Lyden Family // Chicago

I’ve been photographing this family in their home for a few years now, skipped last year because I was gigantically pregnant but so happy they asked me to come back around this year especially because I got to meet, Gogo, their newest addition. Gogo is short for Margot, how cute?! We shot in the house and then decided to brave the cold but whoever had the idea to do a little scrimmage was genius. I’m not sure if it was dad’s or Finnbar’s idea but good work! Little Tess played the best game! I got their holiday card in the mail and just thought these turned out so cute. Simple family photos at home, love it.

x

J

Regneir Family // Chicago

I met this family for the first time this day in Lincoln Park. They braved the heavy Chicago traffic on a Friday to meet me on a drizzling fall day. It was at least semi-warm! For a year where it snowed on Halloween, I’d take it. Josie, the younger daughter had a hard time with the camera, at first I thought she didn’t like me and then she warmed to some pretty killer laughs. :) Can you just check out the style on these girls? I actually love the moody drizzling day that this turned out to be. Gave them all an opportunity to get nice and cozy. :)

x

J

Barnes Family 2019 // Chicago

Last year I shot Kate and Dan and their beautiful and bright daughter, Allison, and this year they have some exciting news because their next baby is on the way! Here is a loving family shoot, in Humboldt Park. Such great landscapes for the city. We can actually get some green in the photos! Love this family! Congratulations to you all Barnes Family!

xo

J

Corner-Miller Family // Niles

I’ve been taking this family’s photos for some time, they are some of my favorite to work with because Candace really puts thought into the vibe she wants and we collaborate. Can you just look at these amazing fall outfits? Their children, Mari and Henry are so fun and each time I see them, their personalities are bigger than ever. Mari, who is a miracle baby, born at 26 weeks, gives me such hope. She is a little angel baby. I love the warmth from the sun in these photos and this family makes my job so easy and fun! Thanks for letting me capture you all Candace and Johnny!

xo

J

Wroblewski Family // Chicago

And then they were four! Welcome to the crew baby Samantha! love this family so much. I photographed their wedding, their newborn photos with Brody, their lakeside family photos and now this intimate family shoot with baby number two. So grateful for friends and clients like these! love!

x

j

Barnes Family // Lincoln Park // Chicago

Love this family! We met at Lincoln Park, South Pond, one of my favorite places to shoot in the city. It’s obviously a choice amongst other photographers too because there are always one or two other shoots going on at the same time. :) Ally is the sweetest child, hopefully you can see her personality come through in some of these photos!

x

J

Corner-Miller Family // Chicago

This family holds a special place in my heart but this little girl is very special. Mari June was born about a year ago, these photos were taken to mark her first year of life. She was born extremely early and the NICU was a place of home for her in her first months of life. There were pulmonary hemorrhages, oxygen tubes, waiting, unknowing, doctors, blood transfusions, PICC lines, brain bleeds, brain surgeries, scans, ventilators, blood clots, and ultimately a diagnosis of Hydrocephalus - a buildup of fluid in the cavities (ventricles) deep within the brain. Luckily, Mari will be ok and her life will be fulfilled to the max, plus she has this great family so we all know that smile of hers is a miracle. 

I met Candace, Mari and Henry’s mom at my first day as a Sr. Graphic Designer at ULTA Beauty Corporate in the burbs of Chicago. It was her orientation too, where she was the social media manager. I liked her from the get go. She was confident, smiley and had a cool sense about her that I gravitated to. Maybe it was that she was the young one amongst some IT folks in orientation or maybe it was because we both shared the love of our nose studs. We became friends over time and even managed to get into our own version of a supper club together. Supper club sounds dated but it was really a girl’s date night, where a few of ULTA girls who lived in the city and had to commute to Bolingbrook, bitched about the traffic and laughed about “those” co-workers. 

I met Candace and Johnny at Montrose Beach one August morning and the light was beautiful, perfect in my opinion. The sky was slightly overcast but rays of light peaked through various holes in the clouds. Both kids were smiley and hilarious, and I even got a rendition of Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” by Henry and Candace. He knew every word! For a three-year-old, I am impressed! These photos are soft and gentle, and I think their outfits are just the cutest, not surprised by the woman who puts all us moms to shame when it comes to Halloween! 

They love these images and I hope they’re cherished for years to come. Thanks Candace and Johnny for allowing me to capture these special moments.

