If we are doing “moody” it doesn’t mean I won’t also get smiles. Of course I will. But knowing the parent likes the serious vibe, I will be sure to do that, as well. It also meant that I posed them a little more aloof as opposed to cuddly for these siblings.

When it came time to do individual portraits, I made sure to stick with the moody lighting using shadows, but I also made sure to get smiling and serious expressions out of each child. Like for big sister, I enjoyed her soft smile most.

For her little brother, he liked covering his braces and preferred a “cool guy” vibe. This doesn’t mean I made him pose in a way to have him appear cool. Being a good photographer is being able to assess someone’s personality and features and lead them into poses that reflect them in the best way possible.

And sometimes I like to get a little more “artsy” with a portrait. I love a tight crop that just makes us fall right into her eyes. I mean, come on, how can you not love this picture?

So there’s been a trend the past several years for moody, Vanity Fair inspired portraits, and I am HERE for it!! I love doing this sort of thing, which does not mean it is all I do, but just saying… if this is your vibe, look no further. And this is one where we got smiles and serious, but I love this pose so much! When we use the studio, it allows us time to play around more with posing.

Firefly Nights Photography is internationally award winning for our portraits. Please take the time to peruse the Gallery section to see more of our work. And if you are interested in having a unique and gorgeous session of your own, just reach out!

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We started with cleaner architectural lines and city textures. Concrete columns, leading lines, and a simple outfit choice that felt relaxed and natural. I say this all the time, but less can absolutely be more. A great smile and confidence will always matter more than trying too hard.

Then we switched it up. to more attitude and color. One thing I always encourage is bringing options that feel like YOU. Not what Pinterest says. Not what Instagram says. You. The colorful wall gave us something completely different. More personality. More energy. A totally different feel without changing who she was.

When we go with an urban setting, there are lots of options. Brick walls are everywhere, but I love this particular wall with the inset which makes for a great frame within the picture.

While the setting does matter and helps tell a story or show a personality, I want my senior pictures to be about the senior. When you get down to it, its the face that matters most.

I know we live in Illinois and our weather likes to keep us guessing, but when autumn decides to cooperate, it is hard to beat. Soft color. Warm light. That dreamy look where everything feels calm and a little cinematic. This senior wanted the best of both worlds – a cool, edgy urban setting, but also something that showed off the beautiful fall colors.

Senior year is weird. Exciting. Busy. A little emotional. It is this strange season where teenagers are standing right in between childhood and whatever comes next. Senior portraits are about more than yearbook pictures. They are documenting who someone is right now. I want seniors to leave their session feeling good. Comfortable. Seen. Like themselves. The pictures matter, obviously. But how people feel during the experience matters too.

And when we can create both? That is the sweet spot.

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The Santa experience starts with a simple introduction and telling Santa what they want for Christmas. And then they get to read a story with Santa.

But the Santa Experience isn’t just for little kids! We welcome Believers of all ages! This high school senior changed my thoughts on Santa mini sessions. Yes, she is older than my typical Santa client, but her dad thought it would be a great “last time” before she went away to college. Being older, she was great at hamming it up. I’m not sure who had the most fun during her session.

Our Santa mini sessions are full of laughter, but also full of wonder! Getting to look inside Santa’s magic toy bag is always the coolest part of the visit!

And since Santa has to get ready for Christmas, he asked the children to help him paint toys with magic. This is always the part with the most laughter.

But as we know, Santa only comes when the children are asleep. On occasion, though, a stinker stays up too late!

And after such a long visit, even Santa can get tired. If he takes a quick nap, who is going to tell??

Clients purchase digital images and wall art, but I also offer an amazing storybook album that tells the story of their visit. Each album is customized to that child. Here is a great example of one album page as the children find out if they are on Santa’s Nice List or not!

Would your Believer love to meet Santa this fall? Then be sure you are signed up for our Newsletters or join our Facebook group HERE to see when we announce the date (beginning of August).

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This is the defining moment  – the moment you have become a “family”. Please, even if you don’t use Firefly Nights Photography, PLEASE hire a professional photographer to capture this momentous moment in your life. The newborn timeframe is only a few weeks, after that, they are a baby, but no longer a newborn.

For some, the journey to this happy moment has been difficult. For some, it is way longer than they anticipated. For some, it has come after the tragedy of loss. We call these babies “rainbow babies”. They are the beauty after the sadness. The sun after the rain. For this family, I knew going into this session that this sweet baby girl was a rainbow baby, and the parents wanted to acknowledge that loss. So I grabbed some of my flowers, creating my own version of a rainbow.

I love putting thought and effort into creating a couple of outstanding pieces of art like the above that can stand the test of time and stay up as an art piece on the wall for years to come. But newborn sessions are also about the details. Mom had a rainbow ring she wanted to incorporate somehow.

At the end of our session, this little cutie woke up, and I got to see her big, inquisitive eyes. Hello, beautiful!

So if you are currently pregnant, I hope you will consider Firefly Nights Photography for all of your photography needs!

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No, I didn’t meet this family when one of the kids was a newborn, don’t ask! LOL I’m pretty sure the first session I had was for their son’s senior pictures.

