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

Props during baby photography are important because they keep babies entertained and engaged, so that the resulting images are dynamic. They also serve as a point of reference to see how small our children are.

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.

Thank You to all 87 families that trusted me this year and opened their homes, hearts, and families to a complete stranger allowing me a glimpse into your magical lives.

Every once in a while, I search for families interested in modeling for me in exchange for a few images. People have asked me why I do model calls, and so I thought I would write a short post about my top reasons.

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.

Fall season is just around the corner, and so is my Fall Mini Photoshoot event. This is by far my most popular time of year for family photos. That is why this year I have increased the number of spots available and including a second location in the North Shore to accommodate more families. Per usual, I am scheduling them around peak foliage to make sure we get lots of beautiful colors in our images.

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.

Lifestyle photography sessions are a great way to showcase life as it is – imperfect, but beautiful – and to document the little moments in an authentic way. When I talk about lifestyle sessions, I always try to emphasize that they cannot be prescriptive. This means every session that I do is envisioned and executed differently to reflect the family that I am with. Ultimately, it is about their personalities and this particular time in their lives. Here’s how I plan and conduct a lifestyle photography session at home.

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.

As they become more toddlers and less babies, kids are so full of curiosity and eager to explore and discover the world around them. Their playfulness and personality just comes through in the photos - that’s why milestone sessions are so fun.

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.

What happens when young kids don’t cooperate during a session? It happens more often than you think. I think this is why hiring a photographer that has experience working with children is invaluable. Your time is precious, and you want to be happy with your product, so you need to have a partner in someone that knows when to step in and when to let go while still being creative and finding ways to getting amazing images.

If you are like many moms I know, you probably have many photos of your babies either on your cell phone or a camera, but not many with YOU in them. Trust me. There will come a time when you will look back and realize that you wish you had gotten more photos with your children. Here are four reasons to get in front of the camera more.

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...