Yet another perfect fall Chicago day. Yet another set of reasons why I love what I do.  Yet another couple who is truly in love.  Jay and Shannon found me online and although I was in my year of travel and unable to meet with them in person, we scheduled a Skype video-conference and immediately hit it off.  When I finally met each of them on their wedding day, I knew it was a perfect match between the two of them, of course!!  I also knew Shannon was my perfect bride bc of her stunning two dresses and two pairs of shoes! I love a little outfit change during the reception.  I have much, much more to say but I just wanted to get these teasers up before the holiday!!!!

Guster is a big dog. A very big dog.  As far as Bernese Mountain dogs go, even he is a large specimen!  But he is also a gentle dog and warmed up pretty quickly to my “studio.”  I just want to roll around on the floor with such a loving animal!!!  We even got his new girlfriend, Tess, to pose for a few and she gave her best “I’m a model and I am bored,” face.

Never too big to be a lapdog!

Annnndddd here’s little Gem-Gem as a not so little babe anymore!  She is two and as cute as ever! Chit-chatting and interacting and she LOVES to show off her little tongue.  We got some holiday pics, family pics and of course a ton of Gemma and her little girl antics.  See you again in 6 more months!!!

It’s been an amazing journey with the M family, one that is not completely over yet.  I’m banking I will hang on until both Toni and Bianca get married!!!  From photographing their mom and dad’s wedding four years ago to photographing Toni’s first year milestones and now completing Bianca’s first year milestones, I honestly have become a part of their family.  Not to mention that mom and dad are pretty darn fun to just hang out with and we always find ourselves laughing together.  I cannot believe what a little lady Bianca has become and she is indeed the ringleader of all the antics between her and older sis’ Toni.  I just love the way they interact and of course I am in awe of how gorgeous and well spoken little Miss Toni is now at three years of age!  Of course not that I expected any less from her parents!  Now I will have to find excuses to see them every few months instead of just waiting until the annual portrait session.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for entrusting me to creating your photographic memories for so long!!!

Somehow we absolutely lucked out last Sunday with some fantastic fall weather.  I am just now, one week later, getting over my annoyance at the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond being closed and locked for the day!  We still made it work with a lot of backgrounds in the area and I had a blast working with Emily and Michael.  We even worked our way around some of the lovely Chicago wind and still got some fantastic engagement shots.  See you guys in April!!!

I love photographing newborns.  They’re so sweet and sleep part of the session and you can pose them pretty easily.  I had previously photographed Mom and Dad’s wedding in 2010 and now I am back to photograph their lovely new addition, Adelyn.  She was indeed a very sweet subject for her very first Metropolitan Imageworks portrait session.

Maisy and Leah are sisters and the awesome, lovable pooches of my cousin.  I’ll take more photos of them this Thanksgiving weekend as we all camp in the Mojave Preserve!  Bring it Turkey Meatloaf!!

Here’s my friend Maddox, back on the blog for her 9 month portrait session.  I have this little munchkin trained, I swear each time I put my camera to my eye she looked straight at me grinned!!! Too cute!  Can’t wait to see her again in February for her one year session.  I’m excited to see what antics another three months brings.

See how Maddox hams it up for my camera?!

Even Grandma & Grandpa joined in the fun!

Still cracks me up!

One set of parents, three daughters, one son-in-law, one uncle and 5 dogs.  And I got everyONE looking at the camera!  I had been waiting to meet Winnie the doodle for months, as I had photographed her ‘mom’ and ‘dad’s’ wedding in Phoenix in 2008.  Former Chicagoans, they aptly named their pooch Winfrey and she is known Winnie for short.  I was in AZ for a day for portraits and the Thomas family had me photograph their whole group plus furry friends. I was in heaven for the entire shoot!