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!
it's september, y'all...time to think about fall photo sessions {oak park, il family photo sessions}
“I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly do - the day after.”
― Oscar Wilde
Hey, friends!
Whether or not we care to admit it, another summer is wrapping up. Soon we will be pulling out our fall necessities: sweaters, warm socks…snow boots (I know…I know.).
It also means that fall photo sessions are beginning to fill up…have you booked yours or have you been putting it off?
(tick, tock…)
Maybe you’re a planner and you’ve already booked your session. I tip my hat to you! Maybe you like to fly by the seat of your pants & wait until fall is a little closer before you can even THINK about scheduling. I think you’re fantastic (and I relate)!
If you’re still thinking about booking something this fall, now is the time.
I look forward to seeing you soon❤️
Joey
fall updates, y'all!🍁 {oak park, il family photographer}
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
― Lauren DeStefano, Wither
Happy fall, y'all!
Outdoor photo sessions are in full swing & the busy fall season is upon me.
I wanted to take a minute to send out an update on the remaining sessions for 2022.
Here's a quick breakdown of the remaining October sessions:
Weekday Mini Sessions - 4 sessions (10/24 & 26)
Sidewalk Mini Sessions - 2 sessions (10/11 & 18)
Weekday One-Hour Sessions - 4 sessions (10/20, 21, 27, and 28)
There's also a handful of outdoor dates for November...
By popular demand, I've added two days of children's studio sessions. Two options are available this year...these sessions are perfect for updated children's portraits!
Find all available sessions here: Fall Bookings
I'm excited to see returning clients & meeting new clients in the coming weeks!
See you soon!
Be well.❤️❤️
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?
one for one {oak park, il family photographer}
“What you do with your time daily is essential for spiritual and physical growth”
― Sunday Adelaja
Hi. How are you? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise? Have you picked up a new hobby or language?
Yeah, I haven’t really been doing any of those things either…
In these past 35 days, I’ve had a lot of time to think. On the best days and on the worst days, my thoughts turn to those who are putting themselves and their health at risk by continuing to work. “Essential” workers who are keeping us safe, fed, healthy, etc. The list is long…it includes everyone from medical professionals to grocery store workers to janitorial staff, many of whom are low wage earners.
I think about ways that I can help. What can I do? Like many others, our income has been greatly reduced and we are struggling to tighten our budget. But we are incredibly grateful to be healthy and have a home to stay safe in.
Besides the obvious, which is staying home, I’ve made small donations to a few organizations. I’ve made purchases from local, small businesses for the occasional dinner, Easter gifts, and most importantly, coffee. Shout out to Big Guys Sausage for feeding my family, Hilary’s Soapbox for filling my kids’ Easter baskets, and Dark Matter Coffee for keeping me sufficiently caffeinated.
But…I want to do more.
I try not to jump on photo “bandwagon” ideas…Glitter sessions? Not gonna happen. Porch sessions? Nope. However, I’ve seen a couple of other photographers who came up with a plan to donate sessions to first responders and essential workers…and this is a trend that I’m happy to get behind.
So, I’m offering a limited amount of “One for One” gift card purchases. When you purchase a gift card for a future session, you can nominate an essential worker who will be given a gift card for a future session. If you don’t have someone in mind, we will happily nominate and donate a session in your name.
If you are able to purchase a gift card now, follow this link for the “One for One” offer:
One for One 1-hour Session Gift Certificate
One for One Mini Session Gift Certificate
When you make your purchase, you can include the name and email of the person you’d like to nominate in the notes section of checkout.
I can’t wait to see you all again!
Be well, friends.
springtime? not so fast...{oak park & chicago area senior portrait sessions}
“The deep roots never doubt spring will come.”
― Marty Rubin
Every year it happens…March arrives and I’m certain that the ground will thaw and flowers will bloom and trees will once again be covered in green. By the time April rolls around, I start to feel a little defeated and I become desperate for warmer days and sunshine.
Everyday, I think “Today is the day. It has to feel like Spring. We NEED Spring.”
Finally, when we reach May, I forget how horrible and long the winter was.
Is it May yet? I would love to fast forward to May & be done with winter for now. Pretty please?
The next best thing that I can do is prepare for Spring’s arrival: plant seeds indoors and watch them pop out of their soil, plan for summer camp and maybe plan a few getaways.
Some of my clients are planning big things for Spring/Summer as well: I’ve got a couple of weddings booked, several corporate headshot events, and high school graduations.
Speaking of high school graduations…
My niece, who lives in Texas, recently came to visit & we spent a couple of days shooting her Senior portraits. You wouldn’t really know it by looking at her, but it felt very much like winter while we were shooting. On the plus side, the sun did come out…so…it could have felt worse, right?
How do you stay upbeat during these last months/days of winter? What are your plans?
