Ping Tom Memorial Park Maternity Session {Chicago, IL}

Oh how I love maternity sessions. LOVE them. I love the joy, the happiness and the excitement of the journey parents are on and I am so grateful that I get to document these special moments. It’s so beautiful to witness how something can be so loved before even being on the outside of the womb!

Check out a few of the highlights from this session! I had so much fun getting to know Kim & Joe - we started during the golden hour in their neighborhood and then headed to Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown. It was my first time at this park and the view is stunning. I think it’s my new favorite view of the city and I can’t wait to go back. We were there just as the sun was setting and then it turned dark and the city started shining like no other. What a magical evening.

I can’t wait to meet this little human and watch Kim and Joe fall even more in love 💛

I hope you’re all staying healthy and safe, friends.

Pandemic Baby - AND Be Sure to Vote!

I was supposed to photograph this sweet girl's newborn photos in April. Then covid tore the world apart. We took some of her mom’s maternity photos the Friday before Chicago shut down in March. She was the oldest "newborn" I've ever photographed at two months, but she slept like a one-week old for the last half of her session.

Earlier this year, for over two months, I couldn’t photograph anyone. And it was heart-wrenching. Knowing new mamas weren’t getting those snuggly photos of those first few days or weeks with their littles made me so sad.

I’ll admit I was a bit nervous going into this session because two month old babies can be very unpredictable! I typically photograph babies between one week and a month new. The older they get, the less predictable they are in terms of sleepiness. Not that a baby needs to be asleep to get great photos, but it does make it a bit less challenging when they’re sleepy :) I mean, often times when a two month old is awake it’s because they’re h-u-n-g-r-y! Having said that, I do LOVE when a newborn opens their eyes during our sessions - I feel like I get a glimpse into who they are as a tiny little human! So with little Miss A’s session, I got the best of both worlds! Awake AND smiley and then some sleepy snuggly photos too. This was a nice “welcome back” session after a dark March/April/May.

PSA: Please go vote if you haven’t already! Our democracy, and the future of little girls like Miss A, is depending on all of us. Figure out your voting plan and do your civic duty. I did mail-in voting here in Chicago and dropped off my ballot last week. I received my confirmation of receipt the next day. Easy and safe, which is what we need in this pandemic. I obviously won’t tell you who to vote for, but for full transparency I voted Biden/Harris. I believe we need real leadership with compassionate people. And I believe America, but especially women, Black people, LGBTQ people, immigrants and the Earth all deserve better. I’m voting for basic human rights.

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 :)