I have a Home studio in Highland Park, a North suburban town about 40 miles from Chicago. I also have a professionally landscaped outdoor area and am about 10 minutes from beautiful beaches and parks. The session will depend on your needs.
I am accessible by the trains as well and can pick you up and bring you to the studio.
Most of the sessions happen during the week. We do offer some weekend dates but these are booked on a first come first serve basis. May thru September months Golden hour shoots get booked up almost every evening. It is my favorite time to shoot.
Family sessions and headshots tend to last about an hour but are never rushed.
If makeup artistry is included you can expect to spend a about 3 hours in the Highland Park studio. It sounds like a long time but it will fly by. You will be looking and feeling amazing so I often recommend planning on something fun after the session, such as date night or drinks with friends
Yes, you get a professionally retouched digital copy of anything you purchase in print.
The session fee is $690 and includes two prints and matching digital files. A La carte prices per image are $275 and there are collections that are created to save you money. You purchase only what you love. Average clients invest between $2000 and $3500.
Yes I accept visa and master card and can also offer a payment plan if needed.
I believe it is so important to exist in print. I have beautiful archival portraits of my great great grandparents that I treasure. I imagine their stories and remember going through them with my grandparents when I was young and learning about where my relatives came from and what they enjoyed. Digital files are amazing to have but may not be handed down generations, as a treasure- but a beautiful print will.
I offer fully framed wall portraits as well as specialty products like canvas, metal and acrylic. I also offer beautiful folio boxes that include matted prints.
Feel free to reach out by phone or email.
I will be in contact within 24-48 hours of receiving your inquiry and we will schedule a call to get to know each other. We will get acquainted, discuss your vision and what you are hoping to achieve with our shoot. Once I have an understanding of your needs and desires I will be able to share a more accurate quote and answer your questions. At this point if you are a YES- we will do a happy dance and look at our schedules to find a date. You will pay a nonrefundable session fee to reserve your date.
About a week after our session I will schedule a view and order appointment where you will chose the images you would like. I professionally retouch artwork and then choose the best lab for the product you choose. I always say 3-4 weeks but often I can have the finished images to you sooner.
Yes the women on my website are just like you and me. Many of them had the same reservations as you do before the session. I understand how to pose women and men in figure flattering ways that highlight your best attributes. You don’t have to know what you are doing! I will make you comfortable and I promise to take the best photos you’ve ever seen and have fun doing it!!
That is my job and I am really good at it!! I will fully guide you every step of the way. All you have to do is show up and mirror me, I have years of experience posing every body type in the most flattering way. I will never ask you to do something awkward. Just remember this is a judgment free fun and empowering session. You will be nervous at first but it will pass and you will absolutely enjoy the rest of the session.
For Women’s beauty simply wear what you feel beautiful in. Do you want to look sexy, casual, like a model, or a professional? We will go through this during our pre shoot style and concept consultation. I have some wardrobe here for women but I encourage you to shop your closet. Think of a variety of styles, a gown, a little black dress, a turtleneck, jeans and a t-shirt, lingerie, off the shoulder sweater? We will go over accessories and how to bring your clothes so they look fresh. I encourage women to bring about 5 outfits but we typically do 3-4 outfits.
I have Women’s dresses in various sizes that you can use during your shoot. I also have Boudoir items available. I still ask that you bring your own wardrobe to the shoot and we can mix in mine if you want. We will have a consultation prior to the shoot where we will discuss what to bring along with accessories.
Yes many of the sessions include makeup from experienced makeup artist I have worked with closely. If hair is something you would like included we can talk about the options. ?
Your images are delicately hand retouched. It is standard to edit out minor blemishes, scars and under eye circles. I usually apply a gentle skin smoothing process that softens fine lines and wrinkles while still achieving a very natural look. You can always request more or less softening – the goal is to make you look like a polished version of yourself.
With your permission I would love to have you featured on social media, my website and even in marketing materials or completions. I encourage you to share your images on social media and encourage family and friends to have the same experience you did. My best clients come form referrals.
The majority of our clientele are dual income working professionals, meaning we are use to work with very busy people! We handle all of the details for you. All we need from you is a time to sit down and have a design consultation here at our studio and then we will take the planning from there. As far as wardrobe is concerned, don’t worry, you are in good hands! Some people like to handle the outfits themselves and others like for us to take the reins completely. You will be given lots of tips at the design consultation. But if you need more assistance, we are here to help! I can even come to your home to help you go through the closets and pulling options. We are experts at planning and designing portrait sessions, so utilize our expertise as little or as much as you need!
I hear this a lot, and I get it. But honestly, how you look in a portrait is based more on how you are posed, dressed, and lit than on how much you weigh. Proper posing, angles, and even the length of lens used to create the portrait, can instantly make you look 20 pounds lighter, just as bad posing and angles can add weight. Luckily, you are working with a professional who has years of experience making people look their best. I would not be in business after all of these years if my clients weren’t thrilled with the way they looked in their portraits. And this is a topic of conversation at our design consultation. I want to know if there is anything that tends to bother you or your family members in photographs. I will be paying close attention to downplaying the features you don’t love and highlighting the things you do love.
I raised two boys of my own. There is nothing I have not seen or dealt with. I pride myself by being able to elicit beautiful and authentic expressions from everyone during the session and children are no exception. I have many tricks up my sleeves and will pull out all the stops to make sure everyone has a wonderful time. This is my promise to you. I have never met a child that I could not win over within 10 minutes. My secret is I don’t ask for the smile, I earn it by engaging them and letting their personalities come out.
