Suggestions for Infant Photography

www.monacellaphotography.com

She is a former roommate of mine and does amazing work. Her website speaks for itself.

hi A.,

Give my husband, Patrick, a call. In my completely unbiased opinion ;-) he's a brilliant, professional photographer. He has a studio in the East Village neighborhood of Chicago or can travel to you. His number is ###-###-####.

I took my daughter to jcpenny for all of her baby pics. Normally it can be pretty expensive but if you sign up for the family club plan it can save you a ton of money. You pay like $30 for the plan and its good for 2 years. You dont pay siting fees, you can have as many pics taken as you want and can have as many people in the pics as you want with no extra cost. Plus they send you tons of coupons all the time. The most i ever walked out of there spendind with the club plan was $20. Hope this helps. Enjoy these moments the years fly by so fast.

I wasn't crazy about Babies R' Us, but picture peeople have a baby papasan to set the baby down on I know that. I actually had a friend of mine who does professional photography and comes to your house and gives you the CD of pics. She is very good and you can visit her website and email any questions.

http://kimberlygalvinphotography.com/newborn_portraits

Hope this helps.
A. R.

Congrats on your little guy! As a photographer I would recommend that someone come to your home when they are that little. It's so much easier on you! I am listed in the Mamasource business section or you can see my portfolio at http://karriegottschild.shutterfly.com. I have 3 of my own and just love what I do for a living.

Happy picturing and best of luck!

For inexpensive, yet good pictures I'd say "The Picture People". They have a million coupons, you can pick the time of day that works with your baby, and they take pretty good pictures. Tips: I'd avoid the big trendy things that you can pose your kids next to or in...it's just personal taste, I guess. Also, don't feel bad about just using the "free 8x10" coupon and walking out with only that. I've done it a million times. I have quite the collection of picture people shots from my two kids. I'm heading there in a week to get the two kids with my very pregnant belly.
For more "professional" pictures (and much better quality / creativity / options), I'd recommend Maas Photography. They are a Christian couple that work out of their home (young 30s, 3 kids), and they turn out BEAUTIFUL work. Their pictures are my absolute favorites. I save those for the BIG pictures...family pics, newborn, Christmas cards, etc. You'll find them if you Google 'Maas Photography'. Have fun!

My husband, Brian Warling is a great dad and professional portrait photographer who specializes in portraits of kids. www.picture-day.com
He's really natural working with babies and kids of all ages because he truly enjoys what he does. He takes the time necessary to get great shots that capture the subject's personality and does custom work that you won't find in retail stores or portrait chains. His studio is in Logan Square, right off the expressway, or he'll come to you and photograph your little one in your home or at the location of your choosing. Congratulations on your little boy and all the exciting milestones you'll discover!

Check out this site: www.briancowenphotography.com

He is an excellent photographer, takes great candids and creative composition in his photos, and he has 2 little children of his own that he takes pics of regularly. We have known him for several years, he was the guy who always had a camera in our group, and he shot our wedding as well. I am sure you will get many responses for your request, but I would urge you to at least check out his site and portfolio. You will not be disappointed :)

Hi A.,
I use Jessica Gwozdz. I love her. I did a maternity, and then my daughter has done 3, 6, 9, and will do her 12 there too. She is very creative, and very laid back...never in a rush to get you "done". I have even had to take time to feed my daughter, and she sat and chatted with me. Her website is jessicagwozdz.com
She is also a mother of 2.
Let me know if you have any questions- I can also send you our photos too.
Good Luck
A.

My daughter is 4 and I have been taking her to Kiddie Kandids since she was 2 weeks. They are located in Babies R Us and you can either make an appointment or walk in. The portrait packages are very well priced. I have gone to the one in Niles IL on Touhy and I have also gone to Schaumburg on Roselle Road/Golf Road.
You get your pics the same day too. It normally takes 15-20 minutes for your pics to print.

We actually took our daughter to Picture Me studios inside Wal-Mart... I was REALLY surprised at how good the pictures turned out, so we've taken her there for all of her pictures.

