{Flynn W.} : : Chicago Baby Photographer

Not too long ago, I celebrated my first member of the Baby Mine program by photographing some beautiful maternity portraits of Amy Jo with her family. Now the baby is here; welcome to the world, baby Flynn! I was so fortunate to take advantage of amazing window light Amy & AJ have in their home - perfect for a newborn session! Flynn did everything in his power to stay awake for all the excitement, but we still managed to capture his beautiful, squishy newborn cuteness :)

I look forward to watching you grow, Flynn!

{The McAvoy Family} :: Chicago Family Photographer

It is a great honor to be chosen to capture the memory of a family together. Long after I am gone, the image will remain. A perfect moment....treasured always! It means even more to me when I'm trusted to photograph one of my beautiful friends ;) I love looking at the moments I've taken, and really, truly being able to see the personalities that I know so well.

Here's a few from one of my most favorite families ;) Spring has sprung, and I can't wait to do even more sessions outside! Enjoy!

{Abby + Nick} Chicago Engagement Photography

Love is in the air!! Even if spring eludes us, the spark between these two will definitely warm you up :) Abby and Nick are my very first engagment session for 2010, and despite the dreary, Chicago winter day we had an absolute blast traipsing around the Museum Campus. I am so very thrilled with the results! Thank you again for indulging me Nick (err...should I say....John?) and Abby - best of luck as you finish planning for the wedding!

{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!

{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!

{Bella & Luke}

I have a treat for you all today :) I just couldn't decide which ones to show, so a super sized sneak peek it is! Featuring not only an adorable little girl (Miss Bella is almost TWO years old) but also her fuzzy little pal. Well, Luke isn't so little (170 pounds! EGADS!) but he certainly is sweet and fuzzy. It was a warm and humid day, and I had a fabulous time following these two around and soaking up the cuteness. Enjoy!

{Lipinsky Family}

What an AMAZING afternoon we had on Sunday to take family portraits. I traveled to the north western 'burbs to hang out with a pretty darn cool family that hadn't taken a family portrait in 10 years! YOWZA! Eight adults and six kids: and every single one of them were cooperative and beautiful - makes my job pretty easy. Thank you, Lipinsky clan, for letting me spend that lovely time with you!

{Grace J.}

I met David & Lindsey through my cousin a few years back - I think I was pregnant with Liam at the time - and they are certainly some pretty cool peeps. I was over the moon when Lindsey contacted me to take some family photos along with portraits of sweet One Year Old Grace. It was a fabulous afternoon in Millennium Park (or at least it was for the hour we were there!), and we had some great conversation along with a pretty nice stroll. Thanks again for the great afternoon!

{Wil}

Brrrr....what a chilly and craptastic day :( I can't wait for this weather to break so I can do more photographing outside. The next best thing to shooting outdoors, though, is shooting in the Garfield Park Conservatory! I had the privilege of photographing the Wonderful Mr. Wil and his Fabulous Parents this weekend. Wil is such an amazing little guy - not only adorable, but a whiz at signing too :) Here's a little sneak peek for you!

{Madeline}

Happy One Year Birthday to a very sweet friend, Madeline! She's such a little doll, and the happiest baby around....until the dreaded teeth start coming in (cue menacing music. Dum dum duuuuummmmmm). We caught quite a few good shots **including my favorite dad shot EVER - see the last pic**, but we'll continue our casual session at a later date when Miss Maddy is feeling more like herself :)

{Michael K}

Ahhhh - how sweet it is to turn ONE!! Michael celebrated his big birthday last week, and I was so excited to be able to take photos to mark this milestone. He was a little less than happy with me and my camera (I, too, hope he's not getting sick Amy!), but he was more than willing to flash all sorts of smiles for Mom & Dad. Thanks to both of you for all your help! And for letting me snap a few of the whole family - what a beautiful family you are!

After the background was taken down and my gear was put away, I followed little man around while he was playing with his toys just to catch a couple more casual shots of him. I could not get enough of those big blue eyes! Here is one of those shots.....

Side note: It is amazing to make how much difference a few months make when you're talking in Toddler Time....my little man is just a few months older than Michael, but I feel like so much time has passed since his birthday. Makes me a little wistful!!