Lynn Renee Photography

Throwback from 2016 when I photographed at a private donor event in Chicago got me feeling like this right now…let’s go girl!

I love seeing the photos my clients choose from an event. Out of over 500 delivered these are their top 77 selections from the American Heart Association 's Go Red for Women Luncheon. I actually ran into a friend of mine who had survived a heart attack a few years ago. Then, as the event ended, I met this gentleman who was also a survivor and is still undergoing treatment for his heart condition. Here's hoping we can raise enough money to keep everyone's ticker going strong. See you all in April at the ball!

It’s always a great time when I get to cover the Carl Sandburg Awards Dinner for Chicago Public Library Foundationldren

Like the rest of my community I've been caught up in extreme emotions of grief, anger, disgust, frustration, helplessness, sorrow, and fear for the only country in the world that has pledged to accept me and my religion, Judaism.

And like so many of us I didn't know what to do or how I could help. So when I heard about the rally on 10/10/2023 at North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe being held by Jewish United Fund of Chicago - JUF I knew there was no place I could possible at that moment than surrounded by my community contributing in the only way I know how, by capturing the moment.

So I reached out to Elizabeth Shapiro Abrams and was treated like a VIP by volunteers and staff alike when I showed up at the rally. I was being grabbed by so many friends and hugged by so many people I care about I described the event as if I was at a funeral for a very well connected friend, "it's so good to see you, but I wish it wasn't under these circumstances." And through my own tears I worked my way through the crowds trying to capture the emotions running deep on that Tuesday morning.

When I left I felt more hopeful and energized than I had in days. Again we are faced with a struggle of unimaginable proportions, but as long as we stick together, as long as we have and hold onto each other...well...at least we have that for comfort.

Enjoy my highlights from the rally. (tagging a few friends I saw along the way)

Lonnie Nasatir Steve Eisen David Goldenberg Merav Ganz Ruthman Lynn Renee Persin Elana Tennenbaum Jennifer Sontag BresslerShoshanna Bassman ReynoldsBrooke Juf MandreaAllison LevitonSandy StarkmanHagit Mizrachi LewisLeah Horwitz BrajerMichelle Raz

Met one of my biggest celebrity crushes today while photographing the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum luncheon. We bonded over Brooklyn, Jersey, and I fan girled my head off about his character, Steve, from my all time favorite TV show, S*x In The City.

Don’t we look so cute together?!? 😍😍😍

After a long hiatus, in part due to COVID, I got to go back to Camp CHI to photograph one of the happiest places on earth.

Since I was an avid camper when I was young getting to photograph summer camp is still a huge highlight in my career.

This post is MONTHS delayed, but I'm a stickler for my grid so I couldn't move on with IG posts without dropping this baby here. Added bonus photo if you go to the end and you get to see me (I'm so hunched over, she's just so small and I was so nervous)!!!

When I'm working I get so engaged in capturing the moment that it can be hard for me to truly enjoy what's going on around me. In this case, I had to keep remind myself I was working that night. And when Cyndi Lauper started in on "Girls Just Want to Have FUNDAMENTAL rights" I felt my eyes filling with tears. From my perspective we stole that from her song, but here she was reclaiming it and speaking to the audience about the importance of women's rights and women's healthcare. Looking around at all the young ladies in the room I still can't believe that they are growing up in a world where they don't have autonomy over their own bodies.

Thank you Cyndi for keeping the fight alive.

Thanks for having me back JCC Camp Chi. It’s been a minute and you’ve survived some rough summers. But the campus looks terrific and the kids look happy to be there. Hope to be back soon!

🎉One of the most exciting parts of the show was the way Cyndi Lauper interacted with the audience and the space. She came into the crowd, she went over to the side balcony on the stage, at one point someone handed her a flower from the centerpieces at dinner and she held it with her microphone when she sang. The woman gave high kicks, engaged the crowd during their favorite parts, and spoke about our struggles as women to get those "Fun-damental rights." Looking around the crowd women were hugging each other with tears in their eyes, women less than half my age who knew all the words to the songs, mothers squeezing their daughters, and little girls up way past their bedtime with stars in their eyes. She closed the show "True Colors" and there wasn't a dry eye in the house, though I probably started crying at "Time After Time." And all the Goonies fans went wild for "Good Enough." It takes a certain type of artist and entertainer to cross over so many generations while still staying relevant even if she's playing her greatest hits from decades prior. 💖

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🤘For my last installment on music photography, I'm throwing us way back to December 2022. And since my clients wanted to continue with powerful women of the 80s, I was down for all of it. We even had a bit of a mix-up with my hours and they suggested that the other photographer, the one volunteering for the event, could stay those additional hours. I looked at my client with a smile and said, "I'm not going anywhere, I will be here for the entire concert, but it would be awesome to get paid for it." And then I winked and we both laughed because she is also a woman and understood that this is Cyndi Lauper. Turns out the other photographer bailed in the middle of the concert and didn't stay long enough to capture the main event, the sing-along, where a group of people who paid a lot of money gets to get up on stage to sing a song. Of course, it was Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and I was there for every second. 🤩

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When I first saw Pat Benatar, and I have to say her full name because I wish I was on a first name basis with the queen of rock, I was awestruck by her gorgeous silver hair. As someone who has been going grey since a young age it was inspiring to see her own her beautiful natural color and it made her green/grey eyes just pop. I also found myself mesmerized by her hands and the rings on her fingers, her long red nails, so 80's, so rock n roll, so everything. And of course she didn't disappoint when she hit those big notes, facing up to the ceiling as if she was playing to a crowd of thousands instead of about the 150 or so people who were still there. Her voice sounded as if it had never aged, and maybe it never will.

