When this family reached out to me about photographing their daughter at their neighborhood playground, I knew I was all in. This seemed like an incredible idea and a great way to “freeze” some images of the playfulness of childhood and the moments spent together, but the results were far better than I had anticipated.

These were taken at Horner Park in the North side of Chicago.

Children heirloom vignette portraits have long been a southern tradition, but they are getting more popular everywhere around the country, and for good reason.

The theme for my 2021 Holiday Mini Sessions was “Being Present” and the set was decorated with many gifts wrapped in white and decorated with beautiful ribbons. I wanted to keep the set minimal, with simple and neutral colors that allow families to either make their sessions formal or causal, depending on what they wanted to wear.

We have this idea in our heads that the perfect image is that in which we are all posing and smiling, but I find that it is actually the wild moments, when kids are being themselves, running around and being silly, that turn out the most precious photos - those that resemble real life in all of its messy splendor.

When I know I’m going to be working with toddlers at a session I am particularly intentional in selecting the spot for our photoshoot, and I do so with the kids in mind. I think there are two key things you want to consider when determining the spot for a photoshoot involving young kids.

Here are additional images from my mini Spring photoshoot event in Chicago. Register to my newsletter to be the first to know about events such as this one.

It was a balmy morning that started covered in clouds but ended up with plenty of sunlight - forcing me to get creative to avoid harsh light. But, oh! Chicago Spring delivered. Thanks so much to all the families that came and made this Spring Mini Photoshoot event a success.

No one prepared me for how fast my daughter’s first year would go! In the blink of an eye, Liliana’s first birthday came, and I obviously wanted to take some photos to document this giant milestone. For the Smash the Cake session, let’s say the cake wasn’t entirely a success and there wasn’t much of a smash...

Happy New Year! A week in and I have had a chance to reflect on what I would like this year to look like in terms of my photography art. I write these personal objectives keeping the lessons from last year in mind and fully knowing that things may change at any minute. Here are my 2021 goals for my photography journey: