{Lifestyle Portraiture} Fall family session at the farm | Naperville Family Photographer | Batavia Family Photographer

I have to say October might actually be in the lead as one of my favorite months to take pictures. I have been really luckly to have not one, but two sessions at this beautiful farm. The location, the colors and the surroundings were just perfect! - and the adorable subjects that I photographed definitely helped :)

We started off playing at the park and Ms.B was so cute.

Look at those stunning eyes and those rosy cheeks :)

I adore this picture - the love that these two have for Ms.B is so evident in this picture!

We then hiked into the farm - the setting sun and the autumn colors made for a stunning backdrop for these beautiful family photographs!

I felt like I was in a movie set....the perfectly alined trees and the burst of color :)

Of course, any fall family session would be incomplete without pumpkins....and we had lots and lots of pumpkins at the farm :)

Thank you F family for an adorable evening. Hope to see you all soon :)

{Lifestyle Portraiture} Sibling Love | Naperville Kids and Family Photographer

A beautiful family and adorable kids - what more could a photographer ask for? These two were so adorable and well behaved. They really made my work easy and I had so much fun playing with them in their gorgeous backyard!

Thanks C family for having me document evening play time. Enjoy your sneak peak and thank you for the opportunity! - Dad was a great prop assistant! :)

Being eaten by your big sister IS fun! - especially if you get to play with bubbles after that! :)

{Lifestyle Portraiture} Sneak Peek - Nature loving family | Sugar Grove Family Photographer

A beautiful family session in the woods - climbing fallen tree branches, picking wild flowers, gathering sticks and stones, looking for fairies and elves, jumping in rain puddles and mud puddles!!! - these kids sure know how to have fun in nature and their parents let them! - how cool is that!

Thanks D family for a beautiful session out in nature! - enjoy your sneak peek :)

These girls sure know how to explore! - look at the size of that bark they found!

This little guy was not far behind. He kept picking up sticks and stones and kept giving them to his mom and dad :)

Did you ever think jumping in water puddles could be so much fun! :) - love their expressions - pure joy! :)

Another keeper from the last few minutes of the session - I love the rainboots, the raincoats and not to miss, the flowers that were picked out for mom!...how adorable!

{Lifestyle Portraiture} Sneak Peek - Family bonding through play and laughter | Naperville Family Photographer

I truly believe that a family that plays and laughs together, stays together. My weekend session with the S and W family was just that. It was such a blast because everyone got into the spirit of fun and games and pure enjoyment of each other's company.

During the course of our conversation, I was told that the family hasn't been together in a LONG time! - I knew I wanted to focus the session on the emotions and connections this family had with each other. And I was not disappointed. In fact they totally rocked the session!

Thank you to the S and W family for welcoming me into your home and giving me a glimpse of the special bond that is family! - Enjoy your sneak peek!

How cute is this - grandson pushing grandad on the swing!

Beautiful couple - inside and out!

This was a setup for a '60s Bollywood scene of a hero and heroine running around the tree :) - Little man S made a dash to be in the picture with his grandparents! - SO CUTE :)

Don't these two look like newlyweds! - There was a lot of teasing and bantering going on in the background but these two just fit like two peas in a pod!

Look at the kids all grown-up!

My favorite - To me, this picture just captures everything about this family - FUN! - I did not have to tell them twice for a silly face. In fact, I am sure I did not quite finish my statement and they were all ready with their pose :) - You know what I love the most - look at grandma's face - calm and composed - like this is normal in her family!...LOL

{Lifestyle Portraiture} Sneak Peek - Many faces of baby | Geneva Family Photographer

I met the J family at one of my favorite outdoor locations for a quick family photoshoot. Within a short period of time, little man R showed me so many faces - his moods matched his face and body language.

He was very alert and observant for an almost-5 month old. His eyes followed his mom and dad everywhere they went. Sometimes he would look towards me as if to say "Quit distracting me with that black thing in my face, can't you see I am focusing on my parents. They love me, you know! :)"

But how could I resist taking pictures of those gorgeous BLUE eyes!...sigh! - I could stare at them forever ;)

An adorable family picture and you can see he is loving the attention from BOTH mom and dad! He was not very happy with me trying to get his attention!

I love this one! - he was ANGRY and not happy with me at all. His whole body was stiff and his face was RED :) - poor baby! - we ended the session promptly after this face. How could you not!!!

J family, thanks for coming out early on a weekend and enjoy your sneak peek!

{Travel Log} Urban Hiking | Midwest Outdoor Travel

I recently came across an article that talked about Urban Hiking. My kneejeak reaction to that was "Can hiking and urban really go together? What does that mean?"

After some digging around on the Internet, I found some interesting articles and scores of people who enjoy urban hiking. Here is the official definition of Urban Hiking from Wise Geek

          Urban hiking is a form of hiking that takes place in an urban environment, rather than in nature.

