Many refugees can’t speak English let alone read it within that time period. For others, they want to go to college, complete a GED, or buy a house. It bothered me that people were falling through the cracks. It was unacceptable to me that people came here to start a new life and got caught up in the cycle of poverty, especially when it could be addressed or avoided.

Hope Refugee Services opened its doors to provide services to refugees for whom services were otherwise unavailable. Our intention was to provide a continuum of service to our clients. We are the only post-resettlement agency in Buffalo. Our cornerstone program is the Hope Refugee Drop In Center, which is open to clients three days a week. It is not traditional case management. A client comes in, identifies their own problem and we help them find a solution to that problem. Every day is a surprise and we do anything from referrals, scheduling appointments, and filling out forms. We also started an afterschool program for middle schoolers, a home ownership program, an adult education program, a sewing project, and an urban gardening initiative. All of our programs were designed in dialogue with refugee communities, to make sure they addressed each need as effectively as possible

I chose the name Hope, because I wanted to see hope restored to our clients. I wanted to bring hope to our wider community. I wanted the refugee community to feel that they had a part in their own destiny’s, rather than riding along in a system that was inaccessible.

In 2009, we merged with Jericho Road Ministries, strengthening our programs and infrastructure. This also helped provide sustainability. JRM had several refugee projects as well, including a pregnancy mentoring program, a financial literacy program, and a program working with toddlers for school readiness.

Jericho Road Ministries was named for the parable of the Good Samaritan, running on the Biblical principle of helping others in their time of need. Located on the West side of Buffalo, we currently have three locations. If you are interested in volunteering, you can call 716-348-3000 and ask for Joelle. IF you would like to send a donation, the address is Jericho Road Ministries 184 Barton St Buffalo, NY 14213″

Burmese refugees get off the bus by Jericho Road Ministries

word has quickly spread about the services offered by Hope, and the drop in center stays busy all day

Hope Refugee drop in center

Anna meets with a potential donor.

Her "CAN DO" attitude has taken this service from concept to full fruition! What a lady!

Anna excels at solutions.

Because of their wonderful reputation, the waiting room is full as soon as the doors open!

A social worker and translator work together to help a mother understand how to enroll her child in school, get him there on time and in proper uniform, and have his medical records up to date!

Anna applies for grants in her back office.

The grants help cover expenses and hiring new workers as the center continues to grow and help more refugees!

Anna helps a family with paperwork, with the help of Tha Dah, a Burmese refugee who now works for the center as a translator.

This mother was at the center nearly all day with her three children.

Her children were so well behaved and patient.

Simple things like turning off electricity when someone moves. These small things make a huge difference in the lives of someone who cannot read or speak english.

They keep their files very organized, and their system of helping their clients is very efficient.

It was great to witness the good/effective side of social services. Creating independence, not dependence.

Anna doesn't rhyme with Awesome. but it should.

Anna's commitment to help doesn't end at work.

She rents rooms in her house to refugees who have relocated to Buffalo.

They all get along . . . for the most part =)

This image, I love. I think it describes the caring chaos that forms Anna's life. She is open, and always has room to care for one more person. I love her heart so much. Please consider volunteering or donating to her organization!

Painterly Portraits

Liesl — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:03:37 +0000

For Nicole & Damien’s wedding portraits we went to the Chapel Hill Botanic Gardens in Chapel Hill, NC.

I played with my tilt shift lens a bit!