Pandemic Baby - AND Be Sure to Vote!

I was supposed to photograph this sweet girl's newborn photos in April. Then covid tore the world apart. We took some of her mom’s maternity photos the Friday before Chicago shut down in March. She was the oldest "newborn" I've ever photographed at two months, but she slept like a one-week old for the last half of her session.

Earlier this year, for over two months, I couldn’t photograph anyone. And it was heart-wrenching. Knowing new mamas weren’t getting those snuggly photos of those first few days or weeks with their littles made me so sad.

I’ll admit I was a bit nervous going into this session because two month old babies can be very unpredictable! I typically photograph babies between one week and a month new. The older they get, the less predictable they are in terms of sleepiness. Not that a baby needs to be asleep to get great photos, but it does make it a bit less challenging when they’re sleepy :) I mean, often times when a two month old is awake it’s because they’re h-u-n-g-r-y! Having said that, I do LOVE when a newborn opens their eyes during our sessions - I feel like I get a glimpse into who they are as a tiny little human! So with little Miss A’s session, I got the best of both worlds! Awake AND smiley and then some sleepy snuggly photos too. This was a nice “welcome back” session after a dark March/April/May.

PSA: Please go vote if you haven’t already! Our democracy, and the future of little girls like Miss A, is depending on all of us. Figure out your voting plan and do your civic duty. I did mail-in voting here in Chicago and dropped off my ballot last week. I received my confirmation of receipt the next day. Easy and safe, which is what we need in this pandemic. I obviously won’t tell you who to vote for, but for full transparency I voted Biden/Harris. I believe we need real leadership with compassionate people. And I believe America, but especially women, Black people, LGBTQ people, immigrants and the Earth all deserve better. I’m voting for basic human rights.

Sunny Day Heading Your Way - Chicago Lifestyle Pet Photo Session

Meet Sunny! She won the pet contest I held back in August and we did her mini photo session recently in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Her and her dog-mom met me at Frasca, a restaurant with a cute patio & a sangria stand, which was a beautiful backdrop for their session. I love love love twinkle lights in photos, especially in the fall golden hour! I had so much fun exploring my neighboring neighborhood with Sunny & checking out alllll of the painted mural walls, the L stop and of course the sangria stand. Sunny is only 6 months new, but she was surprisingly easy to photograph! Most pups that age don’t like to sit still for a photo, let alone pose like Miss Sunny! All of the patrons at Frasca, and the fellow dogs walking by, loved her too. It was so great to meet you, sweet Sunny. You’re bringing a lot of sunshine to people in this often-dark year :)

A Birthday Parade in a Pandemic {Chicago Birthday Photographer}

Turning three is a big deal! It’s usually when kids start to get excited about and understand their birthdays, and looking forward to birthday parties. Miss E turned three in a pandemic and instead of a birthday party this year, she got a birthday parade! And it was dinosaur themed, which made me smile so much, especially in the photos where she’s pretending to be a dinosaur! This girl is so full of joy and life and I want to carry her around in my pocket to have her sunshine with me all the time!

I think birthday parades might be one of the best things to come out of 2020! Humans: making the most out of whatever life throws at us.