To an avid hiker and camper like me, that raised red flags! :)...How can you hike without nature? Is that still called hiking? Wouldn't it be the same as walking?
I found that Urban Hiking can take many different forms. To most folks, it is simply a way to walk around a new city, explore new neighbourhoods and downtowns, or even local city recreation areas. It is a great way to "see" a new town in your own city.

But many people don't to go too far from where they live to try urban hiking. Just gather up the kids or a goup of friends and explore your own neighbourhood. Slow down to really observe and notice the various alleys, shops and resturants around your area. If you live in a residential neighbourhood, walk around and look at all the pretty houses and landscaping. You might get ideas for your own yard now that Spring is here :) You might be really suprised at some of the neighbourhood hidden gems that you might have missed in your normal day to day.

Another plus point for Urban hiking is that minimal prep work is needed. All you need is a local map (if you want it) and a good pair of walking shoes :) - and away you go!

The MJ family urban hiked into a local forest preserve. I know some of you might think this is cheating since a forest preserve does have nature. But considering that this was smack dab, in the middle of residential suburbia, I classify this as urban hiking. As soon as I entered the preserve, I knew what my interpretation of "Urban Hiking" would be.

The preserve is full of interesting architectural elements as well as trees and picnic areas. The old windmill in the picture is a National historic landmark and is open for public tours!

An old station, Japanese gardens and a historic museum are eye candy to a history buff!

There is also a river that flows through divding the preserve into two parts. One part would fit the bill of urban while the other is wooded and there was some hiking involved :). There were so many people walking around, running, jogging or just sitting down by the river and bird watching!

We also took scooters and bikes so that the kids could hike on two wheels - something that you cannot do in a traditional hiking situation!

All in all - it was a fun experience and definitely something to try out in other neighbourhoods!

{Travel Log} A complete sensory stimulation in the Caribbean | Caribbean Outdoor Travel

What a wonderful way to relax, unwind and completely let go to the sensory stimulation found in the Caribbean. I think this can be said for most of the Caribbean islands but no where is it more relevant than in the wonderful island of Curacao!

Curacao is part of the "ABC" islands, but so rich in culture and vibrant in color - it is lively. It is a tiny island with a big agenda!!

I knew I was in for a treat when I got off the plane and saw this sign...the country has a "SUN" symbol in its name :)

 Have you tried "yoga" on the beach? We did and let me tell you it was "bliss".

I would love to have this view as I eat every meal ;)

Curacao is very colorful - everywhere you turn, you are surrounded by color. Not just outside but indoors as well. Downtown Willemstad is a world heritage site. No two buildings are alike in shape or color. Doesn't this give you home painting ideas? :)

Of course water is the key attraction here. It is a wonderful shade of green and blue and is crystal clear!

We saw some unique shape and patterns

Being true to any Memorable Jaunts adventure, we went off the beaten path and hiked into Christoffel National Park.

The views were simply stunning!

The sights around Curacao are really very unique - we saw countless varieties of lizards, birds, flower and vistas :)

Of course the animal life is equally diverse. We had a chance to watch a dolphin show and have a dolphin encounter. A visit with Tikko was definitely the highlight of our visit.

This was the resident pelican at the hotel who showed off his fishing skills twice a day, everyday!

The next time you want to get some sun, why not consider the country that has a "sun" in its name? - you will not be disappointed! You will be looking to go back there anytime you can - dare I say, annually perhaps ;)

{Lifestyle Portraiture} Baby Shower - Celebrating life! | Palatine Lifestyle Photographer

One of the best ways to celebrate life is to celebrate a baby! :) - A new baby brings so much with it - not just it's physical presence but a sense of purpose, a sense of calm, sense of beauty and awe for all that is precious about life. 

A few weeks back, a small group of us gathered to celebrate a mom-to-be and a dad-to-be as well a baby waiting to be born soon. We had a great time - shared some great laughs and stories about childbirth, baby names and baby antics. Everyone had some advise to share and it was wonderful watching mom-to-be take this all in - she had the sweetest smile on her face - the immense joy in her heart was so evident for all to see and feel.

Congratulations A & I - eagerly waiting to meet your baby boy :)

{Lifestyle Portraiture} Sneak Peek - The L family photoshoot - 4 months in the making | Naperville Family Photographer

What a beautiful Sunday morning activity! - the L family photoshoot. So what if it took 4 months to schedule this session....we could not have gotten a more perfect day for this. Tempreatures in the 60s, clear blue skies and gorgeous fall weather.

We talked, we walked, we explored little paths and stream openings - it was perfect!

Thank you L family! I think it was well worth the wait to go out on this beautiful day for a fall photoshoot, don't you? :) Enjoy your sneak peak!

How do you throw leaves in the air? Bottom-up or Top-down! :)

This is the "GO BEARS" look that the boys were sporting! - and it worked! - the Bears won!!!!