In the spring | Northern Illinois Lake County Photographer

"In the spring, at the end of the day you should smell like dirt." - Margaret Atwood

What a wonderful first session of Spring this was. It always feels great to be back out shooting in the green grass and warm Lake County sunset. This family, with their abounding love for each other and general awesomeness may have contributed to my joy that evening, too. And really, a start like this to my 2013 family portrait season, can only be a sign of good things to come.

Derek Is Two!!! ~ North Shore Children's Photographer

There are a lot of great things that go along with doing what I do. Getting to snuggle newborns, being able to sing at the top of my lungs (outside of my car) to make kiddos laugh, the satisfaction that comes from turning seemingly ordinary moments into forever memories, just to name a few.

But one of the very number onest of number one things about my job is getting to see little faces grow and grow as new clients become returning clients and become friends. This is the third time I have photographed adorable Derek. In his blog debut he was Baby Rocket, then he turned one in the midst of a wicked thunder storm, and this year he turned two with some grins, a mind of his own, and in need of a little cuddle from mama. Man I love my job!

And in case this post isn't long enough already, here's a fun little two-year flash back for you:

p.s. I have to give a shout out to my new friend Meghan from the "good hands" place. I always love when I meet a "blog stalker"!!! Hi Meghan!

Share the Love 2012 ~ North Chicago Children's Photography

It's that time of year again! Time for me to give back a little of the awesome love I get from my clients throughout the year. Time for me SHARE THE LOVE!!!! Who's ready for some lovin'?!?!?

(Me! Me! Me!)

Wait before we get all lovey dovey, go check out the precious little ones with whom I SHARED THE LOVE last year. So cute, right? Okay, back to the contest....

Back for its second year, it's the

SHARE THE LOVE CONTEST

2012

This is your chance to win

- A FREE (uh yeah, FREE) custom portrait session
- One 16x20 wall print
- Two 8x10 desk prints
- A custom photo book using the photos from your session
- AND 10% off all additional prints from your session

That is a seriously sweet (or shall we say LOVELY) deal! So here's what you need to know:

HOW TO ENTER:

~Between now and February 5, 2012, e-mail a picture of a little (or big) one you love to kspShareTheLove@yahoo.com.

~ In your email, in two sentences or less, tell me how you’re going to “share the love” this Valentine’s Day.

HOW TO WIN:

~ Starting February 6, come back to the KSP blog to vote for your favorite entry (and of course, send all your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc to vote, too!). Come back every day to vote again!

~ Voting will continue through February 13.

~ The winner will be announced February 14 (you know...on Valentine's Day)

Got it? Remember: send a picture and tell me how you're going to share the love. In return, you just might get a little KSP love shared right back!

Official Rules:

1. Entries will be accepted starting January 28 and through February 5th. Siblings may be entered in a single photo. Only one entry per person.

2. The person submitting an entry must be the parent or guardian of the child in the submitted photo.

3. Please do not enter photos taken by other professional photographers. KSP photos are okay, though.

4. Anyone may enter, but the session must take place in the Chicagoland area before June 1st, 2012 OR (new this year!!!) in Pinellas County, Florida the week of July 29, 2012.

5. Voting will take place February 6th through February 13th.

6. You may vote ONCE PER DAY. Multiple votes on the same day will disqualify the contestant (so no cheating!)

7. Winner will be announced here on the blog on February 14th, 2012.

9. The winner is the photo with the most votes.

10. Does not apply to sessions already booked. Must receive at least 5 entries for the contest to run.
11. Prize value: $300.

For questions or to enter, e-mail kspShareTheLove@yahoo.com

I cannot wait to see all those LOVELY faces so get your entry in today!

Fall Mini-Sessions 2011 ~ Chicago / Lake County Family Photography

What an AWESOME weekend of fall mini-sessions! Despite the craziness of shooting around weather and the impending arrival of a baby (that would be mine), I loved every minute of capturing the beautiful families who came out to join me for mini-sessions this year. It was wonderful to see so many faces I've seen before as well as a few new ones.

This weekend was made all the more special because it officially wrapped up my shooting schedule for 2012 as we await the birth of this new babe. Didn't make it out to your own KSP portrait session in 2011? Don't despair! I will be back and ready to shoot in the new year. Who's up for a snow session this winter?

Baby Luke is Six Months Old ~ Northern Illinois Baby Portraits

Luke is one of my Baby's First Year babies, which means that not only did I get to see this guy as a newborn, but I got to play with him six months old AND I'll get to hang with him again for his first birthday! How awesome is my job?!?!?

We started out Luke's session by heading out to the country. Luke's mom wanted to do some family pictures in a farm/country setting. Sadly, I don't own a farm. No worries though! Turns out Luke's mom is TOTALLY AWESOME and went and knocked on the door of a small local farm to ask if we could use their property. Seriously, how completely cool is that? After gettin' our country on we headed back to Luke's house for some studio shots, including a little Halloween and Christmas action. Man, I just love holiday season!

Hey Luke! Keep on growing. I'll see you in six months!

Meet Lucas ~ North Shore Baby Photographer

What a great time I had getting to know six-month-old Lucas and his mom and dad this weekend. Lucas was so full of happiness and smiles, and mom and dad were obviously overflowing with love for their little guy. After some studio shots, we headed out to Glenview to take advantage of the late afternoon sun. I even managed to snap a few of mom and dad on their own because, after all, parents need pictures, too!

Tyler ~ Lake Forest Children's Photography

Does Baby Tyler look familiar to you? If so, it's because he looks SO much like his big brother Jackson who you've seen before HERE. Three-month-old Tyler came to see me for a mini-session on a very rainy and very gloomy Saturday. Luckily, Tyler had lots of smiles and other funny faces to lighten things up, and I had some supplemental lighting ready to do the rest.

I think this last one is what they call "giving me the stink eye." Isn't he fantastic?!?!?