What a treat it was to walk around Lincoln Park South Pond and North Avenue Beach with Sarah and Jeff, laughing together and documenting this beautiful time in their lives! On the day of their session, it rained unexpectedly all morning and most of the afternoon… and then, just before we met, the skies cleared and we had so much beautiful sunshine! (Notice all the beautiful light in this session! It would have been so different if it was overcast and dreary! I’m so thankful for all that beautiful creamy light!) You’ll also see a huge variety in their photos — from classic garden-like shots, to a wildflower meadow, to some interesting architecture (hello gnome house!), to the beach and the pier and the skyline! Summertime Chicago didn’t disappoint!

Chris and Christy had originally planned a big, ginormous wedding at a different venue, but like everyone else getting married in the summer of 2020, their plans were forced to change! Rather than throw a pity party, they chose to get married anyways, giant party or not, because they knew they had found the one, and not even a worldwide pandemic would keep them apart! They pared down their guest list to their closest family and bridal party, relocated their ceremony and reception to Carriage Greens Country Club in Darien, and celebrated with laughter and tears and so much joy.

Every family session is different, and comes with its own set of surprises, and I’m finding LIFE as I shoot and create for my families. I miss weddings like crazy (and we’re shooting our FIRST ONE since Covid began, next weekend!!), but I’m grateful for this creative space, for families who trust me to capture their memories, for the chance to try new techniques and stretch my creativity, and for the ability to keep shooting, even when the world is a little topsy-turvy right now.

I first sat down with Christy over coffee last year, and her eyes lit up when she talked about Chris. “We’re just nuts together,” she laughed. “We have so much fun.” Christy is an avid runner, and told me how Chris proposed to her at the finish line of their very favorite Thanksgiving 10K, surrounded […]

Marty and I ran out of the church, breathless, ELATED. We had been married for about sixty seconds! He opened the door for me, we both climbed into the waiting limo, and as the driver pulled out of the parking lot, she called over her shoulder, through the divider window… “Hey! Where are we going?!” […]

This past weekend, Ali and I met up with Kayla and Cody for their engagement session in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and meeting them felt like catching up with good friends! We had such a fun time, playing around in all that beautiful golden light! May in Chicago is one of my favorite times […]

Hello hello! I’m hiding in my room, eating chips and guac while my kids watch movies downstairs. This buys me twenty minutes, maybe. (Lily is absolutely relentless, and wants to play Barbies constantly. #help) Life has changed just a little bit for all of us, hasn’t it?! How are we all doing? Are you hanging […]

Alyssa and Jim!! What a wedding, what a couple!! They first met in the wintertime, they took a magical walk in the snow on their first date, and during a snowboarding trip, Jim proposed to Alyssa on the top of a mountain in Colorado!! When we first sat down to talk about their wedding last […]

I’m watching the snow melt in our backyard this afternoon, and I’m looking at the forecast — FIFTY-TWO degrees on Sunday! What?! I’ve missed all this bright, beautiful sunshine, and it makes me want to deep clean my house or go for a five-mile run or something bonkers like that. Lily has been crying because […]

Winter engagement sessions in the Midwest can be a challenge, because everything is dead and there isn’t much color to add a vibrant pop to photos! However, if you work hard and find the right locations, you can make anything look bright and dreamy… and that’s exactly what we did for Ripki and Bryan’s engagement […]