Spring Means... Prom!!

It was so fun to take some photos before prom of my lovely neighbor H and her boyfriend H!! We weren't sure if we'd have time, but I'm so glad we were able to squeeze in a few.

Her dress was BEAUTIFUL (one of my absolute favorite colors!!) and with her blue eyes, it was a stunning combination! She truly was a princess:) And her boyfriend was so cooperative, even if he wasn't as into taking pics as she was! LOL

Hope you had an amazing time, and enjoy these memories of your Senior Prom!

A family session at the waterfall!

This session was on a hot, hot, day in July (imagine that, a hot July day in Chicagoland!), but it was OK, because it was a special session... for a couple reasons. First, the D family are friends of ours - my daughter has been friends with R since kindergarten (hard to believe it's 5 years already)! Second, this family purchased this session through a silent auction. Back in the spring, I donated a gift certificate to my son's Cub Scout troop, and the D family won the auction! Talk about a win-win situation - the Cub Scouts made some money, the D family gets some great family photos, and I have fun creating those photos! Yay all around :)

Here is a quick preview from the session... a cute photo of R&C alone...

And one of the 3 kids together... love it!

And finally, one of the D family, including Aunt K. The waterfall was pretty crowded with people visiting and exploring when we first arrived, so I was very happy we were able to get some photos after all. I don't think you can really beat this spot for a family photo!

Thanks for a fun session, and I hope you enjoy your little sneak peek... and thanks again for bidding so diligently at the silent auction!

Such a gorgeous setting for a wedding!!

Those of you who know me know that I do NOT do weddings! Well, a friend of ours called me about 2 weeks before his wedding to tell me that their photographer fell through and they had nobody. How could I let that happen? So I stepped into the role of wedding photographer - ONCE and ONLY ONCE - and set out to capture J & K's day. I am not completely done editing, but here are a few...

I hope I was truly able to capture your memories of such a special day! And I must say...wedding photographers... kudos to you! I went into this project thinking that wedding photography would be a challenge, but I now have an entirely new respect for those of you who do weddings on a regular basis.

J & K... hope you enjoy your photos!

Lovely family session!

Before we went on vacation (some fun vacation photos to come when I get to them!!), I had a chance to take a few quick family photos. Isn't this family gorgeous?! I may be biased, because they are my brother-in-law and his family, but I honestly think they are great :) They came up to IL to visit for a few days from TN, and I was really excited we were able to squeeze in a few photos amongst all the family craziness!!

Here is one of B&A together... love it!!

Here is one of the whole family together... you'd never guess by their smiles that we were all in the middle of one of the largest swarms of mosquitoes you've ever seen...

And one of the kids alone... tried a little different feel on the processing here, and I think I like it! See how nicely they smile for their favorite (well, at least I like to think so!!) Aunt Heidi :)

And finally, one of my adorable niece M and her American Girl Doll - what trip to visit Chicago is complete without a stop at the American Girl Store?!

If only I could let you all (or should I say "Ya'll") hear them speak... they have the cutest little southern accents ever!!!

Another Mini Session Sneak Peek...

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...

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!

Super Fun Engagement Session!!

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!

A Special Maternity Session

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!!

Expecting!

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)!!

Anniversary Session

I had the opportunity to do a session last week with a couple who is celebrating their 8th wedding anniversary. I was excited to do the session at their house, because they have a great yard! Out front is the cutest little white picket fence, as well as a GREAT porch with white rocking chairs. The back has some lovely flowers and landscaping as well... gave me lots of ideas of what I would like to do to my own yard!!

Here are a couple from the session... I have some in color too and they looked really nice, but I just liked these in B/W so much (yes, I am a B/W kinda girl).

N&S, thanks for allowing me to capture some special memories for you! I had lots of fun working with you, and I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Happy 2009... First Session of the New Year!!

Yes, once again, I'm a bad, bad blogger... so Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, yada yada yada!!

Anyway, I had my first session of 2009 last week. Last summer, I was contacted by someone from a "Relay for Life" team to donate a prize for their fundraiser. I donated a complimentary session as well as an 11x14 print, and the lucky recipients of this gift were D & M!

I was so happy to be able to do this session for them when I did, as they were getting married this past weekend, so we used these as engagement photos! Here are a couple from the session...

So, M & D, I hope your wedding went well, everyone had a great time at the reception, and that you are enjoying a wonderful start to the rest of your married life together! Enjoy your photos, and I'll get you a link to the full session VERY soon!

A family session in studio...

Well, this was my first chance to use my new smoke grey seamless paper (LOVE IT!!) and it was for a special family... my mother-, father-, and sister-in-law! They haven't had photos taken in many, many years, and asked me to do the honors. Luckily, they were willing to brave the chaos that is my garage studio in the midst of painting and other remodeling,

Here is one of my sister-in-law, who made me laugh with her crazy expressions and poses - she was quite the model :) We did get some nice ones though, including this one...

My kids were happy to see such a nice photo of "Nana and Papa"...

And one of the three of them together...

Thanks for coming to my studio (and the kids' soccer games!) and I hope you're happy with your photos!!!

Cutest Ring Bearer EVER!!!

OK, so I might be slightly biased since the cutest ring bearer EVER also happens to be my son! But I think you'll agree that he certainly looked handsome in his tux (which he was VERY disappointed that we didn't get to keep) and his cool spiky yair... plus he did his job so well!!


Here are a few photos from my cousin Cindy's wedding... she and Anderson looked just great and the wedding was so much fun!! I wasn't there as the official photographer, but I couldn't resist a few shots from the big day... all taken at the reception at my aunt & uncle's house... it was all so lovely!

First, one of my daughter and son together... he was trying to get away but I got quick snap of them together before he escaped!

Next, a picture of the flower girl Maggie (the bride's dog) (yes, she is wearing a dress, makeup and has her nails done LOL!!) along with Ben... the other ring bearer really wasn't into having his picture taken and ran away.

Here is one of my daughter with my cousin Katie, one of the bridesmaids. I just love this photo - they both look just beautiful!!

And finally, one of the happy new couple with the flower girl and of course, the most handsome ring bearer ever!! OK, I'm done saying that now :)

Congrats to the newlyweds... and thanks for a great weekend!!

One more sneak peek from last week...

Here's another sneak peek from last week's session by the waterfall... I think this is so cute!!

OK, now back to proofing...

A quick glimpse of an in-studio E-Session

I was recently contacted by a couple who wanted an outdoor engagement session, but we couldn't seem to coordinate our schedules during daylight hours in time for their engagement party. So we decided to hold this session in my temporary studio (also known as my living room, until my garage studio is built!)...

Things seemed to work out just fine with K&J in the studio! I got some blank looks from K when I first told him I wanted them to "interact" with each other instead of all posed shots.... but after a while everyone relaxed and there was a little bit of everything going on - laughing, kissing, wrestling, biting (don't ask)!!!

So, J&K, enjoy your preview, and congratulations on your engagement!!

A "Mini" Engagement Session...

Here's a couple quick photos I did for my cousin and her fiance... somehow we all coordinated our schedules (I'm in IL, they're in Milwaukee, but we met up in Appleton, WI!!) to meet for a brief e-session at the end of January.

They were such good sports - I had them go outside in the snow (it was about 6 inches deep - her poor feet were soaked!) for a few shots that turned out great!!

My assignment to them is that they practice "gazing lovingly" at each other before the wedding, because every time we tried that type of pose, they started laughing and we got this instead :) But I'm OK with that - I love this shot!!