Jessica Strickland, International Fine Art and Wedding Photojournalist | » Blog

NOLAN

Jessica — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:09:08 +0000

Oh sweet baby Nolan is soooo precious!! He had just come home from the hospital the day before our shoot and was a teeeny 5 pounds when I met him. He was soo sleepy and good for our shoot!! His big brother Jack is quite a show stealer and was pretty funny about his little brother….he wasn’t completely sure what to think. He’s naturally a little timid and scared of him, after all…he does look soo itty bitty and he did just have to learn to share the house/the love/the time/his parents with him…but Jack is also very sweet, loving and protective over his brother. I imagine in no time, those two will be thick as theives and be ruling the world…at least the Kakasuleff world! Jared & Kristina, we are SOO happy for you guys!! Watch out Hamilton Heights…Kakasuleff boys are on the way!

Jack was SUCH a ham during our shoot that I had to give him his own little post….he’s 3 (in case you couldn’t tell!) and he even tried to turn the camera on me! Love it!

ATTENTION PORTRAIT CLIENTS!

Jessica — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:47:35 +0000

Just a quick note of business regarding portrait scheduling! My portrait schedule is filling a bit more quickly than normal and available dates are becoming LIMITED!! Just wanted to let everyone know in case you were hoping to get a portrait session scheduled this spring, summer or fall! I’m sorry to say that OCTOBER is already FULL and I only have a few remaining spots left in September! Spring and summer still have a few spots per month! So, please, if you want to schedule a portrait session, contact me ASAP so I can accomodate your preferred timing as best I can! As always, I appreciate your business sooooo…. much!

THE WRIGHT & PENTZER FAMILY

Jessica — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:01:02 +0000

You know how in life, as you grow up, you know families that are kind of iconic for being just awesome and cool? They are wonderful, fun, loving, authentic, welcoming and you just love being their presence? Well, this family is one of THOSE kinds of families for me! I’ve known the Wright Family for a long time, long before I was even a photographer! They are just special in soo many ways….and I absolutely loved getting to photograph them!! It was a super chilly morning and they were serious troopers! The incredibly authentic smiles do a great job of masking the fact that they were literally freezing!! Wright Family…YOU GUYS ROCK!! I adore you and I always will!!

Aren’t these children SOO precious and adorable?

THOMAS

Jessica — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:47:11 +0000

Oh sweet sweet baby Thomas! He had my heart instantly!! I adore his parents, I was soo fortunate to photograph their wedding and engagement several years ago and I was soo excited when I got the call that they were expecting their first baby and they wanted me to do his newborn images!! He was very new when I met him, just a few days old, they had barely just gotten home from the hospital…and they were already soo comfortable as a new family, it was soo great getting to spend a few hours with them and be in that sweet newborn haze with them for a little while! (If you have kids, you know what I mean about just getting home from the hospital with your first baby, it’s a sweet, excited, (and let’s be honest, a bit clueless and sleepless) wonderful time…you are almost in a happy haze!) I soo love watching my couples grow into families, my favorite part of my job, and when the people are as kind and wonderful as Elise and John, it’s extra sweet!! Meet sweet baby Thomas!

JOELYNN + JUSTIN

Jessica — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:54:57 +0000

I owe Joelynn and Justin a huge THANKS for their patience with this blog post! I always feel bad with how the insane busyness of the holidays always means slow blog posts for those shoots that happened in December, just before Christmas! So, thanks SOO much Joelynn & Justin for your patience! These two were incredible in front of the camera…and soo FUN! We had such a great shoot…even though it was cold and gray and muddy where we were. It didn’t even phase them…they had a blast together and we had a terrific shoot!! Thanks J&J for being soo great…I loved getting to photograph you!

MODERN PORTRAIT ALBUM

Jessica — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:29:52 +0000

By popular request, I recently decided to add a portrait album to my line of albums! I opted for a fun, modern album with a clean design and simple lines! The Modern Portrait Album is 8×8 in size, includes 30 pages, 50 images of choice, has a glossy cover and pages and is $350. Contact Jessica for ordering information!! Happy New Year!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Jessica — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 13:45:42 +0000

Sending wishes for a joyful, wonderful holiday filled with love and family!!

From my family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!!

