Golden Photography

1 year photos Barrington IL

July 1, 2019

Happy birthday, sweet girl! I photographed her sister as a newborn and then her cake smash, so naturally I was thrilled when they wanted me to do the same for their second. I really enjoy getting to know families and seeing them grow over the years and with this job, it lets me do exactly that!

Mom wanted this session to have purple and a vintage vibe for her daughter 1 year photos. I found what purple things I had in the studio (this romper was the BEST for this set), grabbed my aged cake stand, set up some floral hoops and we were set! I love how it all came together for her. And would you check out this ombre cake?! I was amazed at how pretty it was and how it matched everything perfectly. Nice job picking this, mom!

child being photographed in Barrington studio

child in Barrington photo studio for birthday photos

baby girl reaching up during photo session in Barrington

baby girl smiling for 1 year old photo session

1 year old posing with cake in Barrington photo studio

1 year old girl smashing cake in photo studio in Barrington IL

1 year old photo session bear Barrington IL

girl eating first birthday cake during photo session

baby girl touching cake for birthday photos

girl eating cake for cake smash photos near Barrington IL

1 year old touching cake for one year photos

Some kids don’t know what to do with the cake (I have a bag of tricks for this, though) but this one had no issues digging right in! Her sister was the same way, so a love of cake must run in the family (although this theory doesn’t explain my oldest REFUSING her 1st cake sine I love it so much). This session was absolutely gorgeous and I was happy to be able to make it happen for this family!

My little studio is in downtown Lake Zurich, a hop and a skip away from Chicago and the other northwest suburbs. It’s is filled with props and clothing just for sessions (trust me on this – I am a hoarder and I have something for your kids to wear for their milestone photos). So for 1st birthday smash cake photos all you need to do is bring the birthday girl or boy, a cake, and we’re set!

I’d love to chat with you to get something set up for your own family like the session above. Contact me here to ask questions or to schedule your own photo session!

First birthday cake smash photographer

June 24, 2019

How do I describe this girl in 1 word?

Sassy.

Sweet little M was back in my Lake Zurich IL studio for a first birthday cake smash photo session. After photographing her as a newborn last spring, then again this past winter, and now celebrating her 1st birthday I couldn’t get over how big she has gotten! She has a very loving older sister that was all about trying to make her laugh and wanted to help her eat the cake. (I can’t blame her).

This girl had NO problem getting into the cake once we brought it in. She’s full of sass and she was happy to dive face first into it to take a big bite of her cake again and again. I love the look on her face at the end with the pink icing smeared all over her face with a look of I did it. SO cute and such a stinker face, too. Haha.

We managed to squeeze in two of the studio’s outfits to help complete this session – the family just needed to supple the cake and adorable kiddo.

little girl sitting on tiny bed for 1st birthday photo session in Lake County IL

first birthday photograph studio in Lake County IL

detail photo of 1 year old legs in Barrington IL photo studio

little girl wearing white for first birthday photos in Barrington IL photography studio

1 year old hands on pink cake with cake smash photographer near Cook County IL

little girl eating first birthday smash cake photo session in Lake County IL photo studio

little girl eating first smash cake with Lake County IL photographer

sequence of photos with little girl eating cake in Lake County IL photo studio

little girl eating smash cake for first birthday photos in Chicago IL studio

little girl looking down at cake for first birthday photo session in Lake County Illinois

little girl smiling for 1st birthday cake smash photos in Lake Zurich IL photo studio

little girl with pink smash cake for a photo session in Lake Zurich IL

Thanks so much to this family for trusting me. It’s so great getting to see her grow up over the past year!

If you’re on a photographer hunt and you’re in the Lake County or Northern Cook County area, let’s chat! Shoot me a message and let me know what I can do for you. Just a heads up that I tend to book weeks to months in advance, so the sooner you contact me the easier it will be to get your ideal date on my calendar. But I would be honored to work with you and your family!

