Skokie and Chicago North Shore
Milestone Photography
Birthdays, first steps, first haircuts, and everything worth pausing for.
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What a milestone session feels like
Milestones are the moments you swear you will remember and then somehow blur together. The first time they sit up. The cake they demolished. The graduation gown that was too long. A milestone session is a short, relaxed session built around one of those moments, at home or at a favorite spot nearby.
I photograph baby milestone sessions at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, first birthdays and cake smashes, upsherins and first haircuts, graduations, engagements and holiday sessions throughout Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette and Chicago's North Shore.
Baby's first year
The first year moves fastest of all. Many families book a newborn session and then come back at six months, when baby can sit and smile, and at one year for the cake. Photographed in the same home with the same light, those galleries become a record of a whole year.
Sitter sessions at 6 to 9 months are my favorite. Baby is sturdy enough to sit, delighted by everything, and not yet fast enough to crawl out of frame.
What you get
- At home or on location: your living room, backyard, or a nearby park
- Family frames too: parents and siblings are always included
- Real celebrations: cake, candles, balloons and the mess that comes with them
- Professionally edited images: delivered in a private online gallery
- Full print rights: print whatever you want, wherever you want
What makes milestone photos work
Babies have a schedule, and we follow it. A six-month session at nap time is a session of tears. I book around your baby's best window of the day, usually the hour after a morning nap and a feed.
Cake smashes are messy, quick and worth planning. We do the clean portraits first, then bring out the cake. A plain cake with soft frosting photographs best. I bring a drop cloth, and a bath afterward is part of the plan.
First-year sessions look best in the same light. If we photographed your newborn session by the nursery window, we come back to it. The consistency is what makes a first-year set feel like a story.
Graduations and ceremonies have a clock. For Northwestern graduations and school events I photograph the portraits before or after the ceremony crowd, at a spot we choose in advance.
Milestone session pricing
Most milestone sessions fit the $200 mini (30 minutes) or the $325 Classic (60 minutes). Cake smashes and celebrations with extended family usually suit the Classic. Every package includes professionally edited images in a private online gallery with full print rights. Sessions within 10 miles of Skokie carry no travel fee.
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Common questions about milestone photography
What ages are best for baby milestone photos?
Newborn (5 to 14 days), 3 months for smiles, 6 to 9 months for sitting up, and 12 months for the first birthday and cake smash. Any of those alone is lovely. Together they tell the whole first year.
How much does a first birthday or cake smash session cost?
A first birthday or cake smash session is usually the $200 mini or the $325 Classic session, with edited images and print rights included. You provide the cake and I bring the rest.
Do you photograph upsherins and first haircuts?
Yes. I have photographed an upsherin and third birthday celebration and love the mix of ceremony, family and a very brave three-year-old. Event pricing depends on length, so tell me the plan and I will send a quote.
Can milestone photos be taken at home?
Yes, and for babies I usually recommend it. Home means naps on schedule, favorite toys within reach, and photos in the space they are growing up in.
Do you photograph graduations and engagements?
Yes. Graduation portraits around Evanston and the North Shore, and engagement sessions in Chicago and the suburbs, both use the same packages as every other session.
Where I photograph
Which moment are we marking?
Tell me the milestone and the date, and I will suggest a session that fits it.
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