Secret Engagement Captured on video!

Groom-to-be Kris and I have been friends for over a year, since videotaping several community theater projects he has starred in or directed. He wanted to make his engagement to girlfriend memorable, so he arranged me to be at the end of Navy Pier just before sunset with my video camera to capture the whole thing!

With a little help from my hubby, Kris put a wireless microphone inside his jacket so that the heartfelt words could also be captured on tape! As Kris knelt down, I couldn't help but think back to my first date with my husband, Mike, as it was right here on the pier almost 10 years ago!

And what a great idea to videotape this! To be honest, I have no idea what Mike said when he proposed to me. He got down on one knee, and everything is fuzzy from there on out! With video, these sights and sounds will be fresh in their minds forever! :)

I can't wait to videotape your wedding in October! Congrats again Kris and Danielle!!!

Maternity Photos | Images to Adore| Joliet, IL Photography

Who says motherhood isn't sexy?!?!

Well, most of us, but S glowed throughout our entire maternity session! AND she delivered just a week later! I remember how bloated and grumpy I was that close to delivering my girls! Kudos to you, S, and congrats on baby K!

Baby B | Images to Adore | West Chicago, IL videographer and photographer

Some days I wish I had more than two hands. Last Monday was one of those days when I took on the daunting task of videotaping AND photographing in the same session! I had to bring my double stroller along to carry all my gear and props, but we did it, and got some cute captures along the way!

B's mom will be hiring Images To Adore every couple months to videotape/photograph B as he grows, and she would like to have the seasons and holidays featured, so for fall we went to a pumpkin farm and B went on his first hayride and ponyride! I'm already gearing up for our Christmas and Valentine's sessions! :)

Here's a sneak peak of our trip to the pumpkin farm!

Pasteris Montage

Sharon and Matt will be getting married this Saturday, and we will be projecting this montage at their reception. Congrats you two! :)

My Family | Winfield, IL family photographer

I'm always photographing my kiddos, but I rarely take the time to edit the photos since I'm so busy with client sessions. I really enjoyed shooting an impromptu photo session with the family this Sunday, and here are a few of my favorites!

Even though Beth is only four, I can see what she will look like when she's an adult through this picture. She's growing up way too quickly!

It's a minor miracle when I get Clara to make eye contact for a photo, but I love some of her candid shots. She looks like a little flapper girl here!

A rare sighting of me in front of the camera rather than behind it. Don't hold your breath, it won't happen too often!

Hubba, hubba! Love my hubby's new glasses!

This picture truly says a thousand words to me! Anyone who knows my family knows that my daughters have extremely opposite personalities. This photo conveys that better than I could ever try to describe!

Video Workshop | Chicago Wedding Videography

I attended a two day wedding video workshop led by the incomparable Jeff Wright ofhttp://blueskiescinema.com

It was an amazing experience and I will be incorporating these advanced artistic techniques into my business immediately!

I can't wait to edit the footage I shot, but here are a couple quick photos I took to document the experience.

Rock Star Photo Shoot Slideshow

My daughters' babysitter is moving in a couple days, so we decided to give her rock star treatment before she left! I gathered some instruments (does a guitar hero guitar count as a real instrument?!) and blasted some Jonas brothers and let them just rock out and have fun! They came up with the band name "The Sneaky Squirrel Band" and I think they're pretty catchy! Enjoy!

Z was busy as a bee! | Sycamore, IL photography and video

Z's parents went to high school with me and we were all in band together, so I jumped at the chance to see them again and their darling one year old, "Z". I LOVE the red hair that she inherited from her dad, and she's as sweet as can be, just like her mom!

This was my first shoot using my new external flash speedlite, and I am so glad I invested in it! It makes those darker, cloudy days so much easier to deal with (photography-wise!).

Here's a sneak peak!

Baby J ~ One Week Old! | Bartlett, IL photo and video services

I had the honor of videotaping this cutie the day he was born. What a great way to commemorate those first hours welcoming a new little miracle into a family than to have them professionally (and unobtrusively) captured! These moments are so fleeting and they grow so quickly...I wish I had thought of doing this when I had my two girls!

Last Friday I went back to visit the family when baby J was 7 days old. He was wide awake and exploring his world for the first hour, and then snuggled down to sleep in one of our cocoons so that we could get some adorable sleepy newborn pictures!

I tried my hand at designing a couple birth announcements for the family. The long one is actually an accordion tri-fold card that opens up to reveal one image at a time or all three at once.

Proud big brother!

(By the way, the knit cocoons and matching caps are hand made by my Mother-in-Law and are available for purchase. Please let me know if you're interested!)

Baby J is here! | Bartlett, IL newborn video and photo

Four years ago I videotaped David and Chara's wedding. One year ago I did 5 video sessions capturing their son's first year and created a video biography for them. Today I videotaped and photographed their new little miracle, Baby J!

I am honored and touched beyond words that they would trust me enough to ask me to come to the hospital hours after Baby J was born. This is a time for closest family and friends, and they wanted those moments captured as part of their new son's video biography. Thank you, David and Chara, for asking me to capture the most cherished moments through your life's journey together!