Darling Tween and Kiddo Photo Session at The Painted Crate {Columbus, WI}

I was back in Wisconsin visiting family this past spring when my sister & mom took me into the most adorable little shop in Columbus. Cindy Klein, of The Painted Crate, has the most beautiful space inside an old car repair shop that she transformed into a charismatic little retail experience. It’s full of local handmade soaps & balms, small batch candles, fun gifts, jewelry, vintage charm, furniture paint and so much more. AND it’s gorgeous! From the second I walked into this space, I knew I had to come back and take some photos. Cindy has the cutest vignettes all around her store and she takes such care into making this space look so warm and welcoming. If you’re ever passing through Columbus, you must check it out!

I have 5 nieces (aka my own little personal models!) and they’re all as beautiful outside as inside, and I take their photos annually, and I love them… commence run-on sentence because that’s what I do when I’m excited about something! I had to take their photos here, and I’m delighted we did! They’re all growing up so quickly and emerging into these amazing little humans, and they’re at fun ages where they’re willing to pose for photos. The oldest is 11 (going on 21!) and I’ve been in her face, literally, since the day she was born! People tell me that she looks just like I did at that age, and while I do see a resemblance, I also can’t help but feel flattered because this girl is stunning! At her age, I felt awkward, lonely and anything but beautiful so I hope that these photos will show my favorite ladies how bright their inner and outer lights are & that they can make a difference in this often-bleak world. I don’t have my own children (by choice) and these ladies are the closest I have to influencing a generation. I hope I can teach them to see the world with open minds, thoughtful curiosity about others in this world, especially those who are different from them & above all - kindness. It’s what we all need right now.

In truth and full disclosure, I’ve been struggling this year. I thought I had found my purpose with photography and documenting people’s joy, moments and lives. But after 12+ years it’s begun to feel like it’s not enough. Don’t get me wrong, I do love taking beautiful photos of beautiful moments, but it feels like I need to do more. Like I was meant to do more to improve this place we live in. Our world is rapidly deteriorating around us and I’ve personally taken an intense interest in preserving what’s left of it. I consider myself a fierce climate and animal activist (among activism for women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, lgbtq rights & gun laws) and is something I’m most passionate about. I’m trying to figure out how I can incorporate that activism into my business. My business that documents pretty things, but which also contributes to consumerism & a carbon footprint that I don’t love. I’m trying to live without so much “stuff” which often feels like it’s weighing me down. But some of that “stuff” includes photos of all of the memories I want to preserve and remember/display. Because I firmly believe that images should not just be digital form. The balance, and the thought that I’m contributing to this materialistic world with what I do, is something I struggle with daily. I’m not quitting or going anywhere, just feeling a bunch of feelings about it & writing things down is how I process and figure things out. Thank you for giving me the space to lay it all out there.

xoxo,

Courtney

Under the Sea Nursery Newborn Photo Session [Chicago Newborn Photo Session]

Every time I type the “under the sea” theme for this blog post, and every time I look at these images, I get the song from “The Little Mermaid” in my head! The one where Sebastian sings to Ariel; is it actually called “Under the Sea”?! We got no troubles, life is the bubbles - under the sea! It’s in my head now, and maybe even in yours too! Sorry! This session was wonderful and I am in love with this nursery. So much thought went into every detail of this room, and I never wanted to leave! This little guy is so lucky! I hope Mom and Dad are spending all of their time in this chair yet, soaking up the baby snuggles and being surrounded by so much color & fun. Dad hung the wallpaper himself, a true labor of love, and I was impressed. Baby even received a handmade quilt, sea-themed of course, so we had to take some photos on it.

Of course you don’t even need a nursery, or a finished one at that, to have a great newborn session. However, if you do, I highly recommend taking photos in it since you’ve likely spent so much time planning the room where your baby will call home. Personal touches like handmade quilts/blankets are great too. I bring blankets and swaddles with me, but when you have your own items to incorporate it makes your photos that much more special and unique to you.

Welcome to the world, sweet baby J. You are so loved.

Personal - Home Update!

Welcome to my home! I closed on my condo almost exactly one year ago and I’m just now finally getting around to taking photos of it. It’s kept me a little busy and I had a bunch of projects I wanted to complete before my new baby made its internet debut! I’ve included the before pics from when my little condo was empty, and now that I’m in and have photographed, I feel like I have SOOOO much stuff in this tiny little space! However, I am running a business from here so have many extra things from that, and my place has NO storage. Because of that, one of the projects I wanted to tackle was building a cabinet to go in the kitchen where there was wasted space before. Luckily I have the most handy parents in the world who helped me paint every square inch of this place, spruce up the floors, install ceiling fans, put in a live-edge wood dining nook AND build a cabinet I designed. I was so tired of having my garbage & recycling bins exposed and all I wanted was a pull-out drawer that they could be hidden in, with a counter on top with a shelf above. It freed up counter space in my kitchen and I’m in LOVE! They also built the butcher block island you’ll see below & mom painted my kitchen cabinets and we put in a temporary backsplash. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without my mom and dad & I am eternally grateful. Especially because I learned that I did not inherit my mom’s love of painting. I despised every second of it but I love my little home! There are still some things I’ll change after seeing these photos but I deep-cleaned today and it was photo-ready so I went with it! I’m only showing the kitchen and living area because the bedrooms are still a work in progress and the bathroom overwhelms me; I want to change everything about it & the cabinet still has several paint swatch strokes from a year ago! (If you’ve visited, you’ve seen it!) When I purchased, I had planned on using my second bedroom as an office & small studio space but after a few trial runs with newborns in the “studio” this winter I decided it just isn’t going to work logistically for new moms. I mourned that loss hard but have now decided to turn it into a guest bedroom/office so I’ll show more photos when it’s done. Likely another year from now ;)