We can shoot in your own home or at an agreed upon outdoor location. I have several locations, that I love to use, in the Geneva and St. Charles area, but if you have any recommendations I’d be happy to consider them! While it is important to choose a time of the day that your child is the happiest, for an outdoor session early morning or late afternoon light is ideal. If we are shooting indoors, we will choose a room in your home with lots of sunlight streaming in. Porches are also a great place to shoot because they offer soft shade.

To ensure that you get the most out of our time together, it is important to come prepared for your session. This is about you and your family, so have fun! If you’re prepared, you will feel more relaxed and comfortable the day of the shoot. My tips for a happy day are…

• Rest well before your shoot.
• Eat before your shoot. Smiling and posing, for any length of time, can be draining. You’ll need your energy!
• If your child/ren are being photographed, bring a snack and a water bottle for them. You can bring one for yourself, as well!
• Arrive on time.
• Suggestions and ideas are always welcome but take advice from the expert.

If you have any concerns, let me know in advance if possible. This will help the shoot run smoothly. Our pre-consultation is a great time for questions and to let me know how you’d like your shoot captured!

Simple and organic textures are always beautiful! I highly encourage clients to choose natural shades. Coordinate your outfits for a family photo. Pick classic looks that are timeless and not too trendy, avoiding busy patterns, logos or branding. Layers and textures are always a good choice and accessorizing with hats and scarves can add interest. Dress for the season!

Hair and makeup is important for a photo shoot. Makeup for photographs should be slightly heavier than normal. A loose powder is helpful in eliminating shine. Bring a brush and extra makeup to the session for touchups. If you need to get your hair trimmed, try to do so a couple of weeks in advance. Nails should be manicured or left clean and natural. Keep your toes looking good for barefoot shots in nice weather or indoor sessions. Check your children’s nails and take off the chipped polish. Try to clean temporary tattoos off before the session. Blemishes, scars and scrapes can usually be retouched. Pamper yourself so that you feel beautiful on the day of the shoot. The best accessory you can have is confidence!

The internet, magazines and Pinterest are great sources for inspiration but if you need further recommendations let me know, I am always happy to help style your session!

The best time to contact me is during your pregnancy. We will make a tentative booking based on your due date and then I will wait to hear from you when you arrive home from the hospital with your new baby. We can arrange a suitable time and date for your session at that time. The ideal time to photograph newborn babies is between 6-12 days of age.

I like to allow plenty of time for feeding and cuddling during the session, so please allow 2-4 hours of your time. I have props for you to choose from but if you have a special item that you would like to incorporate we can definitely do that.

Neutral colors and tones always photograph well. More tips for a happy session…

• In case there are small accidents, please bring a change of clothes for baby. A change of outfit for mom and dad aren’t a bad idea, as well.
• Mom, dad and siblings may want to dress in layers, as we will have the temperature a little warmer so that baby is not too cold when un-swaddled.
• If possible, keep baby awake before the session so that we can get a sleepy baby for better photos.
• Try to feed baby before the session so that he/she is content.
• Arrive on time.

My pricing is based on many things. There are lots of costs associated with running a photography business, including education, licensing, research, software, equipment, insurance, marketing & a great deal of time. For each client, I spend many hours. I speak with the client before their session to answer any questions or help choose locations or wardrobe. I travel to the agreed upon location and if I haven’t been to the location prior to the session I go to the site to check out where the best light is and at what time of day. After the session, I download the images and carefully select the best images to proof. After ensuring proper color corrections, I do a custom edit on each file, choosing the exact actions and modifications that will make each image shine. I then download all of the corrected images to a gallery for you to view. I consult with my clients on the package or images that they choose. I look at the images one last time for any other edits, add-on orders, shipment issues etc. and send them off to the printers. There is so much more!

No, we do not. We eliminate duplicate images, test shots, shots (not intentionally) out of focus, shots with bad expressions and other images that may not enhance the overall product delivered.

Images will be available to view within 30 days of your session and will be presented to you in an on-line, password protected gallery. There will be roughly 20-40 images, depending on how many children and/or adults are involved, or in the nature of your shoot. Your proofing gallery will be active for 30 days. Once full payment is received, your product is ordered. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

A lifestyle newborn session is un-posed, and natural. It focuses on the relationship between the family members (mom, dad, baby, siblings, pet(s)) and does not require everyone to be looking at the camera, smiling. Typically these images would be shot in the babies nursery, the living room and the master bedroom (lighting in these rooms will be a big factor as to which location(s) are best). Lifestyle sessions are relaxed so they do not require that the baby be in a deep sleep. This session could also be done with an older newborn, therefore. Most of the pictures are taken of the baby being held. A “posed” newborn session is typically done between 6-12 days. Babies are still very sleepy and curled up in the first days which allows for those beautiful poses we all love. This session takes much longer than the lifestyle sessions because the photographer has to set up for the shots and pose the baby. There are many things needed for this type of session, such as, props, blankets, wraps, hats/headbands, bean bag, backdrops etc. The photographs are mostly taken on the bean bag poser with layers of blankets for texture or in a “prop” (such as a basket, wooden crate, bowl, nest etc.) where there are also many layers of blankets. The baby needs to be in a deep sleep to move tiny hands, feet and head in just the right position(s). Because of the amount of time it takes for posing, the baby will also need to feed and cuddle at some point. This type of session allows mom and dad some free time to sit back and relax. Of course, mom and dad will still be included in some images (as well as siblings, if you’d like) but the majority of the pictures are of the baby alone. I will also capture the “detail” shots, tiny fingers & toes, eyelashes, a little button nose, etc.

Typically my clients will book mini sessions to supplement milestones as their baby grows into a toddler. These mini sessions are ONLY available once you book your newborn session with me. Most clients will book a full maternity session (around 7 months of pregnancy), a full newborn session when their baby is 6-12 days old, a mini session at around 4 months – when the baby has good head control (and they are very giggly at this age which is great for photos), a mini-session at around 7 months – when the baby can sit up unassisted but not yet crawl (it’s ok to be a little wobbly) and a mini session at around 1 year ( when the baby is starting to walk). This allows full representation of the first year. You also have the option to purchase a beautiful, custom “Baby’s First Year” album featuring your favorite images from throughout the year. Additional milestones are at 18 months, 2 years old, and then yearly (often times around the holidays for awesome family photos).

I am able to remove stretch marks in post so no need to worry. This is complimentary as part of your session. We can also work with different poses & camera angles for a more slimming look. Let me know any concerns and I’ll take care of it for you.

Advanced post production includes touch-ups such as removal of blemishes, small scars, fly away hairs, lint etc. Custom post production is anything that requires extensive, custom work in Photoshop such as removing entire objects from the photo, changing body parts, adding objects or backgrounds to the photo or turning the photo into a Fine Art look by adding several layers of textured backgrounds. We charge $50/hour, with a 1 hour minimum, for custom retouching.

I shoot in Large Raw.

• Canon 70-200 mm F/2.8 IS USM Telephoto Lens
• Canon EF 24-70mm F/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens
• Canon 5D Mark iv
• Canon 35mm f/1.4 USM Lens
• Canon EF 85 mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens
• Canon EOS R6 Mark II
• Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM

• Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom
• Anthropics PortraitPro & PortraitPro Body
• Wacom Intous Pro small pen tablet
• iMac (Retina 5K, 27 inch)
• Alien Skin
• Imagenomic Noiseware
• Nik Collection