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 Social Media Headshot Session

it's time...{oak park, il family photographer}

“Life is at its best when everything has fallen out of place, and you decide that you're going to fight to get them right, not when everything is going your way and everyone is praising you.”
― Thisuri Wanniarachchi

Hi friends.

It’s been a minute.

Like many of you, I’ve spent the past 6 months navigating strange and unfamiliar waters. I can’t say that it’s been great but since I’m still here and my family remains healthy, I can say that we are doing our best to remain positive and forward-moving. Is it easy? Nope.

School started this past Tuesday and our school district is fully remote. We are juggling our work schedules while being home with our boys and assisting with e-learning. My husband and I take turns (sort of) working from home…It’s going to be an interesting time and I’m hopeful that the coming months are not as hard as I imagine they will be.

Hopeful.

It’s become my go-to adjective.

With hope in mind, I’m ready to open up some fall session dates. October is partially booked but I’m hopeful that I’m able to offer enough options to fit most schedules.

I’ve had several inquiries about school photos & I’m working out details to offer studio and outdoor options.

At this time, I’m unsure of holiday studio sessions but I will revisit the idea by the end of October.

I hope that everyone is doing well and staying safe and remaining hopeful…❤️

click on the photos to find and book sessions

To find and book a session, check my full booking calendar here.

Questions or just want to drop me a line? Send me an email: joey@littlebittyproductions.com

studio portrait sessions...book your session now {oak park, il fine art portrait sessions}

“If I had a photograph of you
It's something to remind me
I wouldn't spend my life just wishing” - A Flock of Seagulls

Remember when I mentioned that I was planning to offer studio portrait sessions beginning in September?

Well…September is just around the corner and as promised, I’m ready to get this party started!

These sessions will be quick and casual and will capture your kids as they are: silly or serious (and everything in between).

To book a time, there will be a $100 session fee. This fee is non-refundable and books and holds your session time.

No digital files, prints, or print products are included in the session fee. Your edited images will be delivered via online gallery and you will be able to purchase the images you love a la carte or as a collection.

Print pricing starts at $25.

Find and book your session: Studio Sessions

Need more info? Send me an email!

Sessions will be held at my Oak Park studio, located at 38 Lake Street.

fall booking is going, going...{oak park and chicagoland fall photo sessions}

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

Fall booking is underway!

If you haven’t already booked your session, now is the time…Many of the weekend options have been booked but a few have been added.

As usual, mini sessions are limited and there are only 3 fall days with mini sessions remaining.

Find your session here (hover and click on the session you’d like more info about)…

Outdoor Sunset Session

In-home/Indoor Session

Mini Photo Session

If you’re interested in booking other types of sessions and don’t see a link for booking here, send me an email and let’s chat! joey@littlebittyproductions.com

a month of mamas: days 25, 26, and 27 {oak park photographer, oak park photo sessions}

“You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
What mood is that?
Last-minute panic.”
― Bill Watterson

So. My goal of posting a month of mamas has gone pretty smoothly. There have been a couple of late entries & some combining of days, but all in all…I’m feeling pretty good about mostly keeping up with it.

This year has been my busiest and for that, I thank you kindly! Blogging has never been something that I have consistently kept up with because I am a photographer first and all of the other stuff gets done when I am able to manage it.

In a perfect world, I am able to do all the things: shoot an amazing session, edit the session in record time, post a blog that is engaging and witty and maybe brings a tear to one’s eye…lather, rinse, repeat. All while being the best mom, wife, and friend that I hope to be.

In the world I currently inhabit, aka “the real world”, I work full time running my business and have 2 young boys, a husband, and a dog who all need my attention. At this very moment, my 6 year old is telling me about his Beyblades (is that how you spell it?) and I’ve had to stop typing multiple times and re-read the same sentence at least 20 times.

Since the end of April/beginning of May, we’ve also added T-ball/baseball to our rotation. This consists of 2 kids in 2 different locations (sometimes on the same day) for 2-5 days a week.

Let us not forget the end of school chaos. It feels like a years worth of activities and celebrations are stuffed into the month of May. I know that this must be a survival tactic for teachers, but it is A LOT for parents, working or otherwise.