XO

J

Wroblewski Family // Promontory Point Chicago

It wasn't too long ago that I had shot Brody's newborn photos, but now a year later, here we are celebrating his walking and big boy smile. I'm always amazed at kids who are just so good and smiley, he was it! It's like he's taken modeling classes before?! Promontory Point is one of my favorite places to shoot in the city, you get the green and the blue from the lake with the faded Chicago skyline in the back. Hope you love these photos with one of the best families! Happy Birthday Brody!

Valentina is Two!

I've been lucky enough to photograph this mama-daughter adorable combo for almost two years now, every couple of months I get a call to take some photos of the sweet Valentina. This time for her second birthday. She has never been very comfortable around me or the camera (shocking I know), but this time, she even laughed when I would be goofy! She warmed up and she even had fun. She showed off her twirling skills and indulged me in her scooter (bike! as she called it) riding. These two are just some of my favorites to photograph. I hope you enjoy!

x

J

Lefevour Family // Oakbrook

It had been almost 4 years since the last time I photographed this family. Mikey was barely crawling and Mae was still so little. They’re both so tall now and hilarious. I love their brotherly- sister love. He always wanted to do what she was doing. I love when little boys look up to their sisters, that’s my feminist bone coming out. JWe met on a warm summer night in Oakbrook, I had never been to the Graue Mill, a water-powered gristmill and it sits on the Dupage Country Forest Preserve. It had water, trees, paths, and gorgeous summer light. I just wish it was closer to the city so I could shoot here all the time! So much personality in this family, we even had a to take a few photos with thumbs up to appease Mikey, the youngest. Haha! I hope you enjoy!

J

Scholls Family // Olive Park

Last weekend I had the pleasure of shooting The Scholls. Abby, a long time friend of mine (we used to build forts and ride bikes) had asked me to shoot her family and I was thrilled. I loved meeting Matt and Sam. Sam is 2 and probably the smiliest child I have every encountered. I know, every kid has their moment of tantrum and just being tired but he was a dream. I also have a sweet spot for 2 year olds.

We met at Olive Park and strolled around Oak Street Beach. The weather was stunning for the end of October, we lucked out. I hope you enjoy these!

J

Hello, World! Baby Aurora // Evanston

Aurora “Rory,” was a great newborn subject, she was making eye contact, she was so alert! And so cooperative! Her older brother, Radley, was very excited to have her around. He wanted to kiss and hug and hold her all the time. It was a pleasure seeing this family again after taking his 1-year-old photos the previous summer. I went to their new home in Evanston, on a beautiful tree-lined street and made me think, hmm, maybe the suburbs aren’t so bad! It was lovely. I hope you enjoy these photos of this beautiful family.

J

Zalaznik Family // Iowa

Just a few short years ago, I had the privilege of shooting Madde and Ryan’s wedding, in the exact same spot! I remember because I was pregnant and it was summer, they had the most beautiful atmosphere. The property belongs to her father and it’s actually the house he grew up in. It’s a gorgeous old brick farmhouse with tall ceilings, giant windows and all the character you could expect in a house like that. The property is even more stunning. All the trees, the green and the background of the rolling hills of Iowa, you’d like it was out of a Grant Wood painting. Madde and Ryan were accompanied by their two children, both from previous relationships, and the same age! They were brother and sister and best friends, their dynamic is so fun, I think that you can tell by these photos. I hope you enjoy!

Cheers!

JB

The Glocks // A Snowy Lincoln Park Day

I had the pleasure of meeting this adorable family for the first time this day. It’s always a little funny, because it’s somewhat of a first blind date. I stand with my camera gear at a meeting point and await a family who is somewhat put together (everyone always has cute jackets and their hair done when I get to see them). But when we saw each other in the atrium of the Lincoln Park conservatory, we knew who each other was right away and we laughed because oh boy, the weather was something!

What a day this was! We scheduled our shoot later in the day because we wanted to warm sun to be low and amazing. We didn’t get sun at all! We got a heavy, snowstorm! It was the first of the season, December heavy, wet snow. So we went with it! It was actually quite beautiful, it just made for some more challenging scenes. Nevertheless, Gretchen and family were more than happy to go with the flow. So we tried under some trees, and then some winter hats and then we just went with it! If you can’t beat it, join it right? That was our motto that day. And the snow just kept coming, everything was laced with white, the trees, the benches, even our eyelashes. They turned out to be delightful, and will be amazing photos for their holiday Christmas card. Dreaming of a white snowy Christmas?  J

Thanks and I hope you enjoy these!

