{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} Julie & John married | Crest Hill Wedding Photographer | Naperville Wedding Photographer

You probably remember Julie and John from their engagement shoot documented here. Julie and John were married on, quite possibly, one of the last perfect weather summer days here in Chicago. The ceremony was simple yet elegant and very personal with readings from family members and a ring exchange not just between Julie and John but also with Julie's girls. It was a very moving ceremony and I am so glad for the opportunity to document this day in their lives as husband and wife!

Congratulations Julie and John! - wishing you all the very best life has to offer! - Keep smiling :)

Julie and John opted not to see each other before the ceremony so we decided to do family pictures instead. I love taking pictures of the bride with her father - it always brings a smile to my face when I see the beautiful exchange between parent and child (no matter what their ages may be).

John's groomsmen were so funny! - I told them to loosen up and chill and Bob proceeded to crack the funniest jokes and had all of us in splits :)

I love bridal party pictures! - the posed ones as well as the silly ones :)

What a beautiful family!

These two are so in love - I asked them to take a moment and just absorb the day and each other and they promptly forgot I was even there! :)

Any party that has the dance train can only be a fun, wild event!

The Compass gals! :)

This is one of my favorite pictures from the wedding - Julie's parents dancing to the twist :)

{Travel Log} Memorable Jaunts Group Camp | Blackwell Forest Preserve Camping | Chicago Outdoor Travel

What a wonderful camping experience! Two weeks ago, we organized our annual Memorable Jaunts Group event. Last year, it was a group hike and you can read about that here. This year we decided to camp in a local forest preserve - Blackwell Forest Preserve in Wheaton.  All I can say is that we had such a great time with all our Memorable Jaunts friends and supporters!!

Our group included experienced campers as well as first timers and the whole weekend couldn't have been more perfect! - Perfect weather, Perfect location & Perfect company!

The kids had such a blast playing and running around while the adults setup camp :)

Our community gathering place during the day!

and the same community gathering site in the evening! - Love it! Everyone pitched in and brought something for the camp...be it a dish to share, dishes to use or desert.

Who says a campsite has to be dull...we had fresh flowers courtesy of Mary from Mary's Wholesome Living :)

Nothing defines "camping" more than roasting smores over the campfire! - thanks to our friends at Peaceful Parlour who provided organic fair trade Theo Chocolates for the smores! - the "Chai Latte" smore was delicious!

The wonderful and super sweet Mary of Mary's Wholesome Living and her adorable dog, Finny. Isn't Mary's camper the cutest! - it's a vintage camper circa 1963!
Mary made sure she kept all of us fed with all sorts of delicious food. There was roasted beets, grilled sandwiches, vegetable salad and plenty of her amazing ginger beer to go around. Her daughter was most sought after by the adults because she had Coffee to share - morning and night! LOL :). Between mother and daughter, it was such a gourmet camping experience!

Blackwell is a beautiful location - it is in the heart of the western suburbs of Chicago and is so picturesque.

Thanks to everyone who came and made the event such a wonderful experience. A special thanks to our friends who drove 2 hours from Bloomington-Normal to be a part of this event. We had such a blast and it was so delightful to hear the first timers rave about camping and being inspired to get out more :) - We are already looking forward to our 2013 Group Event!!