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 :)

My Number One Tip For Getting Your Child To Smile in a Photo! Hint: It’s not cheese!

Tips for photographing your child

Parents are always telling me that their child either won’t smile for a photo or will make the forced “cheese” smile and it drives them crazy. I hear you! Children have been trained to do that in photos, even when having their photo taken by a professional. I’m here to tell you that the “cheese” just looks forced. Because it is actually forced! Put yourself in their shoes… do you smile when someone tells you to smile?!

If you’ve ever had a session with me, you know that I get silly with kids! I do whatever it takes to get those real smiles. Do this at home too! You know your child better than anyone and know what will make them laugh. Laughing photos are way more genuine than the cheese! My mom used to make us say “Fuzzy Pickles” when we were young because it was silly. Actually, she still does :P I recommend changing it up every so often though. The shock value will eventually wear off!

Number One Tip:

Play with them and get silllllly! Threaten to tickle them. Actually tickle them. Make it a game. If all else fails, make silly animal noises and ask them to repeat. My go-to is the pig who teases and says it’s going to tickle them!

Kids are so used to having phones and cameras in their faces all of the time and when you ask them to smile, or ask them for the cheese, it becomes more of a chore the older they get. And when they start to form their own opinions, watch out! You have to make it fun!

Have multiple littles?! Luck ;) Getting more than one child to look at the camera AND a real smile is tough! Up your improv game!

Tell Jokes or Ask Silly Questions!

Engage their curiosity, then be ready to snap away.

Take Photos of Them Doing What They Do Best

Do they love to dance? Play with trains? Swing on the swings at the park?

Capturing them in the moment, having fun, will give you natural smiles, laughs and playfulness because they’re already doing something they love to do! And with you there to cheer them on, it’s sure to make a great photo for you without the tears flowing.

Get Down To Their Eye-Level

Makes for a much more interesting photo and is better for connecting with them.

Infants can be a bit easier to get to smile because they haven’t received a diploma in the cheese yet and they’re genuinely curious about everything! Get down to their level, capture them crawling and exploring. The hardest part with these kiddos is that you’re engaged with their attention and then a big phone/camera comes up and can ruin the engagement.

Still No Smile? Grab It Anyway!

I LOVE non-smiley photos too! Not every moment in life is all-smiles. Show real-life, even if you have to put aside your original vision for that photo.

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.