I was so excited for this photoshoot that I found myself a little unprepared. I usually have sillybands or some small bribe to keep young kids interested in this event and to keep their parents calm. This time, in the middle of an open field, miles away from the house, I had nothing! Nothing but my word. Vienna is a 5 year old spitfire who LOVES the camera. She was a breeze.
But her little brother Vaughn, barely awake from his afternoon nap, needed something to work for. He made it loud and clear...he wanted DULCES... So for as long as he would let us, Sydney, Alex and I would tell him he could have candy...and then under our breath we would say..."when we are done" or "maybe in the car". Luckily the gorgeous scenery and the Fox river grabbed his attention and bought us a little more time.
Sydney and I have a history. She was my college roommate...not for one year..but for ALL FOUR! We were complete strangers until the fateful day our names got paired together the summer of 1993. And now, I cannot remember my life before I knew her. During their photo shoot Sydney told her daughter..."Lyra and Mommy lived together for 4 years! The only other people who have lived with me for that long have been family." Well Syd, that still holds true. I will always regard you as family and I will always treasure our friendship. You knew me..the REAL me..long before I ever did!
Brandi and I had been texting, facebooking, and talking for MONTHS regarding this engagement session. We talked about location, outfits and of course her fiance...JUSTIN. Photo sessions are generally not the male's cup of tea. In fact, most would rather get it done and over with. So in the weeks that led up to this fateful day, I made sure to ask Brandi frequently.."How's Justin?". Her response was always a solid..."He's good...he may need some coaching...but he's good." It turns out Justin was better than good...he was great! He was incredibly relaxed, so up for anything, so willing to give up a Sunday afternoon while the Bears were on! And as for me coaching him? Well, I basically told him where to stand and he gave every smile, look, and pose with very little input from me. I think I even caught him truly enjoying himself. Look I have proof...you can't fake a smile like this! Brandi and Justin just have a very natural way with each other and when i asked what the secret to their relationship is Brandi let me in on some pertinent information. She said... "Justin and I were voted cutest couple in highschool!" Obviously they take that title seriously! And in between the more posed shots, I got a glimpse of cute..I mean, beyond cute really... Justin spinning her around when he thought I wasn't looking. A few glances that I swear were not prompted by me. And laughter...lots and lots of laughter! The last time these two were followed around by their own personal papparazzi, it was for prom! Well, it is great practice for the big day in August 2011. And truly..I was honored to be a part of it!
When Amy contacted me via facebook to take pictures of her family for their annual Christmas card, I was honored and excited. And when the day finally came...I was honored, excited and nervous. I know that I was not the only one nervous about this occasion because after every few clicks, her husband Matt, would ask me..."Did we get any good ones?" So I won't write too much more about what "we got"....but I can tell you that we got some GREAT ones! It was easy really...we had gorgeous light, an incredible outdoor backdrop...and 2 of the most camera friendly pre-teens my lens has ever countered!
Matt and Amy, I know you were looking for ONE good shot...but you guys just gave me so much more, so I think the decision for the Christmas Card is going to be painfully difficult! Beyond the perfectly posed pictures, there were some amazing family moments that I got to be a part of and I hope that I documented them in a way that will allow you to remember them forever!
If you have ever flipped through a Pottery Barn catalog and wondered "Whose house really looks like this?", you will need to meet my friend Karen. Karen and her family live a couple miles down the street from me and I have often stopped by unexpectedly with an excuse to drop off small gifts for her children or allergy medicine for herself. But in reality...I just wanted to catch her in a state of clutter. Not the "Hoarders Buried Alive" mess, but good old LIVED in clutter. Shoes at the bottom of the stairs, laundry haphazardly strewn out on the couch, a trail of toys down the front hallway. You know...NORMAL stuff! Well, try as I may, I could never catch her in a moment of weakness. So I just have to reconcile (and secretly hate her for it) that Karen just keeps her home like this all of the time. Today Karen's daughter Maddie turned 7 years old. And as I read Karen's facebook status honoring her little girl, I could not help but invite myself over to capture the life of Maddie on her first day of being 7. Karen knows me better and she knew that I would not take NO for an answer. And so through a series of instant messages, we planned it and Karen vowed to "whip" something together in the next couple of hours so I could take some images of Maddie celebrating her birthday. I probably should not have been shocked at the pomp and circumstance that greeted me when I arrived later that afternoon. Karen's last minute, throw it together party was nothing short of an A-List event! Balloons, streamers hanging from the chandelier, a fresh baked cake, personalized confetti sprayed across the table and dozens of presents stylized on the granite countertop. Madeline wore a permanent grin the entire afternoon knowing that all of the fuss was over her in celebrating the day she entered the world! We did the token birthday images... blowing out the cake, opening the presents. We even got a change to take some photographs outside. But some of my favorite images came from a 15 minute span when Karen allowed me to take some pictures of Maddie's room. It was fascinating that even though she was playing downstairs, the bedroom was still filled with Maddie. Her favorite toys, her posters, her handwritten notes and doodling...Those tiny details that make this 7 year old uniquel! Sometimes its the little things, like Justin Bieber's pin up on a door, that truly mark the time in someone's life. And I hope I captured that for Karen and Maddie. Before I left, Maddie agreed to do a video interview with me. As we sat down I asked her what she thought of her birthday so far. She let out a tiny laugh, shrugged her shoulders and sweetly said..."My Mom is kinda crazy." I think that's 7 year old talk for "I am really grateful". And I wanted to tell her that yes her mom is CRAZY! CRAZY in love with her life. CRAZY in love with her family! CRAZY in love with her kids..and especially with her birthday girl!
