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November 11, 2018
in Miscellaneous

I am all about traditions. I love what they represent and I love having something special between my husband and I that other people might not have. I’ve always wanted to be able to send out a family Christmas card and couldn’t wait until I got married so I could so. Our first Christmas got away from us, but right after that is when I decided that going forward, each year our Christmas card was going to be something ridiculous - AND it would always feature out cat. We’re not your...

September 29, 2018
in Maternity Sessions

As a photographer, there are some sessions where you walk away at the very end of the process totally in love with your images. Well, more than usual, I mean. This was the case with the maternity session I did for our friends Jon and Brittany. Ever since the winter shootout I participated in the year prior, I have wanted to shoot more maternity photos. I am fascinated by the ethereal, dreamy portraits that can be created in even the simplest environments. And I am enamored with all of the beautiful...

September 23, 2018
in Couples

Not many people have the opportunity or forethought to do a photoshoot on their actual one-year wedding anniversary. But, those people aren’t my friend Kaitlin, who has always been on top of the ball when it comes to these kind of relationship things. We set up a shoot for the day of their actual anniversary at LeRoy Oakes Nature Preserve in St. Charles, Illinois.  CAPTURING SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY TRADITIONS Kaitlin and I discussed her vision prior to the shoot. She had lots of cute ideas for poses that involved a lot props. Normally, the...

August 9, 2018
in Child Photography, Senior Sessions

At the end of the summer I attended a senior and child shootout put on by some fellow members of the photography community. I always try to do at least one group shootout put on by the photography community each year. Let’s be honest - usually I’ll book one, but then see three more I want to do also! But alas… I try to keep it to a minimum since they can get pricey! This particular shootout took place in Geneva, IL. I ADORE downtown Geneva. I think it’s the most adorable...

May 12, 2018
in Senior Sessions

Springtime senior photoshoots are just the bomb. Especially if you’re lucky enough to photograph in that tiny window of time where everything is in bloom. Luckily for me and Alice, we did! SPRINGTIME SENIOR SHOOT A close friend of my mother-in-law wanted some senior photos of her daughter in the hometown where she spent her childhood - downtown Arlington Heights. I had never been to downtown Arlington Heights before, but I’ve always loved the look and feel of downtown suburban areas, so I was excited to shoot there. However, not having been there before...

January 28, 2018
in Child Photography, Composites, Maternity Sessions

At the end of January I participated in a winter shoot out in Riverside, organized by a couple of local photographers. I LOVE doing shoot outs. They give you the ability to practice photographing things you might not have much experience with (in my case, maternity) without the added pressure of it being a paid session. And of course, I love meeting other local photographers, seeing what they are like, observing them, and learning from them. The subjects of this particular shoot out were two fold; maternity AND kids. I thought...

November 5, 2017
in Senior Sessions

My very first client has a daughter who is a senior this year and reached out to me to shoot her senior portraits! I was thrilled to be considered. I really enjoyed photographing their family the first time. Their two daughters are beautiful! RENTING SPECIAL EQUIPMENT We set up the shoot for late October, but scheduled a rain date in case the weather was no good. It turned out to be incliment weather on our oriignal day, so we held off until the rain date. We had absolutely gorgeous fall weather that...

September 10, 2017
in Senior Sessions

This past summer, I headed back home to St. Charles to do a mock senior portrait session with my sister at LeRoy Oakes. It’s nice to shoot to be creative sometimes! SISTERLY LOVE My sister and I have never been as close as I would like. We are complete opposites. One of the reasons we never hung out is probably because she is a social butterfly (I’m not) and was always gone from the house. I have been working (sometimes 2 jobs at once plus freelance) since I was 19, which put...