I really enjoyed spending a morning with this wonderful family and can't wait to see them all again.
Welcome to the world, Kingston!
Monday, April 21, 2014
Hello, Baby Kingston!- Chicago Newborn Photographer
The L family reached out to me a week after they welcomed their sweet little baby boy into the world. I was fortunate to have some room in my schedule and was able to photograph baby Kingston when he was two weeks old. This little guy really made me work during the session! He loved being in his Mommy's arms and we were able to take some beautiful lifestyle portraits with him nice and cozy in his favorite spot. His blue and gold nursery was AMAZING and it is obvious his parents have killer style (check out his little bow-tie!)
I really enjoyed spending a morning with this wonderful family and can't wait to see them all again.
Welcome to the world, Kingston!
I really enjoyed spending a morning with this wonderful family and can't wait to see them all again.
Welcome to the world, Kingston!
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Natural Newborn Photography and Un-Posing- Chicago Newborn Photographer
I wanted to write a blog post about how to achieve an "un-posed" newborn portrait for quite some time but didn't have the ideal photos to include. Then came baby Lulu, who was an absolute dream to work with. I don't think I ever saw her eyes in our 3 hours together.
Don't get me wrong, I love posed portraits (like the "bum-up" pose below) and do them in every session, but there is something so beautiful about a photo of a newborn moving freely on their own. The parents probably see their newborn moving this way everyday, and will likely cherish these photographs later as they remember exactly how their tiny baby stretched their leg, or curled their hands.
My favorite types of "un-poses" (not sure that's a word) are on neutral backdrops, mainly black or white. I try to avoid using props that will take any focus away from the newborn and stick with simple wraps, or nothing at all. For the image above, I placed my beanbag at a 90 degree angle, 3 feet from a large sliding glass door. I pushed in the center of the beanbag to form a little well and placed the wrap on top. Then I set baby Lulu on the beanbag at at angle, so her little face would get more light. At first, her ankles were crossed on her belly and I took one corner of the wrap around her bottom and tucked it behind her back and did the same thing with the other side. She wasn't a fan of having both her legs tucked and decided to kick one of them out while she stretched out her little fingers. Lulu kicked out her left foot many times throughout the session and I thought it was something important to document.
This next series is done on a simple piece of black fleece, with a well pushed into the bag to help her curl a bit and feel more cozy. The beanbag is still 90 degrees from the window, but I placed the baby at the same angle to create a bit more shadowing. I placed her on the beanbag with her legs curled and then stood over her (camera strap around neck) and shot these images in succession. You can imagine the baby kicked her poor mother in the womb just like this :-) I like to edit these portraits with a soft and moody, matted black and white to really bring out the shadows.
Don't get me wrong, I love posed portraits (like the "bum-up" pose below) and do them in every session, but there is something so beautiful about a photo of a newborn moving freely on their own. The parents probably see their newborn moving this way everyday, and will likely cherish these photographs later as they remember exactly how their tiny baby stretched their leg, or curled their hands.
Vs.
My favorite types of "un-poses" (not sure that's a word) are on neutral backdrops, mainly black or white. I try to avoid using props that will take any focus away from the newborn and stick with simple wraps, or nothing at all. For the image above, I placed my beanbag at a 90 degree angle, 3 feet from a large sliding glass door. I pushed in the center of the beanbag to form a little well and placed the wrap on top. Then I set baby Lulu on the beanbag at at angle, so her little face would get more light. At first, her ankles were crossed on her belly and I took one corner of the wrap around her bottom and tucked it behind her back and did the same thing with the other side. She wasn't a fan of having both her legs tucked and decided to kick one of them out while she stretched out her little fingers. Lulu kicked out her left foot many times throughout the session and I thought it was something important to document.
This next series is done on a simple piece of black fleece, with a well pushed into the bag to help her curl a bit and feel more cozy. The beanbag is still 90 degrees from the window, but I placed the baby at the same angle to create a bit more shadowing. I placed her on the beanbag with her legs curled and then stood over her (camera strap around neck) and shot these images in succession. You can imagine the baby kicked her poor mother in the womb just like this :-) I like to edit these portraits with a soft and moody, matted black and white to really bring out the shadows.
My goal is to do a mix of posed and un-posed shots in every newborn session, and I hope my clients enjoy both types of photography because I certainly do! What do you prefer? Posed or un-posed?
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Baby Jaden- Chicago Newborn Photographer
I loved this session with baby Jaden and his "sisters." The dogs were so good during their portion of the newborn photo shoot, and thanks to a dog treat being held above my head, they posed perfectly still :)
Jaden was such a sweetheart and I only saw his eyes for the first couple minutes of the shoot and then he was out like a light.
It is always a nice surprise to arrive at a client's home and find they have awesome wood floors to include in basket shots as well as a large sliding glass door that let in the perfect amount of morning light. I am working toward a more airy and natural look to my portraits and I love the look of babies surrounded by soft light and white fabrics. I also hope to do a little more "un-posing" of newborns in future sessions so check back for a post on how to achieve this organic look.
Welcome to the world, Jaden!
Jaden was such a sweetheart and I only saw his eyes for the first couple minutes of the shoot and then he was out like a light.
It is always a nice surprise to arrive at a client's home and find they have awesome wood floors to include in basket shots as well as a large sliding glass door that let in the perfect amount of morning light. I am working toward a more airy and natural look to my portraits and I love the look of babies surrounded by soft light and white fabrics. I also hope to do a little more "un-posing" of newborns in future sessions so check back for a post on how to achieve this organic look.
Welcome to the world, Jaden!
Friday, March 28, 2014
Happy Birthday, Fiona! - Chicago newborn and child photographer
I moved to Chicago in 2010 for grad school and not long after, I began babysitting for an adorable little girl named Fiona. She was just learning to sit on her own and in the three years since meeting her, I have totally fallen in love with her and her amazing family. Fiona is the spunkiest and sweetest 3-year old I know, and am so glad I was able to join in her birthday celebration this year! Happy 3rd birthday, sweet girl!
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Hello, Ricky!- Chicago Newborn Photographer
I have fallen a little behind on blogging, but I am so happy to finally be posting about this little cutie! Baby Ricky was really fighting sleep for the first hour of the session (like most of my tiniest clients like to do), but he never made a peep. He just looked around and seemed to not want to miss out on all the excitement. Ricky's family purchased the Grow With Me package, so I will be photographing this little guy a few more times this year. I love seeing how newborns change in only a few short months and the Grow With Me package assures that you will have a great portrait collection during your baby's first year of life.
Welcome to the world, Ricky!
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Photo Session Style Tips- Chicago Engagement and Family Photographer
A few weeks ago I convinced my friend and fashion blogger to do a faux engagement session with her boyfriend. I wanted to increase my couples portfolio and knew they would be the perfect, stylish subjects. Below are some favorite shots from our session and check out the full list of style tips over on her blog, 2 girls in 2 cities!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Hello Hayden! - Chicago Newborn Photographer
Getting to escape the cold, dreary weather is always a treat and seeing this great family again just made my trip to Miami even sweeter! I spent the afternoon with 6 day old Hayden who was such a dream to photograph. He was so sleepy and rocked every pose! Hayden was my first little client that I was able to take outside for a portion of the session and I cannot wait to do more of these shots in Chicago when the weather lets up (it feels like a never-ending winter)...
Welcome to the world, Hayden! I know you have a great big brother to look after you :-)
Welcome to the world, Hayden! I know you have a great big brother to look after you :-)
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