Heidi Kreitz Photography

The Newest Members of the Kreitz Family :)

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:26:00 +0000

Some of you may know that we lost our longtime family member, Duffy, this summer at the age of 15. It was a very hard time for all of us.

Recently, we decided that our house was just a little too lonely without some canine feet running around. We went to the Humane Society to see if we could find a dog that would fit into our family. Well, big surprise!! We found TWO puppies in need of a home, and just couldn't leave one behind.

So I am proud to introduce Milo and Zoey, the two newest members of our family!!

Here is a quick snap of Ben with the pups on their first night home...

Last week we took the kids and puppies out to the forest preserve to get some photos of them together before sunset... the puppies weren't exactly interested in spending much time taking pics, as there was so much to explore! But I grabbed a few quick shots while I could...

And one of the two babies together :) We just love Zoey's little "beard" and her adorable spotted paws, and Milo's little flopped-over ear is too cute!!

Since I'm pretty much done with photo sessions for the year (unless anyone has a maternity or newborn they need to squeeze in), I just wanted to show off my new babies a bit :)

I think it's finally my last mini-session sneak peek...

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:39:00 +0000

OK, I think this is my final preview from my holiday mini-sessions this fall. I meant to get this up sooner, but my life has been such a whirlwind lately that I have fallen a bit behind. Imagine that!!

Anyway, this is K, one of my son's soccer teammates from this fall. K's mom helped coach, and his little brother was always running around at the games too! It was fun to get the boys in the studio for a quick session (the ground was too wet after what felt like the monsoon season passed). Here are individual shots of the boys...

And one of the two together... aren't they cute?! I thought that they might be wild and crazy after seeing them running around at soccer, but they were so well behaved and patient!

Sorry I'm a little slow with your sneak peek... your full gallery will be ready for viewing shortly!

Mini-session Sneak Peek

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:46:00 +0000

I enjoyed this mini-session... it was fun to work with a girl who seemed to be having a good time, and who I didn't have to chase or corral or try to stop from escaping!!

I just loved her outfit, and I thought this was so cute when I told her to pose and give me a little "attitude"!!

And I really loved this one... look at those big, beautiful eyes!!

I hope you had fun, and I am so happy I got to photograph you!

Another Mini Session Sneak Peek...

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:02:00 +0000

Here are a couple more from another one of my mini sessions... these are some friends of mine and not only are they beautiful, but they are some of the sweetest people ever!

Look at these two girls... just adorable!!!

And we had to get a photo of the happy couple... it was their anniversary, after all!!

Finally, a family photo... I just love these guys! They are just the nicest family ever... not to mention photogenic!

Thanks for letting me capture these memories for you :)

Another Mini-Session Preview...

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Last year I did some family photos with C and her son E, and this year we were able to include her fiance, M, as well. I think this one turned out so nice!

And one with the three of them together...

Even though we had to move the session into the studio because of the weather, we got some great shots. Thanks for driving down again this year, and congratulations on your engagement!

Little K is Turning 1...

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:17:00 +0000

I was very happy to get to see Miss K and her family again... we had just done an outdoor family session the week before, so I knew just how cute she was going to be!

How can you not smile when you see that little face... not to mention her ponytail!!

Who doesn't just LOVE a baby in a basket?! I even got to try out my newest blanket, which I thought worked lovely here :)

And finally a shot with her parents... I just love how happy they all look here!

Thanks so much for making the drive to my studio from Naperville... it was so much fun to see all of you again, and capture these moments as K turns one!

OK, one more!!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:15:00 +0000

I know I said I was only putting up one, but I had to add another :) Everyone who knows me knows I just can't resist a good black and white!!!

Another Mini Session Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:50:00 +0000

I have quite a few sessions stacked up ready to be edited - it has been a BUSY couple weeks! There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day... so here is just one from last Tuesday's session. I have worked with this family a number of times over the past year, and these kids just keep getting cuter every time!!

Last year at this time it was torture to get Miss A in front of the camera, and this year she kept telling me "Heidi, don't forget to take a picture of me!! And now... take another one now!! And look at me doing this... and over here... how about now?!" Too cute :)

And what can I say... anyone who shows up wearing Packers clothes for a photo session is #1 in my book!!! Love it... Go Pack Go :)

Fall family session... lots of girls!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:07:00 +0000

As I mentioned, this unpredictable fall weather has forced me to reschedule a few sessions... this was one of them. Luckily, Sunday was a beautiful day and we got some great outdoor family photos!

