It is rare that I photograph things other than people and dogs, other than my occasional street photography trips downtown. Stuck in a bit of a photography rut over the winter, I decided to give macro photography a try at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. They had an orchid show going on, with tens of thousands of orchids hanging around all over the place. So impressive as I’ve never been able to get one to live for very long. Aside from the orchids, there are so many other interesting types of plants and flowers there. Oddly, I’ve never been there in warmer months, and need to go so I can explore all of the grounds outside sometime!
It was nice during our long, snowy winter to see some colorful flowers and greenery, that’s for sure. I also had a lot of fun shooting macro. It takes a lot of patience and a very different kind of thinking than the fast pace and camera settings and tricks I’m used to using on my usual shoots of kids, families, and dogs. Very fun for a change!
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
I decided to enter this recent favorite shot into the Black & White Photo Challenge over at I Heart Faces. These two adorable girls are the twin daughters of dear friends of ours. I was taking their portraits separately, but was so glad I kept my camera in my hands and ready when they started hugging each other which made them giggle.
.jpg)
This month has been more of the same this winter: snow and ice. My littlest has fully embraced it as well as the movie “Frozen”, and like so many little kids is completely obsessed with Princesses Anna and Elsa. He’s seen it in the theater four times now. And we have fashioned makeshift “prince capes” out of his baby blankets and chip clips.
The first thing we do when we get home from preschool? Put on the cape. He sleeps in the cape. He takes it everywhere. And he runs up and down the halls singing songs from Frozen, complete with dramatic hand and arm motions (and the occasional dramatic cape flip, which he’s been practicing) – and I love that I can see his imagination just running wild. He’s a legend in his own mind.
If only we could all be so thrilled and easily entertained with an old blanket and a chip clip. Here is my handsome prince:
.jpg)
Next, click here to follow me to Colorado to see what my fabulous friend Sarah has been up to in March! Perhaps another gorgeous shot of her beautiful surroundings? Something from her travels?…
So these photos are from August (I’m right on top of my blogging)! But I’ve been wanting to share them for a long time. It’s not everyday that you get to go visit your bestie who lives across the country, and her extended family who you’ve known since age 11, at their adorable log cabin in Door County, WI. I found a way to get up there and make this work, their family is scattered around the country and rarely are all together. And this cabin is a very special place. I’m so glad they are keeping it in their family. They wanted to get some photos of the entire family together at this very fabulous and meaningful location.
There are several of these little log cabins along lake Michigan, built by the older generation of this family. How cool is that? As my luck would have it, storm clouds rolled in and it rained and stormed the first 24 hours I was there (and I was only there for 2 days). But, in breaks in the rain, we ran outside and I captured anything that I could. I took the older boys out treasure hunting along the beach, and because of the rain, this really cool mist was coming off of the lake. S was looking for driftwood. T for colorful rocks. And I had them on a mission to find me some flat skipping stones.
I love this family! Here are some shots from our first break in the rain. More adventures from Door County to come.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
A little something different for me this month – macro photography. And it’s not even a shot of a kid OR a dog! Sometimes it’s really fun (and challenging) to jump outside of your genre for a little bit. I loved playing around and shooting some macros of flowers at the Chicago Botanic Gardens last weekend for multiple reasons:
1) For once I wasn’t shooting a moving target 2) No skin tones to fuss with in editing – just brilliant beautiful colors that barely need any enhancement in post-production 3) Macro photography is so different in terms of camera settings, you pretty much have to throw out everything you’ve learned to make it work. Lots of patience is required!
Since I’m a biologist I had fun explaining that orchids are epiphytes to my boys (there’s still some plant biology buried in my brain somewhere)! They’re the mooches of the plant world – living non-parasitically on top of/around other plants, soaking up what nutrients and water that they can from the environment, air, rain and debris around them. Like that friend in college who was always bumming rides home off of you, they just sort of hang out and…mooch 🙂 It was fun hearing my 3 and 4 year old saying “epiphyte”. This display was so good it held even their interest for over an hour!
.jpg)
p.s. if you are in the Chicago area, I highly recommend heading to the orchid show that is going on at the botanic gardens until March 16th. They have tens of thousands of orchids in a beautifully designed display. I don’t know how they do it, as I have never been able to keep an orchid alive. It’s pretty amazing and just smells great when you walk in! Now follow me to NYC by clicking here to see what my ever-talented friend Stacey has been up to in February, and continue to click the links to visit the entire circle.
I was so excited when my friend Stephanie contacted me to photograph her family – she has twin girls! I have actually photographed several sets of twin girls in the past year. I just love the unique bond that they have, it’s really fun to see and you can just feel it when you’re around them. We initially planned to do this shoot last spring, but after a bunch of things getting in the way, it got pushed back to late fall. But I’m glad it did – it was the perfect time to head to the Riverwalk in Naperville!
It was a little chilly out but otherwise a really nice day and these girls were such pros! It’s amazing to have two little kids just go with it, wait for a little instruction, and do everything you ask so easily – and then some. They really were awesome and a lot of fun. I am so glad I finally got to capture these sweeties and their special bond, with each other and their parents.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
