I know family photography sessions can be stressful for many reasons, and while I try to do my best to make them as easy and stress-free as possible for my clients, it can still be challenging for little kids to participate in these sessions particularly if it interferes with their nap schedules, what they want to do in the moment, or if it scares them to have a stranger with a weird contraption (my camera) pointing at them.

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.

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.

One of the most popular locations in the city for Fall skyline views - this is the bridge that goes over the South Pound near Lincoln Park Zoo. I love that the area provides a combination of skyline views, nature paths, greenery and foliage, and historic landmarks.

This year I've had the opportunity to photograph several grandparents visiting from various parts of the US and from China, the UK, and Philippines. My clients usually reach out to me and propose these extended family photo sessions as a gift that they want to give their parents or in-laws. And really, what a gift it is!

After my busiest Fall season ever, I did not want to miss the chance to share images from my 2023 mini sessions. These 15-minute Fall sessions as my most requested service and they tend to book very fast. Families love the ease of getting in and out, taking traditional family photos, and including a few minutes for candids and play for a good combination of images. I usually host them at two locations during an October weekend, and this year we held them first at Montrose Harbor and then at Diversey Natural Area.

Located in Lake Forest, IL the Elawa Farm and its surrounding forests make for a perfect venue for Fall Family Photography, specially if you leave in Chicago’s North Shore.

The area has many open spaces that look “woodsy” and are typically covered in colorful leaves, as well as open prairie paths with tall grasses and yellowy flowers. Though not shown in these pictures, the farm itself has some beautiful gardens and iconic buildings that can also be used as backdrop for a different feel.

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 love Montrose Harbor and Montrose Beach as a location for my summer family photography sessions. Here you get a mix of urban and natural settings , and if you are willing to walk a bit your images can have so much variety that it looks as if you went to different places to make it happen.

Registration is now open for my Beach Mini Session event!

Happening this August, 20 minutes with me gets you 15 images and lots of good memories. My Beach Minis are dynamic and playful, we run around, give lots of kisses and cuddles, jump in the water, and we get some adorable images. See for yourself!

I wanted to write this post to share some differences in light quality and how it can impact a session. To be clear, it is not really the time of day that has an impact on your images, but rather the direction and quality of the light available that specific day, at that specific time of day. So, photographing on a sunny day at noon will yield a very different result to photographing during a cloudy day at noon.

Last year I met a talented photographer who had just moved to the Chicago market, and was soon to take it up by storm. We started interacting and came up with an idea of taking photos for each other’s family that summer. 

Images are worth a thousand words, so there is not much for me to say other than that love shines through in these images from a recent Newborn In Home Session.

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. 

Whenever I promote my special 15-minute petite sessions (Mother’s Day, Fall, and Holiday season) people who have not worked with me before often ask me if it is actually possible to get some good pictures in that period of time. Well… here is the answer! 15 minutes, one location, multiple backdrops, multiple posses, lots of laughter and play and multiple images to choose from. 

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.

Here are some photos of precious Vivian’s session for her first birthday. Her mom and I collaborated to find a location that had beautiful flowers, and to plan for the use of props like the cute party hat and vintage chair.