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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Here are some images from a recent session at one of my favorite locations for Chicago photography. I think it is impossible to ignore the magic of golden Summer evenings, sun-kissed skins, lush green tones, blooming prairie flowers, and images of the lake covered in sailboats. Oh! and being able to see babies’ chubby arms and legs is always a plus.

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.