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.

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!

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!

I love Montrose Harbor and Montrose Beach as a location for my summer family photography sessions. Here you get a mix of urban and natural settings , and if you are willing to walk a bit your images can have so much variety that it looks as if you went to different places to make it happen.

Registration is now open for my Beach Mini Session event!

Happening this August, 20 minutes with me gets you 15 images and lots of good memories. My Beach Minis are dynamic and playful, we run around, give lots of kisses and cuddles, jump in the water, and we get some adorable images. See for yourself!

I wanted to write this post to share some differences in light quality and how it can impact a session. To be clear, it is not really the time of day that has an impact on your images, but rather the direction and quality of the light available that specific day, at that specific time of day. So, photographing on a sunny day at noon will yield a very different result to photographing during a cloudy day at noon.

Last year I met a talented photographer who had just moved to the Chicago market, and was soon to take it up by storm. We started interacting and came up with an idea of taking photos for each other’s family that summer. 

Images are worth a thousand words, so there is not much for me to say other than that love shines through in these images from a recent Newborn In Home Session.

I wanted to try a new location on the North Suburbs of Chicago. After looking around, we settled on Ryerson Woods in Deerfield, IL. We picked this place because we were looking for a woodsy area that had nice Fall colors. 

Whenever I promote my special 15-minute petite sessions (Mother’s Day, Fall, and Holiday season) people who have not worked with me before often ask me if it is actually possible to get some good pictures in that period of time. Well… here is the answer! 15 minutes, one location, multiple backdrops, multiple posses, lots of laughter and play and multiple images to choose from. 

Every once in a while, I search for families interested in modeling for me in exchange for a few images. People have asked me why I do model calls, and so I thought I would write a short post about my top reasons.

Here are some photos of precious Vivian’s session for her first birthday. Her mom and I collaborated to find a location that had beautiful flowers, and to plan for the use of props like the cute party hat and vintage chair.

Here are some images from a recent session at one of my favorite locations for Chicago photography. I think it is impossible to ignore the magic of golden Summer evenings, sun-kissed skins, lush green tones, blooming prairie flowers, and images of the lake covered in sailboats. Oh! and being able to see babies’ chubby arms and legs is always a plus.

Fall season is just around the corner, and so is my Fall Mini Photoshoot event. This is by far my most popular time of year for family photos. That is why this year I have increased the number of spots available and including a second location in the North Shore to accommodate more families. Per usual, I am scheduling them around peak foliage to make sure we get lots of beautiful colors in our images.

When I know I’m going to be working with toddlers at a session I am particularly intentional in selecting the spot for our photoshoot, and I do so with the kids in mind. I think there are two key things you want to consider when determining the spot for a photoshoot involving young kids.