be well {oak park, il family photographer}

“A good half of the art of living is resilience.”
― Alain de Botton

Good morning, friends!

I've had several people reach out to ask how they could help during this uncertain time of social distancing and I'm so grateful to every one of you! I know that so many people are dealing with drastic changes to their daily life right now & we will all need to do everything we can to power through... together❤️

So...how can you help?

1. Continue to be the amazing and concerned clients and friends that you are! This is more than enough right now. We are all blindly navigating this “new normal." This is huge & gives me hope that you will be here when life gets back to "normal"(whatever that may be...).

If you haven’t previously, this would be a great time to leave a great Google review for my business.

2. Book a session! (you can book & hold your session by paying only the deposit or full session fee, whatever is most comfortable for you).
I've added a handful of sessions to my booking calendar, including much-coveted October sidewalk session dates that usually aren't released until late summer & typically sell out pretty quickly. I've also added a week of discounted sunset mini sessions in July.
For the next 2 weeks, any booked non-commercial sessions will receive a $75 print credit.
To receive the credit, enter promo code SOCIAL when filling in your online questionnaire at booking.

Summer Mini Sessions: http://bit.ly/summersunsetmini
October Sidewalk Sessions: http://bit.ly/sidewalksessions
Full Sessions, including October dates: http://bit.ly/photosession2019lbp

2. Purchase gift cards for future print or session use.
http://bit.ly/2020gclbp

3. Place print orders. Maybe you plan to spend some of this quarantined time cleaning out your house or organizing things. Now would be a great time to organize photo files and order those prints you've been meaning to purchase.
I am happy to re-load past galleries if you'd like to place print orders.

Being a small business owner is tough under the best of circumstances so when the shit actually hits the fan...let's just say that things get real...and it happens pretty quickly.

As previously posted, I'm postponing all sessions/events until at least April 1. As this situation changes by the minute, plans will very possibly change. All I can do is watch and wait. It's a very uneasy holding pattern to be in but I will remain optimistic and hopeful.

Thank you for your continued support. Be well!

october...{oak park, il family photo session}

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
― L. M. Montgomery

We are past the halfway mark for October and in the past few days, the colors have finally been poppin’! Do you have a favorite autumn ritual? Is it apple orchards or pumpkin farms or…just enjoying all the wonderful changes that take the world from bright green to warm reds, oranges, and yellows?

For me, it’s really about watching the green disappear. I’m just going to say it…photographing super green environments makes me bananas. I need a little variety to break it up…flowers, prairie grass…something besides ALL THE BRIGHT GREEN!

Don’t get me wrong, I love when everything is blooming and green. But I prefer to photograph in more urban environments when the world is blanketed in lush, green grass. Give me sidewalks & brick walls & pops of green…I could keep going but I won’t bore you with more color talk.

Instead, I’ll share a few images from tonight’s session.

Those colors though…amiright?

Hello Autumn...{oak park, il family photographer}

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
― Albert Camus

This is the time of year when my blog posts sort of disappear for a while…I try my best, I really do but…it is what it is, right?

Let’s be honest, I’m not the most prolific blogger but I do like to post some photos.

And with that…I’ll leave you with some fall photos.

Until next time…enjoy!

family dinner night {oak park, il family photo session}

“How often have the greatest thoughts and ideas come to light during conversations with the family over the evening dinner?”
― E.A. Bucchianeri

I can never say no to an invitation to family dinner night.

I’m not even talking about my family…I’ll bring my camera and be a fly on the wall at YOUR family dinner. I love to witness the rituals, hear stories, and just be there to document the moment.

Tonight I got to spend time with my friend (and client) and her family during their Sunday family dinner. I loved hearing her grandparents stories and being able to let the kids be silly for the camera…there’s a level of comfort for clients’ that comes with being in a space that’s familiar to them. Everyone can relax a little and just let things unfold.

How about you? What does your family session look like to you? Let’s chat & make it happen…

family road trip from wyoming...not me, my client! {elmwood park, il baptism photo session}

“I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.”
― Charles Dickens

Today I met with new clients who drove a little over a 1000 miles to have their sweet 11 month old baptized. The ceremony was intimate and sweet, followed by a fun dinner at a German beer hall…

Are all baptisms this fun? If so, sign me up…

a month of mamas: day 21 {oak park family photographer}

“My mom smiled at me. Her smile kind of hugged me.”
― R.J. Palacio

To this mama who does ALL THE THINGS but always has a smile, a hug, a shoulder, or a lap for her babies (and her friends!)…and she does it with very little sleep!

a month of mamas: day 19 {oak park family photo sessions}

“Motherhood brings you to your knees in a way that doesn't leave room for you to judge others. It makes you see that there's no ideal - a constant struggle, constantly compromising, but ultimate love.”

