Fresh 48 Newborn Session at Prentice Women's Hospital - Northwestern {Chicago, IL}

It’s been almost exactly one year since I set foot into a hospital for a Fresh 48 newborn session and it was so good to be back. My friend Lauren had her pandemic baby at Prentice Women’s Hospital here in Chicago on one of the coldest days of the year so far and I was honored to be her one and only guest, aside from her husband!

What’s a Fresh 48 session?

A photo session that takes place within 2 days of baby being born (3 if it’s a c-section baby), usually wherever baby was born. (I’ve only ever done them in hospitals but in a post-covid world I’m dying to photograph a home birth!) Oftentimes I’ll photograph a Fresh 48 and then do an in-home session a few weeks later & it’s fascinating to see how much baby changes in just a few short weeks! After graduating with my photography degree, back when I lived in Madison, I worked as a newborn photographer for a few years at Meriter Hospital, with Susan of Serendipity Photo Studio, and my dear friend Jamie. It’s where I fell in love with Fresh 48 sessions, even though I’m not sure they were actually called that back in the day!

World, meet Miss Emory! This little peach arrived at almost 10 pounds!! I’m so obsessed with her cheeeeeeeeeks! Congrats, H family! Thank you for having me :)

I love photographing at Prentice because of those city views! My only dilemma was that winter is wreaking havoc on the windows there and the spots & splotches drive me crazy when they’re on full display with the sunshine. But, I felt safe inside and all of the protocols were in place. I wore two masks while photographing this sweet baby & sanitized, sanitized, sanitized.

Help Alive Rescue AND Name a Rescue Pup? TWELVE Rescue Puppies {Chicago, IL}

I'm back - with the most adorable group I've ever photographed in over 10 years! I photographed TWELVE one-week-new puppies and their sweet mama, Mamba, for Alive Rescue recently and I no longer have a heart because these puppies & Mamba stole it.

I must be getting old because all I could think about, aside from how damn cute they are, is.... how on earth do they get any sleep like this when they're all squirming around, piled on top of one another, and making constant puppy squeals! However.... it made me super envious that they all got to be this close without a care in the world. #imisshugs

I fell in love with all of these pups and I love working with Alive, my favorite animal rescue in Chicago. They're going to need help with all of these pups - you can help if you’d like! You can name one of Mamba's puppies! Head to the link below to find more info.

In the meantime, just look at their sweet faces & let them hypnotize you with love. No one has ever been harmed just from looking at the sweet faces of teeny tiny rescue puppies… ;)

Iconic Chicago Photo Locations

I’ve been updating things on the back end here and finally put together a location guide with some of my clients’ favorite spots to photograph at here in Chicago. This guide is ever-changing and I will try to update a couple times a year when more locations are added. But here we start with Adler Planetarium, Montrose Harbor, Milton Lee Olive Park, Lincoln Park (conservatory, zoo, nature boardwalk, honeycomb structure), West Loop area, North Avenue Beach, Chicago Theatre, Downtown/Loop area (Lyric Opera, Union Station, Michigan Avenue), Humboldt Park and Ping Tom Memorial Park. I ended with a section on fun murals and unique backdrops, which Chicago has oodles of!

If you’re having trouble deciding where you want your session, and are looking for Chicago-esque, here is a start! This is also not an exhaustive list, nor are they required for your session, there are many places to photograph but these are the most common spaces. I always recommend going to a location that has meaning to you!

Some of these places do require permits, which are the client’s responsibility. Some of these places are also closed currently, due to the pandemic.

Great Skyline Views and A Wonderful Spot to Catch the Sunset

A Mix of Both Skyline View AND Nature

Lovely Skyline View With a Fun Perspective

Nothing Says Chicago Like The Chicago Theatre!

Tied with North Ave Beach, my personal favorite view of that gorgeous Chicago skyline