CMJ PHOTOGRAPHY

2010-07-28T14:12:00.002-05:00

Through the storm...

2010-07-24T11:46:00.002-05:00

The sun's still there somewhere...

Shane & Lindsay

2010-07-20T13:55:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, Mike & I went to Lake Poygan, Wisconsin for Shane & Lindsay's wedding. Mike grew up in Palmyra, NY with Shane. It was quite a humbling experience for me. Not only was their wedding absolutely beautiful, but I didn't learn until later how many amazing photographers were in attendance! You just never know who it is you might be having a conversation with! So anyway...this is just little ol' me, trying to get some practice with wedding photography.

Pre-stomach bug fun :( AKA: July 2nd Pics

2010-07-05T16:41:00.001-05:00

Abstract Photography???

2010-07-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at what they call "abstract photography" - the first photo is more "normal", the second 2 photos are more abstract. I did this for my final assignment - hopefully soon I'll have a certificate! :) I'd appreciate some tips & pointers on this subject, I thought this was kinda cool and I'd love to explore it more!

I added some antique effect to this photo, I thought it fit.

Brotherly Love

2010-06-30T15:04:00.001-05:00

Happy 4th of July! XOXO - Miles & Owen

Liz, Caitie, & Parker - June 29, 2010

2010-06-30T08:59:00.000-05:00

Zander - June 6, 2010

2010-06-07T17:52:00.000-05:00

Madison - June 5, 2010

2010-06-07T17:51:00.000-05:00

This is by far, in my opinion, my most beautiful picture to date....
I did this editing to bring out her eyes, but I did VERY little editing to the rest of the picture besides changing to black & white.
I am very proud of this photo!!

Lightning!

2010-06-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

I'm definitely not the best "night photographer" just yet - but I had to share my first ever pictures of lightning!
Taken 6/5/2010 from my back porch.

2010-06-04T19:16:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you just have to block out the madness....

...and find a happy place.

Beautiful Layla.

Memorial Day 2010

2010-06-04T08:34:00.000-05:00

2010-05-27T08:55:00.001-05:00

"These are a few of my favorite things...."

2010-05-27T08:51:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorites from our latest trip to the zoo this past week. Enjoy!

Handsome x 3

2010-05-21T09:16:00.003-05:00

An old friend from high school asked me to shoot some very handsome photos of her very handsome boys this past Tuesday. We had a blast!

Let me know what you think!

Fun with editing....

2010-05-12T18:20:00.001-05:00

I'm getting used to a new photo editing program called Photoscape. You can download it for free here. It's pretty sweet!

Here's some cool pictures I took on Mother's Day.

Owen & his play buddy, Layla.

2010-05-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

2010-04-30T18:16:00.000-05:00

My boys. My joys.

The Gallegos Family

2010-04-15T22:32:00.001-05:00

Four Seasons Park - April 14, 2010

2010-04-15T10:20:00.000-05:00

Four Seasons Park - April 14. 2010

2010-04-15T10:17:00.000-05:00

2010-04-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

My little preemie friend, Paul.

2010-04-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

My second official photo shoot was of a special little man named Paul. I had the privilege of being one of this little guy's primary nurses in the NICU at Rush Copley. He was born 3 months premature, and look at him now! He's totally healthy & happy! This is absolutely one of the best parts of my job - getting to see what the little 1-2 pounders look like 6 months later. Thanks to his mom Carrie for letting me use his photos! Once again, I had SO much fun doing this. I can't wait to do more!

2010-04-10T07:36:00.000-05:00

My boys - April 9, 2010.

Brooklyn & the Windy City

2010-04-01T10:30:00.001-05:00

My first official photo shoot - Brooklyn Eve - 3/31/2010.

This pretty little girl was born with the world's craziest hair...and we picked a very windy day for her photos...a perfect combination! I had an absolute blast doing this. I had to do a lot of retouching to the last 2 photos because there were power lines in the sky behind Brooklyn's head. I'm pretty sure they turned out fine! Another thing, Brooklyn really doesn't know me all that well...so I was a little nervous. However, I think her pictures turned out great and hardly reflected that at all! Let me know what you think!

2010-03-31T09:41:00.001-05:00

Owen just got kisses from Layla....