We have had all of our kids pictures done at Kiddie Kandids at Babies R Us. I have fond them to be a good value, typically nice staff (we have only been to a certain one, but have several friends who go to many different locations with all good results) They give a lot of coupons and values for next visit and if money gets tight you can every year go for a free 8x10 for the child's bday. Also can p/u any needed items while waiting for the prints to be ready. Congratulations on Motherhood!

I have always had a good experience at Flash Portraits (www.flashportraits.com). You can make an appointment and they have always taken me on time, they take a lot of photos, you can change outfits if you'd like, view the photos shortly after the session, and you can sign up for the mailing list and get coupons. The studio is comfortable and clean, has a nice large washroom in which to change, and I think they are reasonable in price. I have NOT had good luck at The Picture People. Long waits, and they don't take many poses.

I think sears does a good job and is very reasonable. You have to know how to work the system though. Get a membership and you get a free sheet each time you go, then get a 9.99 coupon online. This will only get you one pose, but then you can pay 14 for a proofsheet, with six poses on it. Or if you want to splurge you can buy the cd for 100 and print the pictures out at walgreens (as you get the copyright for them). Check these details to make sure it's current and I'm remembering properly.

My husband and I are professional photographers and if you would like to see our work, along with prices, please check out our website. www.kandgphotography.com
We have 2 small children ourselves. We can come to you, or you can come to our in-home studio. Our customers find it very convenient when we come to their house, that way you can feed, change, etc. and the baby will feel very at ease. You won't have to "wait" for others to go ahead of you, either. We don't usually focus on just poses(unless that is what you want!), but we try to really "capture the moment" with you and your family, which you'll see on our website. We specialize in babies and toddlers, so I think we might be exactly what you are looking for! Let me know if you have any questions after checking out the website.
____@____.com

We have used Jill at Jookie: A portrait boutique. (You can go to her website at Jookiephoto.com) We went to her for our maternity session and newborn session. We'll be going to her again next month. (My daughter will be 7 months old). She does great work. She allows 2 hours for a newborn session in case the baby needs to nurse or is fussy, etc.

We love her work. The only thing is that it is somewhat pricey. The sitting fee is around $150 and I think we spent about $500 or $700 on top of that for photos. So if you're okay with spending that much, I'm sure you will love her work.

We went to Sears for my daughter's 3 month old photos and the pictures we took were standard poses that turned out nice enough. Sears is much, much cheaper and if you want to have a lot of pictures to share and give out, that would be a good option. But Jill's work is definitely more "artsy" and less "cookie-cutter".

Hi A.,
I am a professional photographer in the Geneva area, and mother of 2 boys. I come to your home to photograph and would be happy to answer any questions for you! Feel free to check out my website www.megankellyphotography.com. Good luck!
M.

Olan Mills (usually in KMarts) offers a new mom package. The photos are free. You can go online and print a coupon. It does take a couple weeks for the photos to arrive. The Picture People (I go to the one in Chicago Ridge Mall) do a great job, though they are a little pricey. However, they spend time with you in-store cropping photos, etc. and the pictures are ready that day.

Portrait Innovations does really good work and they have a great package. The problem is you can only have 1 pose in the package and they take like 50. You can buy the other poses, but they can get really expensive. The good part is that they do really good work, they are patient with kids of all ages, the package if you can narrow it down is huge, and you get your pictures the same day.

My DD had pictures taken at JC Penney when she was just 3-1/2 weeks old and they did a really good job too. They have a portrait program and their price is really reasonable when you buy different poses. The downside... You have to wait 2 weeks to get your portraits, and some Penney's have different picture configurations (for example: my sister can't get 2 5x7 on a page, she had to get 1 with smaller pics with it, but I can get 2 5x7 on one page).

Hope this helps!

H. L.

Hi, I went to Penny's but they didn't turn out very good so I went to Sears and have loved all the pics they have done. They have taken my daughter's pic form 6 months to 2 years and my son since he was born.

