It's Here!! It's finally here! Spring showed up after Winter just wouldn't leave. The trees are finally waking up and flowers are blooming and ....aaaaahhhhhh-choooo.... my allergies came back too. So, I know there are a lot of you that are planning on Spring Photos. Here are a few good things to keep in mind while planning for them.... and even your summer ones. 1) WEATHER | Watch closely and Plan carefully. Photographers usually take on the role of Weatherman/woman so they

Phew, what. A. Year. September to Christmas was a whirlwind for me. I barely slept between weddings, editing, family shoots, babies, and mini sessions. My birthday flew by, my License expired and I didn’t notice til TSA told me this month, I celebrated holidays with friends and family, wrapped presents, and ate a lot. Like I said, I had so much fun doing it all and wouldn’t trade it. Here is a peek of what those 4 months looked like for me. THE FAMILIES AND KIDDOS: Fall o

Believe it or not, were in the middle of the most popular time of the year for Family Photos. The Sun has changes from the bright yellow glow of summer to the golden warm glow of fall, leaves are changing and pumpkins are EVERYWHERE! I have heard a lot of photographers are booked completely, others like me have some room left and want to take advantage of all that Fall offers. SO - undecided? Not sure where to go? what to do? Afraid your family can't handle getting a great ph

Back around Mother's Day you met Hannah and her mom as they made cookies together. A special time together before baby brother arrived. Shortly after baby brother, Michael, joined them! Born May 20th weighing in at 8 lbs and 8 ozs, he as welcomed into the world with Mom, Dad and big sister anxiously waiting for snuggles. I was there to capture some of his Welcome Home moments. He did not have a room of his own quite yet, that was waiting for him at his new home, so we took ad

Over the last few years I tried a whole bunch of styles of photography, I love chasing the sun for those lovely sunset photos but even more I love the lifestyle photos. What is Lifestyle Photography? (I hear you thinking that) The definition that F-Stoppers* likes (and really does make the most sense) was found on Wikipedia - "lifestyle photography is a style of portrait / people photography which aims to capture and document real-life events, situations, or milestones in an

I had a family that missed the Vintage Truck Mini's because of sick kids. I believe that no one gets left behind, so a reschedule was planned with hopes that maybe we would see flurries. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR... we got a snowstorm. Rather than canceling or moving inside this brave family decided to stick it out and get that snow shot. I brought Hot Cocoa and blankets to make sure they all stayed warm, though I am not sure they really helped. I love the fearless! We get

This one is special to me. Three weeks ago my brother, Jason, and his wife, Elizabeth, welcomed a handsome baby boy. Dean Elijah is keeping everyone busy, including big sister, Aubrey. His lifestyle session was split between two days to make sure that we didn't upset Dean and to keep Aubrey in a decent mood. He has long skinny hands and feet that might beat his cousin. With high-fives and cuddles Dean and Aubrey bonded a bit for me and Dean got plenty of snuggles. You can see

The Nichols Family taking a peek at Christmas Decorations in downtown Crystal Lake, watching trains and warming up in the store Reclaimed Handcrafted Furniture. Much thanks to the owner, Brent Hollenberg, we most definitely needed the warm up and the blocks were a huge hit with Jack. Aside from the cold, it was a great afternoon checking out the decor and looking at store windows. Thank you to the Nichols Family!! - V #Chicagolandphotograher #WoodstockPhotographer #happymomen

One more cutie from the Minis with the Vintage Truck, this one brought her mom to join in on the fun complete with snowballs, dancing and smiles. Savannah turned the snowball inspired scene into a picnic with her mom under the sun and the both looked stunning. Then we had to check the tires on the truck, everything checked out. She will make her Daddy proud. .....and what would a nice fall afternoon be like if we didn't catch any leaves as they fell. This girl got a basketful

I can list a thousand things that I am grateful for. Some obvious, Like my Daughter and Husband or coffee. Some are less obvious because if you don't talk to me 24/7 you wouldn't know that I am grateful that I have found a few communities to be apart of to further myself in photography. These are online communities of creatives and photographers. We talk, learn, share stories and lean on each other because we understand each other. In one of those communities this week a sad

Onto another family that came out to join me with the Vintage Truck. Aiden, Tyler and Madi their dog are the cutest combination. Although rambunctious at times, as brothers usually are, we even got good shots of the two of them together in all smiles. Christmas theme are fun and I loved these two with the Vintage Truck. - Victoria #RedPlaid #VintageTruck #HolidayPhotos #Smiles #CandidPhotography #FamilyPOrtraits #kidsatplay #familyphotograher #family #Portraitphotographer #c

In this season of Family photos and Christmas Cards I had the opportunity to capture a Proposal in one of my FAVORITE places in Chicago, the Nature Boardwalk in Lincoln Park. It was delightful and they were oh so sweet. Brian and Kathryn (Kat) met here in Chicago but moved to Traverse City, Mi together late September of 2015 where they regularly are found hiking, kayaking, biking or playing in all that snow. Kat was also able to make a Michigan fan out of Brian - GO BLUE!! Th

Yep, the Holiday are upon us. Scary, right? I feel like they just showed up out of nowhere. It doesn't matter what holiday you celebrate this time of the year - or if you just sit on your sofa watching die-hard and eating pizza - Family photos are one of my favorite things. I decorate the wall in my kitchen with all the updated photo cards that get sent to me (and I keep them ALL ). The Markina Family came out to my Holiday Mini Sessions with the old Vintage truck in a remote

The Montano - Sossin Family Fall photoshoot was in the Reyerson Conservation Area - If you have never been there - GO, its super cool. This was Mom, Dad and Two red-headed little girls in a fall setting - I may have been a little excited for it - All that Color! I took Tori into a dried up creek bed, 'there are rocks!!!!' - she kept reminding me, so we of course played in the rocks. It turned out to be an awesome spot for her. The light got caught in her hair and emphasized a

You have booked your yearly family photoshoot, what is next? Here are some tips to help you put you and your family together in a stress free way. It all starts with the Pep-Talk. This is for EVERYONE including Mom. Your pep-talk should get everyone comfortable with the idea of being in front of the camera. Be excited and upbeat with your announcement if you AND DAD are happy with it most of your job is already done. Kids pick up on what Mom and Dad feel about things, both ve

I LOVE FALL. Everything about it. Sweater, scarves, brisk mornings (not cold ones), leaves falling, the smell in the air, pumpkins, halloween, the colors, cuddles by the bonfire, the warm golden glow of the sun and the light it provides at sunset because its magical. Its because of that magical light that I especially LOVE taking photos in the fall. This is the Schug Family, They are sooo much fun. I have photographed them during my discovery project and we had a blast so I w