Holiday family photos for a Chicago family in the South Loop…We made a holiday/address change card as well as other photos to mark this baby’s 8 month mark….

Baby in a diaper photos in the south loop chicago

baby on his stomach with winter hat looking in the mirror

baby in winter hat portrait on location in south loop chicago

With the suggestion of a client, we located an awesome spot for outdoor family photos in Chicago. The place really goes well with my style of shooting which is more editorial, documentary, and left of center than your average photographer. I like to photograph families in interesting and unusual arrangements instead of simply centering everyone in the middle of the frame with forced smiles. I like to utilize the whole frame and attempt to create dynamic compositions and arrangements that show movement and harmony while at the same time capturing precious emotions and moments.  I think making interesting and dynamic family photographs is one of the most challenging things to photograph but with this beautiful family I think I have succeeded.

I love McIntire…a gorgeous bernese mountain dog.  I shot him as a puppy and every year since… He is such a gentle lovable dog but also has a mind of his own and does what he wants. He is no longer an only child as he was when I first shot him. He has gained two brothers who adore him but he is still #1 and knows it….

Here he is as a puppy…just a few weeks old in my studio

eating shoes

and climbing into things he shouldn’t climb into…

with his mom as  a puppy…..

mac with his mom in 2010

Mac outside in the park with his dog friends….

Mac has the colorful necklace on…

With one of his brothers at Christmas…

This is sophie, golden retriever extraordinaire.  I photographed her at the end of October and got too busy to show her so I’m taking the time now because she is gorgeous and sweet and I want to share her love and put you in a good mood…..

One of Sophie’s best friends!

Sophie wasn’t easy to photograph,  she was a fast runner with a huge yard and wanted to roll around in the leaves and chase cars near the fence the entire time. She pretty much refused to pose at all! I don’t blame her…

Finally, after coming inside after a long day she collapsed on the wood floor and 3 minutes later she was out….

Introducing Sofia…an adorable 3 month old who will charm you with her sweet demeanor, her cute button nose, her beautiful eyes, her blue tutu, and her big hair bows!

Meet Flynn…a precocious Wicker Park 3-month-old who uses “Goodnight Gorilla” for a pillow while delving into “Stories for men–13 Robust tales by America’s most virile men”

Obviously Flynn isn’t your ordinary 3-month-old boy….he has no apparent appetite for ring rattles, rubber giraffes, or  bendy balls…he goes straight in for Faulkner and Caldwell.

His excessive reading and curiosity have exhausted his parents entirely….now Flynn waits until they fall asleep to get his reading in….

I’ve been photographing Aiden and Ave before they were even born….

Their Mom wanted to document her pregnancy with twins….

They were born 6 minutes apart in 2008….I photographed them outside about 7 months later.

Last year we went downtown to the Lurie gardens and Millenium park to shoot the growing family…

And this year they had a new baby brother to join them….

What a fantastic family…

I can’t imagine a cuter baby to photograph…..

I first photographed Tatiana in 2007 shortly after she arrived in Chicago from Guatemala.  She was fantastic! So cute and  full of energy!  Last week I  got to photograph her again. It was a complete pleasure! She is gorgeous, creative and imaginative, and one of the most polite 4 year olds I have ever met. We hunted for dinosaur bones, pretended we were palentologists, collected leaves and sticks and looked for Captain Hook. It was such a satisfying day! When she left she said so genuinely “It was very nice spending time with you. Thank you.” wow!  Thank you Tatiana for coming back to Chicago so I could photograph you again!  I am posting both then and now photos of her below….

photographed in traditional guatemalan clothes in 2007

photographed in my studio 2010