We love Passions Photography. The gal who owns it does all the photography for the daycare we go to and for infants, she schedules up to 2 hours to accomodate the needs of a baby. She is in Roselle but everyone I know who has used her loves what she does too. She does other photography too but is excellent with kids!

www.passionsproductionco.com

My husband and I own a photography studio. We specialize in babies and children. Feel free to check out our website www.maasphotography.com

since picture people went digital I like them. I also had great pictures for Kiddie Kandids (inside Babies R Us)

We like Portrait Innovations as well. We go to the one in Kildeer. The first time we went we spent $30, the second time we went we spent $150 but it included our Xmas cards so you can really spend as much as you want. They can get busy though so if you can go during typical nap times then that's usually better and not as hectic.

I love the Sears Portrait Studios! They offer coupons online that you can print out and bring to the studio.

Hi A.,

We took our then 3 months old baby to Target Portrait, the lady there was great and very patient with us and our baby. Their prices are reasonable compare to other professional photographers (print their coupons from the website before hand), and we are always happy with the results. We use the one on Rosemont by All-State arena! We did our 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and soon will be there for our 12 months pics! Good luck!

I had both my boys done by Karen Page Photography, she is willing to do the home visit and did a great job capturing what we wanted and the pics turned out fantastic.

Her site is www.karenpagephoto.com

We just took family portrait pictures in November with Marmalade Photography. My daughter is 18 months so we used a children's photographer. Check out her blog at www.marmaladephotography.com Great work!

I took my son to Kiddie Kandids in Babies R US. I have tried other places and that is the one place that has done a GREAT job. They are fast and my son loves them. Hope it helps!

I received a "portrait club" memebership to JC Penny at my shower before having my now 5 year old (I thik they are good for one, maybe two years). I love the studio at Yorktown. With that membership we get free sitting fees as well as other special deals. Plus you can always find a 3.99 per sheet coupon in mazazines and on line.
Good luck.

Portrait Innovations in Orland Park is a great place to go...I think they offer the best quality and value compared to other places. I've been dissatisfied with Picture People. Also, one of the best pieces of advice I received as a new mom was to have professional pictures taken every 3 months until 1 year and then every 6 months.

A.,
I would recommend you call Ron Hayes. He is a great photographer and he comes to your home free of charge. This was so great for us because it is so hard to get out of the house with a newborn.
His email is ____@____.com
Let him know I gave you his name, if you decide to use him.

C.

I have always gone with Kiddie KAndids in Schaumburg inside the BAbies R Us on Roselle Rd and Golf. They have taken wonderful picutres of my son. They are kinda pricey but I think they were well worth it. I will be taking the next baby there too.
J.

If you go to a portrait studio, go when your child will be most awake and when they will be the least busy. We took our daughter to one and they only scheduled 15 minutes for her. They were the worst pics!

I used Martha Abelson, google her for her website. She comes to your house and spends a lot of time so you end up with awesome pictures. She is expensive though.

Also, check out Bella Baby Photography. My sister works for them in Ohio but it is based here in Chicago. She goes to peoples houses all the time to take pictures of babies.

I think it's easier on the baby to do it at home, if at all possible.

I've been taking my daughter to JCPenny's at Yorktown. You can usually get a coupon for a free sitting fee, a free 8x10, and then either a package for 8.99 or any print for 3.99 or 4.99.

I've been very happy. They see tons of kids and know what they are doing based on their age, etc.

Try Kate Bogot Photography at katebogot.com if you are anywhere in her area. Otherwise, Tara Pakosta does very good work and is in the Western Suburbs ---her info is at http://tara_pollard_pakosta.typepad.com. Finally, I have had pretty good luck at Flash which is in a couple of the shopping malls. Good luck!

Hi A.,
I took my 1 year old to JC Penny at Golf Mill. The photographer is very good (didn't get her name). She took several shots, they all came out very good. She's just got the talent and was able to make him laugh and smile. Got the coupons in Parenting magazine, it's not that expensive. Just am so happy with my experience.

I always take my girls to Kiddie Kandids inside Babies R Us. They do a GREAT job and have a lot of different props & backgrouds to choose from.

