preparing for your perfect photo session {oak park, il family photos}

“The best stories are like the best burgers: big, juicy, and messy.”
― A.D. Posey

Photo sessions can be hard for little people.

Let’s be honest...they can be hard for big people!
The most important thing that I want to tell my clients is: Relax. It’s only photos. We will make it through and everything will be fine. We may not get the “perfect” smile, but we will get what’s real and that is worth so much more than “perfection”.

I would argue that the real stuff IS perfection.

When we look back on our photos, we should have a sense of being there. We should be transported to that time and remember how hard or funny or sad or chaotic it was. It should fill us up and help us see how far we’ve come.

This is the real stuff. This is the good stuff.

click on an image to enlarge & scroll through entire gallery

once around the sun! {oak park lifestyle photo session}

Today I got to help celebrate the first birthday of Rhys!

It wasn't that long ago that I photographed his baptism...

Just a couple of years prior to that, I documented the wedding of the 2 lovely humans who made Rhys!

It's truly such a gift to be able to tell their story as the years go by...it makes my heart happy!

and baby makes 3! {chicago newborn lifestyle photographer}

“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.”
― Elliott Erwitt

With that quote in mind...enjoy a recent day in the life/newborn session!

ready, set...fall! {oak park and chicago fall photo sessions}

“Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life.”
― Brian Andreas

Even though it's in the high 80's outside, fall is here...

In spite of the weird weather, some of the trees are beginning to turn & leaves are on the ground.

Tis the season for non-stop family photo sessions!

Last weekend kicked off the start of my official fall season & I am almost completely booked for the remainder of 2017! (Huge shout out to my amazing clients!)

As bloggers go, I'm not always on my A-game. But...I'll stop by & update occasionally, because I love you guys!

Now it's time to edit, so I'll leave you with a few sneak peeks from the past 10 days/10 sessions...until next time!!

day in the life photo session {oak park, il family}

“Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?”
― Stephanie Perkins

A couple of weeks ago, a lovely family contacted me to ask about our neighborhood. They were considering a home nearby and wanted some first hand thoughts on the area. I love our neighbors, neighborhood, and school, so of course I had all good things to say! I think everyone should live in our neighborhood and I look forward to having them as neighbors.

As they look forward to a new adventure, they will leave the only home their young children have known. Bittersweet, for sure...but...a house is just a house. The people who inhabit the space make it a home. (cliché, but true)

So, as they prepare to pack & leave their current home, they reached out again to schedule a "day in the life" session. These sessions are my absolute favorite, hands down! For anybody who follows my personal, family work, "day in the life" sessions are really just a condensed version of what I do with my family & close friends every day, all the time (just ask my 7 year old...he's over it).

It's such a wonderful feeling when someone trusts me enough to invite me into their home, to follow them around with my camera. There is no direction or posing, just watching & documenting what unfolds organically: giggles, tears, and everything in between. It gives me the chance to get to know people a little more and to really see their personality. I had a great time being a fly on the wall & capturing some memories for them.

I've got a bit of editing to do, but here's a little taste of the session.

spring sessions...now booking!

So, I started writing this post on January 15 and then everything went south...

We had a plague that hit our home & had a total of TWO days in January that were without sick people. TWO days.

Now that we are (mostly) on the mend, let's get back to our regularly scheduled programming, shall we?

2016 has come to an end and I, for one, am thankful for that. It was, at times, a very trying year for me.

Work was busier than ever, and for that; I'm so thankful. If there is a downside to that, it's that I missed out on a lot of time with my boys (all 3). I hear a lot of talk about work/life balance and "having it all". That this conversation is typically reserved for women is not lost on me. If there is a formula or magic wand that can get me closer to "having it all", I haven't found it yet. In fact, I'm certain that this is a myth.

With balance in mind, I'm working toward a more organized and thoughtful business schedule. I understand that September through December will always be a bit crazier than all the other months and I will embrace that, but I also hope to come up with a better session schedule and stick to it.

Without further ado, my scheduling calendar is up to date and ready for bookings through the end of May.

Available Spring session dates can be found here: book your session

As an early booking incentive, any regular portrait session (1 hour or more) that is fully booked* by February 15, will receive a $100 file or print credit.

I know that everyone is different and not everyone plans that far in advance, so I will do everything that is reasonable to fit in last minute sessions or alternate dates for current/past clients. Just send me an email!

Spring Mini session dates will be released this week, so stay tuned...

*the fine print: a session isn't considered fully booked until it is paid in full. to receive the early incentive file or print credit, sessions must be paid in full by february 15, 2017.