Marilyn & Madalyn | Vintage Photography in Chicagoland, Kansas City Photographer

When Marilyn came over to visit my sister on Friday, she had no idea she would be modeling in a session with my sister. In fact, I had no idea it was happening either! Madalyn (my favorite little model ever) came up to me and asked me for a photoshoot of her and Marilyn-which NEVER happens. Madalyn-though gorgeous as ever, claims to hate to have her picture taken...


ALL LIES!

...So, as soon as she asked, I knew this was going to be simply the most amazing session ever! Marilyn loves everything vintage (and so do I! and so does Maddy!) Marilyn went home and grabbed some awesome stuff, like her grandpa's old camera and her pretty white dress. We raided Maddy's closet for some shoes, which of course, perfectly coordinated with Marilyn's outfit. Then we raided my suitcase for shoes for Maddy, which worked perfectly with the dress Liz Medema had just gave me for pinups. I did both Maddy and Marilyn's makeup and hair and we went to town!

Believe it or not, the area in the photographs is behind my parents' fence. When we were little (and when Madalyn was a baby) my dad had planted these teeny tiny trees in the backyard there. Now they're huge and are the perfect backdrop for this kind of photo session.

I completely love photographing Madalyn's friends and Maddy. I'm not sure if this is because I'm still a 15 year old girl at heart or if they're just all the most beautiful girls ever, but really-it's probably both reasons. Marilyn and Madalyn shined throughout this shoot and I had the best time there. Here are a few of the photographs! Feel free to listen while you look <3

The Cocokios Siblings | Kansas City Photographer in Chicagoland

I've known Marisa for quite awhile actually, since I've been 15. We were in the same youth group together! Both Marisa and Christian attend Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, which is the same church I went to when I lived in Orland Park. It was so awesome when Marisa asked me to take her and Christian's pictures for their parents' fiftieth birthdays. I'm so glad that this worked out! I couldn't wait to photograph these cuties!!!

Our session last Friday was completely amazing. We had the perfect lighting and a fantastic backdrop for their sibling shoot. The barn on 139th St. and Wolf Rd. really worked well with their outfit choices. I loved how the brown barn wall brought out the Cocokios's beautiful brown eyes! (Seriously-what AMAZING eyes you guys have!) I especially loved the photos in the field with the silo behind the two.  

The second set of outfits was great as well! Christian's olive green shirt perfectly blended into the country scene, and Marisa's beautiful floral maxi dress with hints of that same green really brought the two together. We had so much fun doing all different kinds of poses! The two were naturals at "the model" and at "be serious." 

My favorite part during the shoot was when Marisa said, "knock it off Christian!" He was making faces at her for the next three frames of photos. It was simply brotherly.

I had the hardest time picking favorites from Christian and Marisa shoot. They literally were ALL fantastic. I went through to star my 20 favorite images and ended up with 40! Then the hard part from there was bringing the number down. These are obviously just a few of the favorites.  Feel free to listen and browse!

The Strid Sisters | Kansas City Photographer in Chicagoland

The Strid Sisters are absolutely fantastic people! We had the best time last Thursday evening during their sibling session in Orland Park. I know Stephanie, the oldest of the three, through Winter One Acts at Lewis University. When she contacted me about doing photos of her and her sisters for a family gift, I jumped at the chance!

Stephanie, Penelope and Victoria looked fantastic the whole session through, even in the extremely hot weather. These girls were all vogue! Seriously, anyone of them could be models. I really mean that! They're gorgeous! They were coming up with the best posing ideas and so great at communicating what they wanted. It made my job easy! They even brought props. Seriously, this session was all creativity, on both the girls end and on mine! I absolutely LOVED all the photos! Below are just a few of my favorites :)

If you'll notice, there is a pretty sweet tea set in the picnic photos. The tea cups belonged to the girls' Aunt who recently passed away. I loved that they used them in their photographs! I also loved how each of the girls was wearing a color coordinating hue! They thought out everything-it was completely awesome.

(I have to say, probably one of my favorite things that happened during the session, besides our awesome photo-ing, was when I put my sunglasses on over my nerdy glasses and Stephanie said she did the same exact thing. Yessssss!!! Hahah. )

I know the girls like Taylor Swift, so without further a-du, feel free to listen and browse!

Mike M | Kansas City Photographer in Chicagoland

I love Mike Mockovak. Really, everyone does. Mike is completely and wonderfully unique. I swear, he is probably the most individual of individuals I've ever met in my lifetime. He's just one of those people you feel like you've known forever! Though I totally know where and when I met Mike-my first week at Lewis University back in 2006. Since then, it's been a beautiful friendship. I was honored when this Chicago Police Officer asked me to take his photographs during my trip in!

When Mike showed up with his completely tailored box of clothes from Trunk Love, I immediately knew this session was going to be super fun! It's not everyday I get to help style a guy for photographs. I think he looked absolutely fantastic in his denim shirt and faded jeans. This particular outfit really popped when we made it to the park by the Old Orland Library. The green and blues looked fantastic with Mike's handsome eyes.

By this time on the blog, you guys can probably tell that Orland Park is a railroad town, judging by all the train tracks. We took advantage of those tracks during Mike's session as well! His colorful checkered shirt looked fantastic agains the bronze track colors. Even the rock gravel from the tracks played a roll in the backdrop of Mike's session.

What I especially fell in love with during Mike's shoot was how laid back it was. Mike let me try tons of different things with my lighting and with posing. He was so trusting in everything I did with him that it was probably one of the most relaxed sessions I've ever had. It was just a pleasure to photograph this photogenic dude.

Here are a few photos that I thought would be great to show for his sneak peak! Feel free to listen and browse.