MELISSA + GARY + WILLOW + WESLEY

Jessica — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:37:57 +0000

I recently had the awesome opportunity to go to Canada, where two of my best friends live and help them with their newborn twins, Willow & Wesley! It was such a sweet, wonderful, intimate, special time…I will remember it for the rest of my life. While it was filled with all the things you expect, tons of feedings and diaper changes, help with dishes and laundry and meals, even less sleep than I get at home….I really loved all of it because it was filled with memory building life experience of being there for my friends as they embark on their journey as a family…and while it sounds cheesy, it’s an amazingly special thing to be a part of. When you watch two people you know well and love as a couple turn into parents…and a family…it’s really incredible…and awesome…and makes you have one of those “this is what life is all about!” kind of moments! It was hard to be away from Sophie for a week and hard to be gone from work during the busiest time of the year, but getting to be a part of Willow and Wesley’s lives, if only for a week, was something I cherished sooo much. I miss them like crazy…and their Mom & Dad! While I was there, we made several attempts at a photo shoot…i love these images….

Meet Wesley…the lovable charmer…

And Willow, the innocent and sweet one…

Melissa & Gary live on a fantastic, warm, inviting ranch so we did a part of our shoot that reflected that feeling…

And then we did some bright, fun ones too!!

DEBBIE+MATT

Jessica — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:45:52 +0000

What an fantastic way to wrap up the 2011 wedding season!! Debbie & Matt’s wedding was just fantastic!! From the day beginning at the Sofitel Hotel in downtown Chicago, to a super fun time of offsite pictures around Chicago with their great wedding party, to a intimate and sweet ceremony, to a knock-your-socks-off party and super fun(and beautifully stylish) reception…it just was ALL THAT and MORE!! I knew from the first time that I talked with Debbie that not only was she going to be super easy, soo nice and just wonderful to work with, but she was that perfect combo of easy going and fun, yet organized and very ontop of things! I love that combo! Debbie also has great style and to top it off, is gorgeous TOO!! Onto Matt, he is soo sweet and relaxed, fun and spontaneous! From looking at Debbie like he could just see right into her heart, from busting out a dance and a rap on the bus, to serenading her while playing the piano before cocktail hour, to dancing the night away on the dance floor…he’s a pretty cool cat! He and Debbie are an awesome fit! They were surrounded by soo many great friends and wonderful family…you could feel the love around these two!! I absolutely loved getting to be a part of this wedding…and as the night came to an end and Debbie and Matt were whisked away into the night in downtown Chicago on their horse and carriage….Erika and I left for our hotel and both, almost in sync, said, WOW, THAT was a GREAT wedding!! And it was!!! Debbie and Matt…you two are both SOO cool. and nice..and easy going…and fun…and not to mention gorgeous together! Thank you for entrusting your wedding to me! I wish you both a lifetime of bliss…and babies! XO!!

VENUES/VENDORS:

Church – St.Mary of the Angels
Reception – Newberry Library
Prep- The Sofitel Hotel
Band – Becca Kaufman Orchestra
Caterer – D’Absolute Catering
Design and Floral – Cattleya Bridal & Floral Design
Invitations – Lola Bean
Cake – Oak Mill Bakery
Video – I DO Films
Hair & Makeup: Mireya Villarreal
Horse & Carriage – Chicago Horse & Carriage Ltd.
Jeweler – Stevens Jewelers

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR….

Jessica — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:54:21 +0000

It’s that time of year again!! HOLIDAY CARD TIME!!! As I shared last year, I LOVE a terrific company called MINTED! They have cards with such modern, fresh, unique style AND…they are running a few specials: 10% off your holiday card order of $100+ with code CHEERS10 or 15% off your holiday card order of $150+ with code CHEERS15.

CLICK HERE TO LOG INTO MY MINTED STORE and start checking out their incredible designs!!!! I have a few of my favorite holiday selections featured on my store front(I wish I could order every one!!!), but there are TONS more that they offer beyond that!

They also offer coolest save the dates I have ever seen! Their wedding invitations are exquisite and their baby announcements are soo great, as well! They also have many many other products, including personalize stationary that would make for a terrific holiday gift!

Here are a few selections that you will see on my MINTED store!

Happy holiday card ordering!!

