Carley Kay Photography

Chicago, IL Photographer: Emily & Aaron

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:02:17 +0000

Love this sweet couple!! We braved the cold downtown….when I say braved….I mean MAYBE 15 degrees and windy! It was insane! We got some amazing shots and will meet back up for part 2 around Easter time in hopes for some warmer temps! I am in love with these and sooo happy that we attempted the session and froze our buns off! Stayed tuned for some more of this gorgeous couple this spring!! Can’t wait to shoot their wedding in July!

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South Elgin, IL Photographer: Baby Brooke

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:03:51 +0000

Such a sweet little one to add to their family of boys! Believe me, this girl will be soooo loved and protected by her big brothers! It was so great to meet her and photograph this special time! I love what we got and can’t wait to watch her grow up! Enjoy this little bundle!

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New look!!

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:58:32 +0000

I’m sure you noticed the new look of Carley Kay Photography when you arrived!! What do you think? It’s a never ending process for me….my look…my brand…my name! I can’t sit still and keep on improving what I want my look to be. I LOVE to be fresh and up to date. So, that brings upon changes here and there! “New” studio…NEW look! I love the way it turned out and came up with it on my own. Why the birds you ask? Well….it’s one of those things I never knew I loved…but found out when decorating my house last year…that I DO!! A LOT!! They are everywhere in my house and I find my heart skip a beat when I see them in the store or online. I love their simplicity but I love the nature of them! So….it couldn’t be more ME, I suppose, than to have them incorporated in my brand!

So hopefully, this is a pleasant change for you and your eyes! I’m liking where it’s going! Would love your feedback!

Here is one of my favorite birds in my house! On my nightstand! Love him!

For the love of my job…;)

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:51:33 +0000

As many of you know…I am in the process of finding a dedicated studio space to use for newborns and indoor sessions. My dream at this point, is to turn the back of my garage into this place. While it isn’t the biggest of spaces nor the most glamourous….it would provide me and my family, some room to breathe! For the time being, I’ve been using my dining room as my “studio” by moving our table, chairs, rug, and everything else that makes it our dining room! It’s been chaotic and sometimes stressful. Once it’s been transformed into a newborn session….it can sometimes stay that way for weeks at a time. I know, I know…it’s bad. But, when I’m booking newborn sessions left and right and sometimes a little longer in between in some cases…it’s hard to make time to bring it all back to the real world. So, while I figure out what to do with my garage and maybe get some quotes on how much it would cost or if it’s even possible….something has to give. Therefore…over the weekend, I decided to lose the dining room altogether. A sacrifice that my family and I are going to make, because, well….I love my job and want to provide my clients a space that is a bit more appealing and spacious. If you can’t remember what the room looked like before….here are some shots of basically what it looked like.

BTW…this shows you how bad I am at taking before pictures because my dining room looked nothing like this before I stripped it down. We had added two side tables, a big gold mirror on the blue wall and much more decorations…but, ALAS…I have no photographic record of that. In fact, my son’s 3rd birthday party, which showed everything plus the cute decor for that…has gone missing. Boo! What a horrible photographer I am! =(

The infamous blue wall that I loved and got the most compliments on. ADIOS!!

Here’s what I’ve been up to this weekend and what it looks like now! Much more inspiring for photography and much more usable space. The lighting isn’t the best all day…but it will have to do for the time being.

We had to say goodbye to the blue wall. This will be my main wall for portraits and whatever else. I had been working with basically nothing before. Maybe a paper backdrop which just isn’t big enough for anyone over 6 months old!

Big white wall!! AAHHHH it will be sooo amazing!

Since the walls were not white everywhere else, I had to paint the whole room. Which now we’ve noticed that the ceiling needs painted as well….this will do for now! AMAZING the difference white paint can do to a room! It seriously makes it double the brightness than it was before!

Final shot!! Here it is in all it’s glory! My dining room studio! haha…

Never been happier to see a blank, bare, white, wall in my life! Hello my love! (The strange chair in the corner is a future project that I picked up)

The little bit of design I left for the room. I needed something to entertain my eye a little bit. Plus, I think I can still use this table for eating on or whatever! I love the way the chairs look tucked into it anyways!

My favorite quote ever! It’s how my mind works and a great reminder for many other things in life. Notice how I placed it in the middle of the mirror….RIGHT where my face would be? That’s all I want to be looking at!

That’s it! For now! Until I can post about some exciting news of a real studio! But just for fun and to ADD to the length of this post….some behind the scenes shots of me posing my neice at one of our many sessions. Thank you to my sister for snapping these for me. =) BTW….shooting in my, THEN, dining room! Blah!

Sugar Grove, IL Photographer: Elliot

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:15:54 +0000

Another absolute favorite family! I felt very welcomed by big brother giving me a big hug as I walked through the door. Followed by a tour of his pretty cool house. haha…he is a little ham and reminds me of my little one! I’m always blown away with the gorgeous-ness of these two kids! Can’t believe little Elliot is 6 months old now! What a fun age and boy did we milk it for it was worth. She did awesome and has the most adorable little dimples ever. So much fun! Thank you W family for having me come back to see your sweet family again. I only look forward to this summer when I will be back again. LOVE every second of that sweet little girl and growing boy!

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South Elgin, IL Photographer: Baby Claire

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:10:39 +0000

Gah…just love this session and love this sweet family! What a perfect newborn session. I think I was giddy the whole time. Not only did they bring their own props, they made the whole shoot so amazing!! I’ll take that anytime I can get it! Sooooo much fun! Thank you so much for coming to my studio to share your sweet baby Claire with me. I had an awesome time!

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Warsaw, IN Photographer: Blake Vivian

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:05:00 +0000

I know I may be biased, but this could be one of the most beautiful babies in the world. Meet my beautiful, beautiful niece Blake Vivian. I watched her come into this world and have had the pleasure of watching her grow for the past month. I love her so much. Even more than that….I love her mommy and daddy more than words. Thank you forever for allowing me to be a part of this amazing journey in your lives. It’s something I will never forget and something I will look back on with the fondest memories. Congrats on this perfect angel. I love her to pieces and can’t wait to watch our daughters grow up together! Love you.

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Be sure to check out my sister’s birth video:

South Elgin, IL Photographer: Gia

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:56:52 +0000

Such a treat to have this sweet newborn in my studio before Christmas. She was born 5 weeks early so we waited till her due date to take her pictures. She did amazing! We got some amazing shots of her and I had lots of fun talking with her mommy and daddy all the while! Enjoy this little snuggler.

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St. Charles, IL Photographer: S Family

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:53:28 +0000

Such a sweet family who just moved to the area and found me just in time! I love meeting sweet families when they are in a new phase of life. We had some fun adventures that followed us in this session. Something to the tune of getting locked out of their new house to which they didn’t know the code. haha…oh the memories! We all piled in my small SUV and listened some Mickey Mouse songs. haha…it was very cold that day so I’m glad that I was there to save their lives. haha!! It was quite fun! =)

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South Elgin, IL Photographer: B Family

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:47:00 +0000

Simply put; this family took my breath away when I first saw them. Beautiful inside and out. WOW!

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