- Maggie Gyllenhaal

To the beautiful mamas with smart mouths and a wicked sense of humor…(my favorite kind!)

a month of mamas: day 7 {oak park, il photo sessions}

“I think that the best thing we can do for our children is to allow them to do things for themselves, allow them to be strong, allow them to experience life on their own terms, allow them to take the subway... let them be better people, let them believe more in themselves.”
― C. JoyBell C

To the mamas just starting out and the mamas who’ve been doing it for years…

Photo sessions make great gifts… or treat yo self!

Book your session now: Find My Session!

and then there were 5...{in home family photo session, oak park, il}

“[Kids] don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”
― Jim Henson

We live in a world full of “perfect” Facebook families, Instagram worthy photos of siblings who never fight and only ever get along in their perfectly curated, camera ready homes, and holiday cards that rival the royal family/Kardashians (take your pick).

Sorry, but nobody is buying your picture perfect life! We’re onto you!

I don’t know about you, but I’m always relieved to see photos of shit getting real.

I like to see messy, chaotic, funny, silly, sad, happy, frustrated, skinned knees, real tears…all of the things that come with life.

When I look through old photo albums, I prefer the candid moments over the curated moments because it helps me remember that moment. It transports me to another time and that is a beautiful thing.

That’s something that never happens when I look at the “fantasy” version of family photos: Everyone dressed impeccably. No hair out of place. Not a blemish to be found. All eyes on the camera and pained smiles across everyone’s lips (especially mom, because she has been threatening everyone within an inch of their lives).

My hope for all of the amazing people who hire me is that they are able to relax & enjoy the ride. I want them to know that we will get that “perfect” photo, but that they need to be flexible in what their definition of "perfect” is.

Also, bribes are a perfectly legit tool to keep in your bag of tricks! ( I almost always have lollipops to offer up)

Will everyone be looking at the camera? Maybe, but I can’t guarantee it. Will everyone have a smile on their face? Possibly, but I never force people to smile. I have tricks & sometimes they work, but not always!

What I will promise you: I will be there to document your family in this moment. When you look back on the images, they will make you smile, laugh, cry, or maybe all 3.

If this isn’t the reaction you have, I may not be the photographer for you…but, I hope I am.

I love being invited into the chaos and being part of these milestones.

I’d love to tell your story too…(you can book sessions here)

a month of mamas: day 4 {oak park, il photo sessions}

“I am a mother and mothers don’t have the luxury of falling apart in front of their children, even when they are afraid, even when their children are adults.”
― Kristin Hannah

To all the mamas who get shit done & keep on doing it, over and over again…

Interested in booking a session for yourself or someone that you adore?

A limited number of Summer & Fall Mini Sessions are available…book now!

catching my breath {oak park fall photos}

“Everything turns, rotates, spins, circles, loops, pulsates, resonates, and repeats.”
― Suzy Kassem

October is the busiest month for most family photographers. It can feel a bit overwhelming, at times, but when you finally reach the (almost) end, the relief is EPIC.

I have 3 more sessions to finish up the month and MANY sessions to edit, so I’ll keep this brief.

If you haven’t already scheduled your session for fall, I have bad news…you may have missed it. This week, the colors are finally bursting & in a few days, they will all be on the ground (sad trombone), plus…I am booked until December.

So, maybe you can schedule a winter session?

Enjoy the beautiful day!

is it autumn yet? {oak park, il photographer}

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile."

[Indian Summer]”
― John Howard Bryant

Forgive me for overusing that quote, but it is so, so true…

We haven’t quite hit that autumnal feeling, unless you count several days without the sun, but it’s here. Now we wait for everything to change colors…tick tock.

In the meantime, I’m wrapping up the last of the warm shooting days.

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve reunited with several families. As much as I enjoy & appreciate getting new clients, I love my returning families. Over time, clients feel more like friends…some even become best friends and feel more like family.

There’s a certain comfort in that and I am so grateful for all the amazing people that I meet & who like me enough to put their trust in me, time and again.

