I am blessed with a big extended family; many of who stayed local to the area. I grew up celebrating holidays in large family gatherings and often seeing relatives at church on Sunday. To this day I still run into aunts, uncles and cousins when out and about in Dundee. Family is everything...be it the family you live with at home or the family you see at special events. Family helps each other out.

I am doing mini session fundraiser for my sweet cousin who has recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She is Dundee Girl through and through. She is a few years older than me so when I was trying 0ut for cheerleading at Dundee Crown, Liz gave me tips and even watched my tryout performance. Liz is also the one who had the Santa talk with with me when I was a little kid. I vividly remember the two of us sitting on the swings in my background when she told me. When life changed dramatically for me in 2017, Liz and her family were there. They reached out for Easter egg hunts, and dropped off various things for Maddy throughout the year. Liz loves family and Liz loves her hometown.

She is married to a wonderful man, Josh, and they have two amazing daughters. Emily is a senior at Dundee Crown and captain of the Dance team of which Liz is team mom. Molly is in seventh grade. Liz works at Dundee Highlands School where we both attended as kids living streets away from each other. Cancer is real and it has affected far too many amazing women in my life. The treatments, the drugs, the emotions, the incredibly tolling surgeries... it is all a lot. My hope is to raise some money to help ease the financial burden during these early days in the process.

You sign up for the session using this link
Payment for session will be collected on the day of.

If you can't make the session date but want to donate... buy a raffle ticket for your chance to win a Standard Portrait Session valued at $300.00. To purchase a raffle ticket, zelle me $25. You can of course purchase more than one raffle ticket.

This is an excellent time for
:: Senior Portraits ::
:: Family Session ::
:: Lifestyle Business Portraits ::

Saturday September 23rd
4:00 - 7:00 P.M.
Dundee area of course
** Exact location will be given in session confirmation email **

Let's help Liz and her family out!

Matt contacted me because he saw how stressed and disappointed his fiance, Sarah was. They are planning their wedding in the midst of the pandemic and going forward with their original wedding date. With the restrictions, changes and constant question of should we reschedule? Heck yeah that's stressful!!! Matt surprised Sarah with this engagement session in hopes of making her smile and giving them more photos to hang up around the house. I mean, COME ON!!! Bravo Matt! Bravo! 

This session was nothing like it was supposed to be. The shelter in place order prevented me from being able to capture my usual in-home newborn session for this family. I have been fortunate to be with this family since their engagement photos all the way through this; welcoming their third child into the world. Even though this was not the original plan, Ashley left the session saying, " You know I'm really glad we did this. I actually like that it was different from the usual :)" I agree with Ashley 100%.  Yes, it was kinda odd session. I'm much more of a hands-on person and I can't do that now. I can't help carry things or hold the kiddos hands. Nonetheless I still got to laugh with sweet Myles, Ella and Avery. Kudos to their parents for being adventurous and choosing to make the best of this situation. I hope you like these images as much as I do :) Welcome to the world baby Avery. You are already so loved. 
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Kelsy and Spike are two absolutely wonderful people. Kelsy's contagious smile and kindness was evident when we first met for coffee at Panera. She brought with her mom who was also just as kind and excited. This whole day was filled with the close relationships of family and friends. I mean look at the beautiful bridal party!!! I loved how authentic Kelsy and Spike were throughout the entire day...even asking to jump in the air for a photo at the end. I love reliving in your wedding day. I hope these photos bring you as much joy as they bring me!

Don't we all want to be on a beach somewhere with our toes in the sand?!! I know I wouldn't mind. 

All this vacation thinking made me want to share this incredible wedding of Niki and Casey. Niki and Casey met online. They both drove over 2 hours to met for the first time. Their connection was made in a little roadside restaurant that day. Since then they have moved across states to combine their life together. When they decided to get married, the chose to on vacation with their closest friends and family....making their wedding a week long celebration in paradise :) This wedding and this couple really left an impact on me. Everyone was waving to us throughout the week and inviting us to hangout by them on the beach. They included us in the reception diner and insisted we put the camera down and join the celebration. Their love and connection is so strong. They complement each other and proudly stand next to one another. I don't think I've ever cried so much during speeches or first dances. You two left a memorable impression on me. I will always be grateful for meeting you and being the lucky one to photograph your wedding day. Thank you again for your incredible hospitality. 

The biggest thing I am trying to do with during this pandemic is to turn this time into a positive time. I want to be able to look back on this time with a smile. I tasked myself with taking photos of Maddy throughout the week. My hope was to 
- enjoy the creativity
- slow down with Maddy a little bit more
- capture the everyday life moments 

I am glad I decided to take on this challenge. It has helped me capture more of our life together...as well as show me how beautiful this time is. Maddy is picking out her own outfits and they are fantastic! Maddy is drawing daily. She is making rainbows, writing out her name, and the number 7 which she seems to really like.

All images shot with my new 20mm f/2.8 lens. It's golden!

What I love about meeting couples, is seeing their affection, the glow in their smile, the twinkle in their eye. The wonderful safety they feel in each other's presence. Katie and Danny have all of this and more. It was magical to be around them and be a part of their world for a little bit. If you can feel it in their photograph, imagine how much more you would feel it in their presence :) 

--- And so we carry on down this road, hand in hand toward the next step in our adventure ; life together as husband and wife.  --- 

At a recent bridal show, a couple wanted to see both the engagement session and wedding of the same couple. I haven't been asked that before but thought it was an interesting question. So here I am sharing the engagement session and wedding of Emily and Brad. I shot this engagement and wedding when I wasn't great at sharing my work (i.e. this hasn't been blogged before). We took their engagement photos when they were home for winter break. We did the session in downtown Long Grove because I think it's just one of the cutest downtown areas. There is so much character thanks to the old buildings, the bridge, and the near by park. 

How crazy is this? A pair of twin sisters met a pair of twin brothers at college. One pair of twins becomes friends and one pair of twins starts to date. The twins that started to date is Emily and Brad! They are two genuine, kind people whose love for each other is seen and felt in their presence. This was an emotional wedding day because the following day Emily and Brad were taking off for California to live. Emily is very close to her twin and her family so this was a particularly bittersweet day even though it was also the best day of her life. Faith, Family, Friendship and Love was exactly what this day was about. It was a blessing to witness and capture this all for them. 

This was my first lifestyle newborn session. I did it several years ago and it is still one of my absolute favorites. It was simple. It was enjoyable. It involved the love of mom and dad and their dog. A safe delivery and a healthy baby are two of the most wonderful miracles of life.