Lincoln Park Zoo Family Photos - Kanner Family

It's been a really hot and muggy summer in Chicago, but nothing was going to stop the Kanner family from taking their family portraits over at the beautiful Lincoln Park Zoo. You see, they are visiting family here in Chicago ALL the way from Berlin, Germany, where they currently live. I had the absolute pleasure and honor of photographing Kersty and Brian's wedding almost 2 years ago, so this was a very rewarding family shoot for me. I love being able to photograph the wedding of a couple and then continue to document their lives once they start a family - it's really the coolest thing for me to see that family grow! 

Here are a handful of my favorite photos from their Lincoln Park Zoo family photos. I love the little ones eyes, they're so intense and so "German" as Brian would say. Thanks!

Shorewood Family Portraits - Delaney Family

It's finally starting to feel like summer around here & I couldn't be happier. That means I finally get to play outside with my daughters, run & exercise outside & just be outside enjoying the weather. It also means that I get to take family portraits outside of a studio setting! I love being & working outside, especially when photographing little kids. Being outside allows the kiddos to play and have fun in-between taking pictures.

That's how I was able to get the fun family pictures of the beautiful Delaney family. We met a park near their house in Shorewood & hung out for about 45 minutes in the summer-like weather. The girls played, I chatted with mom & dad then we took a few more photos & called it a day - short & sweet. My many thanks to the Delaney family for spending some time with me. I hope you guys had fun!

Nathan: A Million Dollar Smile - Chicago Toddler Portraits

Can I just say that Nathan rocked! There, done. End of post. Okay, just kidding. This little guy came in ready to be photographed. He smiled and played the entire time he was over. I believe he screeched a couple of times as well. Having Jocelyn (my 2 year old daughter) helped as well as she shared her toys and played with him the entire time.

Toddler photo shoots can go in so many directions. The little one could be cranky due to no nap or hunger. They could come in being really clingy to mom, etc. But this was one of those shoots were it was just a blast to shoot. All of the pieces came together and out came some amazing portraits of this little handsome dude. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the session:

Set-Up

Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 (studio shots)
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 (natural light shots)
Alien Bee strobe with medium softbox
Pocket Wizards (2)
36" silver reflector for natural light portraits
Adobe Lightroom 2 for editing

My many thanks to Angie for bringing Nathan over and for being such an AMAZING help! Angie, you made sure that your little guy smiled no matter what. Your energy was awesome. Thanks!

By The Way: I have been mixing up my portrait shoots lately. The 1st half is all studio strobe lighting. The 2nd half is all natural light. This way I get to give my clients a more varied session.