Jeanna & TannerThe Drake Hotel, Chicago

Some Chicago locations seem to have been made for photographs, and The Drake Hotel is one of them. For Jeanna and Tanner’s engagement photo-shoot at the end of February, its elegant interiors, historic character, and unmistakable vintage atmosphere created a setting that felt completely different from the cold winter streets outside.

With temperatures especially low in Chicago at that time of year, The Drake was also the perfect choice for a winter photo-shoot.

We could stay warm while moving through beautiful spaces filled with architectural details, classic furnishings, and natural opportunities for photographs with completely different looks.

Jeanna and Tanner were drawn to The Drake because of its old-style movie atmosphere — the kind of setting that brings to mind classic holiday films, vintage elegance, and the glamorous Chicago of another era. There was even a subtle feeling of the old Chicago that we know from movies about the city’s past, giving the photographs an especially distinctive character.

The final gallery came together beautifully. The images feel cinematic and nostalgic, almost as though Jeanna and Tanner stepped into a different time for the afternoon. At the same time, the photographs remain natural and personal, capturing their connection and the excitement of this chapter in their lives.

Their engagement photo-shoot at The Drake was a wonderful example of how the right location can become part of the story itself — not simply a backdrop, but an atmosphere that shapes the photographs and gives the entire gallery its own sense of time and place.