JoAnna

The Stephensons // Eagle Point Park

I am so glad we decided to push this shoot by a day, Friday was turning out to be a pretty dark and gloomy day so I proposed we push it so that we could get some good light and they were totally flexible. The forecast said there would be sun on Saturday so we went with it. Do you see all this luscious warmth coming through the trees? Not to mention we were days out from December and we didn’t even need coats, the sweaters were perfect.

This is a special family to me, Kira, the mother, has been a dear friend of mine since we were in middle school. We both love cooking, wine, family, friends and OPRAH! Kira and Ricky met while serving our country and after coming back from tour, they got married and had three babies–one of which is not shown, Max. He is a sweet angel who left this earth too early. Kira has taught me so much during all of this painful time and her strength and positivity is second to none. What’s so special about these photos is that after Kira saw them, she expressed her gratitude to me for capturing them and she pointed out how present Max was on this day, you can see him in little light bubbles and rays shining through on each of them. I felt him too that day. I really had fun capturing this amazing family, I hope you enjoy these!

J

Mond Family // Galena

I had the pleasure of shooting Darcee and her family at their home in Galena. Their home was built in 1856 and is so beautiful. Their backyard is where most of these shots were taken–we shot in their garden where they grow their veggies, on their tree swing, on the back patio and watering the plants in the front yard. One week after I shot them, Siesta-their beloved pooch, passed away. I was lucky enough to have captured them with her before she was set free. I know they’ll miss her dearly and we’re all grateful she was there for these photos.

Eben got little Huxley to put his face in the hose stream. Too good. This family is the best and I’m lucky to call them friends. Huxley’s shirt let us know how old he just turned and Darcee’s glowing belly let us know there’s a healthy growing baby in there. So happy to have captured them on a perfect summer evening. I loved this shoot and had a hard time choosing only a few shots, so I might have showcased a few more! I hope you enjoy these!

J

Riecks Family // Iowa

I love getting referrals from people, this was a family of four that I was referred to so we had never met before. We met at The Mines of Spain, a beautiful nature preserve in Iowa along the Mississippi River. If you know anything about Iowa summer nights along the river, you know that they’re beautiful but full of mosquitoes! Beau and JC were the friendliest and most un-shy children, we had such a great time! I hope you enjoy these family photos!

J

Stoffel Family // Iowa

This was my first family shoot with this many family members! The Stoffel Family is made of a mom and a dad and their 2 daughters and 3 sons along with their own families. We had met in the morning of the 4th of July at a nature preserve outside my hometown in Dubuque, Iowa. We got some great shots of the individual small families and then some great group shots of everyone. I even got them to agree to all get into the freezing cold creek! The water temperature might have helped  add to the great energy. 😉 I hope you enjoy these photos!

J

Vogler Family // Christmas in Iowa

While back in my hometown of Dubuque, Iowa for the Christmas festivities, I had the pleasure of shooting the Vogler family. The mother Michelle was the older sister of a grade school friend of mine and so it was really great getting to know her own family. Her husband is Jeff and together they have 2 little ones – Collin, 3 years, and Hudson, 3 weeks… hello polar opposites! Oh, and I mustn’t forget their boxer, Daykin, who on every photo opportunity was trying to get front and center between the family and my lens. It was pretty hilarious. It’s always so cool to get to be so intimate with a family and to see their dynamic first hand. Pretty cool part of my job. 🙂

Enjoy these!

J

Cousins // Dubuque

I was back in my hometown of Dubuque, IA over the 4th of July weekend and had the privilege of shooting Nixon and Nova. Nova is the daughter of one of my best friends and Nixon is the son one of my husband’s best friend. So going up to meet them to do a photo shoot was just like hanging out. It was a really good time filled with lots of laughs. Everyone contributed to helping capture the moments including impromptu Itsy-Bitsy Spider sing-alongs. These two cousins only see each other a few times a year as Nixon lives in San Diego and Nova lives in Iowa. Since they are both only children, they are like brother and sister complete with kisses and wrestles. Only 3 weeks apart, these two were a whole lot of entertainment including the moment we had them “cheers” with mommy’s and daddy’s wine/beer. 🙂 I hope you enjoy these!

J