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!

17 & 18 month old cuties!

I had the pleasure of booking two photo sessions a little over a week ago.  One family was a past wedding video client, and the other was a high school friend who saw my photos on Facebook!  (search Linnea Nowak on Facebook for my profile) :)

Both little girls were around the same age, and we found some great locations for outdoor portraits!  I've found that this age is the hardest to photograph, mainly because of lack of eye contact, but a little patience (and bribery with favorite snacks) will go a long way!  Some of my favorite photos from these sessions are candid shots; they're exploring the flowers or climbing the steps, and you can just see their minds taking in all the wonder and beauty.  I love my job!