JENNY + MICHAEL

Jessica — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:13:25 +0000

I have been looking forward to Jenny and Michael’s wedding for a while!! They are two people within a wonderful group of friends who I’ve been soo privledged to work with…a group of super fun, fantastic people!! The minute I met with Jenny, I just knew this wedding was, in fact, going to be SOO FUN…and really beautiful!! Jenny and Michael are such laid back, happy, life loving people and it’s really soo evident in the way they approach everything! You will see it soo clearly in their images and in the joy that they exuded throughout their entire wedding day! Jenny had, in my opinion, the perfect approach to her wedding planning…very organized and involved, yet not ever loosing site of the joy and the love that was at the center of it all, while having a fantastic eye for style and beauty…and being flexible enough to always make sure there was time and space for FUN!! They also trusted me completely and I value that soo much. The minute they got in front of the camera, they were SUCH naturals!! I was soo impressed! And as I said, they just enjoyed every moment….as did their wedding party and family!! It was such fun to capture this day with such real, genuine joy!! It was a fantastic wedding from beginning to end and I LOVED getting to be a part of it!! Jenny and Michael…thank you soo much for entrusting me with your wedding photography. You are wonderful people to the core and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed your day! I wish you a lifetime of bliss and lots of laughs!!

My heart also goes out to you with the recent loss of your friend and groomsmen, Jobe. His spirit was evident in the images (included below) and his was clearly a life loss too young. You all have a group of friends that is not easy to come by in this day and age…and I commend you for cherishing it as you do. He was obviously a special, vibrant, fun loving person and I’m truly sorry to you for your loss.

THE HOSKINS + PULFER FAMILY

Jessica — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:08:20 +0000

Oh I love this family! It was soo great getting to see them again, after photographing Nikki & Chuck’s wedding several years ago! They are such wonderful, kind people!! They are major troopers, too because on the morning that we did their shoot, it was a brisk, windy 38 degrees…and I could barely move my fingers to photograph them….so it’s majorly impressive that they all look soo happy and smiley!! Most people would have said NO thanks, this is miserable and WAY too cold…but not this awesome family…they sucked it up and enjoyed themselves (ok, enjoy might be a stretch!) anyway!! Hoskins & Pulfer Family…thank you for such a great shoot and for enduring the cold for me!! I think it proved to be well worth it! I hope you agree!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Jessica — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:39:18 +0000

As I sit here, on Thanksgiving Eve, trying to understand how suddenly it’s already Thanksgiving….I can’t help but feel overwhelmed. Yes, overwhelmed by the work that naturally comes with the wrap up of the busy portrait and wedding season and rush and madness that is the holidays, but more than that, overwhelmed by how unbelievably thankful that I am have this much work, these wonderful clients that have been soo faithful to me for soo many years, to love what I do and to have such a blessed life. If you know me well, you know that thankfulness and gratitude are a HUGE deal to me. I think that if people would just STOP for a minute and realize how good we really have it and have a genuine attitude of thanksgiving and gratefulness for their life, their family, their home, their health, their friends, a warm bed to sleep in, food to eat, a free country to live in, a job to be good at and all that they have, I am 100% sure that the world would be a different place with MUCH less hatred, anger, bitterness and pain. That’s why I love Thanksgiving. One day, where we stop and just revolve around being THANKFUL. On this Thanksgiving, I just want to say THANK YOU to all of my wonderful clients for your business. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love…which is photograph happy people and capture joy. Happy Thanksgiving, from my family to yours! (photos courtesy of my lovely friend, Jamie Sangar with Jamie Sangar Photography!)

THE RETTIG GIRLS

Jessica — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:15:44 +0000

Every year, there is a day when I am out photographing and it’s a noticable turning point in the weather. The wind has a bite to it and never really seems to end, the leaves are mostly gone and the trees are noticably bare, there is either a crunch or a squish everywhere you walk, fall has come to a close…and winter is knocking on the door. It was THAT day. And I felt bad because I had a day full of shoots and noone really wants to be outside having fun and being cute when they are freezing and being blown away! So, I felt bad for these sweet Rettig girls…I really did. As you will see though, they were serious troopers through it all! Ellen, Thank you for your patience , help and bribes in order to get great smiles! I hope that “biggest waffle cone EVER” with gummy bears and m&m’s was REALLY great, Mia! Despite the cold and wind….we got tons of great images of these SUPER adorable girls and I really did enjoy my time with them!! Thanks soo much, Ellen, Caroline, Cate & Mia for being soo wonderful to work with!

THE PLEIMAN FAMILY

Jessica — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:18:21 +0000

Another great shoot with the Pleiman’s! It’s amazing to see how quickly time has flown…I vividly remember Anderson’s (the older one!) newborn session and can’t believe that Carson, their youngest is already two!! I have heard that time goes even faster when you have kids, but I didn’t really believe it until I started working with families and watching their kids grown…and then had a child of my own!! Pleiman Family…thanks soo much for always being soo incredibly easy to work with, always trusting me and being great!! Soo good to see you guys!