{Kelly & Tim} Chicago Event Photographer

Kelly's parents held a beautiful cocktail reception in celebration of Kelly & Tim's nuptials back in October. It was held at the Park Hyatt, and it was a magnificently fun party on the Magnificent Mile! I had an amazing time photographing the event - the mood was fun and light, the food smelled amazing and the event room was sexy, chic and almost as gorgeous as the bride herself. Pat & Jim, thank you for inviting me to celebrate with your family!

{Lincoln S.} Chicago Children Photographer

You might remember sweet Lincoln from his 18 month photos just a short six months ago! Now he's an official big boy at 2 years old.

Now, you might be wondering - how much can a child change in 6 months? It might be subtle, but its amazing! They loose some of that baby chub and really start to transition more into little boys...but still totally *stealing your heart* adorable! It doesn't hurt that this little man is stylin' in his black Chucks and smooth Levi's ;) It was so wonderful to capture Lincoln again on film - thanks Mom for bringing him in!

{The Bryer Family}

One of the things I love most about my job is being able to completely and utterly relate to my clients on so many different levels. This was very true of the Bryer family, with two kids just about the same ages as Liam & Lola. They were a complete joy to photograph, and Jack was cracking me up with his intense love of music! I'm still blown away by Ella's head control (she's only 10 weeks old!). Thank you inviting me over to play - I had a great time!

{Mia K}

Almost a year ago I took photos of oh so adorable Michael, and I was lucky enough to be invited to photograph his new baby sister Mia. She is 3 months old! She was such a dream to photograph, happy to endure our oohs and ahhs over her cotton candy pink-ness :) It was a nice sunshiney day, and light was flooding into the house which provided the perfect backdrop to capture this milestone age. Thank you again Amy & Matt!

{The McMillin Family } Chicago Family Photographer

Here's a quick sneak peak of sweet Reagan, beautiful little Jackson and parents :) You'd never know it from these photos, but rest assured even when one out of two kiddos isn't having the best day, there are always moments of calm within a storm! I was so lucky to have two very patient parents to help work with an out of sorts toddler all while keeping a baby so very happy. Happy 2nd Birthday Reagan!

{Leyton D.}

The weather is a changing my friends :) People often overlook the beauty of outdoor portraits even after the leaves have long gone. Lucky for me, Leyton and his parents were up for the beach even with a cool November breeze! The skyline was foggy, but Leyton in all his one-year-old glory was a ball of sunshine, and an absolute dream to photograph. Thank you so much, Lyndsey & Brad, for venturing outside with me!

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Most of the time when I'm at a photo shoot, I have a pretty good idea of the shots I've taken and the good ones I'm going to look for when I start editing. But every once in a while I'm surprised :) Capturing little moments like this - seeing the interaction between parent and child, a small glance and subtle smile, simply being able to see the love. *sigh* it makes my heart melt! This is why I am a photographer - I love preserving these moments and these memories!

{Holly B. & Family}

About a year ago I started this business and website. I gave away a gift certificate to encourage people to sign up for my email list, and Holly was the lucky winner! We decided to not only do family photos, but also incorporate my very first maternity session as well. I have to say, we had a LOT of fun, and it was so wonderful to be so very close to that beautiful belly!! Thank you to Jesse, Owen and Nana Beth who all came along for the session :) I love the images we captured!

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These extra two are just some of the most hilarious ones I've encountered on a shoot. Owen apparently is working on his stand up skills, because he tells the most hilarious jokes.....like "Tomato!" or "Bunny Rabbit!". Its cute just hearing what he says, but even more adorable is his body language - just like a little comic! Check him out in action here!

Here, I was doing a couple very nice shots of just Holly and Jesse while Owen was off playing....and all the sudden he decided he wanted to be in the pic too! So he sauntered over and joined us :)

{Jack E.}

You might remember Jack's beautiful sister Lila from a few posts back :) He is such a sweet big brother! Jack was supposed to join us that day for his two year old photographs (he turned two the day after Lola was born in October), but he wasn't feeling very well, so this is Part Deaux of their photoshoot. Even though he wasn't the smiley-est of campers today, we got some great shots. He really was a joy to shoot and has SO much personality! Thanks again for bringing him over Katie :)

**side note** Jack's shirt was made by friend's company Sweet Ideas by Michele. She's got some great designs and can create whatever you'd like! Check out her website today :)

{And we're back!}

Hello Cyber Space!

The newest O'Brien addition, Lola, was born on October 2, 2009! She's a beautiful baby girl, and big brother Liam is genuinely enjoying her company :) Here are a few photos I snapped in the hospital (and one of me, snapped by my darling sister!).







Its been just over 6 weeks since we've welcomed Lola home, and I've got the green light from my doctor to jump back in the saddle and start taking photos again! I'm ready and raring to go :) Book your session for 2009, because 2010 is bringing big changes to Karin O'Brien Photography!

{Lila E.}

It is so very hard to believe, but my own baby is scheduled to make his/her arrival in less than a week! I thought what better way to celebrate as a last hurrah before I take a maternity break than to photograph another amazing little baby, sweet miss Lila. She's 6 months old already, and quite the little charmer. We managed to coax a couple of smiles from her and enjoy her cuteness in all its glory! Thanks for bringing her over, Katie!

{Easton W.}

Normally, Easton is very much a happy-go-lucky little dude. Sunday morning at our session it was no exception, other than he turned the cuteness up a couple notches! He was quiet the charmer, being all cheeky, smiley and spunky. Top that with beautiful weather, great location and a set of awesome parents, it was quite possibly one of the easiest sessions I've done. It was a pleasure photographing you, Easton!

{Shannon O.}

I take many different kinds of portraits, but to me there is something particularly special about Senior Portraits. I can never seem to exactly put my finger on it; maybe its the documentation of a young person officially coming of age, the promise of a bright new tomorrow, or maybe even a bit of wistfulness on my part when I see all the beauty and fun of their youth. I suppose it is a little of all of that. Its beautiful, isn't it?

In any case, I had the privilege of photographing a beautiful young woman for her Senior Session in Downtown Chicago and we had a fabulous shoot :) There were sooo many great shots to choose from, it was so very difficult to decide which ones to process right away. Can you believe that amazing hair and those gorgeous eyes!?? To DIE for! Enjoy!

{Elizabeth W. Bachelorette Party!}

Don't worry - everything is PG here on this blog :) I had the extreme pleasure of getting in touch with Allison to be the official photographer of her sister Elizabeth's bachelorette party. What an incredibly fun evening it was! Four hours of good friends and family on a Chicago Trolley fully stocked with adult beverages, AMAZING weather, scooting around the streets of our great city. We stopped at important Chicago landmarks, as well as a few sentimental spots that hold a lot of memories for the bride and groom. This is a Mega Sneak Peek - as, once again, I had a hard time narrowing down which ones to show!

Thank you so much Allison & Elizabeth, for including me in such a great night!