Jessica Gwozdz Photography - Chicago maternity, newborn, child, and family photographer » Family

Little Skater Dudes

Jes — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:42:57 +0000

I had this idea about trying to write this whole blog post in skater lingo but then I realized that I don’t know any skater lingo other than the word “dude.” Ha! Therefore I am just going to talk like I normally talk and tell you that these are some highlights from a really fun family session we did right before the holidays. A couple of the images were used on a custom holiday card and once the chaos of the holiday season died down, we finished up by selecting some wall art and gift prints.

You know how sometimes you talk to someone new on the phone and it’s so relaxed and natural that it’s like talking to an old friend? That’s how I felt when the mom of this family called me. I just knew we were going to have a great session.

K, I am glad you found me and I look forward to working with you and your beautiful family in the future!

my nephews and niece

Jes — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:00:28 +0000

I am squeezing in one more Christmas card shoot here on the blog before Christmas comes. Meet my nephews and niece. We really wanted to try to do some fun outdoor shots with them this year. Sadly, we realized that this might be the last photo holiday card my sister-in-law can do because next fall the boys will be away at college. How can that be?? I feel like it was just yesterday that I stared dating their uncle and they were the twin babies sitting in high chairs with chunks of cake at their first birthday party. Now within a few months they will be college bound. (Proud Auntie Alert: the one in the middle was just accepted to Yale!)

Here’s my beautiful sis-in-law who is almost never in pictures, so I am really glad I got this one of her goofing around with her kids.

In closing I have to give a shout out to my friend Lisa Harrison. Due to scheduling, we had to take these photos at a less than ideal time of day lighting-wise, and during processing I was dealing with all kinds of color casts and shifts. Lisa is a master of photoshop and color correction and she really helped me even things out so that these portraits printed beautifully. Lisa teaches a couple of Photoshop classes over at CMU – check her out!

Christmas Sweetness

Jes — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:01:13 +0000

Here’s another quick share from a session used for holiday cards. I love the wardrobe choices here – a neutral palette for mom and dad with a punch of red for the little one. Perfect!

Thomas & Percy’s Big Photo Shoot

Jes — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:55:29 +0000

Here’s another session I couldn’t blog until I knew the Christmas cards were sent out. This 3-year-old was awesome. He was so cooperative for the session and was content to play with his trains. He’s going to be a big brother soon too! And seriously – have you ever seen a more gorgeous family?

Holiday Card Mini Sessions

Jes — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:41:50 +0000

Mini sessions for holiday cards will be held on Saturday October 15th. Holiday mini sessions will include a 20-minute studio session and 100 5×7 2-sided flat cards for $325. As with holiday mini-sessions in the past, there will be one background selected for the day (brown) and several card designs to choose from. The 2011 mini session card designs are below. Please note that this mini-session event will be the only opportunity this fall to purchase holiday cards without a $500 minimum investment in portraits first. If you are interested in booking a mini session, call or email today!

Note: Mini-sessions are for kids and immediate family only. It is not possible to accommodate extended family and large groups in the mini-session format. If you would like extended family portraits or if you would like to do additional portraits beyond the card session, please contact the studio for a regular appointment.

There are also some die-cut cards to choose from this year. You can punch a hole on the top, thread some ribbon thru, and your family and friends can then hang these on their trees. Love that idea! Die cut cards are available for a slight upcharge, $375 for a set of 100.

Need more than 100 cards? Additional cards are available for purchase in sets of 25.

Bucket o’ Bunny Grahams

Jes — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:56:02 +0000

I just wanted to share some highlights from a session with one of the most easygoing 1-year-olds I have ever met. She was simply content the whole session – no crying, no fussing, and she went along with whatever her parents and I wanted her to do. She had a beautiful peaceful neutral expression on her face almost the whole time, so I am thrilled that I was able to capture a few big smiles. Towards the end of the session she (naturally) started losing patience, but when her mom showed me that cherry hat I knew we had to pull out the red bucket. It’s a good thing you can’t see how many Annie’s Bunny Grahams are in that bucket with her, keeping her happy. LOL!

Thank you to the G family for the opportunity to document these memories for you!

Ho! Ho! Ho?

Jes — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:27:54 +0000

This is a big blog share because this was a big session! These girls are so adorable and were great to work with. We did a baby parts session combined with a family session, and then tried to squeeze in some special holiday card ideas with santa suits. Whew! It’s not normally recommended to try this much in one session with kids this age and as you can see by the santa suit triptych – the 10 month old had enough by the end! The title of this blog post (Ho! Ho! Ho?) was used on the back of this family’s holiday card along with the final three photos. That was mom’s idea and I totally love it!

L&E – I hope your holiday card was a big hit. Thanks again for the opportunity to photograph your beautiful family. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Cute Hats & Tangled Lights

Jes — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:45:50 +0000

I am happy to be able to share some more client holiday card images. Look at those cute hats they brought along to their session! The hat shot was the one used for the card. The christmas light shot was this family humoring me as test subjects for another one of my kooky ideas. It didn’t work as well as I had hoped due to the tangled lights. Note to self: Next time untangle the strand of lights before the shoot so that two tired babies don’t have to wait while you try to do so. LOL!

Pandora Photo Charms are here!

Jes — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:15:07 +0000

For all of the husbands, dads, and boyfriends out there struggling with what gift to get the woman in their life, I have the solution. Does she have a Pandora Bracelet yet? If you are unaware of what a Pandora Bracelet is, let me tell you what it is because I love mine. The Pandora is a system of bracelet and beads, and you can “build” this over time for various holidays and milestones. There are beads for every occasion, making it kind of a modern twist on a charm bracelet. My husband and kids started my bracelet for me last year with a Christmas tree bead (since they gave it to me for Christmas) and two pretty murano glass beads (each kid picked out one). Over this past year I have collected more beads. For Mothers Day I got a duck bead (my daughter’s favorite animal) and a dog bead (my son’s favorite animal). They gave me a pink ribbon bead when I completed the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this past June. My husband also bought me a camera bead (self explanatory). This summer we just happened to be on a family vacation in Florida when my birthday rolled around, and my family surprised me with a seashell bead to honor my Florida birthday.

Imagine my excitement when I learned that there are photo beads available for the Pandora. What a great Christmas, Hanukkah, or birthday gift! If you are interested in purchasing a photo charm bead sized for Pandora, call the studio today! Other photo jewelry items are also available.

P.S. My 7-year-old daughter took the shot of my hand in my pocket above. I am so proud! LOL

1-2-3-Wheee!

Jes — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:39:25 +0000

You all know how much I love to share pics, so this is killing me to say. I have decided from this point forward to hold off on blogging pics that my clients plan to use for holiday cards so that their family and friends can be surprised when the cards come in the mail. I plan to blog several cute holiday pics in December when I know most of my clients have already sent their cards out. So eventually loyal blog readers – you will get to see what it’s driving me crazy to hold back right now. LOL!

I don’t mean to tease but let me just tell you that this family’s card is going to be ridiculously adorable. For now I will share a few of my other faves from this session (non holiday-related, of course). Ten months old, and super cute. Here you go!

We were hoping to get a shot of the three of them walking, but the real boss of the shoot definitely preferred swinging. 1-2-3-Wheee!