Amelia.

Her sweet mama has been so patient waiting for her sneak peek.  Hi Katie!  I pulled these images up on my computer this evening and had the hardest time just whittling down which ones to use.  I could have shot with her all day but Amelia was not too shy about when she was worn out.  She got a sleepy little look in her eyes, dad flipped her over on her tummy and she was (literally) out like a light.  I wish I could do that with my kiddos when I want them to go to sleep!

What to Wear {April, 2012}

I have three family sessions to shoot this weekend, perhaps some of you need some last minute inspiration?!  Whenever we do family portraits, finding coordinating outfits for everyone is the hardest part.  Hopefully soon it will be warm enough to pull off shorts for pictures!  Happy Spring!

This is... a very true story

Ever since we moved to the Chicago area, I have daydreamed about doing pictures of my kids on the beach with the city behind them. Last October I decided I was finally going to do it. My bestie also needed family pics so I told her to come with us and I would shoot their family at the same time.

Ok, so maybe I started the day off on the wrong foot. We decided to meet for lunch at Ed Debevic's but I forgot to inform my children that the waitress was supposed to be mean to them. My youngest was hiding under the table before she even took our drink orders. Hmmm.... perhaps I am seeing that I was more of a culprit than I originally thought. Sending children into a photo shoot terrifed = not a very good idea.

After lunch, we headed over to North Avenue Beach (which, by the way, is a fantastic location.) I started with my kids because I knew I would have a much harder time with them than my friends' children. Twenty minutes in, and with the bestie doubled over in laughter at how hard of a time I have working with my own children, I moved on to her family. This was the first shot I took of them:

Pretty perfect. I CAN do this. That picture was followed by this:

(hahahaha! Love that one!) and this:

OK, confidence rebuilt, heading back to my children. I shot with them for two and a half hours, folks. Not one usable image of the three of them. Nothing. Nada. I guess it's true what they say about the cobbler's children not having any shoes.

Of course the bestie's Christmas card came in the mail this year and I was instantly jealous. It was exactly what I had envisioned for mine for the past three years. Sigh.

I did end up with individual pictures of each of them which I am happy with. I just wish I would have gotten ONE shot of the three together. Here is Masey:

Grayson:

and Holden:

The saga will continue on Sunday. I figure with it being Easter and them already being dressed, the battle is half won already. Check back, perhaps the Easter Bunny will bring me the money shot of my kiddos. I sure hope so!

the magic of photoshop.

my brother travels at the rate the rest of us brush our teeth. in the past year and a half he has been to china, cuba, south africa, russia and mexico. that is not mentioning his numerous weekend trips to florida, new york city, arizona... geez i cannot keep up with all of it! anyway, he has given me his snapshots to run through photoshop and i thought i would share some of the amazing before/afters with you. that way we can all travel vicariously through him!

What to Wear {March, 2012}

Spring is here! If you're looking for some family wardrobe inspiration, look no further… this months ”What to Wear” is sure to please with a lovely palette in navy and green. Oooh..la..la!

Casting Call!

I am looking for babies between birth and six months to boost my portfolio. There is no sitting fee and if you choose to purchase the disc with 12 images in both color and black and white, it will be discounted by 30% which means your total investment would be $100. Please email me at graydenlanephotography@gmail.com to schedule your appointment!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

Have you been sucked into Pinterest yet? It is quickly becoming my "destressor" on a busy day. I head over there and all of a sudden all of the worries of the world disappear, just for a minute. Here are some things I found "pinteresting" this week; if you need an invitation just let me know but then you have to follow me so I can see all of your fun ideas, too. I did make the two St. Patrick's Day crafts with the five year old. That blog is amazing and I cannot believe that she fits in so much fun AND works! We also had the Chik Fil A nuggets for dinner one night. They are my daughter's favorite and she exclaimed after the first bite "these taste JUST like Chik Fil A!" I hadn't even told her that was the recipe! That is a pretty good testament! I did read through the comments and found that one of the keys not mentioned is adding a splash of pickle juice to the milk. Weird, but true.