My 2025 beach mini sessions were a success. As usual I was so more excited to welcome families back to the shoreline. There’s nothing quite like the soft sand, glowing light, and lake breeze to create the most effortless, joyful portraits!

There’s something incredibly meaningful about photographing a family in the place where many years of their story evolved. As my clients were getting ready to move to another city, we chose the iconic Chicago skyline for a family photography session. It’s the city where they built their life together, welcomed their baby into the world, and created countless memories. As they prepare for a new chapter in a new place, capturing these moments felt like the perfect way to honor the home that shaped their family.

Diversey Natural Area in Lincoln Park has quickly become one of my favorite locations to shoot Fall sessions - particularly in the morning light. There’s something magical about this spot—the huge, isolated tree standing proudly on its own, the soft prairie grasses catching the early light, and the winding path that makes for beautiful compositions. It’s a place that feels calm, golden, and effortlessly photogenic, making it the perfect backdrop for capturing those cozy fall moments - see for yourself.

There are sessions that feel like coming home, and photographing this sweet family at Montrose Harbor was exactly that. We’ve been working together for five years now, and every time we meet, I’m reminded of how special it is to watch a family grow through my lens.

Heirloom portraits are all about creating one stunning, meaningful image—crafted with care, styled with purpose, and designed to live on your walls, not just your camera roll. These sessions result in artwork that becomes part of your home, a piece you walk by every day and smile at. They also make incredibly thoughtful gifts for grandparents, parents, and loved ones who treasure something personal and lasting.

We couldn’t have timed this spring session more perfectly—the apple blossoms burst into full bloom just in time, giving us the most dreamy backdrop of soft petals and color. Even though the temperature felt more like winter than spring, the gorgeous flowers made every chilly moment worth it!

Recently, I had the privilege of photographing a brand‑new little life—and the brand‑new mom just happened to be a dear friend of mine. What made this session even more meaningful was that I had photographed her maternity portraits months earlier.

There’s something truly special about gathering the whole crew—grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and everyone in between—for an extended family photo session. These sessions go beyond capturing smiling faces; they preserve the stories, connections, and personalities that make your family uniquely yours.

I know family photography sessions can be stressful for many reasons, and while I try to do my best to make them as easy and stress-free as possible for my clients, it can still be challenging for little kids to participate in these sessions particularly if it interferes with their nap schedules, what they want to do in the moment, or if it scares them to have a stranger with a weird contraption (my camera) pointing at them.

Montrose Beach is my favorite Chicago location for sunset photoshoots because of its location we get beautiful golden light in the background. In addition, there is a relatively open area that allows me to blur out beachgoers (and in some instances keep them out of the photo completely), while giving the kids plenty of room to run and explore within a short period of time. Montrose Beach also has an area of beach grasses which make for some variety in beach photography and plenty of birds that make for interesting additions to the images. Sometimes, like during this session, we are even able to get some kiteboarder or boats in the background.

When this family reached out to me about photographing their daughter at their neighborhood playground, I knew I was all in. This seemed like an incredible idea and a great way to “freeze” some images of the playfulness of childhood and the moments spent together, but the results were far better than I had anticipated.

These were taken at Horner Park in the North side of Chicago.

One of the most popular locations in the city for Fall skyline views - this is the bridge that goes over the South Pound near Lincoln Park Zoo. I love that the area provides a combination of skyline views, nature paths, greenery and foliage, and historic landmarks.

This year I've had the opportunity to photograph several grandparents visiting from various parts of the US and from China, the UK, and Philippines. My clients usually reach out to me and propose these extended family photo sessions as a gift that they want to give their parents or in-laws. And really, what a gift it is!

After my busiest Fall season ever, I did not want to miss the chance to share images from my 2023 mini sessions. These 15-minute Fall sessions as my most requested service and they tend to book very fast. Families love the ease of getting in and out, taking traditional family photos, and including a few minutes for candids and play for a good combination of images. I usually host them at two locations during an October weekend, and this year we held them first at Montrose Harbor and then at Diversey Natural Area.

Located in Lake Forest, IL the Elawa Farm and its surrounding forests make for a perfect venue for Fall Family Photography, specially if you leave in Chicago’s North Shore.

The area has many open spaces that look “woodsy” and are typically covered in colorful leaves, as well as open prairie paths with tall grasses and yellowy flowers. Though not shown in these pictures, the farm itself has some beautiful gardens and iconic buildings that can also be used as backdrop for a different feel.

A wonderful alternative to consider to Fall family are beach family sessions. I generally take these in the month of August during sunset hours and I have to say they are by far my most fun sessions. We always get wet, and inevitably everything gets sandy, but the pictures are for sure worth it. Kids just adore the silliness and the permission to run in an open space, jump in the water, dance around, and chase their parents, and so what results are truly joyful expressions that are so much more genuine than traditional posed photos.

t has been a privilege to have worked with this Chicago family for the last three years. This time I got to visit their house for an in-home newborn session.