African Rainstorm

This is totally random, but a friend of mine posted this video on Facebook today and I found it amazing. Check out this band's rendition of Toto's 80's Hit "Africa." Their intro portion of a simulated rainstorm is incredible, and then as I listened to the song I kept looking for the instruments but couldn't find any. I am pretty sure this is all done with their voices. Enjoy!

God Bless America

Peace and love to our troops. Happy 4th of July, everyone! (And Happy Birthday, Dad!)

Shot on the front lawn of Notre Dame High School for Boys, Niles, IL.

This post edited tonight to add my favorite shot from the Morton Grove fireworks show:

Neither rain nor goose poop...

will keep us from taking this family's portraits!

Half of this fun family was visiting from out-of-town, so our choices for session dates were limited. As Murphy's Law would have it, it was raining on the day of the session. We stayed in contact all morning, watching the drizzle start and then stop, and finally decided to just go for it. If you look at the pond in the background, you can see just how much it was really raining. At least the rain kept the geese away, but unfortunately they had already marked their territory before departing. LOL!

Even with the obstacles, everyone was in great spirits and the morning was a success. To the W family - thanks for the adventure and thanks too for the pizza! I hope you enjoy your sneak peek. I will be in touch soon with a link to your full proof gallery.

Gorgeous Actor

I got to do a really fun headshot session today for ME, an actor from Madison, WI. That's not ME as in me, myself, and I -- those are her initials!

Here are a few of my faves from today.

And as an extra bonus, I learned that there is a fabulous makeup artist right here in my neighborhood. She's a friend if ME and her sister, and she came and did the makeup here at my studio. I know I will be calling her again!

Eyes Like Mirrors

I just had to share this weekend snap of my friend's son. Isn't he gorgeous? If all kids had eyes like this, I swear I would become a natural light shooter. His eyes are like mirrors. I can see myself when I zoom in.

Chicago Sky WNBA Game

I need to shout out a big THANK YOU to my client and friend Ann who works for the Chicago Sky and gave my daughter and I VIP tickets to tonight’s game. We had so much fun at the game, and the special seats in the Skyline Club were simply awesome. We were on an elevated platform behind the basket with an unlimited supply of delicious food and drink.

Besides all of the fun, I saw this evening as an empowerment opportunity for my daughter. The WNBA games are not broadcast as widely as the NBA games, so I am glad that my daughter had a chance to see these incredible female professional athletes in action.

Thanks so much, Ann!

Here are a few snaps from tonight. (Gotta love the little point-and-shoot for times like this!)

The view from our table in the Skyline Club:

The Sky Guy:

Sneak Peek - 6 Month Old Miss S

Here's a little sneak peek from my weekend session with Miss S. She's 6 months old and a total doll with so much personality.

This one below is my favorite capture of the day. I makes me wonder what her parents were doing behind my back while I was shooting because it looks like she witnessed something quite shocking. LOL!

I knew I wanted to photograph her in a bowl because we used a bowl for her newborn session. This is not the same bowl, but still -- look at how much she has grown!