TO THE BLOG

Do you ever wish you could freeze time? I know all parents have those moments where they think to themselves….Where. Did. The. Time. Go? One moment you are waking up at night to feed a baby and the next second you are getting them ready for their first day of Kindergarten.

A memory pops up on your phone or social media and you can hardly remember those moments while in the midst of what, can sometimes, become a crazy moment in your parental life. It is something that you are warned about, it all goes so fast, but you never really “feel it” until it’s your children on the screen, in the photograph, in the video, before your very eyes.

The days are long, but the years fly by. Some days are so, so hard and other days are filled of so much joy, you can’t imagine how you got so lucky. ✨

Marci is a long time family friend. I have known her since she was a young lady. Her three children are her life. She is an amazing mother to these three precious children. They really are so lucky they get to call her momma. Marci is kind, she is loving and she is sweet. And so are her babies!

It is always an honor to capture your family memories. I hope each time you look at your pictures, your heart is reminded of this cherished time in all of your families’ lives.

Oh, and may I remind you how colorful and cheery summer sessions can be! Love all the florals too. We met in River Grove in a garden near Triton College for this fun family photo shoot.

Until next time,

Renée

Meet Samantha, a Downers Grove Lifer.

It was the end of Summer of 2024. Samantha was looking for new headshots to match her new real estate career! Middle of September and it was hotter than hot, but we had a plan and we stuck with it! Meet in downtown Downers Grove and utilize the locations as the backdrop to her photos.

Samantha has a strong financial background and she coaches girls basketball. She is like a real life cheer leader. She is positive, fun and is always looking at the bright side. You really enjoy being around her!

Together, we walked around town, chatting and finding unique little nooks to bring some variety to her images. Downers Grove is full of charm and that wonderful small town appeal you look for in a community. She can tell you all about it! 😉. If you are looking for a wonderful realtor in DG, she’s your girl! She works out of the Downer Grove BHHS Chicago office. https://samanthaaycock.bhhschicago.com/

Well that is it for now folks. I hope you are enjoying 2025 so far! See ya next time!

Cheers-

Renèe

Hello, welcome back to the blog! Winter is slowing dragging itself, per usual. When it feels like the cold months will never end, it is nice to look back at some sessions from warmer seasons! The Pasia family reached out to me for a photo session. Jennifer has twins, she learned about my business from another twin mom. There is an awesome twin mom connection. I should know, I am one too! My oldest daughter had the spotlight for almost three years before her twin brothers entered the world. Now she just demands it! LOL!

Being a twin mom is such a wonderful experience. When you see other twins out in the wild, it is just neat to acknowledge it, you know what those other parents are experiencing or experienced. So the Pasia family had come to me just as their fraternal twins turned two. I always loved that age, it seems sweet and special. For me, it’s three that really shows its true colors.

We met at a gorgeous park and garden in Chicago. When kiddos are this age, you let them explore and capture the moments along the session.

I could tell, Jennifer was worried about the results, she was hoping for some great shots, but us mostly following the twins around the park didn’t exactly feel like we were getting anything.

I hope when they look at these images, they have fond memories of how special this time was in their lives. Jennifer reached out again for fall photos, that was a great feeling! This time we meet in Riverside, the colors were vibrant and the season was glowing with goodness.

The twins were definitely more used to me this time, following them along with my camera in hand, saying silly things for a smile! Just look at those cuties! It was an honor to capture their family photos and create lasting memories for all to cherish!

When clients call for another session, it means so much! Building these relationships along the way, even better! Thanks for following along! Until next time.

Fondly,
Renée

Hello! Hope all is going well during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I am going to jump to the holiday themed seasons I had this year. I am still posting summer and fall sessions, sigh… I will get back to those with time. That is the life of a busy photographer!

Just a few weeks ago I meet up with Tamika and her adorable twins for their holiday card photo session! They got all dressed up and looked fabulous (I always love that 😉!)

