CONGRATS TO MISSY AND JON!!!

Sending a shout out to Missy and Jon of congratulations on your wedding at the W Hotel Lakeshore surrounded by friends and family. And to top off the night, viewing the Navy Pier fireworks from the top of the W... awesome. You two are great and wishing you all the happiness.

Weddings Weddings Weddings

Full season ahead and fun fun fun every wedding.

Sometimes when people find out you're a wedding photographer, they ask, "do you really like doing that?" First, I usually think what makes you dislike weddings? Bitter about love?

But then I think, I have a chance to impact their thinking on this with my response. My response usually goes something like this... "Of course. How can I not? It's a party every weekend, right? But... it's really great to be part of such a happy occasion for people. How I experience their wedding day is how they will remember it. I take that role very seriously."

They usually don't quite know what to say and respond something like... I never really thought of it like that. And I feel good about what I do and I want it to be a great day for the bride and groom. And this past Friday was definitely a great day that I feel good about.

Congrats to Lindsey and Josh!!! It was fun - just look at the photo with their bridal party. And Lindsey and Josh's pug, Autumn, was their ring bearer. It was his first birthday. What a cutie pie!

MOTHER'S DAY - WALK TO EMPOWER

Were you there? Did you see the 30,000 people who had come out to walk in support of one common cause? Pretty amazing site. Survivors, friends and family, those walking to remember a loved one. Inspirational! Had to share a few of the images I'd captured but you can see more at http://www.networkofstrength.org/ and http://profile.to/nataliephoto/. Really, I am so glad I could be there. It was a privilege.

HAPPY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOMS OUT THERE!!! WE LOVE YOU! WE LOVE YOU! WE LOVE YOU!

Also, CONGRATS to Michelle (and Brian), the pregnant lady a few entries down from this one, who last week had a beautiful healthy little girl, Isabella!!!

Lil Pampered Bridal Show

This past Sunday, I got to participate in an intimate "Pampered Bride" gathering (www.pamperedbridechicago.com) with some other folks. It took place at the Loft of Lake (www.loftonlake.com) which would make a great venue for so many occasions.

All brides got complimentary hair and make-up (from Robyn Joy from Blooming Brides, Maryam Bokhari of Inspirational Beauty and Wendy Woodside as well as others). There was complimentary food and beverage from Taste America (www.tasteamerica.net). And there were even more freebies from the publication Wedding Guide Chicago (weddingguidechicago.com) of which the new one about to come out will feature... one of my brides and grooms from fall 2008. Be sure to look for it.

Brides could also check out fine stationary and great design with Lambert Letterpress (www.lambertletterpress.com) and Erickson Design (www.ericksondesign.com) respectively. Any rental needs? Classic Party Rental was on the scene. There was even a photo booth set-up that can be rented for receptions from www.Shutterbooth.com.

So glad I got to be a part of it... just had to share about the people I got meet and the services they provide to the industry.

MOTHER'S DAY - WALK TO EMPOWER

Mother's Day is next Sunday and like so many Mother's Day in the past and in so many cities across the United States, the Network of Strength (formerly the YMe Foundation) will be hosting it's WALK TO EMPOWER.

Do you want to be a part of it? Last year I helped to photograph the event, in the rain and mud, with thousands and thousands of others, celebrating mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters. Well, guess what? I'm doing it again this year but I hoping without the rain and mud.

Would you like to participate in the walk? OR VOLUNTEER? I'm working to get a team of volunteers together who are available to do whatever is needed to make the day a success. Is that you? Please consider it. It's an inspirational day that shows the strength of the human spirit and the power of community.

Little Daniel Mendez

I wanted to post a follow-up with the link information about the local feature on CBS 2 Chicago about Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. In case you missed it, you can watch it at http://cbs2chicago.com/local and please check out the organization at www.nilmdts.org. Over 10,000 professional photography volunteers around the country provide bereavement photography for families going through this difficult time. As another volunteer said, it's not like our being there will change anything that is happening, but those photos will change the future for that family.

TUESDAY, APRIL 28 - 10 PM - CBS CHANNEL 2

On Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 10 p.m. on CBS Channel 2, an organization that I volunteer for will be featured: NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP. They spoke with a family that I photographed last year this time about their son, Daniel. And they spoke with me about why I volunteer.

