9 Months Old

This little guy was such a crack-up. I have never met a baby before who was in such a perpetually good mood. He was belly laughing at everything and was game for pretty much any pose I threw his way. Except for a hat - He did not want to wear a hat. But unlike his peers who would cry about the hat, he just pulled it off without ever breaking his big 2-tooth grin.

I totally overshot this session (because how could I not, you know?). Here's a little sneak peek.

I think this image below is just about the only non-smiley shot from the whole session, but I just love it. I love the direct eye contact and his soft serious expression.

3 Months Old

I did a Baby Parts Session for my best friend's baby boy who is now 3 months old. This kid is unbelievably cute! He's such a little meatball, I can't stop squeezing him. Check him out.

While I was working on these photos, I couldn't stop thinking about our friend Natasha who took a picture of his chubby little ankle at our high school reunion this past weekend, describing his ankle as "delicious". Tash, look all this extra cuteness that was above the ankle. LOL!

I am officially old now.

My 20 year high school reunion was this weekend! It made me reflect on what a unique high school experience I had. I have never met anyone who speaks as fondly of their high school years as my classmates and I do. Many of my closest friends to this day are girls I met in high school.

I attended an all-girls catholic school in Northfield, IL called St. Louise de Marillac High School. Marillac closed in 1994, or rather merged with Loyola Academy in Wilmette. (So yeah, now I am considered a Loyola alumna.)

Marillac followed a philosophy of “responsible freedom”. There were no bells at the start and end of classes. It was our responsibility to be on time for where we needed to be. It was a blessing to grow and mature is this unique and nurturing environment. As a young woman, it was also very empowering to be in school where the class president was a girl, the biggest jock in the school was a girl, the valedictorian was girl, etc.

My graduating class was small, just 94 girls. Within that class there were groups of friends of course, but not harsh lines defining “cliques” as is common in high school. Everyone got along with everyone else, which is probably why twenty years later it was easy to give all of these girls a hug and talk as if no time had passed at all.

Ladies, it was great to see you all this weekend. And it was especially wonderful to be back on campus where so many friendships and memories were formed. Hugs to all!

Kids As Art

Introducing KIDS AS ART, by Jessica Gwozdz Photography!

I once read an article in a parenting magazine about how having photos around of your children boosts their self esteem and self-worth. If displaying portraits has a positive impact on a child's self esteem, then imagine what making their photos the focal point of a room can do. This concept was the catalyst for the "Kids as Art" concept.

In honor of the launch of this campaign, I am offering a 15% discount on 16x20 or larger signature wall art (framed prints, canvas gallery wraps, or gallery mounts) purchased thru Dec 31st. Ok, there is a catch with the discount. The catch is that you have to let me photograph your child with their art piece so that I can show the idea to other parents who are considering similar art pieces.

So c'mon .. Let's get images of those gorgeous kids on the walls!

Professional Headshot Sneak Peek

It was great to meet J last week and work with her to get some professional headshots that she needed. Here's a little sneak peek:

22 Days Old

This little guy made his grand entrance just 3 weeks ago. But he wasn't exactly little. He was almost 9 pounds and was 21 inches long, and he has grown over an inch in the past 3 weeks (did I remember those stats right, A?). He is so long in fact that he didn't fit into some of my newborn posing props. What an angel he was for his photo session - sleeping thru pretty much the whole thing, totally unphased by the noise of his big brother.

Here's a little sneak peek.

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.