2010-03-23T09:56:00.003-05:00

The first time I feel like I captured a different kind of emotion in my pictures. Morbid, yes. This bird got caught up in a fishing line that someone left tangled up in a bush. What a terrible way to die.

2010-03-23T09:53:00.001-05:00

Once again, my children - the most photogenic things in my life.

2010-03-23T09:49:00.001-05:00

Spring has sprung!

2010-03-18T14:49:00.002-05:00

Here are some shots taken March 15, 2010. The first beautiful day of 2010, and our first official trip to Brookfield Zoo for the year! They'll be many, many more!

2010-03-10T10:21:00.003-06:00

I apologize for the same ol' kinds of pictures! This new camera is just amazing, I love it. It's getting me so pumped to start learning more and take this new interest to a whole new level! But I honestly need something else to take pictures of besides my kids and my dog! Anybody interested, I will do pictures for you on an individual basis for right now, in hopes that you will give me permission to use your photos to build up my portfolio! Contact me if you're interested! Family included of course! :) Enjoy the pictures everybody!

Presenting the new Canon Rebel T1i!!

2010-03-08T19:46:00.007-06:00

I was recently blessed with the opportunity to buy my very first DSLR camera - a Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I've been dreaming of holding this camera in my hands for a while now - it seems surreal to actually be able to take a picture with it now! Anyway, I thought I would share some of the very first pictures I've taken today with this lovely little machine. I appreciate ANY and ALL feedback, positive or not! :) My goal is to LEARN LEARN LEARN for the next 30 plus years! :) ENJOY!!

2010-03-01T23:59:00.003-06:00

I just came to the realization that I have TONS of pictures in my computer. TONS. I tried organizing them and I didn't even get halfway through them. Anyway...just thought I'd share some old ones I found...

2010-02-09T17:57:00.002-06:00

2010-01-11T10:37:00.001-06:00

Owen James - 1 year pictures - taken January 10, 2010

Our Little Valentine!

2009-12-15T14:52:00.003-06:00

Me and the family just went on a great fun-filled 10 day vacation to Florida to visit my in-laws & I got some great shots I thought I'd share. The beach is one of my favorite places to take pictures, especially of my kids. Let me know what you think!

2009-11-03T16:45:00.001-06:00

Just some old shots I thought I'd post & share!

This was taken in Pittsburgh, June 2009.

Layla, Summer 2009
Miles, Summer 2009

2009-10-31T16:36:00.001-05:00

My little fall photo shoot with Owen. I figured out today that he fits perfect inside my towel basket from my upstairs bathroom! So we were just doing some experimenting while he was happy!

2009-10-27T10:21:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone!

I had to pick a pumpkin this year that I could fit Owen into!

I'll get more pictures at costume time this Saturday...hopefully everyone's happy...

2009-10-05T14:50:00.004-05:00

Friday, October 2, 2009

Mike and I sent the kids to daycare for the day, and went out on a little daytime date together. We hiked for about 4 hours at Starved Rock State Park. It was a beautiful day to go, despite the clouds. The weather was just right! There were only about 5 other cars parked when we got there, so the trails were pretty much all ours! Here are some photos I took. (It's a whole lot easier to get good ones when I'm not carrying around my 8 month old in a sling!)

2009-09-29T13:40:00.003-05:00

Well, the time has come and gone. I am 30. I feel no different! I don't feel older, wiser, more mature, or anything! I love my life and appreciate everything that has happened so far for what it was. It's all brought me here, and I couldn't be in a better place right now. Thank you all for the birthday wishes. It's been one to remember, that's for sure!

Some pictures from this memorable day - my birthday cake from the surprise party, and some flowers from the bouquet my parents gave me.

Not too much "photography" in this entry....whatever!!

2009-09-21T08:46:00.011-05:00

The BIG 3-0!!! Mike pulled off the big surprise. Even though most of you thought that I knew...here's the real story. I did find out on Friday night at work that the party was going to be on Saturday. However...I still thought that the party was at our house!! I spent all day Saturday cleaning and getting the yard ready and everything!! Mike told me we were going out to dinner at 6:00, and that when we got back to our house the family would be there and I was supposed to act surprised! :) So when we got to the restaurant, I didn't have a clue until he pulled my arm and shoved me into the back room in the restaurant. It was still such a nice surprise!! Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with me, and thank you to everyone for your extremely generous gifts. You are an amazing group of people that I am proud to call my family & friends.

