What if when you looked back at your family photos, it looked like one big happy dream?
I hope that’s what this family feels 20 or so years from now when they all pull these out and reminisce together over what life used to be like right before Sofia’s baby sister came..
Speaking of Sofia’s baby sister, I currently am double checking my phone to make sure I didn’t miss a text from mom saying she’s on her way and it’s time to pack my bags and go photograph her birth 
xoxo
So for those of you familiar with yelp, particularly those who are business owners and have a listing on there, I think you’ll really enjoy the following Portlandia clip which is an absolute favorite of mine. It is a totally hilarious, overdramatized yet somewhat relatable depiction of what it feels like to get a negative review (although just to be clear, we have all stellar reviews on yelp from both wedding photography, baby photographer, and family photography clients 
)
2012 was a totally crazy, awesome year full of new challenges and lots of growth for me. Specifically I started my journey back to my roots of using film in my artwork (yep, the old school kind – I’m talkin’ 35mm, manually winding your camera, the whole 9 yards). 6 months of busting my butt to juggle both my regular work load and building up a whole new portfolio and I find myself excited for a new beginning, and lots of great blogging material sitting on my hard drives. Speaking of which, I have been dying to share a peek into this family’s birth story I captured over the last few months. I’m not sure when I truly fell in love with them most.. when mom & dad said they wanted a totally lifestyle pregnancy and newborn session? Or perhaps when my sandal broke in the middle of a train yard during their pregnancy session, and dad carried me all the way back to my car so I wouldn’t step on any broken glass? Or perhaps it was was when they treated Vasili and I to bloody mary’s at Prasino a few weeks later? (yes, that was the moment! )
Anyway, here are but only a few of my favorites from my time with them.. stay tuned for more of sweet P’s first year coming soon! XO
above: Mom snapped this pic of Dad having to carry me and my broken sandal all the way back to my car from the spot we were shooting at.. oh my poor clients and the things I put them through.. ha
above: My favorite part about P’s nursery. Can you believe dad painted these himself?? (and the best part is that the heart on the tree has his and mom’s initials ‘carved’ into it)
A simple belly session..
A few weeks ago I woke up at 4 am to head off to this photography family photography session… Yes folks, you heard me right – four. a.m. I know that this probably seems like no big deal to the average person but I go to bed at like 2 am every night (trust me it’s not as glamorous as it sounds.. lol). But despite feeling like a total zombie as I trudged out the door that morning, getting these scans back today I’m reminded why I would do anything to get these shots… probably hands-down these are among the most beautiful images I’ve taken to date and I am so excited to share them.
But why were we getting together for a session at the crack of dawn you ask? Well you will probably recognize this gorgeous family who I am so happy to announce that they are expecting another GIRL! Those who follow my blog probably know already that I’ve been photographing this bunch since big sister Avery was just 6 months old, and I can’t believe we’re already at this point. For this session we decided to spend the first half freezing our tushes off at one of their favorite walking paths to catch that gorgeous light you can only get right at sunrise, and then hurried back home to warm up and enjoy Avery and mama’s ritual milk & tea in bed. Oh, and the best part is that I got to play ‘princesses’ with Avery (have no fear when the princesses are here – we hunted down the witch and defeated her with our magic spells!).
Anyway, please hurry up and take a look at these images because they are seriously.. amazing. And I like to hope that they reflect the bright, warm, beautiful amazingness that is this family and what I’ve come to know of them these past few years. Love you guys and so happy for you, can’t wait to come back once ‘princess Aurora’ arrives!! XOXO
above: we got these gorgeous shoes (left) from Joyfolie, one of my favorite favorite kids’ shoe makers ever. They are gorgeous and just by looking at and touching them it is evident how much craftsmanship and love goes into each shoe. I was incredibly bummed that it was so cold and Avery couldn’t wear these, but I was touched that she tried really hard to wear them for a few minutes for me.
and the best part…
…the following few shots were inspired by an advertisement I saw of Calypso’s that said “Always believe that something wonderful will happen…”
above: I definitely don’t often do staged or ‘themed’ shots but every now and again I’ll see something that inspires me and when I have a willing subject it is pretty darn fun. And besides, these ‘sparkle shots’ were a little reward for Avery being SO unbelievably good and cooperative for us despite how cold I know she was (and all other parents please know, this is a wonderful exception to the rule, but not the norm for kids of her age. It’s okay to have meltdowns in the cold, I would too if I had no understanding of self-restraint ).
above: Avery is going to be such an amazing sister – she already shows so much nurturing love and care, whether it be for her mama’s belly or her baby dolls
Here you will find all of our latest happenings and sneak peeks from our recent sessions. If you’d like to view our main portfolio or details about booking your own session, please go to our main website at www.simplybysuzy.com OR click on the VIEW PORTFOLIO link under any of our blog posts.
Simply by Suzy Photography
www.simplybysuzy.com
Chicago Photographers, Suzzane Brown (also known as Suzy!) & Vasili Gryfakis, work together in Chicago’s first premier pregnancy, birth, newborn and family photography studio. We met years ago while working at a local Whole Foods. He was the stock boy, I was the bag girl and, well, the rest is history… :) Now we photograph love of all kinds together (including a select number of weddings each year) and are proud to be Chicago’s first and only premier photography studio that offers a full range of services to capture your life and love at all stages whether it be pregnancy photography, birth photography, newborn photography or family photography. Our style has been described as organic and simple, and we strongly believe in the importance of giving you more than just memories of how you look but rather who you are. And because of that we take a candid photojournalistic approach in order to capture your real, authentic connections. In addition to our unique story-telling approach when documenting you and your family, we pride ourselves on the deep, long-lasting relationships we typically develop with our clients so don’t be surprised if we ask you out for brunch or coffee one day to catch up on your life after our session together! On a more professional level, Suzy has done work for organizations such as the Women’s Health Foundation and Motion PR and photographed local public figures including Angi Taylor with Chicago’s KISS FM. Suzy also received her MPH in Public Health while focusing much of her studies on Maternal/Child Health in addition to being a certified photographer for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.
Simply by Suzy
http://simplybysuzy.brandyourself.com/