But then a little time passed, and it was time for their youngest son’s senior pictures! And then, I get a call because their daughter has had a baby and the whole family was going to be together! This has been one of my favorite family pictures. I absolutely love this location and everything about this image from the posing, the colors, and the moving water.

While I really loved that above image, we also played around with a more traditional setting and bridge. And while the “kids” are all actually adults, they will always be the kids to their parents.

The best part of having extended family sessions is doing breakouts, and even though their daughter has a family of her own now, I still wanted to get a picture for grandma and grandpa of their original family.

And while parents don’t usually ask for a picture of just them, I think it is so important for parents to be photographed just together. Because their love is what started it all. And after their kids are grown and gone, their love is what stays.

Firefly Nights Photography is a Naperville studio that services all of the western Chicago suburbs. We are a portrait studio providing artistic photography for maternity and newborns through high school seniors and families.

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Now, getting this sort of vibe is NOT easy when dealing with little toddlers who are just chaos makers. LOL. At first, one was very shy with me, though the other was a flirt.

It was a delightful session. I cannot imagine how exhausting it must be to have twins. I remember being exhausted with just one at a time! But this couple was calm and cool.

Let’s talk about the importance of clothing for a photoshoot. Clothing says a lot – it speaks to your own personal style, but it also speaks to an attituded and aesthetic and mood. We went with the black formal walls and tiled floor to go with their formal attire. The red pops against the black.

And while mom loved the idea of a moody family portrait, she also loved having her cuties smile and play. It was great to see the shy one open up with me. She felt safest with her sister near her.

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This home had a gorgeous backyard with a lot of trees which provided plenty of shade. Another thing to consider when thinking about having pictures in your yard is what will be seen. Meaning, am I going to be seeing your neighbor’s house in the pictures, which is not ideal.

Just Too Cute

The real star of the show was this adorable cutie. She took a minute to warm up to me, not wanting me too close at first. That is why we started in the safety of mom and dad’s arms. Soon enough she was flirting with me and playing games. Just look at all of that personality!

With all the shade of the trees, she popped. You can tell by this point that this little girl was having fun with me. I love seeing those cute little two front teeth. I remember that I had to be quick to get these pictures because she kept trying to climb down off of the bench (which was perfect for pictures, by the way).

While I titled this post the Backyard, we did make it around to the front at the very end. You can tell what season it was! LOL

And this almost never happens, but when they asked if they could include ALL of the family, of course I said yes! We decided to try to get the cats in on the job, and everyone obliged!!

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I try to switch up locations year to year, so that my families who come back every time are getting something different. This was the only year I have done mini sessions at this spot, I think. I absolutely LOVED that bridge!  Depending on if it was morning or afternoon, I switched from one side to the other to try to keep the sun behind everyone.

But within feet of the bridge, I was also able to find just beautiful nature to lead families.

Or go for the full fall colors like with these brothers.

As you can see, the point of these fall minis is to provide a beautiful setting for family portraits. Most years I stick to Naperville, but I’ve held them in Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, and Wheaton as well. My main purpose is a beautiful spot with more than one look and not too many people.

Some families use these pictures for their holiday cards. Others order large wall art. Being mini sessions, clients spend less than normal and only have to “endure” having their pictures taken for 15 minutes. Come on, you can handle 15 minutes, right??

I’ve been using this image for ads since I took this picture. I can’t get over the color harmony with their clothing and the leaves. Couldn’t be better if I tried!

While autumn certainly packs a punch, it doesn’t mean you have to wait to have gorgeous family portraits. I have plenty of locations that look great.

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I actually love working with senior boys because I know I can always get them relaxed and liking at least SOME of the experience. LOL This is why it is so important to have that consultation before the session, so we are on the same page, and they know they are heard. That I’m not going to make them look like an idiot or do the same thing everyone else does.

I want these pictures to reflect my clients. I actually love the one above with him on the phone. Could it be any more realistic and quintessential for a teen to be on their phone? One of the best things about this location is the variety it provides.

I think senior guys worry that I am going to make them into something they are not. That is not my goal at all. I want them to look at these and think they look great and know they had fun along the way.

From closeups to smiles, to serious expressions, to a bit of drama, a session with Firefly Nights Photography promises not to disappoint!

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I love working with people, and one of the unexpected perks is learning new things. I photograph a lot of Indian families and love learning their culture. I especially adore their gorgeous formal clothing and jewelry! On this day, we were celebrating this little guy’s six month session, but we also incorporated a small nod to Diwali! They brought the pieces, and with his blue outfit, I thought orange would make it pop nicely. And since color is a great thing, it worked well.

Then it was time for mom and dad and baby to all change into formal outfits that were coordinated. I mean, how gorgeous are they??

We did a lot of outfit changes during this session, as well as backdrops. Usually, babies are not up for so many changes, but this little dude was a trooper. To help him stay engaged, we gave him some toy cars to play with, which did the trick.

And then we ended with some clean, white pictures with mom and dad. Just casual playtime.

If you are looking to celebrate your family, your culture, your life, we hope you check out more of our work in the Galleries section and choose Firefly Nights Photography for all of your photography needs.

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