I thought this one turned out great, and I'm so happy we convinced dad to get in here too...

And here is one of the four girls... I like this one a lot!!!

So here are a couple from Sunday.... hope you enjoy them!! The ones with the girls fighting and making faces are coming later (haha)!!

Mini Sessions are in Full Swing...

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:03:00 +0000

I just looked at the last blog post and realized it's been over a month since I've been on here!! How bad is that?! I've had a busy month... homecoming photos for the neighbor girls, fall photos for a local preschool, and now the Mini-sessions have begun! Weather has not been very cooperative recently... we've had to reschedule several sessions due to rain and cold. Sunday I had a mini-session with a client who I last saw in the spring... Baby K was 3 months old then, and she is turning 1 now! In fact, I'll be posting photos from her 1-yr session before long :)

For now, here are a couple photos from the mini session... a cute one of K alone, and one of her with her big brother and sister :) I just love these!

It was nice to meet the rest of the family, and I had a great time with all of you! Enjoy your sneak peek...

An Anniversary Session!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:53:00 +0000

I had the opportunity to take photos of this extended family this past weekend while they were celebrating their parents' 25th Anniversary! I know how hard it is to get the entire family together, much less all in a photo at the same time. We got some really nice shots of each family individually that day...

Isn't their Boston Terrier pup the cutest ever?!

And finally, the whole group together :)

Anyone who knows me or has followed my blog at all knows that I couldn't do an entire post without at least ONE black and white! Isn't this sweet... an anniversary kiss :)

I hope everyone enjoyed their preview, and I'll be sending you all a password for your completed gallery before too much longer!

Super Fun Engagement Session!!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:50:00 +0000

I was so excited to meet this fun couple on Sunday! We had a rocky start to the day - had to postpone the session a couple hours b/c the area was shrouded in a heavy fog bank - but I'm so glad we waited!

The weather was beautiful, and so were my clients! They were so sweet, and I absolutely fell in love with their two sweet Boston Terriers, Tyson and Simon. Isn't this the cutest family photo?

Aren't these great?!

This one looks like a magazine ad to me...

And one of my faves, such a fun shot!!

It was so great to meet you, L & J (not to mention the boys)! I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Newborn! Sweet Baby A

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:48:00 +0000

I've been a bad blogger lately... I apologize :) I need to do better about that... but here is a sneak peek of a sweet little newborn girl. This little doll is the spitting image of her father... I was amazed when mom showed me his newborn photo, because they look so much alike!

As fate would have it, the little baby who slept nonstop for the first 11 days of her life decided that Day 12 was going to be the day she stayed awake all morning!! So while we didn't get the curled up, sleepy naked baby shots we were hoping for (Miss A was also modest and didn't seem to like being naked very much!) we did get some other sweet photos.

Isn't this family shot just beautiful?!

Hope you enjoyed your quick preview, A & S! Congrats on your new addition, she is truly precious!

I finally shot some "me" photos!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:39:00 +0000

No, not photos OF me, but FOR me!! I haven't really shot anything for myself in a while, so last week a friend and I took our kids to this AWESOME Children's Garden near us. I'm so glad D introduced me to this place!! The kids had so much fun playing, and I had some fun playing too! I just took these with my (cheapo) zoom lens set to the "macro" setting, which isn't truly macro, but I had fun anyway. Can't wait till my new macro gets here and I can try a whole new bunch of ideas out!!

Pretty red flower that just pops against the sea of green...

Butterfly that loved these purple flowers. I didn't even realize I got the bee in the photo until I loaded it on the computer... I was so focused on the butterfly I wasn't paying attention to anything else!!

My very own "Toothless Wonder"... always willing to flash me that gap-toothed smile. Just love him to pieces! He still eats corn on the cob, if you can believe that!

And his friend, Sweet T... just love her too! She had the toothless grin going on in the spring :)

And all the little kids up on top of a BIG hill... love this one!

So don't forget to take time for fun... for the kids, for yourself, and everyone will be happier :)

Grand prize winner.... my daughter!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:18:00 +0000

Just wanted to make a post on here sharing our excitement. My daughter was the winner of the Grand Prize drawing at our local library! She won a Wii system... how cool is that!