This was the second time Tamika booked a session this year, we originally met for my Mother’s Day sessions held back in May! The excitement to meet with clients more than once a year is real! It is a real honor to capture these precious memories of Tamika and her kiddos!

Dressed to the nines and looking fabulous, they were ready for their time in front of the camera. Just look at these adorable faces!

Time just flies so fast, one minute you have newborn baby twins and the next they are four, fun and so very jolly! They will always have these images to look back upon and share. I just love that so much.

Tamika is such a hardworking, fun loving mom, she does it all -just for them. It warms my heart.

Happy Holidays! Till next time!

Hello there! Welcome back to my photography blog! Today, I’d love to share Beth Franken’s branded session with you.

Beth is a real estate broker in Oak Park, Illinois. She works at BHHS Chicago. She is a lovely person and has so many talents. Previously, Beth was a professional writer. She has worked in both the advertising and journalism fields. She then decided to take a chance and flip a house, and subsequently determined she had a knack for real estate! Of course she wrote about the experience and those articles were featured in the “Chicago Tribune.”

Beth has an eye for design, she is also fantastic with numbers. Beth always puts her clients’ need first, making her a wonderful asset to any real estate transaction.

During Covid 19, Beth bought a new property in Oak Park, restyling it and finishing the attic. It is where we met for her branding session. I was just in awe as I walked through her beautiful property! As an HGTV fanatic, it was so fun to see what you can do with an empty space. She enhanced an already lovely property by adding her beautiful design ideas.

Here is Beth. Isn’t she cute?! And check out this bright, beautiful reading nook!

Did you need a book, for the nook? Curated to perfection, this staircase to the third floor (formerly the attic) is jaw dropping!

The wall paper, the decor, the colors. Everything was Beth’s personal touch. She has got it, she really does!

It was an honor to be invited into Beth’s home in Oak Park and to photograph her newest masterpiece. I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek of her lovely home! Maybe some inspo for your next project! 😉

Click Here to Get to Know Beth and learn more about her real estate expertise.

As always, I thank you for reading. Until next time, take care!

xo
Renée

Hey friend, welcome back to the blog! This blog will definitely date my work and my relationship with a great friend. I’d like to introduce, Evelyn. She is a real estate broker at BHHS Chicago. The moment I met Evelyn, I would we would connect. She has killer style, a tell it like it is personality that I admire, and she is a great listener! We’ve been friends for some time and she trusted to me to take some photos of her back when I started to dabble in photography in 2019. She was so sweet to trust me, still learning the ins and outs of a DSLR camera!

I remember the date we booked for our session. It had rained a bit, it was not exactly a sunshiny kind of day, but we walked around Oak Park and made the best of what we could (with the light and humidity!)

So here are some of the images from that session…it makes me realize, there is growth with each session, each year, every new gadget and technology you invest in too!

Four years later, Evelyn was ready to update her headshot. We were able to use a fancy condo building that was for sale by BHHS at the time. A change up from her previous location. Again a rainy and dreary day. I remember raindrops on the windows and NO LIGHT coming in the unit…of course. Again, we made the best of this high end location. Evelyn looking all so fancy as all we really needed anyhow!

This year, Evelyn was once again looking to update her headshot. We were brainstorming on location ideas. An idea came to me, there is an adorable new cafe/lounge in Westchester called Aviator. I always admired those Pinterest cafe photo shoots and would love an opportunity to actually create one! Luckily, Aviator agreed to host us! We picked a good time in between serving cappuccinos and espresso martinis- there was a break in customers.

Told ya, she has killer style. Thinking back on the sessions with my friend, I think about growth. How much you can you improve at something without even really noticing. Practice, fine tuning, retrying and trying again. We are all improving, growing, learning something new each day, each year. Evelyn, too, has grown in real estate. I watched her, from new to the business, to now helping repeat clients buy and sell homes. I know she loves helping them achieve their real estate dreams. She gives good advice and will not beat around the bush just to get a sale. A friend, a realtor you can trust!

Evelyn’s Website is HERE. Click to read more about Evelyn and her real estate services.

Until next time!

Renée