Happy Monday! 

It's another gloomy cold day here in Milwaukee, it seems as though fall is slipping away and winer days are upon us. Hopefully we still have some time to enjoy the beautiful fall colors (and weather!) before the first snowfall of the season. So no better time to put a warm smile on our faces then to look at a couple of photos of two beautiful little girls and their parents. Mila and Ari were great on our shoot! Smiling, laughing and chasing each other through the woods. They are two happy go lucky sisters with constant smiles on their faces. Lovely shoot, lovely family and a great reminder of warmer Milwaukee days! Enjoy! 

 

The weather forecast predicted a beautiful sunny day, however, when I met with this wonderful family of four, there was dense fog rolling through the park. Eeek! However, this laid back family just decided to go with the flow and we got some wonderful images. Honestly, I wish I could shoot on foggy days all the time! Heavy fog makes for  perfectly diffused light! So the next time you see heavy fog rolling through Milwaukee, give me a call ;) 

During our shoot, Laila and Isaiah were all smiles, playing in the park, laughing and giving mom and dad plenty of kisses. It's such a wonderful age when a brother and sister get along and still want to hug each other! Enjoy! 

 

When my best friend Andrea told me she was pregnant, I couldn’t be more thrilled for her and her husband, Max! Little Aubrey Lynn was born on a cold January day and now is already 8 months old! In the words of her mom, “she is crawling, has 4 teeth, and is still bald.” Ha! This little cutie was soooo intrigued with the camera that she didn’t want to show us her beautiful smile but we still managed to get some candid shots of her happy self. Enjoy Aubrey Lynn and her awesome down to earth parents! 

 

There is a little quaint nature preserve right by my mom's house. I used to go there all the time as a kid. Even nowadays, I enjoy a stroll through the woods, flower fields, and little prairie lands. This little oasis is perfect for photo sessions! There is plenty of green spaces, wood fences, and red barns. So it was an awesome location for big sister Kaia to run around, give mom and dad hugs, and smooch her little sister Emerson. There were laughs, flower crowns, plenty of cute headbands, and so, so many kisses! Sit back, enjoy your Thursday cup of coffee, and take a look at a couple of photos from this fun, laid back, photo session! 

 

Please meet this wonderful family of five! Thankfully we were able to keep the rain away and got some fun family shots, by the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan. A little industrial area with a tiny park and fun yellow square sculptures! Perfect spot for photos!  

The kids were great. Hugging each other, making silly faces and laughing at the camera. Mom and dad were relaxed and enjoyed a nice calm Milwaukee afternoon. It's always nice when the whole family is so easy and fun to work with! Enjoy! 

I know I mentioned this before, but I absolutely adore big families. I am very fortunate to have married into one wonderful (and very big!) family, so I know first hand the lovely dynamic at play. There is lots of laughter, kidding around, and most of all lots of love passed around. The Novak family reminded me a lot of my own family with the constant jokes, laid back attitude, and relaxed demeanor. During our Milwaukee shoot, the five little boy cousins chased each other around the park, grandma and grandpa smiled for the camera, and the siblings enjoyed playful banter. Thank you for an amazing shoot as well as entraining me (and the kids!) with lots of funny animal noises to get all the little kids to look at the camera! Always entertaining, especially to those passing by! (I really wish I could get a behind the scenes video of the craziness that goes on during a shoot with little kids...maybe next time! ha!)  Enjoy! 

 

Newborns are the best! Especially the ones who can sleep through constant clicking of a camera in their face, big brother smooches, and pose changes.

Please meet little one week old Miss Finley.

The McGuire family met me at my studio (Say, what?! Yup, I finally have a studio with beautiful natural light… okay, technically it’s also called our new home. ;) But I can’t wait to actually start turning it into a studio.  Soon!)

Big brother Maddox was all smiles, playing with dad, holding his baby sister and staying entertained with a big orange beanbag.  Mom looked absolutely radiant! Who would have thought that she gave birth a week ago?! Simply stunning! And dad was completely in awe with his little baby girl. Someone already has daddy wrapped around her finger ;) 

So sit back and enjoy little Miss Finely and her lovely family! 

Let me paint a perfect photo shoot picture for you…

Two smiling kids running around on a long paved road lined with century old oak trees. The sun bathing their happy faces while they run through fields, climb trees, smell flowers and play underneath grape vines of a nearby vineyard.

Ahhhh, doesn’t that just sound magical?! Well it was and it really happened. It was a photo shoot out of a fairy tale… okay, maybe not a real fairy tale but my personal made-up photo shoot perfection fairy tale. ;) Amazing weather, amazing location and most of all, an amazing family of four!

Please meet Michelle, Luis and their two cuties, Lily and Ryan. 

Ahhh the golden hour! The period shortly before sunset when the light is simply magical, filling the earth with warm tones and creating beautiful textures. Finding the right location is critical, so I was beyond thrilled when Jessica suggested we meet at the Lincoln Park Zoo for their engagement session. The light was breathtaking, peeking through the buildings, while the city of Chicago created a perfect backdrop for their laid back engagement session. 

Jess and I met a couple years back when she did my hair for our wedding. She does an AMAZING job, so if you are looking for a hair stylist in Chicago, make sure you look her up!! Naturally, I was thrilled when she emailed me to shoot their engagement session. 

Jess and Jason were absolutely great! So laid back, nice, genuine, and most of all, so incredibly in love. 
I wish them nothing but the best in their future!!