So, thank you! Here’s a sampling of September and some of my amazing clients!

twins! {n. family...oak park, il lifestyle session}

“Even twins have their differences.” -Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Last April, a client reached out to schedule a newborn session. She was expecting twins & her due date was early August. We both, her especially, expected they would make their debut sometime in July.

Throughout the summer, I would check in to see how things were going. Namely, how the babies were? Should we plan a session sooner than August? By late July, it seemed the target date was still August.

On August 8, we made our yearly pilgrimage to Texas & when we returned, I got to spend a couple of hours documenting this sweet family & their 2 newest members. Did I mention they also have a 3 year old?

Enjoy a few shots from this in-home session!

summertime...{oak park, il photographer}

"We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer's wreckage. We will welcome summer's ghost."

-Henry Rollins

19 family sessions, 11 headshot sessions, 220 hours of editing (this is part time, summer hours, by the way), about 70 hours spent at a swimming pool, various hours exploring our city, 1 camping trip, road trip to for weekend trip to Iowa, road trip for weeklong visit to Texas...how did you spend your summer "vacation"?

Now that it's September, it seems like a good time to post some snippets of summer. I wish that I was better about blogging as I go, but apparently this is who I am. I have the best of intentions but my execution is typically lacking.

For me, summer is not the easy, laid back affair that I remember it being when I was a child. It's a struggle to fit in any & all fun things for my kids, while still working full time, from home. It's a rush to the finish line...and I always breath a deep sigh of relief when it's over.

So, now that school is back in session (holla!), here's what I've been doing all summer (client-wise)...

Enjoy! And...happy end of summer!

fall photo session booking is now open! {oak park, il family photographer}

“There is a subtle magic in the falling of old leaves.”
― Avijeet Das

It always feels strange to think about autumn when summer has barely begun, but here we are...

If you're a planner, like I am, this is the time to secure & book a fall photo session. My fall dates are now available for booking and once they fill up, there's no guarantee that additional dates will be added.

If this fall is anything like last fall, the rainy weekends made it almost impossible to squeeze in any last minute bookings.

So, now is the time...don't wait until it's too late!

Find your session time: Booking Calendar

it's official...summer is here! {oak park, il family photographer}

“Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.”
― Henri Cartier-Bresson

I often hear that one should be "living in the moment", taking it all in, and bearing witness to that which is happening around us. In a world full of smart devices that are meant to make our lives easier, we often seem preoccupied and overwhelmed by "it" all.

I've heard it said that people spend too much time photographing their lives to share on social media, but they aren't actually living their lives. I'm sure there is some truth is this statement, but in general, I totally disagree with it.

Documenting our lives, and all the minutiae therein, is a gift to ourselves and those who come after us. I can spend hours sifting through old photo albums at my mom & grandma's house. I can't possibly be alone in this...

This past week, I finished a photo book I've been working on. It will be gifted to a friend & I can only hope that it brings them as much joy as it brought me, while putting it together. It covers a 3 year period and it's full of images from various stages and ages of my boys' lives.

These are the moments I want to remember. I want to be able to look at these photos in 20 years & smile or cry happy tears or both!

So, I'll keep carrying my camera with me...to all the places life takes me: a walk around the neighborhood, a vacation, a backyard bbq, or local park. No moment is too insignificant...they all matter.

Interested in booking a documentary/lifestyle session? Let's chat!

celebrating motherhood {oak park, il family photographer}

"So when all is said and done, if I can’t do it for myself, I want to do it for my kids. I want to be in the picture, to give them that visual memory of me. I want them to see how much I am here, how my body looks wrapped around them in a hug, how loved they are."-Allison Tate

I think that quote pretty much sums up how I feel about mamas getting in the frame. Do yourself a favor and read the whole piece. It's a quick read, but maybe it will help give you the nudge you've been needing!

"The Mom Stays in the Picture"

I had the pleasure of photographing some mom (and one grandma!) sessions this weekend...enjoy a little sneak peek!

Interested in booking a session? Get more info here: Find my session!

hop in my time machine...{spring & fall mini photo sessions}

"Photography is a form of time travel…A ghost preserved by light” -Neil deGrasse Tyson

Last week, I added Spring, Summer, and a few Fall sessions to my booking calendar. For those who get my newsletter, I included a few promo sessions with 2017 pricing.

These sessions can't be found through my regular booking link, but if you're still reading this blog post...you can follow this link & grab one of those sessions before they are released into the wild, at their regular price.

Take me back in time: Spring/Fall Session Promo

Grab your session soon, because the promo pricing is only good until April 15, or until all sessions are booked.