You picked out an amazing prom dress, now shave your head!

Think back to the spring of your senior year in high school... College applications & scholarship interviews, job interviews, finding a date to prom, searching for the perfect tuxedo or dress, and deciding how to wear your hair to prom...

Alyssa, a senior at Warren Township High School in Gurnee, can now skip the last question. Because she shaved her head (and donated a pony tail too). In the process, Alyssa raised a pretty good sum of money in support St. Baldrick's–an organization that funds childhood cancer research. 

It was humbling to watch as all her beautiful hair floated to the floor. Her parents, practically in tears, watched from just a few feet away. And I simply tried to photograph the moment as best I could.

Her bravery in that moment was unbelievably inspiring. Without hesitation, she tossed away the ridiculous social pressures of high school, all so that a young child somewhere might simply be able to live to see her prom...

We Strapped Blades to their Feet!

We had a great time in Cleveland. In fact, we even dodged a bit of snow (not something Cleveland is known for). But it's good to be back in Chicago.

We spent time with family and even did a little ice skating! Skating with little kids is pretty brave by itself–I mean they're challenging enough to contain, so why not strap blades to their feet? Oh and remember not to pick up your kid with skates on... 

To make it more interesting, I was lugging my camera around the ice. I love making photographs in tricky situations (kids, ice, blades, past bed time–a perfect combination).

And if you read my last post, you might be wondering about the drive home... The image below pretty much sums it up. Both kids were out cold for a good 2 hours! I caught up on a few podcasts and we stopped only once during the 6 hour trip. I'd call that a win for Dad. Now back to work, spring break is over!

Spring Break 2015–Road Trip!

Well, it was an adventure, but not the first kind of trip that comes to mind over Spring Break... With Shelby off for the week, I figured why not take the kids to Ohio and visit the grandparents? Driving six hours with a 6 year old and newly minted 3 year old without backup (mom) can't be that bad...

We were less than an hour in and barely out of Chicago, and Shelby requested the first pit stop. I wouldn't call it a NASCAR stop but it was pretty quick. Ok, everybody hit the potty and regroup at one of the cleaner looking corners of the rest stop-ready GO! Still mastering the art of the potty, and new to the loud flush rest stop potty, Pete was not getting anywhere near those monster porcelain vacuums (you'd think for all that noise during a flush, the floors would be dry–yuck). With 350 miles to go and a pull-up for insurance, I chose not to pick that fight. Back in the car we went...

Entertainment options for the trip included: 2 iPads (with barely enough space for 2 movies-come on Apple!), Beats music, satellite radio, a doodle pad, a variety of snacks, and whatever random notepads Shelby managed to stuff into her backpack.

During past trips, Pete has made it a good 4 hours before starting to break down. This time, barely 2 hours in and he started repeating "I wanna go home!" 

After another quick pit stop (Pete still didn't go), I basically threw a little of everything from the snack cooler to the back seat. We cranked up "All About That Bass" and somehow managed to leave the irritability in our wake...

Somehow, we made it! Even more impressive was that Pete's pull up was dry, a feat I couldn't have managed (of course he didn't have a thermos of coffee & diet coke). And this 2 pound Costco cake was waiting for us upon arrival-thanks grandma!

Best of Houzz–Design Photography in Chicago

While most of my work centers around headshots and portraits, you might’ve seen a few real estate images on my site too. If you haven't seen them, head over to my Houzz.com page. Houzz is like a professionally curated Pinterest with a focus towards all things house & home. It’s the place to be for home designers, decorators, contractors, and do it yourselfers looking for ideas.

I was flattered to open an email from Houzz announcing that I had won a Best of Houzz Award for Design Photography.

These images were some of the most popular among the site’s 25 million monthly visitors!

Before you start that next project at home, do check out Houzz.com. Find yourself a local professional to point you in the right direction. A little professional advice goes a long way.

Photography and The Small Business Community

To kick off 2015, I’m very excited to formally announce a series of new photography services for small business. You can read the specifics here, but this post is more about how the offering came to be.

Running a small business is tough, even when things are going well. The demands are never-ending, and “delegation” is a term I seem to have left in the corporate world.

As my own journey into working full-time as a headshot and portrait photographer has unfolded, I’ve had to learn about all aspects of running a small business — everything from accounting to marketing. In fact, saying I’m a full-time photographer is a bit of stretch: yes, I’m engaged full-time in running my photography business, but only some of that time is spent behind the camera.

If you’ve ever pursued an entrepreneurial venture, you know what I mean: it seems like you’ve got to spend a lot of time doing the thing that is not “your thing” in order for people to see that you can do “your thing” well.

Keeping up a social media presence and website can be some of the most time-consuming things we’ve got to do to help our small businesses succeed. And I’ve actually got an advantage there: as a photographer, I’ve got a steady supply of good images to use for blog posts and Facebook updates. I know from talking with other small business owners that the social media slog is even tougher when you don’t have the tools on hand to make quality images whenever you need them.

Working on various projects with all kinds of professionals in Gurnee, Libertyville, and the broader Lake County and Chicagoland area, I’ve realized when I do my thing, I’m actually in a perfect position to help my fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners get back to doing their thing.

I’ve got experience with headshots, lifestyle portraits, and photographing interiors and real estate. These are very different kinds of work requiring very different equipment and expertise — trust me. There’s a lot to be said for focusing on just one discipline, but now I’ve realized that, together, these services form a natural package that meet the needs of small business owners. I can help the folks who, like me, want to present themselves and their business to the world with polish and professionalism. They need sharp headshots of their people, great images of their products, and inviting pictures of their space.  

My goal in 2015 is to get our small businesses looking their best, one shoot at a time. We often hear of the importance of small businesses in our economy. It is so true, entrepreneurs are vital to every community. It’s time we look the part.

So if you’re a small business owner, give me a call and let’s get started. If you notice your favorite local business (salon, restaurant, bakery, insurance agent, dentist, accountant) could use some help, let the owner know of my offering. Ask them to contact me, or any local photographer.