Each year I try to get some of my images featured in the Door County Visitor Guide which is their brochure packed with vacation ideas. Door County is a quick vacation getaway from Chicago and perfect for a long weekend. Some of our images that they used this year include the photographer/writer credits page at the beginning—a cold, icy sunrise, and a windsurfing image for their article on windsurfing and kite-boarding.

Last October I had the opportunity to travel to Paris. Here a few images walking the streets of Paris.

I was pleased that WeddingWire.com which is the nations’s leading wedding technology company announced that Robert Sojka Photography has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award.

“In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through surveys and reviews. Our winning vendors have set the bar high for this competition, demonstrating excellent service and expertise in their industry.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Each year hundreds of daring souls brave the frigid waters of Lake Michigan on January 1st for the annual Polar Bear swim. This year I happend to grab a few photographs of the event, and I can tell you I was sure glad to be behind the camera on this one!

First the local fire department checked it out just to make sure there were no ice hazards.

This guy came out in style with his tux!

I met Ben and Jill earlier this year. They’re having an outdoor wedding next summer which should be an awesome event. We had a chance for an engagement session before the weather got too cold. When I get a naturally phogenic couple like the two of them it makes my work pretty easy.

Kevin & Amy flew down from South Dakata to enjoy a weekend in Chicago and take in a Cubs game several weeks ago. Unfortunately it’s the start of another world series without our cubbies.

Kevin and Amy are already married but wanted to do a pseudo-engagement session here in Chicago where Kevin had proposed to Amy some years ago. They’re a fantastic and outgoing couple that I really enjoyed photographing. Amy owns and operates Amy Lawrence Photography in South Dakota and she was just as incredible in front of the camera as she is behind the camera.

As luck would have it, we were blessed with one of the most amazing sunsets over the skyline which made for some very dramatic images. Here are a few of my favorites from the session.

Eric & Amanda were married in Oak Lawn and had their reception in the very cool, wooded town of Willow Springs. The wedding was filled with character, personality, and awesome detail including the 1959 Chevy Bel Air they rode in. Check out some of the highlights.

David and Valerie live in Seattle for part of the year and in Chicago for the summer months where they had decided to have their wedding. Many of their guests traveled from as far as France to celebrate their wedding. They had the most gorgeous outside ceremony at the Lincoln Park Conservatory where Valerie had arrived in this really cool antique Bentley. The reception was then held at the exclusive Cliff Dwellers Club high atop the Borg-Warner Building. The view from the outside terrace was amazing. David and Valerie were extremely fun loving which really shows in their photographs. Here are a just a few of my favorite images.

Boston is such a cool city and easy to get around. I think it’s one of the top walking cities in the U.S. and the train system gets you around anywhere you want to go. It’s so rich in history. The freedom trail is a quick way to see a lot of that history. If you’re ever out out there, you have to look up Frank Bernard who does caritures right outside at Faneuel Hall. He’s awesome and a great guy!

Andy & Emily flew up to Chicago from Florida to see a show. Little did Emily know, Andy had much bigger plans! He suprised her with a marriage proposal on the beach where me and my assistant discretely waited for the big moment. Afterwards we finished up with some more pictures around Navy Pier. They were a fun couple to photograph, here are a few highlights.