spring is coming...are you ready?
“That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.”
― L.M. Montgomery
Hi friends.
How are you?
Today is the day.
On this day last year, our lives were about to change in a way that I don't think many of us could have possibly imagined.
On this day last year, I spent the morning photographing a preschool full of beautiful children.
On this day last year, I walked into Costco for my normal supply run & was taken aback by the crowds of people who were filling up their carts with toilet paper and bottled water (still haven't figured out why folks were hoarding water but you do you...).
On this day last year, I picked my boys up from their afterschool program and was told that they had been advised to take home ALL of their belongings and anything they might need for the foreseeable future.
It's hard to imagine that a year has passed since this all began and yet...here we are.
Like many of you, I’ve spent the past 12 months navigating strange and unfamiliar waters. I've learned to be flexible with my time and energy even when I desperately want to give up from the exhaustion of trying to manage ALL THE THINGS.
But I'm still here, y'all. There are days when it feels like I'm hanging on by a thread but I am still hanging on!
My amazing clients (that's y'all!) have helped me get through this and I'm so thankful and grateful.
And because you all are the absolute best...you get first dibs on prime Fall 2021 session dates! These sessions fall during what is typically peak Autumn colors in Chicagoland.*
*I obviously cannot promise or predict the future...I have no personal intel on the comings and goings of Mother Nature but based on many years of shooting, these are the dates when colors tend to be the most beautiful.
Not ready to commit? No worries...my normal fall dates will roll out sometime in July/August & you'll be the first to know!
In addition to sharing these prime Autumn sessions, I have a few Spring sessions available including more Tiny Session School Portrait and Social Media Headshot sessions. Oh...don't forget about Motherhood sessions! I have a few openings for those as well
Don't see what you're looking for? Give me a shout (email, yo!) & we'll set something up!
I hope that everyone is doing well and staying safe and remaining hopeful…❤️
Find Your Fall Session
Find Your Tiny Session
Find Your Social Media Headshot Session
Find Your Motherhood Session
headshot happy hour, part deux {headshot event, amy's winehouse, forest park, il}
Last year's headshot event was so much fun that I decided to schedule another one!
I'm partnering again with Amy's Winehouse, in Forest Park, and this year, the lovely Sara Jean, makeup artist extraordinaire, will be joining in for a headshot happy hour event.
Due to time constraints, there are only 6 spots available that include professional makeup. Grab your spot NOW…Sara Jean is a magician!
Here's the details:
Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Location: Amy’s Winehouse, 7235 Roosevelt Rd, Forest Park, IL
Booking Links:
Headshot Session with professional makeup $200
All paid sessions include a glass of wine and charcuterie...but you should definitely stick around afterward to mingle. (Additional food & wine will be available for purchase)
Fine Print: Each session will last 5-10 minutes and includes 1 image, fully edited* and delivered in color and black & white (2 total files). If you book a session with professional makeup, please arrive 30 minutes prior to your booked session. Within 2 weeks of your session, you will receive a password protected online gallery from which you can choose your favorite image. Additional files are available for purchase.
*Editing includes: color correction, exposure, light skin smoothing, and stray hair removal. Editing that goes beyond that will incur additional fees.
Send me an email if you have further questions: joey@littlebittyproductions.com
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!
a day at garfield park conservatory {k extended family session}
August seems to be the month for travel & family get-togethers.
Since moving to Oak Park about 10 years ago, we travel back to Texas at least twice a year: during the holiday season & in August. It's during our August visit that we get to see many family members that aren't always around during the holidays.
August is also the time when I get the most requests for extended family sessions. Coincidence? Maybe...but...probably not.
I love being able to photograph large families: cousins, grandparents with grandkids, grown siblings and their partners, etc., but since I am usually out of town in August, I typically have to refer these lovely families to other photographers.
Occasionally, the stars align for me...
We returned from Texas on Friday evening. On Saturday morning, I headed to Garfield Park Conservatory to spend some time with an awesome family of 13 (parents, grandparents, siblings, partners, cousins...).
I say it all the time, but I'll say it again: I love my job.
It was a lovely day, with a beautiful family...
like a kid in a candy store
Today, I received a package full of beautiful things. I love getting packages in the mail...in particular, I love when prints are delivered. From almost every session that I photograph, I order prints of my favorite images. These prints are not to sell, they are for me. Maybe it sounds weird, but stick with me.
I have always considered myself a fine art photographer. I love film & beautiful prints, the bigger the better. When I was in college, I rarely made prints smaller than 11x14, but typically I printed 16x20. (That is probably why I was so broke...50 sheets of 16x20 paper wasn't cheap & I went through many boxes!)
I love to fill my home with art. Photographs, paintings, ceramics...any & all art. I frame my kids artwork and display painted rocks or found objects through my home. Art makes everything better!
I am asked by clients (and friends), on occasion, why photo prints don't look as good as digital files? There is more than one answer to this question, but one reason could be the print lab you are using. I have tested many labs, professional & consumer, and the results were extremely varied. There are some great labs out there and there are also some real stinkers.
When someone hires a professional photographer, the expectation is that they will receive professional images. This goes beyond what is captured in camera during a session and the fine tuning that happens in post production. When you receive your high resolution, digital files, that shouldn't be the end of the story. You've gone this far to create beautiful images...keep going.
The amount of time, effort (and money!) that a client & photographer spend preparing for a session, the session itself and post processing of images to create beautiful pieces of art should not be wasted by turning over the files to a lab that is not dedicated to producing the highest quality product possible.
So, you're probably thinking this is all a ploy to sell you prints? Well...yes & no. Would I love for you to purchase prints from me? Of course! After all, I am a business.
I've tested many images & my equipment is calibrated to achieve quality results specifically with the lab I use. What does that even mean? It means that after I've spent hours editing & processing photos, what I see on my screen is what you will see when you receive your print.
If you decide that you aren't ready to purchase prints or would like to purchase elsewhere, I'm happy to recommend labs that do a good job. They may not be the exact quality, but they come pretty close.
At the very least, please, please, please have prints made. Large prints for your wall, small prints for counter & desk top, books for the coffee table...just don't leave them in a file on your computer.
Make your home beautiful...fill it with objects, painted rocks, and yes...photographs.
recent client prints to fill my walls...(and one personal image){sizes pictured: 12x18 and 8x12)