That Chicago Lake Life : Planning for AMAZING family photos

Life gets busy. We all know this. Traveling for destination weddings, shooting editorial and still seeing my growing families is really 3 or 4 jobs in one. Juggling time between work, family, and kids is hard for me and I don't even have children! Though the occasion to see 'my kids' throughout the year to capture their portrait in the truest and most authentic way is one of my favorite appointments to make time for and this brood is no exception! A work-life balance read this is not so back to these goofy boys...between all the poop jokes and fart noises, they kept me on my toes to keep them entertained!!  My number one trick of the trade in creating the best family photographs is to make the entire session a play date. Even when someone gets grumpy for a moment, we change the game and small meltdowns turn right around. Certainly, there is a bit of bribery sprinkled on top but mostly we just have fun playing.                        
                                                                                                               
Location, location, location! I'm always looking for new, more fantastic locale for photos than the last spot. I seek out the best areas based first on great light and then texture, pattern, and color. Chicago has no shortage of wall art, beautiful architecture, and amazing city parks so one need not look too far when searching out the best locations for family photos. Lifestyle imagery needs to read real and true so placing my subjects in a comfortable setting and getting on their playful level equals truly compelling imagery. I also have 2-3 stops at one location to keep our session moving so kiddos stay happy for the duration of our photoshoot. It always helps when everyone is in a great mood and these little guys napped the entire drive into the city! O-man and J may have started our family photo session at the lakefront a bit groggy but by the time we wrapped, they were wide awake and declaring their love for taking photos! TRUE STORY, ask Mom! 

And finally, what to wear?? Best practice on having the best-looking family photos is having everyone dressed in a complimentary color but not exactly matching. This is easier than it sounds, I swear! It adds to the texture of the final product and also is just much more interesting to look at. A good place to start is picking a color as your base and then build on that with a few larger patterns and or corresponding colors. This family of 4 and one adorable bulldog puppy nailed it! Mom wore a perfectly comfy, summer romper with shades of blue as the base. Dad matched with a simple blue t shirt and light blue shorts. Then the boys wore various shades of blue with a few simple patterns of stripes and plaids to keep it all interesting. You don't need to be a fashionista to have your crew looking picture perfect, although I tend to think this hot mama is ;)

To the stinkiest jokesters I know, keep those giggles coming! I was happy to meet the newest member of your fam, Willie, and can't wait to see you all again soon.

love,

Rose + Co

So in love in Sedona

When Lisa + Jash reached out to me last Spring to plan for their Chicago styled engagement shoot, I thought 'cool, yea we can do that a la carte but usually it's part of your big day, wedding photo package with my studio but I'm open so let's get shooting!'.  Then, after getting to know a little more of their story, I learned they were planning a fantastic destination wedding in Scottsdale, Arizona this spring and hadn't yet decided on their photographer.  Usually the engagement shoot isn't part of the interview process but as we  began our Chicago engagement shoot with a toast at Big Star and strolled down Damen Avenue to the oh so popular @Properties 'LOVE' sign, I think we were all feeling the love!! I instantly took to Lisa's fab sense of style and Jash's laid back but confident stride. Together, they are LOVE. By the end of our adventures on the 606, I knew this was my couple. Legit in love, totally real and pretty easy on the eyes, too!

So when it came time to plan my travel west for their upcoming desert wedding, I knew I needed to catch their sweet style of love surrounded by the amazing backdrop that is Sedona's Red Rocks. I asked Lisa + Jash if they would be open to traveling a bit further up in elevation for round 2 of engagement photos, this time styled around the textures and colors of the southwest. Happily, they met me dressed in their perfectly paired, western inspired, denim tuxedos! We strolled the Mexican tiled corridors of Tlaquepaque Village and then tested our hiking skills on a small treck through the trails of  Little Sugar Loaf Summit; not bad for a few city slickers like ourselves!  

Lisa + Jash, we can't say enough about how much we love working with you two! Learning about your love story, meeting your family,  figuring out who is Boomer and why Red should have no other name are but a few small perks of this fantastic, storytelling job. The wedding imagery is in the works and with such beautiful subjects set on the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert in Scottsdale, there promises to be loads of photo gems that we can't wait to share. Stay tuned! 

love,

Rose + Co

2016: Off to a golden start with Sarah + Mike!!