This slideshow was something I had a BLAST working on for months prior to my birthday, and we got to play it on a giant flat screen for the whole group to see! It just shows, I've had an awesome life, and I can't wait for the rest now!

*Give yourself like 25 minutes, get some kleenex, and turn up the volume! There's music! ENJOY!*

2009-09-14T16:55:00.006-05:00

Starved Rock State Park - Utica, Illinois

Saturday, September 12, 2009

All of these were taken while carrying my 18 lb son around in the baby sling! Not easy! I thought they turned out pretty good...I can't wait to go back and get more!

2009-09-07T13:44:00.000-05:00

Saturday, September 5, 2009 - Labor Day Weekend

A beautiful morning with Layla...

2009-09-03T09:26:00.004-05:00

The coolest of the cool.

Doggie kisses!

She's a ray of sunshine.

9:00 AM Thursday, September 3

Just got home from work and decided to spend some time with my baby girl on our back porch. It's a beautiful, sunny, perfect day!

Picasa

2009-08-31T14:36:00.004-05:00

Brooklyn & Jacob - August 2009

Aaron & Carla Krocke - June 2009

Layla - July 2009

Butterfly at Brookfield Zoo - July 2009

Miles at Four Seasons Park - August 2009

Today I downloaded a FREE program from Google called Picasa. I used it to edit these pictures that I had been storing for a while! I just knew they had some potential!

2009-08-30T10:31:00.003-05:00

I took these pictures at Memorial Park Gazebo in Palos Heights on August 29, 2009. This is the place that Mike and I exchanged wedding vows 6 years ago to the day! We all came here as a family and celebrated together.

2009-08-25T18:11:00.000-05:00

I had to throw a nice one in after all those spider pics (~chills~). This was taken in July 2009 at Four Seasons Park in Shorewood, Illinois. I used a timer - obviously. One of my favorite pics with me and my boy Miles.

2009-08-25T18:02:00.000-05:00

Another "spider therapy" picture. Taken July 2009 at Illini State Park. Interesting...I'm not sure if these were daddy long legs or what. Anybody? Guesses?

2009-08-25T17:56:00.000-05:00

A spider web on our back porch steps. I'm not sure what kind of spider makes these webs, but they seem to be everywhere! This was taken August 2009, the month that all of our furry little spider friends seem to show themselves the most. For those of you who know me, I have a terrible & almost paralyzing fear of these little creatures, so this has been my own little way of coping. It works...but only sometimes...

2009-08-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

My son, Owen James. Taken in July 2009, he's 5 months old. I usually get the best pictures using natural lighting, and a lot of it, but this one is one of my favorites because it's so shady and subtle.

2009-08-25T11:06:00.000-05:00

This was a flower from a bouquet I received from my brother & sister-in-law for Mother's Day this year. I love gerbera daisies!!!

2009-08-25T10:56:00.001-05:00

This is my dog Layla. She is an English Bulldog. We got Layla from a breeder in Tustin, Michigan in August of 2003. She was my wedding present - little did I know how much she would mean to us! I always wanted a bulldog, and Mike made that dream come true for me!

She is 6 years old in this picture. I'm pretty sure that there are few dogs out there that could measure up to her! She's a healthy & spunky little thing! She is another one of my best models.

If you've ever seen Marley & Me, and you remember the scene where Jennifer Aniston's character is getting home from the doctor after finding out she lost her baby, and Marley comes over and just sits by her and lets her cry; well, that's Layla. She is one of the things in my life that kept me smiling through those hard times. A true friend.

2009-08-25T10:38:00.000-05:00

I took this picture in April of 2009. These are my sons, Miles (top) who is 4 years old, and Owen who was 2 months old when this picture was taken. Owen was on our front porch in his bouncy seat, and fell asleep. It was a beautiful & sunny day, one of the first nice days of the year. I had to beg and plea with Miles, but he finally agreed to gently put his head on Owen's and close his eyes, and VOILA! My kids are now my best models! They are without a doubt the most beautiful things in my life.