Pink stripes in her hair!!

I was so excited to do this session with sweet little Miss P, who is a family friend of ours (and she seems to especially like my 5-yr old son... wink wink)!! She is such a little peanut... I just want to take her home because she makes me smile.

She was quite a natural with posing and taking direction... just like a little model! Maybe we should turn some of these into a portfolio... hmmm... just an idea!

I thought it was so fun that her mom had pink stripes put in her hair just before school started... too cute :)

She is such a happy, smiley little girl... I wanted to try to get some serious shots from her and I when I asked her to stop smiling for a minute she looked confused at first.... so I had to try to explain that serious doesn't mean sad, or mad, just not a big smile.

Works for me :) Those eyes are killer, aren't they?!

Enjoy your quick preview... back to editing the rest!

Three crazy girls!!

When I first met L, J, and K last year, I never thought I would be describing them as "crazy"... J and K (who are twins, although you wouldn't guess to look at them!) were SO shy it took them over a year to start talking to me!! Now, you can't get them to stop!! This session was filled with giggles, faces, and just general weirdness...

Their mom, M, said she wants a photo of her girls that shows them as they really are, their true personalities... I think these definitely fit the bill! And, she loves b/w almost as much as I do, so we're on the same wavelength here - woo hoo!

I've been waiting for three siblings to try this pose (since I only have two kids myself) and was so excited to put these three girls to work! I had originally envisioned this with a serious expression, but since they couldn't seem to stop laughing I just had to roll with it!

And finally, a closeup in color of each girl. The oldest, L, is a dear friend of my daughter's... what a smile!

And the twins... when I first met them I couldn't remember their names so I just called them blond twin and brown twin...

So M, I hope you enjoy this little preview... it's just a sampling of the great photos we got from this session!!

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...

Family session... a reschedule from last summer!

So this session on Sunday was with my lovely friend L and her family... it was sort of a reschedule from last summer! Her oldest graduated in 2007, and she wanted a family photo before he left for college. We set the date, arrived at the location, and were there for less than 10 minutes before we got caught in a downpour! Then D left for college and we weren't able to coordinate schedules again.

Fast-forward one year... J graduated in 2008 and we went out for another attempt before school started. This time.... success!!

Here's one by the waterfall (in B/W, because it's always my favorite)...

And one in color by the lake - I just love the golden glow of the sun setting on the water and the trees! I was also happy with the natural expressions on this one - they were laughing at my "assistant" (AKA my 8-yr old daughter) who was apparently doing crazy things behind my back!!

Last but not least... an outtake! I was having problems posing J&D so I wasn't shooting up their noses (I'm guessing they're both around 6 ft 2 or 6 ft 3, and I'm 5 ft 7!!) so I found a rock I could stand on and told them to stand together and "look guy-ish"... and this is the result :)

I'm so happy we were able to get some great family shots for you, L... even if we had to wait a year to do so!

Best friends...

Last week, my neighbor "S" came over and begged for me to do a photo session with her and her best friend, who was visiting from out of state. "K" used to live here in town, but her family moved a couple years ago, and they were so excited to see each other again!! "S" even offered to pay me for the session and some prints, but we worked out a trade.... photo session and some prints in exchange for some free babysitting in the future... works for me :)

"S" has been over here several times already, saying that "K" keeps calling and wanting to know when they get to see the photos... they're a bit impatient :) So here are a couple for you... I'll get to the rest as soon as I can, I promise :)

These two were so goofy but sweet, and we had a great time taking these. It was nice to meet you, "K"!!

Adorable at two... even sweeter at three!

Miss "M" and her brother "I" are more repeat customers.... I photographed her last year when she turned two (you may recognize her from my website or the large canvas I had printed of her - the girl in the water!)

This year she was not as shy, but still as cute, even if her interest in getting her photo taken was somewhat limited. Her big brother was much more cooperative than last year, though! Here is "I", trying to demonstrate for his little sister how I wanted them to lay in the grass together...

Partway through the session, Miss M spied a bag of Tootsie Pops I had in the van for bribes, and wanted to know if she could have one. I explained that I keep those for kids who do a great job getting their picture taken, and then they get one at the end of the session. Here is a photo of her at the end of the session when I was trying to get her to smile by saying things that make her happy, like "Happy Birthday" or "Dora and Boots" - she came back with "Suckers!!!"

And Mom really wanted to get a hugging shot of the kids.... how's this?! I told you we got some great ones of them together this year.... I love it!!!

Hope you enjoy your sneak peek :)

Mr. "A" Turns Two!

Does anyone remember this cute little guy? "A" was one of my first clients last year - I photographed him when he was nine months old. He was such a ham at that age - so quick to smile and lots of fun!

Fast forward to 2008... "A" is now two!! I was so excited that his mom wanted me to come back and do another session with them. She had such wonderful things to say about the photos from last year... I feel like she really "gets" my style and that's such a great feeling!

"A" was even more fun (and funny!) now that he's talking a bit. We had a great time at the state park with these - we spent some time on the trails, in the "jungle," and on the rocks, then he and I took off together to pick some flowers for mom.

Finally we ended up down by the marina for some fishing!

And one more, just to show that this little guy still has those amazing eyes...

I hope I'm lucky enough to continue creating memories for this family as they grow through the years :)

Calling 2009 Seniors...

Do you attend high school in Wilmington, Coal City, Minooka, Channahon, Morris, Joliet, Plainfield, New Lenox, Bolingbrook, Kankakee, Bradley, or any of the surrounding communities? I'm looking for some outgoing, friendly seniors who would like to serve as my Senior Reps for the Class of 2009! And what is a Senior Rep, you may ask?

Well, a Senior Rep will receive a complimentary photo session during the summer of 2008, some images to post on MySpace or Facebook, and a spiral bound brag book. Then, I will print up some "Rep Cards" with photos from that session and info about Heidi Kreitz Photography for the Senior Rep to distribute to all their friends and classmates. For each senior who books and pays for a session with me, my Senior Rep will earn credits toward their photo purchase and other goodies. More details are available to those selected to be my Reps!

I'm looking for a couple of Reps per school (typically one male, one female)... so please be sure to email or call soon (815-354-7408) and find out if Rep positions are still available at your school!

Announcing a Special Summer Session in Wisconsin...

One of my very first clients was an adorable 9-month old baby who lives in WI (near my mom). I have been asked to come back to take his 2-year photos this summer... I can't believe how time flies!!

I thought it would be a great opportunity to take that time to offer some on-location portrait sessions in the Appleton area while I'm there that weekend... the date will be:

Saturday, June 21

with the location yet to be decided on... (feel free to make suggestions if anyone has any)!

I still have availability for later in the morning and late afternoon...

Sneak peek for the orthodontist's office!

Last week I had the opportunity to photograph a local orthodontist and his staff at a local forest preserve. Here is one of my favorites!