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💫In December of 2021 I was thrilled to find out that JDRF was bringing back their One Dream Gala. We would be masking up for the event, but it was on even though Omicron was surging throughout the country. I was absolutely over the moon to find out that one of my all time favorite rockstars, Pat Benatar & Neil Geraldo would be the music performance for the evening. And even though I really wasn't getting paid to stay through the concert there was absolutely NO WAY I was going to miss this moment. I mean, it's a relatively small number of people attending a concert of one of the all time greatest of the 80's and I was going to sing along to every song, sing every word, and I did as they kept pounding out hit after hit. Rock On!

🤘When I first saw Pat Benatar, and I have to say her full name because I wish I was on a first name basis with the queen of rock, I was awestruck by her gorgeous silver hair. As someone who has been going grey since a young age it was inspiring to see her own her beautiful natural color and it made her green/grey eyes just pop. I also found myself mesmerized by her hands and the rings on her fingers, her long red nails, so 80's, so rock n roll, so everything. And of course she didn't disappoint when she hit those big notes, facing up to the ceiling as if she was playing to a crowd of thousands instead of about the 150 or so people who were still there. Her voice sounded as if it had never aged, and maybe it never will.

⚡️Oh yeah, and her husband of 4 decades, Neil Giraldo, was with her as always. Deep down in my heart I understand that he's as important to her music as she is, but as a kid who grew up watching her music videos, singing her songs on my hairbrush in front of my mirror, it is Pat Benatar and it will only be Pat Benatar, sorry Neil. Tonight I get to photograph this event again and this time I get to meet another one of my favorite singing in the mirror with my hairbrush rockstars of all time, Cyndi Lauper! Can't wait to share those photos because this Girl Just Wanna Have Fun.

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⚡️Hey friends, it's been ages since I've posted here so I thought I'd close 2022 out like a freakin' rockstar.
Tomorrow I'll be working for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at their annual One Dream Gala. And I'm not a music photographer but this event ends in a live concert every year so I'm going to share the music photos I've done for them over the last few years. Today I'm kicking it off with Third Eye Blind from their 2019 performance at the Arie Crown Theater.

Please go easy on me here, I'm not a music photographer, though I love music and I love photography, so this should be easy, right? But going back through my files I saw how much I focused on lead singer, Stephen Jenkins, and practically ignored the rest of the band. Granted, he's the only original member left. Guess that's what happens when you started in 1993 and it's almost thirty years later. OMG, did I just say THIRTY YEARS!?! I feel old now.

What I love the most about having photographed Third Eye Blind is that I really wasn't nervous at all. I mean, yeah, they had a few big hits in the 90's but that's it. And if you every try to Karaoke "Semi-Charmed Life" I wish you the best of luck, it's not an easy one, and I should know, I've tried. But everything 90's is back again so these posts should be more popular than ever...we shall see😉

Yesterday I had the honor of photographing, speaking with, and shaking hands with the man, the legend, Mr. George Takei! And of course I fan girled out by bringing up the origin of the Vulcan greeting, how it was the way the priests or Cohanim would bless their congregation. Then he told me the back story of why Leonard Nimoy suggested that as the greeting during rehearsals. It was supposed to be a handshake but he thought that was too aggressive and instead suggested this hand gesture from ancient biblical times. Then George decided to add that story into his speech last night because , after all, it was a Jewish United Fund of Chicago - JUF event. But mostly he spoke about his experiences in concentration camps right here in our country during World War II. Such an awful time in our history. Live long and prosper George!

In the spirit of past weekend I was invited to photograph a fabulous event for Jewish United Fund of Chicago - JUF in Deerfield. It was colorful and full of joy and love in between the twinkling raindrops. The best part for me is seeing my work in print! Front page, baby!
https://e-edition.dailyherald.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&pubid=77a517a2-71d1-46d6-9805-1ac340c0b73a&edid=827af7cc-6615-4865-a03c-44ba6a2647a3

Special Sections Special Sections - NORTHBROOK Herald

Hey fellow Chicago area MOT's! Open up your favorite monthly Jewish magazine, Jewish United Fund of Chicago - JUF News and flip to the very back page. You'll see my photo from JCC Camp Chi from a few summers ago. I was so honored when JUF reached out to me to ask if they could use it as an advertisement for summer camp, that's exactly what it's meant to be. Not a bad way to kick off June! (the front photo is NOT mine...but I had some other fun skyline photos featured last week).

I had a blast running around the city the other night looking for the best views of the Sears(I mean Willis) Tower. Lucked out on a beautiful night for Chicago to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month.

This organization that has fueled my artistic soul is having its annual fundraiser. Included are pieces by me and my photographic services. Plus, they used my favorite cutie, Smart Aleck Persin, as their post photo. Please consider donating to help support other artists like me!