In the Spirit of Christmas

I took this photo last Christmas at home in Dayton. I had just gotten my camera in September so of course I was eager to capture anything I could. This was me messing around with different angles. It came out kind of cool though. I love the tree in the background and the wrapped Christmas gift. Feels very "holiday" to me. So Happy Holidays everyone!! I hope you have wonderful times with the people you love and get to eats lots of good food! :) Big hugs to everyone!

Finale of Jake

Okay last one. I just couldn't resist this picture! It's similar to the first one, but his expression literally melts my heart! He is so darn adorable :)

Jake take 2!

Jake take 2! He is so handsome and has the best dimples!! We took these pictures right out in their yard, which made it better for Jake who was familiar with the atmosphere. He loved being out there exploring and running around. I hope to be able to photograph Jake again in the future. Jeff and Stephanie, feel free to call me anytime! ;)

Jake!

Introducing, Jake! How cute is he?? I was fortunate enough to be able to snap some shots of my cousins and their little one. This was my first "real" session with people. Before this I was mainly taking pictures of just objects or life around Chicago. Photographing my family really made me realize how much I love this hobby and really hope to keep pursuing it. Jake was a joy to photograph. He was full of energy running around (made it a little difficult to get a whole family picture though!) and was excited just to be outside playing. The weather was perfect for this session too. These days remind me why Fall is my favorite time of year! Crisp air, cool temperatures, and falling leaves... love it! There might be another picture of Jake coming....he is just too cute to only pick one! :)

Tis the Season

Tis the season!! Tonight Tracy and I got our Christmas decorations up all around the apartment. We love knowing we can come back from Thanksgiving and really bask in the greatness of the Christmas season. There is a technique I saw online about how to photograph the Christmas tree, so of course as soon as we put on the last ornament, the lights went off and I started snapping! Fun fact: this photo was taken withOUT a flash on and with all of the lights off. And it's so bright! Love the holiday look and feel of it :) I can't wait to get home to Ohio and try the same technique on my parents tree. Happy Holidays to all my friends and family!

Winding Stairs

My good friend Caitlin and I went out one Saturday just to go to different parts of downtown to try and get some good photos of Chicago. We came across this great park in the midst of all these buildings. As we were walking around and we came across this great looking stairwell. The architecture surrounding it was so great looking and I'm pleased with the contrast of the light in this photo. I really just thought this was a great looking staircase :)

Highway Sunset

Aren't these colors amazing?? I took a bit of a risk when I took this image. I was on my way home to Ohio and as I'm driving away from the city and into Indiana, I kept looking in my mirrors back at this amazing sunset. I couldn't believe how amazing it was. So of course, I had to get it. I pulled over on the side of the highway, put back my sun roof, stood up and snapped away. (Thankfully it wasn't a busy highway at the time!). I love that you can see the town lights below and just how bright the sun was as it was going down. Thankfully I got this because about an hour later the pouring rain started!! :)