Montrose Beach is my favorite Chicago location for sunset photoshoots because of its location we get beautiful golden light in the background. In addition, there is a relatively open area that allows me to blur out beachgoers (and in some instances keep them out of the photo completely), while giving the kids plenty of room to run and explore within a short period of time. Montrose Beach also has an area of beach grasses which make for some variety in beach photography and plenty of birds that make for interesting additions to the images. Sometimes, like during this session, we are even able to get some kiteboarder or boats in the background.

A wonderful alternative to consider to Fall family are beach family sessions. I generally take these in the month of August during sunset hours and I have to say they are by far my most fun sessions. We always get wet, and inevitably everything gets sandy, but the pictures are for sure worth it. Kids just adore the silliness and the permission to run in an open space, jump in the water, dance around, and chase their parents, and so what results are truly joyful expressions that are so much more genuine than traditional posed photos.

I wanted to try a new location on the North Suburbs of Chicago. After looking around, we settled on Ryerson Woods in Deerfield, IL. We picked this place because we were looking for a woodsy area that had nice Fall colors. 

For Mother’s Day this year, I ran a giveaway on social media to gift two families with a photography session. Well, we had the photoshoot a couple of weekends ago, just as Chicago weather was warming up. And we had a glorious evening! If you are interested in participating in one of my giveaways, make sure to follow me on Instagram @catylamadridphoto so you don’t miss out.