Absolutely--
Waldoch Photography--Colleen is great, a mom herself and sweet.
waldochphotography.com

Kara at Sears in Oak Brook Center is very good with little kids. I would only go there when you know you can get her, esp. once they are old enough to get good smiles out of them. She's an assistant manager, so she's there most of the time. They're reasonably priced but just your standard backgrounds and poses, nothing artsy. We go there because I like to get pictures taken of my son for lots of occasions, not spending too much for each time. We didn't like any photographers at the Sears Portrait in Downers Grove. There was one girl that was good at the Sears in Elmhurst, but we like the environment in the Oak Brook Sears better, plus then we can go shopping at the mall!

Check out Amy Tripple

www.amytripplephotography.com

I, too, liked Picture People...Stay away from Our365, who might give you a call around 2.5 months if you delivered at a hospital associated with them. They are a COMPLETE ripoff...Overpriced and like an idiot I paid a ridiculous amount bc I was not right in the head only 3 months after delivery. They make all the pics look great and lure you in. Oh well! But Picture People are a lil overpriced, too, but they were patient and really good with my son for his 1 year photos. Good luck!

I like Flash photography. I also used a woman affilated with pottery barn in old orchard call them for her name and number but she ws expensive but good. There is a place in highland park that my twins preschool used and they wre amazing. best pictures yet! if yo uneed that number let me know.
good luck
J.

Hi A.,

Congratulations on your baby boy!

I am a photographer and photograph newborns all the time.
They change so fast and this is a great time to capture him while he is still a newborn.

What I do is go to my clients home and photograph the babies and family there. It works out great and much easier on the parents, as all the clothes, and baby supplies are at the house. And it personalizes the photos.

Check out my blog http://roperphoto.com/blog/?cat=15
and my website www.roperphoto.com

Cheers,
T.

I'm a photographer, not sure if you're in my area though. (I'm In Effingham www.capturedblessings.com) My suggestion is to do a google search for photographers in your area, most of them even have their prices on their website. Look in your phonebook as well. If you can search their websites that is most helpful. You can look them over yourself and see which style you like best, when you find a photographer who's style matches your own you will know. Good luck!

My kids are all teens, but when they were little I used to just take them to the local JCPenney. Last fall I took my 14 year old to Target. It is great. You can see all the pictures digitally after they take them and pick the ones you like. They have coupons, too. Check out their website. You have to call the studio, which is separate from the store, and make an appointment. I was very happy with the pictures and the price!

Portrait Innovations is wonderful! We took our daughter at 3 weeks old, and were so impressed with the pictures. I dont know where you are located, but they are a chain, if you google it you can see if there is one close to you.

I took my son to Target on Mannheim in Rosemont. They did an awesome job. What I loved about them was I could choose any picture I wanted and the price didn't change. Go to their website to get a coupon. I got tons and tons of pictures for only $70.00. It was a great deal. We are going back next week for 6 month pictures and Valentine's Pics. I am taking my 18 year old brother also for his graduation pics. Good Luck!

The commercial photo places in the area are pretty good. I took my son at 1 month to Kiddie Kandid's. They are good but only have 20 minute session intervals.
Picture people is also good as long as you get an experinced photographer.
If you are ok paying a bit higher price, I would look into independent photographers that can come to your home. They do wonderful work and your baby will be calm because he is in his own home.
The picutres of my son taken by an indpendent photographer at 18 months are the best pictures I have of him. This was actually done through the clothing store Janie and Jack (Orland Square Mall) as a sales promotion.
Contact me if you would like this photographer's info.

We have been taking our son to Kiddie Kandids (inside Babies R Us) since our son was born. He is 4 now! I LOVE them. The pictures are great and you walk out with a cd and your pictures! The photographers are VERY patient (one time we suspended a shoot bc my son was overtired and cranky. We went home took a nap, had a bit to eat and went back to finish!) Just my suggestion, though!

I have been taking my kids to JCPenney portrait studio in Louis-Joliet Mall since 2002 (when my oldest son was 3 months old). Never had any problems with them. Look for coupons in most magazines for $3.99 sheets.

HTH
S.

I took my 6 month old to Sears Portrait Studio in the Joliet mall and avsolutely loved the results! The photographer was great and the pictures were amazing. The only problem was trying to pick out which pictures to buy!