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

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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

Gabriella // Lincoln Park

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I took Gabriella’s 14 Month photos on a dreary day in March. She wasn’t so sure of me at first. Her faces in the first few photos below express her feelings, haha! She slowly but surely opened up and ended up being a total goofball. I love see the personalities of little ones come through. She is the same age as my daughter so it’s fun interacting with other children her age, sometimes they are so different! I hope you enjoy!

xo

J

 

 

VanMilligan Family // Willow Springs

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I recently found this lush green area outside of Chicago as part of the Cook County Forest Preserves. You can fish, picnic, hike etc. It’s gorgeous! I had Kenny and his family meet me there one summer night in early June and it was perfect. The sun was warm and low and the magic hour really did us a favor. I’ve known Kenny since I was a girl. His family moved into my family neighborhood when I was probably 8 years old. Kenny used to bike me home sometimes after I was at their house playing with his sister. We actually had the same circle of friends in college and he’s always been one of the best, his smiles are contagious. I met his wife, Tyler, and their two beautiful girls at Saganashkee Slough Woods. So full of energy and sweet smiles, I knew this would be a good shoot. You can always tell within the first few minutes of a dynamic. Sometimes it’s off, one child had a bad day, or a meltdown in the car, but this wasn’t that day, everyone was excited. The Slough has a lot of water so there were ducks and geese and lots of curiosity from the girls. We had such  good time, just enough for a few shots of just Kenny and Tyler, so in love.

I love these and I hope you do too!

X

JB

Zalaznik Family // Iowa

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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

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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

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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

The Bluths // Lincoln Park

This family is from out west, they both went to school here in the city, fell in love and stuck around. They then had Adeline – the world’s most smiley baby. Seriously, if you can’t tell from the photos, every time I had the camera on her, she looked into the lens with those big blue eyes and smiled with her minimal teeth smile. Oh my, to die for. This sweet family requested one of my favorite spots in the city, Lincoln Park, near South Pond. The long prairie grass, the Studio Gang Pavilion, the water and the gorgeous skyline in the background makes it one of the best. Linden, Adeline’s dad, was a great tosser, (sounds funny) but when he would throw her in the air, she just giggled with happiness. This family was one of the best and I’m grateful I was able to capture them.

I hope you enjoy!

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

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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

Oglesby Family // Iowa

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I had the pleasure of shooting my first family this past Saturday and what a beautiful summer night it was. We chose dusk as the appropriate time for summer outdoor photos since the temperature would be cooler and the light much sweeter.

The Oglesbys were a joy to photograph, plus they’re easy on my lens. I was back in my hometown of  Dubuque, IA for the long 4th of July weekend and what a beautiful weekend it was, we couldn’t have asked for better weather. I would say the first family shoot was a success for both me and their family!

I hope you had a fantastic 4th of July! Enjoy!

LeFevour Family // Elmhurst College

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As a photographer, you hope your subjects are adventurous, have an open mind and most importantly, just want to have fun. This beautiful family of four did just that. I was so happy they asked me to shoot them, full of energy, smiles and the interaction between them all was absolutely awesome. We met at a clearing at Elmhurst College, just outside of Chicago. The October day was beautiful, crisp with a warm sun. Here are the photos of the LeFevours. I hope you enjoy!

J

Harris Family // Dubuque

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Last weekend I was in my hometown of Dubuque, Iowa and I had the pleasure of meeting and shooting the Harris Family. Sarah reached out to me in hopes I would be in Iowa soon and it just happened to work out. I think we landed the last beautiful fall weekend, the light, the leaves, everything was still and beautiful. There are three beautiful boys in this family with a lot of energy, Will is 4, Cole is 3, and Ted is 1. 3 boys under 5, makes for constant entertainment. 🙂 These shots were taken at one of my favorite places in Dubuque, The Mines of Spain – a nature park on the Mississippi with lots of trails for hiking. I hope you enjoy!

J

O’Neill Family // Dubuque

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It’s been quite fun having my last three shoots at Four Mounds Inn in Dubuque, IA because it’s where I married my love. I had a great time shooting Remy Bear with her parents, Maggie and Dennis who were in the midwest visiting family from Brooklyn, NY.  Enjoy some of these sweet family photos. <3 J

Ludovissy Family // Iowa

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What a fun shoot this was, triplet 14 month olds. Each with a very different demeanor and personality. 2 girls – Jordan and Taylor, and a boy – Brady. It was definitely a challenge to even photograph them in the same frame since they’re now walking and moving all over the place. They had each of us running around after them! It was the most perfect summer evening, warm with abundant sunshine. I photographed them at a nature reserve outside of my hometown of Dubuque, Iowa. We really had fun doing this shoot and what a beautiful family! I cannot wait to photograph them as they get older, triplets are my new favorite! Hope you enjoy these images!

X

J

Coming Soon!

This is my new blog, so I'm in the middle on transferring from my old, thanks for your patience!

 

In the meantime, check out my instagram: @jcastanedaphotography

xo!