This is just a quick snapshot of her receiving the grand prize. Thanks so much to the library... they had great programs all summer and this is a fabulous prize!

A 1-yr old session and cake smash!!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:07:00 +0000

I was lucky to get to work with this family again... I first took N's pics last fall when he was only 3 months old (see the link here: http://heidikreitzphotography.blogspot.com/2008/11/mini-session-with-two-sweet-munchkins.html ). Now, we were commemorating his 1st birthday!!

He wasn't real thrilled about smiling whenever I stuck that big black box in his face, but we managed to get some adorable shots nonetheless.

I was excited to get some pics with him and mom's gear. She is a firefighter, and I thought these photos were so cool! The helmet was awesome... it belonged to mom, and her father before her! Great family tradition!!

Then we broke out the cake!! N did not hesitate to dive in and get his hands (and face, and everything else!) dirty. I think we can safely say this was his favorite part of the session :)

Love how his hand is completely buried in the cake up to his wrist!

And finally, one that is kind of an outtake, but I think it is SO funny I had to post it! We all know this feeling, when we have stuffed ourselves and feel like we cannot possibly eat another bite. Ever. The way he's kind of sitting there in a stupor is just priceless. Love it!!!

So, thanks again to the C family for allowing me to work with you! I had alot of fun, and I hope you did too. Enjoy your previews, and I'll let you know when the entire gallery is ready for viewing!

A Special Maternity Session

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:46:00 +0000

I had the honor of photographing A and S, who are expecting their first baby. S is one of my husband's oldest friends, so it was exciting to get to witness this special time for them. Knowing S as we do and having seen him age (mature might be too strong a term!), fatherhood might come as somewhat of a shock... for instance, child-appropriate TV channels include Disney or Nickelodeon, not MTV. Just one example!! Luckily A will be there to set things straight :)

I was excited to try this shot incorporating the ultrasound... baby's first photo, I guess!!

We did some of mom (and belly) alone...

and then a few with both parents...

Thanks to A & S for letting me document this special time in your life! Congratulations, and enjoy your preview. Can't wait to meet Baby Girl when she arrives next month!!

Sweet baby girl...

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Well, I returned from vacation to find a message that my maternity client from June had delivered a baby girl while I was gone! I was so excited to have a session when I got home!!

Little Miss O was just the sweetest thing... she would alternate between being awake (and wanting to eat, pee or poop LOL) and sleeping just long enough to get some great shots in!!

This was the base of table in my clients' home... we just took off the glass top and set it in the hallway. I loved the texture of it... and so did their cat, who kept jumping up whenever we would move Miss O!!

This blanket was extra special, as it was knitted by Miss O's great-grandmother before she passed away.

I was SOOOO excited to have a newborn girl again, since my last few newborns have been boys. I had a fun flower hat I wanted to try with her... so imagine how happy I was when I arrived to find my client had this little hat!! I was in heaven :)

I tried a new "honey" like process on this photo to give it a different, dreamy kind of feel. I think it works well on this one... what do you think?

B and K, I hope you enjoy your sneak preview! I had so much fun with these... congrats on your adorable new girl :)

Summertime Fun Family Session!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:13:00 +0000

I recently had an evening family session, and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! This family was willing to try any location I suggested, and I was so happy we went to the waterfall. The water level was perfect AND we were lucky that there was nobody there!

Look at this great group shot!

And here are a handful of other shots...

This Dad was on leave from the armed forces... thanks for your service and sacrifice!

And I couldn't resist an eyelash shot... they were quite possibly some of the longest I've ever seen. Just gorgeous!!!

I hope you enjoy your sneak peek... the whole gallery will come after my vacation :)

Summer Special!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Summer is just flying by!! July is here, and before we know it, it too will be gone and the kids will be heading back to school.

In honor of this fun summer of 2009, I'm offering a photography special! Schedule a session to be held during the month of August and pay only $50... AND receive a complimentary 5x10 Summer storyboard with every order of $400 or more!

I will be on vacation for a week, so I will be back to work on July 20. Feel free to email or send an inquiry through my website to reserve your date... things are starting to fill up :)

Happy Summer :)

Fun With Kids and Toad...

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:19:00 +0000

A toad and some kids usually makes for a good combination... and some fun photos! After editing the family's entire session, I thought these were too fun not to share...

