Easter is one of those holidays commemorated by family traditions, one of those traditions is the perennial Easter brunch. Growing up in Chicagoland, one of the icons of the skyline has always been, The Drake Hotel, hence their latest tag line "Real Chicago". At The Drake Hotel, real traditions occur for real people. This Easter brunch had an amazing spread with impeccable service and decor not to be forgotten. With traditional events such as this, it's easy to see why The Drake has been, still is, and always will be, the finest of Chicago icons. Face painting provided by Body Art by Allison.

This is Valerie's bridal portrait that we teased you with a couple of weeks ago. We photographed the wedding at The Acorn Theatre, which is where we had the good fortune to photograph the bridal portrait as well. There were far to many images to choose from and Johnny and I have been fighting all week over this, so I'll just post my favorites and keep it simple. Not only was the location unique, but the dress had a story behind it as well. Valerie's mother made this beautiful dress incorporating over 100 ostrich feathers, obtained from ostrich.com. Interestingly, The Acorn Theatre is housed in a location which at one time was a featherbone factory using turkey feathers for women's corsets. Look for more from Valerie and Tomas, as their wedding images are soon to come!

Photographing newborn children can be accomplished in many ways. We enjoy the comfort of the child's home, as it enables the child to interact in a very real and natural way. This also helps to create the most positive experience possible. No props are needed, as the home has everything.

If we achieve a technically perfect image, but our clients do not have an enjoyable experience, then we have failed. A successful portrait involves several elements. Capturing a moment in time with exact visual record is the physical process toward creating an image, which will engage our memories, and emotional ties to that moment in time. Therefore, we must understand what is the message within the portrait. We must understand if the portrait is celebrating ones coming of age, or if the moment is about a new child joining a family, and focus on that moment. This is the memory we hope to hold for Brooke and Michael. These are the images that we have created and selected to represent, what we thought, our goal was. Images to reflect the moment of time, while mom and dad relish their new addition.

Hope you enjoy the images!

p.s. Tina and I will be jump starting our spring with a trip to Florida. We have work in both Florida and New York in April. If anyone would like a family portrait, engagement portrait, maternity portrait, pet portrait, head shot, model composite, or a trash the dress session, GIVE US A CALL and reserve a spot.