M family | outdoor family photography Lake County IL

June 17, 2019

I cannot believe the last time I saw this family, this big guy was a newborn! Time flies, you guys! I for sure spent some time at the end to focus on just him for those adorable milestone photos. Mr. Serious was all about the “what are you doing” glares when he first met me this round. You know the look – the sweet, big-eyed look which then led to the sweetest smiles as he warmed up to me. This spot in Lake County, IL was a bit mosquito-heavy (yay rain), but was magical for their family photos. This family is easy to work with and dealt with the bugginess like true champions – THANK YOU!

mom kissing son during a family photo session in a park near Libertyville IL

family of three posing together by stone columns for family photographs in a park near Chicago IL

mom holding son in Lake County IL for family photographs

little boy snuggling with mom for outdoor family photo session near Barrington IL

family of three sitting on log for family photographs in lake County Illinois

little boy snuggling with parents during family photo session near Palatine IL

dad holding son for outdoor family photo session

little boy sitting inside rustic crate in Lake County IL forest preserve for outdoor family pictures

smiling little boy sitting in tall grass in Lake County IL forest preserve

little boy sitting outdoors by a create with family photographer in lake County IL park

I cannot wait until I get to see them again! I bet this dude will be running all over by then!

Ready for your outdoor family photo session like this? Live in the Lake County IL area (or surrounding areas like Schaumburg, Palatine, Barrington, Arlington Heights, or Crystal Lake)?? Let’s chat! My sessions tend to book months in advance, so the sooner you shoot me a message the easier it is to get the date of your choice!

Contact me now to get things started.

Maternity photographer Glenview IL

June 10, 2019

What a stunning couple! Mom contacted me a few months before this session to iron out the details of her session. I found the perfect spot in Glenview and then it was up to mom to select the perfect maternity outfits for her photos. Lucky for her I have a closet filled with options! We met one evening where we talked about what she wanted and I showed her options and she started trying everything on. She settled on two she loved and then we have a 3rd option on hand, just in case we had time to squeeze it in. This was one of my last outdoor fall sessions of the season, so it was definitely cold. But the colors and scenery were stunning, so I am so glad we stuck it out and braved the chilly air. My fingers may have been numb by the end, but I believe it was 100% worth it for them. No doubt.

Mom had her hair and makeup professionally done and I met her in the parking lot, dresses in hand, and we were read to rock and roll!

pregnant mom holding belly with dress blowing in the wind for maternity photos in Northbrook IL

young couple holding pregnant belly for maternity photos in Glenview IL park

couples hands on pregnant belly for outdoor pregnancy photos in Glenview IL

pregnant mom posing with flowing dress for Northbrook IL outdoor photo session

pregnant mom posing for outdoor photos in a park near the North Shore of Chicago IL

couple posing for pregnancy photos with best maternity photographer in Lake County IL

mom holding pregnancy belly in white dress for photos with best maernity photographer near Wilmette IL

mom posing in white dress for outdoor maternity photo in Glenview Ilinois

pregnant mom wearing white dress in Glenview IL

pregnant couple posing for outdoor maternity photos in park near Chicago IL

This growing family had an amazing sunset for this, too. As I was editing some of them I was seriously stunned at some of the colors coming from the sky as the sun dipped lower and lower! I was so honored to be able to create these for them – I wish them nothing but the best for their growing family!

Expecting a little of your own? Want to raid my studio closet and have a session like the one you just peeked through? Let’s do it! This session was done in Glenview, IL, however I photograph families all throughout the Northern and Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Glenview, Highland Park, Wilmette, Libertyville, Northbrook – you name it, I’ve been honored to photograph a family from there. Plus, not only am I a maternity photographer, but I specialize in newborns and I would be thrilled to photograph your new baby, as well.

My studio is in Lake Zurich IL and has an entire room dedicated to maternity dresses and clothing, so after scheduling a date we then figure out a time to meet for you to see your options and try things on. (Note: that link has just SOME of your choices). We can photograph outdoors at sunset or indoors in my private studio, so the options are limitless!

Contact me now for more info and to book your maternity session. You have something worth photographing – let me help you display it,