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chicago baby shower photographers | baby blessing.

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

A friend and owner of Chicago’s very own TipsyCake contacted me a couple months ago asking if she could ‘gift’ me to her friends to document their baby shower, and I am so glad that she did.  It was my very first Indian baby shower & blessing and while I absolutely love experiencing new cultures and traditions, I was a teensy bit nervous.. what if I missed something important because I didn’t know it was important?  But any nerves or anxiousness I had was immediately alleviated when I knocked on the door and was introduced to dad-to-be who gave me a quick run-through of what was going on and told me to make myself at home and take pictures of anything I wanted to, stand anywhere I needed to, whatever I needed..  He told me that they loved pictures and as long as I capture how beautiful his wife is, I would do a great job :)  The next two hours of the blessing felt like a blur as I maneuvered my way through the crowd, standing on top of things, literally taking pictures of everything I could until my hands were sore.  There was dancing, a blessing, prayers, laughs, and jewelry (lots of beautiful jewelry!).  And overall the day was filled with so much beauty, the colors were so vibrant and everything from the clothing to the flowers was wonderfully ornate.  After the blessing was finished, I went outside for a few minutes with mom and dad for pictures of just them before heading off to India House for the baby shower.  Everything about the day was fun, beautiful and made me feel incredibly special to be a part of it.

I am so excited to share but a few favorite moments of mine from that day with this family.  Thank you so much Amit & Neha and all of your family & friends for not only allowing me the privilege of capturing this for you but also for your kindness and warm hospitality to me throughout the entire day.  Congrats and so excited to hear when baby arrives! XO

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above: the vibrant colors and ornate details of the blessing had me hypnotized. It was so unbelievably beautiful. 

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above: after the blessing, we headed over to India House in Schaumburg for the baby shower! 

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above: beautiful cake made by Naomi Levine of Tipsy Cake of course! How ADORABLE is that carousel of animals on top?? (it actually worked and was rotating in a circle like a real carousel!) 

 

 

 

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chicago lifestyle photographers | instagram rules.

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

I’m quite certain most of you are familiar with this smart phone app but I just now finally took the plunge and became an Instagram user.  And let me tell you, after just a few weeks of using it and I am totally hooked.  Instagram is the most amazing app in the world and I highly recommend you download it.. like.. now :)  It’s an app that allows you to create beautiful artwork out of every day moments. You snap a pic or upload one that’s already in your phone’s picture gallery and then add a number of different effects to it.. b&W, vintage, ultra contrast, add some selective blur, keep it normal, give it a border.. you name it!  And even better, you can either choose to keep your images private or you can add friends to your watch list and it’s sort of like a photo-only Facebook but far more simple.  What’s cooler – having your newsfeed be filled with lame posts of people griping about how it snowed 2 feet orrrr having it be filled with each different perspective of what people are doing at that same exact time?  I also love that it uses the convenience of your iphone so literally you can take a picture of just about anything because let’s face it, who doesn’t have their iphone just sitting in their pocket at all times? It allows you to capture moments that you might have missed if waiting to use your big clunky DSLR or the point and shoot that didn’t even get the exposure bright enough anyway (you ever try shooting an insanely beautiful moment that’s backlit by strong sunlight with a point and shoot that has no ability to manually control your settings? so frustrating).  I love Instagram so much I’ve started recommending it to my clients for their every day pictures too (if you’ve had a session with me, ask me how to incorporate your own Instagram artwork into your family’s Simply by Suzy keepsake album!).

Don’t believe me yet how much fun and awesome Instagram is? Here’s some of my own pics that I’ve taken of my ‘every day life’ using instagram, and feel free to even follow me @simplybysuzy.

What’s your Instagram @name?  Comment below with it and I’ll follow you too!

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chicago newborn & family photographers | partners in this life.

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this blog post.. hands down one of my favorite newborn sessions to date.  I first got in touch with this mom last fall when she contacted me about photographing her family.  I was really excited to hear that she was also a baby/family photographer here in Chicago and immediately made plans to meet her and her hubby so we could get to know each other better before the babies arrived.  We met up at a nearby coffee shop and bonded over talk of traveling and good food :)  A couple months later they were surprised with a little boy and teeny tiny girl, and at one month old Vasili and I visited them all at their home for a newborn session.  A few things that I will always remember about our time together…

* Their bedroom was ah-mazing.

* This was one of a few newborn sessions I’ve had where mom & dad specifically booked me for our lifestyle approach and not necessarily the sleepy, curled up baby work we do.  I.loved.it… more than anything :)

* I was in their bedroom changing lenses when dad announced coffee was ready.  I walked out to the kitchen to find Vasili and dad talking about quantum physics.  This made me smile, but a little sad to pull V away for more work as I know it’s not often he finds someone who appreciates this kind of scientific jargon or actually understand it the way he does lol

* Mom & dad are truly partners to each other and I love that.  And when I say ‘partner’ I meant that in the literal sense, as the definition of a partner is ‘one that is united or associated with another or others in an activity or a sphere of common interest.’  I know that’s somewhat of a dry way of putting it but I totally believe that it takes having a great and supportive partner to get through this life, especially when it comes to raising a family, and these parents were nothing short of that to each other.  They helped each other hold the babies and feed them, they loved each other and loved each of their little ones together in such synchrony.. and  it felt so awesome to observe not just out of happiness for them but also out of comfort knowing that one day if Vasili and I are so lucky to have children together that we’ll have that same type of partnership too.

Anyway without rambling too much, here’s but a small glimpse into this family’s new life together :) Thank you so much to them for inviting us out to document their newest treasures and we can’t wait to come back and see you all again soon  XO

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chicago fine-art film photographers | pistil & vine

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Recently a friend referred a local florist to Vasili and I as we were looking for someone to begin taking care of all our floral needs.  I emailed her to set up an appointment and shortly thereafter we met at her shop, Pistil & Vine, over on Damen in the Wicker Park/Bucktown area.  When I walked in I already knew that it was right up my alley – a small business like ourselves, their flowers instantly  made me think of words like “organic, simple, classic.”  And then in walks Megan, who is the owner of Pistil & Vine.  Her awesome hubby made us coffee and we hung out for a bit and chatted about our businesses, my own personal needs and goals for working with her, life, film, you name it… (I even got to watch her creative genius in action as she put together a floral arrangement for a client!).  Aside from the beautiful aesthetic of the shop, Megan herself was nothing short of a joy to talk to.  So down-to-earth and kind, you truly feel her passion for her work just radiating from her heart.  Not everyone is a good fit professionally but I knew leaving the shop that day she was the perfect fit for Simply by Suzy.  Anyway, a few weeks later she let me stop by again and snap a few photos of her store so I could share with you :) (her pup Murphy even joined us!)

So without further ado, meet Megan from Pistil & Vine and her shop pup, Murphy :)

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chicago fine-art pregnancy photographer | C&C

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

I don’t know what I loved most about this session… the fact that it was sunny and warm in January?  That they were so much fun to hang out with? Or the fact that I love any session that includes pets? Either way, I had the best time getting to know this family a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to come back and meet their new little one in just a short while.  Thanks so much for inviting me out to capture this time for you C&C and I’ll be seeing you again soon :)

 

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