Rounding Out 2020 With a Lifestyle Newborn Session {Roscoe Village - Chicago, IL}

Ending 2020 on a High With A Sweet Newborn & Family!

If you had told me back in March that I would have the busiest and best year of my career, I would’ve nervously laughed or even cried hysterically. Seriously. Like so many of you, I was terrified in the beginning of the year, when Chicago shut down and my work was labeled non-essential. For two months I couldn’t work at all and since I specialize in newborns, I really couldn’t photograph because it’s hard to photograph newborns outdoors. Especially in the cold. Events that I photographed regularly were canceled. It was looking bleak. But in the newness of summer, things started to slowly reopen and I was able to photograph again. The inquiries came in quickly and my fall season was insane, in a good way! With the majority of people not going places, it opened up schedules and people prioritizing moments together and getting them documented.

I’ll leave you with the final newborn of 2020 for CMP and let me tell you, it’s full of so much cute. A sweet December babe, snuggly parents and an adorable mini golden doodle big brother! You wouldn’t even guess that Mr. L was having a fussy day when I was with him!

Tears of joy and gratefulness are filling my eyes as we round out 2020, a year full of pain and sorrow. While I know that a New Year doesn't wave a wand and magically make everything better, I am hopeful that we'll emerge stronger from this year full of lessons, loss and heartache. Whatever you're going through, I am thinking of you and hoping you and your family are safe and well.

Thank you for being here with me, contributing to my best year yet, and trusting me to document your most treasured moments. Thank you for allowing me in your inbox. Thank you for the social media love, and any other support - I feel it all. I hope your New Year is filled with health, love, laughter and memories.

xoxo,
Courtney

PS. If you're into Schitt's Creek, their 2020 recap pretty much sums up how I feel and most importantly makes me laugh. Check it out here.

If you’re subscribed to blog updates via email, feel free to forward this to an expectant mom looking for newborn photos!

Newborn Babies

There's a Reason Babies are So Cute…

I’ll preface this blog post by stating that I am not a mom so I have no first-hand experience with motherhood, just auntie-hood. But most of my friends and family are moms and I know how hard it can be. I’ve seen it first-hand watching my sisters become moms. And I’ve photographed a lot of babies at this stage. The newborn stage is especially tough on moms! The lack of sleep, the navigating of finding out who this little person is and what they need. It’s all a process. But I’m convinced that’s why babies are so cute! I mean, those every-two-hour-feedings in the middle of the night… you gotta have a cute baby to look at at 3 in the morning or one might go mad from never sleeping. I am certain I would! But then again, I need a looooot of sleep!

I always try to photograph mom & dad/family first at newborn sessions so that mom and dad can relax after while I photograph baby. I tell them they’re welcome to take a nap, or just rest in a comfy chair for a bit while I take their baby’s photos. I do this for two reasons. 1. I genuinely want them to rest while they can and 2. if baby can smell mom nearby, this might make it a bit more difficult for photos as they may want to eat & eat & eat! If this isn’t baby number one, then they usually end up chasing their other babies around ;)

Mr. J’s mom ended up having an emergency C-section so her recovery was much more difficult than anticipated. But you’d never know it in their adorable family photos. I have so much respect and awe for moms of all kinds. And while Mr. J was just under two weeks new for his debut photos, he wanted to be sure he didn’t miss a thing in his new world! No sleeping for this guy! Not until the last 15 minutes of his session. But he wasn’t fussy, either. Just alert, making sure he didn’t miss anything. I loved that so much, and I loved spending time with this tiny little human. So I can only imagine how his mama feels at those 2am feedings. I think we’re all going to be great friends!

Congrats, W family! I adore you all ❤️

Baby Close-Up Details - A Must!

Get a Baby to Smile in Pandemic Photos While Wearing a Mask?! {Logan Square/Avondale Chicago Family Photo Session}

My usual tricks don’t work in a pandemic for getting littles to smile or laugh! I rely so much on facial expressions, games and tickling while photographing kids but that doesn’t work when my face is covered and I can’t get close enough to play. It’s been a challenging year in every aspect for all of us, so this seems trivial in the grand scheme of things. And I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I do still appreciate a child’s natural expression over a forced smile anyway.

Miss O was not impressed with any of my antics! Peek-a-boo and her favorite songs weren’t working. Then again, she wasn’t falling for any of it from her parents or grandma either! I got lucky for a few photos with their help but most of the time, she really showed her disdain for having to perform in front of a camera! And we all laughed a lot! Her dad said he was so proud of her for not giving in ;P We think she may have started teething that day and just wasn’t feeling the smiles. Of course, Murphy’s Law. And it’s 2020. What can go wrong, will go wrong. Still, a lot of the mean-mugs and so-over-it photos were priceless gems for her family and they really make me smile!

We took some photos on their porch and then took a stroll through their neighborhood during the peak fall colors on a gorgeous afternoon here in Chicago. I had so much fun trying to get this girl to giggle, even though I worked up a sweat like it was a hot summer day!

Much love, friends!