Things have been quiet around here, as winter is my slow season for photography. There aren’t a lot of people who would opt to have photos taken–or to get married–during winter time in Chicago. But don’t worry, I did find two of them: Anne and David!

These two are getting married this summer (when the weather will, hopefully, be MUCH warmer) at the Morton Arboretum. However, they wanted to go off-script and take their engagement photos during the winter, which we all thought would be less-than-conventional in the best kind of way.

Anne and David met when, after moving from Germany, Anne decided to join a Chicago swim team for fun. David was on the swim team too, as fate would have it, and their coach decided to play match-maker. It worked!

Now, every weekend during the warmer months, the two of them swim Lake Michigan, starting here at the Ohio St. beach. So, of course, that’s where we decided to do their photos. Lucky for us, we got a fresh dusting of snow the night before. The landscape was dreamy–even if it was only 23 degrees!

Here are some sneak peeks from our time together:

Does it get any better than this view?

The near-frozen lake was so still and serene. It was really lovely!

I wasn’t so mean as to ask them to actually put on their fins in the frigid temps, but they wanted to use them in a few photos.

Along with their swim team mascots!

So happy that these two found each other–and that they found me! Can’t wait to shoot their wedding this summer.

I photographed Jason, Jaelon, and their dads this past weekend just a few blocks from my house, as we all live in the same neighborhood. Good gosh, I am glad I got to meet this family.

From the second I met them at their home, the boys were just so sweet and endearing. They are little charmers–full of personality–and not even a little shy. They are also uber polite. After the session–which we shot in 33 degree weather–they said I couldn’t go home, “But you have to come have some hot cocoa!”

As we were shooting around the grounds of Senn High School, which makes a beautiful backdrop for a family shoot, people were literally staring at this adorable quartet, likely assuming–like me–that they walked straight out of the pages of a J Crew catalog. One lady even stopped us, excitedly asking “Is this a real family?! How are you all so beautiful?!”

Sometimes, shooting with young boys can be a challenge, as they are so energetic and often not very receptive about the idea of family pictures. We channeled all that energy into these images, though, and I’m so happy with how they turned out.

Here are some sneak peeks from this catalog crew!

J and J nailed their “swag face,” but they couldn’t stay serious for very long.

COME ON, PEOPLE.

They jumped at the opportunity to torture their dads–throwing leaves and tackling them as much as possible!

I’m deep in the midst of shooting fall family sessions. It’s always my busiest time of year for portraits, but I really love the chance to connect with families–some I’ve shot for years, some I’ve just met.

Here are some sneak peeks for the past couple of weeks. More to come!

I can’t NOT include this one. To me, it’s the perfect imperfect photo, and it cracks me up every time I look at it!