Golden Photography

family photographer Arlington Heights IL

August 26, 2019

About a year ago, I photographed this family as a NEW family. In fact, one of her newborn photos is on my studio’s front door sticker. They are absolute perfection and I am so glad they spent an evening with me for some updated family photos since their daughter is now one! Where does the time go?

And an extra special shoutout to mom and dad, who decided to spend their anniversary with me…taking family photos. I mean, I know I’m awesome and all and that everyone wants to spend their time with me…but maybe not on their anniversary. Haha. I even offered to reschedule and they said no. So hopefully they had an alright time with me.

Their daughter was as sweet as can be for her 1 year photos. Plus those curls. Can you get over her sweet curls!? They’re the most perfect ringlets.

I know before the session, mom was saying that their little girl loves to move. And of course, the stress leading up to a session can make someone worry – what if my kid runs away? What if they don’t cooperate? etc etc. I’d say she did juuuust fine, haha. I have my ways (10 years of doing exactly this, you learn a trick or two). It’s a lot of patience on my end. Patience and waiting is a majority of my job, haha. And even if they get upset and cry (like when we took away her bunny) it can still be super cute. She wasn’t sure what to think of me at first. She gave a lot of serious looks. But she was all good about 10 minutes in!

I’d love to photograph you and your bunch, too. As a family photographer, I have a handful of spots I love to photograph at throughout the Lake County IL area including Arlington Heights, Palatine, Barrington, and Lake Zurich. Sessions tend to book weeks to months in advance, so be sure to contact me now for more information!

Newborn photographer

August 19, 2019

Their first-born was a breeze to photograph, so when they wanted me to photograph their second child I crossed all my fingers and toes for another sleepy baby. It paid off! She absolutely loved being wrapped up and swaddled, so I totally took advantage of that. I even got a few smiles out of her, which is always a challenge because it’s not like babies can pose or follow directions, you know? It’s just the luck of the draw for those smiles.

Naturally, her brother wanted nothing to do with photos, which is totally normal. Luckily with enough bribery I was able to make it happen and they’re some of the sweetest photos, ever. Mom’s one request was for the froggy pose (the first photo below). Or as non-photographers call it, the head on hands pose. That’s a tricky request and the pressure was on because 1) it’s a composite and 2) I find that not all babies like to go into the pose. But patience paid off because it happened, so now they have a matching image of both of their babies in this same pose for their home. I was so happy I could do that for them!

newborn baby girl sleeping in photo studio

baby girl wearing headband in photo studio

parents holding newborn daughter in photo studio

baby girl swaddled in Lake County photo studio

baby girl wrapped by newborn photographer Palatine IL

That last image of big brother reaching for his sister – love it.

If you’re in the Lake County, Lake Zurich, Palatine, Barrington, Libertyville, or any other surrounding Chicago area, I would love to photograph your family, too. My downtown Lake Zurich, IL studio is filled with everything you need for your session, so really you show up and relax while I do all the work!

Most book their session with me during their 2nd trimester to ensure a spot on my calendar (I only take 5ish a month). If you’re reading and it’s past that I can always do my best to get you in, so don’t stress! If you’re also wanting a maternity session, the studio has a closet filled with dresses just for you (so you don’t have to go buy something just for photos). So what I am trying to say is: I have you covered!

Contact me today for more info. I’d love to chat and get to know you!

Family photographer Lake County IL

August 12, 2019

Fact: I am terrible at blogging. So much so that as I am typing about this session from 2018, I just saw this same family for this year’s session – OOPS!

Also a fact: I try to blog every family, but we all know how life gets in the way so even if its been awhile, I’ll eventually get to it! And that’s how we ended up here…

What a fun family this is, though. With a larger family the groupings I can do really are endless so it’s fur for me to see how I can change it up for them each time. This year ahem, in 2018, the oldest was home for school so I was able to throw him into the mix. I know for older kids that a family photo session is on their do not want list, haha. But he was a trooper and really did great!

But seriously, aren’t they the cutest bunch?!

family poses for outdoor family photos in Chicago

little girl poses for outdoor family photos in Chicago suburbs

young boy poses for family photos in Lake County IL

siblings pose for Lake County IL family photos

older siblings pose for family photos near Libertyville IL

mom poses outdoor with young children in Barrington IL

dad poses with sons for outdoor family photos near Palatine IL

large family poses for outdoor family photos Lake County IL

mom and dad pose with family photographer Lake County IL

dad holds son and daughter during family photo session

mom poses with daughter during outdoor family photos in Lake County

I cannot wait to see them again (even thought I just saw them 2 days ago, so let’s simply pretend I blogged this at an appropriate length of time). I would love to see you, as well (and then blog about our time together at some point, haha). My studio is in the heart of Lake Zurich, IL but I photograph families from all throughout the Lake County, IL area. My outdoor family sessions are done at sunset, which I love for the beautiful lighting you see with this family. I also have some favorite spots that I love that help to create fun family memories for the years to come. No stiff and boring sit-pose-smile-snap sessions are happening with me!

So, let’s chat about getting something scheduled. Please contact me and let’s see what I can do for you! I promise it won’t be painful for anyone involved. =)

newborn photographer Lake County IL

August 5, 2019

Its such an awesome compliment when a family grows and they select me as their newborn photographer. I know there’s a lot of options out there and there’s not enough words in the dictionary to explain my gratitude to each family. But when they come back to my studio for baby number 2 (or 3 or 4…) and it’s even MORE special. This family is no exception! I saw them for their son and here they are again with baby #2! A girl! What a pretty little thing she is, too!

They opted for a wrapped mini session which means baby is wrapped for all of the photos. These are shorter sessions and are meant to focus on your newborn baby. Those squishy lips and leach-fuzz of hair are for sure a favorite, as well. And just trust me on this – my studio has all the props, wraps, and anything else your newborn would need for his or her photos (check out my studio tour for a small sampling). So you just show up and I am ready!

But she seriously was amazing for her session and loved being wrapped up, so it was a win in my book! Plus she looks a lot like her older brother as a newborn, so that was pretty cool for me to see and compare. Plus she was smiley and I was able to capture that. So amazing considering they usually smile when I don’t have the camera in hand so I typically miss those. Babies know, I swear it.

baby girl wrapped in purple in Lake County IL newborn photographer studio

baby girl in wooden bucket near Arlington Heights

And that sweet smile at the end! How perfect is she!?

If you live near Lake Zurich IL such as Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Barrington or any other Lake County suburb, contact me to set up your session! Newborns are best scheduled before baby arrives since they are photographed in those early weeks of being Earthside. In fact, most moms book their sessions with me during their early 2nd trimester believe it or not to ensure a spot on my calendar!

Whether you want a wrapped mini like this family or a full session, I’d love to meet you!