Preschool Picture Day! (River Forest, Oak Park, Illinois)
“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Will I ever tire of photographing these tiny, adorable humans? I can’t even imagine that happening…
Though I’ve cut back on the amount of preschools that I photograph each year, there are a few that I get to come back to year after year. I love documenting these growing kiddos and it’s especially fun when a sibling or 2 is in the mix.
I know that many parents & caregivers are hoping for the perfect smile…I do have some tricks to make that happen but there are no guarantees, ya know? I will never force a smile and I will never force a child in front of the camera if they are clearly distressed. I would never want to make photography a stressful or traumatic experience for anyone, but especially young children! If a smirk or a serious face is how your child is feeling on picture day, that’s great. Wouldn’t you prefer to document who they are in this moment?
They’re perfect…just as they are!
fall photo sessions are live!🍁 (and a few summer sessions remain!)-Oak Park, Il Family Photographer
“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”
Hey, y'all!
It's that time again...fall session dates are live!
*For those of you who prefer a warmer session, I also have a limited number of summer sessions in June and July...beach sesh? city sesh? Let's mix it up!
Heads up-There are only a few weekend dates remaining but there are plenty of weekday sessions!
As always, I'm grateful for your continued support and trust.
Be well.
1-hour Session
Up to 1-hour session outdoors
20 hand-edited, high-resolution image files
4x6 prints of your chosen image files
print release with rights to make prints for personal use
Option to purchase additional files, print products, and full gallery upgrade.
$600 weekdays
$700 weekends
Sidewalk Sessions
Up to 30-minute session on the sidewalks in your neighborhood, your front porch, or backyard*
10 hand-edited, high-resolution image files
4x6 prints of your chosen image files
print release with rights to make prints for personal use
Option to purchase additional files, print products, and full gallery upgrade.
$425
*due to time constraints, sidewalk sessions must be in or very near Oak Park
Headshot Sessions
Headshot sessions take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the package
Pricing is for one person only
Additional files & prints are available for an additional fee
Location: our Oak Park Studio*
Pricing starts at $250
*We can also come to you! For non-studio location headshots or office events, please reach out to plan your session
Want to be the first to know when we have openings? Join our mailing list! We promise not to send too many emails…we usually only send 2-4 newsletters a year. That’s not so bad, right?
welcome to the world, baby girl! {oak park, il newborn photographer, oak park documentary photographer}
“What strange creatures brothers are!”
― Jane Austen
This lovely family recently moved from California to Oak Park & I had the pleasure of being invited into their home as they welcomed their sweet, baby girl into the world.
This sweet girl is lucky enough to have 2 big brothers who are ready to jump in and help out…well…right now they have shenanigans to attend to but I believe that in time, they will be her biggest champions!
It is such a privilege to have the opportunity to document these moments for people. I recognize the trust that is being extended to me and I do not take that lightly.
new addition! {oak park, il newborn photographer}
If I wasn’t so tired, I’d attempt to write something fun and witty here…
Instead, I’ll recommend that you enjoy these lovely photos of this beautiful family and then go read more about their story & journey here: Trying For Two.
What a fantastic way to close out my 2019 photo sessions.
(That’s right…I don’t have plans for taking any more sessions until 2020!)
a month of mamas: day 18 {oak park family photo sessions}
“Becoming a mom to me means that you have accepted that for the next 16 years of your life, you will have a sticky purse.”
-Nia Vardalos
To the mamas who carry their sticky purses with style and grace…
a month of mamas: day 16 & 17 {oak park family photo sessions}
“Art is the child of nature in whom we trace the features of the mothers face.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
To the mighty mamas raising mighty girls…
a month of mamas: day 13 {oak park, il photographer}
“Without you there would be no me.
I am everything reflected in your eyes.
I am everything approved by your smile.
I am everything born of your guidance.
I am me only because of you.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich
To one of the sweetest mamas I know…
a month of mamas: day 9 {oak park, il photo sessions}
“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
To the mamas adding to their stories…
happy NEW year! {oak park newborn photographer}
“Sometimes,' said Pooh, 'the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”
― A.A. Milne
It’s January 14 and my new year has been filled with new life.
My first clients of 2019 were a family of 4, whose newest member was a beautiful 6 week old boy. After that, I had the pleasure of photographing a long time client & her 3rd baby…a baby girl who was less than 24 hours old when I got to photograph her. Today, I got to photograph Tina Harle, a friend and fellow Oak Park photographer, and her family of 4, including her newest addition: a baby girl who was a little more than 24 hours old when I got to the hospital.
It’s always a little nerve-wracking when I’m photographing another photographer. You never know how it will all play out, especially when small children are involved. I know that my kids are terribly uncooperative with me, but they do ok with other photographers (usually). Tina and her family were amazing though…there’s nothing I love more than a client who tells me to do whatever I want & that nothing is off limits. I can just shoot what I see & document the moments as they happen.
Tina has a 6 year old who was there for the session. She was so sweet & caring towards her new baby sister…”teaching” her the alphabet, talking to her, combing her hair, and giving her lots of kisses. I was able to capture so many loving gazes from her…these were genuine moments! My newborn sessions aren’t staged, so what you see is what was occurring naturally. It was beyond adorable! It was not the experience that I had with my kids…Oliver wouldn’t go anywhere near Milo in those early days…I think he was terrified of him! HA! (We should all be a little terrified of Milo…just saying!)
It’s truly a gift to be invited into people’s lives, homes, and hospital rooms during these early, hazy, sleepless days. I do not take it lightly and I am so thankful that I get to be an observer of these real and special early days.
How’s your new year going?
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!
new addition! {oak park lifestyle newborn photo session}
“I don’t trust words. I trust pictures.”
-Gilles Peress
I'll never be accused of being the most eloquent person in the room.
Writing doesn't come easily for me.
The one place where I have always been comfortable is behind the camera, any camera. Put a person on the other side of the lens and it always feels right.
Quick shoots are great & I can almost always capture a great portrait, but I love nothing more than a slow, laid back lifestyle session. These are the sessions where I am able to relax, observe, and let the photo reveal itself to me. I can chat, engage, and help my client relax.
On the other side of these sessions, I am almost always in love with the images. They bring me joy and, hopefully, my client feels the same...
