Winter in Chicago feels like it has been oh so long this year. It's already the end of April and there isn't even a bud open on our trees yet. To be fair the last few years we've probably been spoiled with early/warm springs and warmer than usual autumns. I'm actually a person that really enjoys winter. I like seeing snow, I love going out to play in it and warming up with a cup of hot cocoa or tea. However, these past few years are the first in my life where I've been dependent upon cooperative weather for my career and felt completely housebound and probably had cabin fever during this long, dreary season.
As I sit and contemplate how I'm going to reschedule so many spring sessions in such a short amount of time this year, I have also reflected on all the amazing clients that were put in my path this winter that helped me embrace more indoor sessions than I've had in 3 years. These sessions are among some of my favorites and really had me thinking outside the box and looking for the most creativity I could in constantly changing environments. Sessions like these usually start out with very skeptical clients who think that their homes aren't special enough or diversely decorated enough. It's through these sessions that I get to earn their trust by previewing some lovely images off the back of the camera that are lite just right as not to reveal some of the more unpleasantries of day to day life inside the home. ie the laundry basket that never quite made it up the stairs or the dining room chair that wasn't pushed in all the way or the stack of bills that were still sitting on the counter top. Then there is always the items that I do incorporate that end up being given a new breathe of appreciation, such as the stained rocking chair cushion or the "ratty" throw blanket someone has been meaning to throw out. I'm not going to say that a little bit of photoshop work doesn't go a long way sometimes, but I have to look at what's really going on here. I'm helping people appreciate and embrace their own environments and sometimes trusting an artist like myself to show them they are as fabulous as they want to feel.
This session for Miss Madison was no exception. It was a very cold, very blustery chicago day with overcast skies that left you with inner chill. Miss Maddy was even sleeping in on such a yucky day, but she gave all new meaning to the phrase, "Rise and Shine!" While the weather remained disenchanting outside the inside of her home came to life and buzzed as we readied Maddy for her photo session. Starting in her brightly colored nursery, we took advantage of an overstuffed rocking chair that looked so cozy with natural window light falling upon it. We played in the hallway and down the stairs and we ended the session in the middle of the living room making the dim, overcast light work in our favor as she brightened our day with a bubble gum pink tutu and the sassiest little dress shoes. The way the dreary light fell upon Maddy was like a spot light and it drowned out all the background noise of her parent's home. Sometimes my job is about absorbing as much light as possible and sometimes it's about reflecting it. It's all contingent upon the environment that I'm in, but that is one of the best benefits of my job and how I continually grow as a creative person. Facing the challenges head on and turning them into fabulous memories.