You may recognize these two love birds from many pages of the Rose Photo website as well as the high gloss pages of the January issue of Chicago Modern Luxury Brides. This is not just because of their sincere love for one another and incredible style, but also for the shear amount of opportunities we had to capture fabulous photographs of Sarah + Mike, even before their wedding day! From their highly styled, custom engagement shoot at the incredible Chicago Athletic Association to their very leisurely lifestyle photography shoot at Sydney Marovitz Golf Course at Chicago's Lake Michigan, we've been working side by side with this couple for several months leading up to their big night of "I do!" With that said, we were able to grow an awesome working relationship and by the time New Year's Eve 2016 rolled around, we were all old friends. 

In a word, Sarah + Mike's wedding day was incredible! We started our portrait coverage at one of Chicago's most iconic structures, Union Station. We quite literally froze time for a moment, well about an hour and some change actually, as we felt the bustle of another busy day of 100,000+ travelers to and fro our busy Midwestern city. The architectural details of the Great Hall made an amazing backdrop for the glam squad that was Sarah's bridesmaids! And the gents fit in nicely in their custom made, Trunk Club suits complete with embroidery of each fella's nick name; a very cheeky and super sweet detail we just loved!!  As we moved to our gold toned venue at River Roast located at the Chicago River and LaSalle, my team and I were thrilled with the depth of the space and how much of the city skyline we could capture just outside the door.

From first capture to last snap on the dance floor, this celebration was amazing. Sarah, Mike and their guests are the kind of clients we dream about and hope to work with every week. So to you two lovely, lovely people, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! May 2016 be so full of love, adventure and even more photo opts with Rose Photo. We cannot wait for the next occasion to create fabulous photographs with you and yours!!!!

love,

Rose + Co

Sundays at Fort Sheridan

One of my sweetest band of boys now lives on the gorgeous grounds of Fort Sheridan with their fearless leader called Mom! In each family photo shoot I create,  the aim is to tell that family's authentic story of where they are in that moment, with their home, their family, their milestones.  It is pretty often that these sessions become lessons for me not only about my clients but also about the worlds they live in. In this instance, this amazing family has lived around the Chicagoland area for the past five years as their family has grown in size, from apartment, to condo to their current home on Fort Sheridan. I love growing with my clients in this way and following their story with my lens. It is always such a perk when the story gets even more interesting.  

We had so much fun creating this set of imagery but even more fun learning about the story of Fort Sheridan. It was originally established as a United States Army post named after Civil War Cavalry General Philip Sheridan to honor his services to Chicago.  In 1984 parts of Fort Sheridan were designated a National Historic Landmark District by the National Park Service.  This area includes 230 acres and 94 buildings including officers' quarters, barracks, stables, a drill hall, and a water tower among others.  The homes on the Fort are so beautiful and the grounds full of gorgeous flora and fauna.  We had tons of room to run, to play and to capture real moments for this awesome family.  Lifestyle photography is exactly that, capturing authenticity.  And what better a place than this amazing ' backyard' of theirs!!

To my Fort Sheridan fam, thanks so much for the history lesson, for the great back drop to create stellar family photos and for your super fun giggles. See you next time!
 

love,

Rose + Co

keeping the kids happy!

I often get asked how I keep my tiny bosses happiest during our lifestyle family photo shoots! There is a short answer and, of course, a long answer; especially if you are asking me!  First for the long, professional answer. Keeping the shoot moving, finding fun things to distract these lil managers of my time and always thinking on my toes has a lot to do with keeping the imagery fresh and 'looking' oh so calm. ( I'm pretty sure any parent can attest to these tools being in their back( & front pockets) when negotiating with tiny toddlers aka terrorists that can wreak havoc on your plans at any moment!! The short answer though is simple: bribery.  I consistently carry lollipops,  bubble gum and other age specific tools of concise bargaining for my bossy babes.  Not to worry , I do ALWAYS ask mom first about a) the bribing technique and b) the amount of sugar used to concourse this careful situation in my favor.  Generally though, I approach every family photo session with the patience of the Pope and the tactful skill set of a ninja, never knowing exactly how the session will go but always being certain I WILL GET GREAT IMAGERY, even if I have to have a heart to heart, in gibberish, with a two year old about eating grass. 

These two little buds where actually pretty awesome though. I only busted out the lollipops at the very end, after we had captured most of the photo gems I wanted. However, this new flavor of my favorite brand of lollis threw me a little curve ball by turning these kiddos to a delightful shade of blue!! So glad these brothers were absolute champs through the end of the shoot and we didn't find this out the hard way, mid session as it made for some super cute last captures!!

Jack + Charlie, you two of the sweetest suburban brothers with mad photo style( thanks, Mom!)    I can't wait to see you again next season and keep your picture books current and smiley!!

love,

Rose + Co