Baby N with a toad on his head... he knew something was not quite right, but wasn't sure what. Immediately after this shot he took off crawling and the toad made his escape!

Miss E was having lots of fun with this little guy... she was not in the least bit freaked out. She reminded me of my younger days when we would spend hours hunting for frogs and toads at my grandparents' cottage. She was awfully proud to show off the little guy!

And finally, I think my favorite shot of the day... Little Miss A, kissing her toad and wishing for her prince. Some day, A, some day...

Thanks to the kids, and to Mr. Toad, for being so cooperative :)

The C Family...

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:17:00 +0000

Sunday was a perfect evening for a photo session! Slightly overcast, nice and warm... just beautiful! We met at one of my favorite outdoor locations, which is actually the place where I did photos with the family in green last fall. Their kids have grown so much in such a short time... Miss A was so cooperative and a little ham, and little N is crawling all over now!

Here's a photo of just grandma and grandpa... he really liked the lake in the background, and it made a lovely backdrop when we could sneak in photos that didn't have random people fishing in the background!!

I absolutely LOVE this little family photo... N looks so happy, and A is being her usual cute self here :) Doesn't her pose and expression just say "Who me? I'm just hangin' with my peeps..." I think it's so cute!!

Finally, one of C and E together... this was one shot I snapped off before C tried to get away from his sister. What happened to sibling love?!!

Thanks so much to the C family... I had a great time and hope you did too! There are so many great photos to choose from, I had a hard time narrowing it down to just a few to post on here. I'll let you know when your gallery is finished and posted online. Hope you enjoyed your preview!

Family!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:27:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of photographing this extended family on Saturday morning. We had scheduled the session for Hammel Woods in Joliet, and with one family member in town from MN, we didn't really have an option of a rain date. It was lightly sprinkling when we started, and the weather felt more like April than May, but the heavy rain held off and we got some great photos!

Here are the four adult siblings...

and then the sweet matriarch and patriarch of the group!

We decided to try a fun group shot in addition to some more traditional poses, and it turned out great! I just love how everyone is laughing, and look at the two little guys with their feet swinging in the air!! I chose to do this in a long skinny crop - imagine it over a fireplace - because I felt that such a fun, unique photo deserved a fun, unique crop!

Finally, one tender moment between daddy and his baby girl... she was cold and tired and need a snuggle. So sweet!!

So K, I just wanted to say thanks to you and your entire family for choosing me to capture your special memories. Your family was lots of fun (and just a little crazy), and I hope you enjoyed your session as much as I did! Here's your sneak peek... I'll let you all know when the entire session is ready.

Expecting!

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:46:00 +0000

I had the pleasure to photograph the sweetest couple this past weekend. B&K are expecting their first child, and their excitement was so evident!

Their home was absolutely lovely, and we had many great photo ops (even though we didn't venture outside due to rain). The nursery was adorable, and I thought the story behind the chair and ottoman was so touching. B had found a chair she loved, but at a price she didn't. So they purchased a similar style chair and ottoman at a more reasonable price, and K's mother upholstered them for the nursery! Not only did they fit the decor perfectly, but what a loving gift for baby to treasure!!

While B was lovely in the maternity shots we took of her alone, we did ask for K's participation in some as well. So K, here are a few "paternity" photos too!!!

It was so nice to meet you, B&K! How's this for irony: K and my husband were coworkers a few years back, but we had never met before and they did not know who I was when they booked me off my website. Small world!

Speaking of small... I cannot wait to photograph your new baby next month! I sure do love me a squishy, naked baby (maybe in a cute hat)!!

Senior Guy- Class of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Heidi) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:02:00 +0000

This session was a long time in the planning stages... we had originally planned to do outdoor photos last fall, but that was derailed due to a basketball game/knocked out tooth incident! So... fast forward to this spring. The wet weather and scheduling conflicts put outdoor photos on hold, but we were finally able to squeeze in a studio session.

M was a good sport and we got some great shots!

I had a hard time deciding between color and B/W on some of these b/c the green shirts he chose really looked great with his eyes, but anyone who knows me knows I'm a B/W girl at heart! I like the more dramatic, moody lighting for senior guys... it seems to fit.

So, M (and mom B!), I hope you enjoy this quick preview. I'm almost done with the entire session and will have those to you VERY soon!