It's something that we have all seen in movies and magazines. A one year old celebrant devouring a first birthday cake as if it were his last. Frosting smeared all over his cheeks and hair, cake crumbs hanging from the corner of his mouth and a barely recognizable cake on his table. In real life however, most one year olds are barely willing to stick a finger in the cake...maybe he would grab a tiny piece and smoosh it up in his chunky little hands. For many of us who have witnessed this first birthday cake ritual, it is across the board, uneventful. A let down to say the least. I know that I have felt this way...but not anymore. Along came Jack! Jack attacked his cake with careless abandon. He barely had to take any direction or wait for permission to dive right in and give us the show that we waited to see. The end result in Jack vs. the Cake...clearly the cake did not have a fighting chance. He now holds the title for best Cake Eater in the one year old division...he plans to defend it next year. And we will all be waiting with baited breath! Taking pictures of this little guy was easy breezy! Even when he wasn't looking at the camera, he gave me the best expresssions. His party was jam packed with friends and family. And where most toddlers would get completely overwhelmed by this kind of attention, Jack welcomed it and bounced from one arm to another...giving every one a chance to get their birthday squeezes in. All afternoon Jack would let out a series of vocalizations that sounded like this "mmmm....mmmmm...mmmm..." I think he is telling us that his life is delicious...and I couldn't agree more!
I have an obsession with theater! This is a girl who saw Wicked three times in one year. Who spent a weekend in New York show hopping from one theater to another. And this is a girl who, judge me if you want, took her 6 year old to see RENT and we both belted out the songs from the upper balcony. The costumes, the music, the performers...it is all so magical. And I shall confess, that whenever they do the curtain call and each performer takes their moment of glory on stage, I cry...ok..I BAWL! I cry because I am in such awe of these talented individuals who work day in and day out to bring art to life for regular folks like me. I cry because they usually have amazing dancer's bodies that no amount of pilates could ever help me achieve. I cry because witnessing them live out their extremely artistic lives only makes me realize how much I long for creativity in my everyday. My good friend Jessica is part of the amazing Chicago Human Rhythm Project's BAM! on Tour. The company performed at Oakton Community College last Sunday and I was able to have full access to their tech rehearsal. I'm not gonna lie...I barely got ANY pictures of their first dance because I was too busy picking my jaw up off the floor! These guys are amazing dancers and amazing people! I was able to get on stage, side stage and backstage to take some photographs. I truly had the best seat in the house. I apologize in advance that some of these images are blurry...it's hard to know what's in focus when ya got tears in your eyes!
I love Facebook. Those who know me know that I am a little addicted. I like the idea of catching up with people through their one line status updates, their pictures or their videos. What I didn't realize until recently is how powerful this social media outlet truly is. It all happened innocently enough during my facebook nightly ritual. I immediately noticed an uploaded set of pictures of the most gorgeous, vibrant, playful fabrics and clothing I have ever seen. And then when I realized who posted it, I was immediately hooked. It was my friend Lisa Holman, and I remember from her past creations how ridiculously talented this girl is.
Lisa and her friend Nicky are starting up a clothing line, Sassy Lassie Design. They started a facebook page BEFORE an official website and business is already booming. See what I mean, Facebook has power! As soon as I saw their work, not only did I become a fan on facebook..I became an ambassador for them in real life. I told my friends... I told my family and I BEGGED the designers to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me do a Sassy Lassie photo shoot. Lisa and Nicky live in Indiana, so making this shoot happen took lots of planning on all our parts. But I couldn't be happier with the images we got when we met up in Geneva, IL.
The hardest part about the shoot..well it was pretty tough to make the clothes the center of attention when we were working with such adorable models. But I think I got a pretty good balance.