This is my life. Sometimes stuff falls through the cracks. I would probably call myself an “okay-ish” mom, wife, and friend…but I try. I really do.

All of this to say…I’m “cheating” a little but I want to continue my month of celebrating mamas!

So, here’s to the mamas who are doing their best everyday! I salute you! I am you! We are the same!

a month of mamas: day 23 {oak park family photo sessions}

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
― Marcel Proust

Wishing this beautiful mama a happy birthday!

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 20 {oak park family photo sessions}

“Mothers are all slightly insane.”
― J. D. Salinger

To the mamas who are warriors…holding it all together…

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 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: days 11 & 12 {oak park, il photo sessions}

“When you feel neglected, think of the female salmon, who lays 3,000,000 eggs but no one remembers her on Mother's Day”
― Sam Ewing

This quote makes me laugh out loud…or LOL, as the kids say (geez…I’m old).

Today is the 1 day of the year when we are to celebrate moms. They are the people who literally bring us into the world…givers of life. They are usually the first to wipe our asses, wipe our tears, clean up all our messes, and then eventually teach us to do these things for ourselves.

Looking back, I don’t know how good of a job I did to celebrate my own mom. I probably made cards or crappy gifts, but I don’t recall it being a big to-do in our home. My memory is shit though, so hopefully I’m just misremembering. My mom would probably say that I’m misremembering, but that’s because she is too nice to say that we were self-centered assholes (to our faces, at least).

Because I’m surrounded by amazing mamas, I know that too often this day is a disappointment. I hear so many stories and they can all be summed up by this:

We don’t feel special. We don’t feel thought of or appreciated. We hope for a magical or, at the very least, semi-planned day.

Year after year, we feel let down by it all. Our feelings are hurt because it wasn’t what we expected it to be.

There are tons of places where you can read about the mental load that mother’s carry and so we hope that on this one day…JUST FOR TODAY…that we won’t have to plan & help execute the day to celebrate ourselves.

I’m going to propose a radical idea.

Ask for what your want and BE SPECIFIC…I know this loosely falls under “planning our day” but hear me out…

Even though my family has always had cards, flowers, and gifts for me, I’m often left feeling underappreciated. I’ve struggled with this and found myself feeling all the things from anger to sadness to guilt.

This year, I decided to go a different direction. I actually told my husband what I wanted and I was very specific:

let me sleep in. anything past 7am is considered a win.
make breakfast tacos & please do so before 10am so I don’t get hangry. PS: clean up your kitchen mess…
no obligatory gifts that feel forced. I can tell when you went out the night before & panic shopped.
if you must gift me something, a gift of experience is preferred. A massage, pedicure, or even a couple of hours alone would be delightful. Bonus: that last one doesn’t cost a thing!

So far he has stayed the course. I slept in and then I had delicious breakfast tacos. I got a few handmade cards and a beautiful handmade gift from Oliver (a ceramic replica of our home), and a gift card for a spa day.
And now all 3 of them are leaving the house…

To all the mamas, caregivers, and aunties out there…may you feel appreciated and loved today and ALL THE DAYS ❤️

a month of mamas: day 5 {oak park, il lifestyle photographer}

“Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did - that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that - a parent's heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.”
― Debra Ginsberg

To all the Super Moms, doing all the things…

Photo sessions make great gifts… or treat yo self!

Book your session now: Find My Session!

a month of mamas: day 3 {oak park, il photo sessions}

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
― Washington Irving

Here’s to one of my favorite mamas…

a month of mamas: day 2 (sort of)...{oak park, il portrait photographer}

“Children are knives, my mother once said. They don’t mean to, but they cut. And yet we cling to them, don’t we, we clasp them until the blood flows.”
― Joanne Harris

Tough as a mother…

(Interested in booking a session? Find dates & times here: Booking Calendar)

a month of mamas {oak park, il portrait photographer}

“Sometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood - finding a piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without.”
― Jodi Picoult

For May, I’m going to TRY to post a blog every day. Except for yesterday…I already missed that one…

I’ll only be sharing photos of mamas this month.

31 days of mom. Or, 30…

Let’s celebrate mother’s, shall we?

Starting with the gorgeous Q family…can you handle all the beautiful in this family?