Sunny Day Heading Your Way - Chicago Lifestyle Pet Photo Session

Meet Sunny! She won the pet contest I held back in August and we did her mini photo session recently in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Her and her dog-mom met me at Frasca, a restaurant with a cute patio & a sangria stand, which was a beautiful backdrop for their session. I love love love twinkle lights in photos, especially in the fall golden hour! I had so much fun exploring my neighboring neighborhood with Sunny & checking out alllll of the painted mural walls, the L stop and of course the sangria stand. Sunny is only 6 months new, but she was surprisingly easy to photograph! Most pups that age don’t like to sit still for a photo, let alone pose like Miss Sunny! All of the patrons at Frasca, and the fellow dogs walking by, loved her too. It was so great to meet you, sweet Sunny. You’re bringing a lot of sunshine to people in this often-dark year :)

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A Birthday Parade in a Pandemic {Chicago Birthday Photographer}

Turning three is a big deal! It’s usually when kids start to get excited about and understand their birthdays, and looking forward to birthday parties. Miss E turned three in a pandemic and instead of a birthday party this year, she got a birthday parade! And it was dinosaur themed, which made me smile so much, especially in the photos where she’s pretending to be a dinosaur! This girl is so full of joy and life and I want to carry her around in my pocket to have her sunshine with me all the time!

I think birthday parades might be one of the best things to come out of 2020! Humans: making the most out of whatever life throws at us.

A three year old birthday girl stands in front of peach trees, laughing.
A three year old girl in a white dress sits on a chair in front of peach trees for her birthday photos
Mom in blue dress holds three year old daughter on her lap in front of peach trees
Daughter snuggles in her dad’s lap while dad laughs and makes her giggle.
Girl is laughing while she sits on dad’s lap while mom and dad tickle her. Family tickle party.
Three year old birthday girl stands on her porch with her blue, green and white ballons.
Little girl stands in front of all of her balloons on her front porch on her third birthday.
Birthday girl pretends to jump like a dinosaur at her dinosaur-themed birthday parade.
Three year old birthday girl pretends to be a dinosaur in front of her number three ballon sculpture.
Three year old birthday girl points to a car driving by in her birthday parade.
A car drives by spraying silly string in a birthday parade for a three year old in Chicago.
A three year old girl stands in front of peach trees for her birthday portrait

Autumn - Class of 2021 {Chicago, IL and Port Washington, WI high school senior session}

I will be the first to admit that this pandemic has made me cry almost on-the-daily, but when I stop and think about how I haven’t had any of my own big life plans completely uprooted by it, I feel bad for feeling sad when so many others have had it worse. All of the people who had planned on getting married this year, all the babies born whose moms weren’t able to have the newborn photos they’d dreamt of. And high school seniors not getting to walk down that aisle for the biggest accomplishment they’d worked their entire lives thus far for. I live by Lane Tech High School here in Chicago, and happened to be walking by the school on the day of their drive-through graduation ceremony this summer. I’m so thankful I was wearing sunglasses and a mask so that the students and families I was passing couldn’t see my blubbery face behind it. They were still all smiles and so happy, and said Thank You when I would tell them Congratulations, but my heart was sad for them but also happy that they were still celebrating in this very strange way. I was proud of them and didn’t know a single one of them! It’s not at all the graduation they had planned, but they were making the most of it. This year is a doozy, folks. Oof.

I feel for all the students right now. And all the teachers. All of the unknowns are scary. Whether it be in-person or e-learning, this year is not going to be easy for anyone. I can only hope that the class of 2021 will get to have their graduation ceremonies by then.

I got to spend two afternoons in two different cities recently with this lovely grad-to-be! Autumn is the youngest of my 15 cousins and I was in my early 20’s and not living at home anymore when she was born. So I didn’t really see her except at Christmas time and I didn’t really know her that well. But I’m so glad I got to photograph her senior photos and really get the chance to know more about her. She loves reading and is an incredible bowler on the bowling team & she’s so excited for college! We spent an afternoon exploring ALL over Chicago - West Loop, Union Station, Lincoln Park Zoo Nature Boardwalk, Old Town and Bucktown. We found all the great murals! I’ve been dying to photograph at the “Make No Little Plans” mural and the “You Are Beautiful” Chicago sticker mural for forever and we made it happen! A few days later I went to her favorite town in Wisconsin - Port Washington. Being a Wisconsin native, this was shockingly my first time in Port and it surprised me! The little downtown area is adorable and the marina is beautiful. We were there just in time for some sunset photos and it did not disappoint! Best of luck to you on your final year of high school, sweet Autumn :)

Here are just a few of my favorites from Autumn’s session!


West Loop

High school senior photo session in the West Loop - Peoria Street
Girl in yellow sweater sitting on a chair in front of a colorful wall. High school senior photo session in Chicago West Loop. Peoria Street.
High school senior girl leaning on a rusty beam in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.

Union Station

High school senior girl leans on a column outside of Union Station in Chicago as a yellow taxi goes past.

Nature Boardwalk - Lincoln Park Zoo

High school senior girl stands among tall purple asters and rudbeckia flowers at the Lincoln Park Nature Boardwalk near the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Make No Little Plans - Lincoln Park

High school senior girl stands next to a colorful painted mural in Lincoln Park Chicago.

I’m still booking seniors for the rest of the year! Come have some fun with me!

High school senior girl poses in front of a colorful Chicago mural in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The mural reads “Make No Little Plans”

You Are Beautiful Chicago Sticker Mural - Bucktown

High school senior girl stands in front of a mural of the Chicago “You Are Beautiful” sticker in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago.

Downtown Port Washington - Wisconsin

High school senior girl stands in the downtown neighborhood of Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Port Washington Harbor - Wisconsin

High school senior girl rests against rocks with Lake Michigan behind her in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
High school senior girl stands with the marina and a summer sunset behind her in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
High school senior girl stands with the Port Washington lighthouse behind her as a wave crashes in front of her at the marina in Port Washington, Wisconsin.