NILMDTS provides bereavement photography for families. When I learned about the organization, I thought how could I not do this. You can learn about the organization at www.nilmdts.org.

In case you miss it, be sure to check it out at http://cbs2chicago.com/.

Pregnant Shoot

Yep... it was bound to happen sooner or later... one of my brides eventually having a baby... Seems to be the next logical step for married couples, right? I mean, if they already have a condo and a few pets, right?

Michelle is due in about 4 weeks and I spent a little time with her earlier this week to snap a few images with her big belly from here to Timbuktu.

Not having children myself (just nieces and nephews), I have often wondered about the bond between a mother and child. How you bring a life into this world?! How you can love something so much! Your drive to protect it! Your desire to nurture it and see it grown!

Though, like I said, I am not a mother, but I am my mother's child. There has never been a day in my life, not one moment, when I ever doubted the profound love my mother felt for me. When I remember her, I am not filled with sadness but incredible gratitude that she was mine. It is because of her, because of a mother's love... that I can only begin to imagine that that is the closest thing to what God's love is like for us. I just feel like the luckiest daughter ever because of my 'Mama.'

I know that Brian and Michelle's baby is going to be one lucky little kiddo and they can hardly wait for his/her arrival. Yep, they don't know what sex the baby is; it's going to be a surprise. Somethings are still best the old-fashioned way, right?

Old-fashioned or not, one thing is always true: there is nothing else like the bond between a mother and child! Michelle looks great and happy and ready!!! I wish Brian and she a healthy and happy baby. And I can't wait to see him/her and take his/her photo too.

CONGRATS!!!

AUTISM - Schaumburg Group

Well, it' s not my usual Saturday morning but it was great to spend it with all these awesome kids and their families. A good friend of mine from way back when, has two special need children. The group wants to do a calendar as a fundraiser so she called me for the photography. We planned two weekends - the first one would be more portrait-like shots with the children and their families and the second would be at the fun gym-like place Pump It Up.

I had a photography friend with me on the first Saturday. He was great with the kids, talking to them, warming them up to the camera and catching them w/ bright eyes and big smiles on their face. Thank you David Cardenas. Great working with you!

It's amazing (in a disturbing way) how many children (and their families) are impacted by autism - all of varying degrees. Thankfully, our perception of these children has changed from detached and unemotional. Now we see them as children are: loving and responsive, curious and animated. Though, it is indeed such a challenge for families. I'm just so glad that I could spend this time getting to know them and learning about their struggles.

Check out some of these great kids. And once the calendar is published, I'll be sure to post again with the information on how you can purchase your own calendar to help support this organization.

2009

Here we go again... another year of love and hope and happiness!!!
I've been really busy working on marketing items.

For example, I am now listed on www.mywedding.com.
I'm about to be listed on www.rainbowweddingnetwork.com.
Updated my website, www.nataliephoto.net. Please check it out.
Have also made my website editable so I can maintain it myself.

I actually have album offerings now AND have just ordered sample albums from the 2 companies that I'll be using. Both are very non-traditional.
First is www.la-viealbums.com. Artistic. They do amazing work. Each album is a work of art.
Second is www.couturebooks.com. Elegant. Very contemporary. Yet timeless at the same time.

I mean who really wants a wedding album that screams "I'm a typical boring poorly designed wedding album that my children will laugh at when they look at it in years to come." I'm just not interested in offering that to my brides and grooms. Instead, when their children look at their album, I want a response with something like, "OMG, this is so cool. Look how good you guys looked. Wow, this looks like it was really awesome."

Am waiting for my new business cards to arrive, an embosser and stamp of my logo. Have made many trips to many art and paper stores, talked to printers, spent hours and hours making the files, editing, and all the FINE-TUNING to make sure everything is just right... I can hardly wait to pick up my new promotional materials from the printer later this week.

So these are just a few of the things that I've been up to over the last number of weeks. And there are still many things that I want to set up in addition to these. But if I want to describe what I've been up to and where I am now, I guess the best way to describe it is...
RAMPED UP FOR 2009!!!
There you go. That's it. Ready and raring and RAMPED UP!!!
Yes indeed.

So anything else for 2009?

BRING IT!!!