Soul Sistah

This is T. And I'm not protecting her name, I can tell you it's Tracey. But I call her T. She calls me e. It's something we started via email 10 years or so ago. I have known her my entire life and she is without a doubt my soul sistah. I feel as close to her as I do to my own skin. And I had the pleasure on the TX sojourn to photograph Mrs. T and her beautiful boys Holden (pictured here) and Nicholas. Two of the most endearing children I have ever met. I'm seriously smitten. They are just so good! And NORMAL. (Short of their strange fascinations with brooms and windshield wipers.) If you've ever met my kids then you know how much reverence and awe I have for normal. Here's the reason why: Tracey rocks as a Mom!

Holden is his fancy little man sweater.

Nicholas in his.




This was the set up to the attempt to get them to pose together for the holiday card.

And they actually sat for loads of shots, most of which are excellent - because they are excellent little guys. But I must say, what kills me about the series is that in every single one Nicholas and Holden are holding hands just like this. They never let go of one another. It's the sweetest thing. Nicholas' other hand in some looks a wee bit like a choke hold. But draw your eye away from that - to the little clasped hands - and you can see two brothers in it for the long haul.

Nana's Garden

Clark Street is on the road this month so you can expect to see lots of updates from the home state of TEXAS. For the first leg of our journey we're staying with my in-laws, and my Mother-in-law Jeri is Sadie's favorite person on the planet. Sadie is in heaven at her Nannie's house. And they just so happen to have one of the loveliest gardens I've ever been in. The light was just right the other day so we went out to grab a few shots. Some of these I'll treasure forever. Here's Sadie with her beloved Nannie.


And then I couldn't resist capturing some of the pretty things they have in their garden. This candle holder is on the most elegant art piece that also functions as a table.
Throwing rocks in this little fountain is a favorite pastime of both my kids. Someday I should pull together all the photos I have of them as they've grown up, measuring their size in relation to this quaint spot.
Through this sculpture you can glimpse the waterfall in the big pond (complete with fish to feed) and the cute little blooming lily pad that's floating there.

Sadie this trip loves to jump on the rock path up to the bridge and then shout "TA-DA!" This is her moment of triumph.

And then there's dusk. My favorite time of day for so many reasons. And my sweet Sadiekins showing her curiosity and reverence for the melodious wind chime.

Nana's Garden will always be one of those places they remember most about visiting their grandparents in Texas.

Party of Six

I had the pleasure last Sunday of shooting John & Julie and their 4 adorable children, in order from oldest to youngest, Jack, Quinn, Will, and Janie. Oh they were such fun! Such willing subjects, parents who love their children and photography, and are willing to go to great lengths to get the shots. It's a tough time of year on the blog. We're in holiday card mode and I'd love to show you the great family pictures we've been getting but don't wish to spoil anyone's postal ta-da. This picture below I'm pretty sure won't be used as the card but it absolutely captures my heart. That face on sweet Janie!


This next series of the band of brothers I think makes a terrific storyboard. I would love to see them framed and grouped together.




And then there's Janie with her doting brothers.


Here's John getting Will ready for his big game close-up...

Jack really wanted to take pictures in his Michigan jersey. I was more than happy to oblige of course. Looks like he's ready for the Big House!
This to me is one of those perfect pictures. It's not the photography that's good. It's the moment we illuminated. This is the reason why I take pictures of parents and their kids. So that when these kids are pouring over childhood pictures as adults looking for clues, trying to fill in the gaps, there won't be any mystery as to how Mom felt about them and took care of them. Julie (and John too) has such enthusiasm and pure love for her children. And I was lucky enough to witness it.

Fabulous at Fifty

I know I mostly do kids and families. But I truly believe photos are art and that we should all have pictures of ourselves that reflect who we are. My dear friend Molly was in town from Seattle this week (auditioning for a major Equity house), and she wanted some pictures taken for holiday cards. Well, she's just so dramatic and gorgeous and we were having so much fun we took over 700 pictures! No way for me to pick a few highlights really, but here are the ones that are speaking to me today.

This one says Merry Christmas to me.


Molly is from Seattle and in addition to being one of the greatest actresses I know she's also a Starbucks employee. (She assures me it isn't glamorous but I still think it is.) So I couldn't resist this shot. Pun totally intended.



She looks like such a movie star!



I sort of refer to these as catalogue ones. But a fabulous catalogue. One that only has gorgeous, classy models and cozy Irish sweaters.




We have a series of these cement ones. And seriously, I could have put 15 here. But this one is my favorite. Hands down. This is a woman of great depth.


Why yes she has played Titania, Queen of the Fairies!




The Irish sea captain is alive in these photos and I love to see Molly by the water. She's just so at home.

Picture Party!

Over the weekend we had a very impromptu "Picture Party". And I had the pleasure of snapping away at my dear friends and their kids. Some of whom shall remain nameless.

This is Zoe. She's my Sadie's best friend. And I certainly hope this isn't a problem later in life when Zoe is attracting the attention of EVERYONE and poor Sadie feels inferior. Because even though my Sadie has blue eyes - they aren't anything like these.


Or these. On Cooper. Who is a very mischievious 5 year old these days. Something totally new for him. Usually shy and reserved he's very playful right now. I have pictures of him sticking out his tongue and wagging his bum at me but I decided to show his less silly side.

This is Tucker. Oh yes, he's got big blue eyes too. He's the oldest, about to be 7. And is very much the big brother. And knows a lot about sports. And sports teams. And the rules of the sports. An impressive amount really, it's easy to forget he's only 7 when you get him going about football and first downs.
Here we have Molly & Bill. you can see where the kids get the eyes can't you? They are dear friends who we'd be lost without. We've braved many a long winter together filled with "rescue me!" play dates.


On to our next family, TMJ. This is J with T. Interestingly enough the playful ones in this family are Mom & Dad. T was perfectly cooperative but M & J had a hard time sitting still and doing the work of modeling for the camera. That's OK, we all had more fun as a result. And I got some truly hilarious pictures. These aren't those. I worried those were more "you had to be there". So I added the sweet ones. That's more my thing anyway, don't ya think?


This is M & T. Oh sure, all smiles here. This was before the ear biting......

Another gorgeous kid with incredible eyes. We're so lucky to have the friends we do. Not just because of their excellent features. But also because of their wit and charm and Northwestern Smartypantsness. And they are "good people" as we like to say. We totally dig them all.

A Day at the Beach

We're having an incredible fall here in Chicago.  And one thing I love most about living here is the people.  Collectively as a city we endure winter together.  It bonds us as a community more than the Bears, the Cubs or the White Sox.  And because we all know what's coming in the next months, we get out to enjoy the remaining days of warmth and sunshine as much as we can.  We spent the late afternoon at the beach on Sunday and it was packed!  With gorgeous fall trees behind us we frolicked at the beach as though it were a mid July afternoon.  And we played with the most beautiful family on the North Shore.

This is Siena.  Precocious, scrappy, silly, and sweet.

And her big sister Sage.  Serious, studious and full of life.

What they both have in common, besides their beauty, is a deep love for their Mama.  For good reason, she's patient, kind, gentle, empathetic.  And with her equally wonderful and handsome husband they are giving these girls a foundation of love and comfort that is a pleasure to witness.