The Photos You Keep Meaning to Take
Family, Maternity and Newborn portraits on Chicago's North Shore.
Twenty years behind a camera. Unhurried sessions in real light, and artwork made to hang on your walls, not disappear into a phone.
Winnetka · Wilmette · Kenilworth · Glencoe
The Photos You Keep Meaning to Take
Family, Maternity and Newborn portraits on Chicago's North Shore.
Twenty years behind a camera. Unhurried sessions in real light, and artwork made to hang on your walls, not disappear into a phone.
Winnetka · Wilmette · Kenilworth · Glencoe
Behind the Camera
I’m Miguel. I started out in 2005 as an assistant at a commercial photography studio in New Jersey. That experience eventually led me to open my own studio here in Chicago, where I get to help families capture a little of their life together.
Over the years, I’ve learned that every family brings something different to a session. Sometimes a toddler needs a break, a teenager needs a little space, or the light has other plans. It’s all okay. There’s time to settle in, and you don’t have to make everything go perfectly. Often, my favorite photographs happen when everyone relaxes and starts being themselves.
That’s why I take my time. I follow your family’s lead, offer a little guidance when you need it, and leave room for things to happen naturally. My hope is that you feel comfortable, cared for, and free to enjoy being together. I want you to see that feeling in your photographs.
Services
Whatever the occasion, I like to leave a little room for the moments that happen on their own. Often, my favorite photograph comes just after everyone thinks we’re finished. Shoulders relax, someone laughs, and you’re simply yourselves again. Those are the moments I love to capture for you.
Family Portraits
There’s something special about the way your family is together when everyone feels at ease. The laughter, the little looks, the way your children lean into you. Those are the moments I love to capture.
We’ll spend an easygoing hour outdoors at a place you love, with natural light and plenty of room for everyone to be themselves. Your children can explore, you can hold them close, and there’s no pressure to smile on cue. And if your dog is part of the family, bring them along.
Afterward, we’ll choose your favorite photographs together and turn them into artwork for your home. My hope is that, twenty years from now, those images still bring you back to how it felt to be together.
Maternity Portraits
Pregnancy can feel like a long wait, yet so much changes along the way. A maternity session gives you a little time to pause and remember this part of your story.
We’ll spend a relaxed hour outdoors, using natural light and gentle guidance to help you feel comfortable. You don’t need to know how to pose or what to do with your hands. I’ll help you settle in, and your partner and older children are welcome to join us.
You don’t have to feel perfectly ready to be photographed. My hope is to help you feel at ease and create photographs you’ll look back on with love.
Newborn
Those first days with your baby are full of little things you’ll want to remember. I’ll come to your home so you can settle in where you’re most comfortable, and we’ll let your baby set the pace.
We’ll use the natural light in your rooms and capture the cuddles, tiny stretches, and quiet moments together. There’s no need for props or poses, and there’s always time for feeding, changing, or a little extra soothing.
You can book while you’re expecting. I’ll keep time open around your due date, and we’ll choose a day once your little one arrives.
Weddings
I came to wedding photography after twenty years of photographing portraits and helping people feel comfortable in front of my camera. I bring that same care to your wedding, quietly capturing the people, moments, and little details that make the day yours.
We’ll keep family portraits to about twenty minutes so you can get back to celebrating with the people you love. When it’s just the two of you, I’ll offer gentle guidance so you never have to wonder how to pose. For the rest of the day, you can settle into being together while I capture it as it unfolds.
I take on a limited number of weddings each year so I can give you and your day my full attention, from our first conversation to your finished photographs.
Celebrations
I love photographing the moments you’ve planned for and the little surprises in between. The speeches, the birthday candles, a familiar laugh, or a hug you didn’t see happening across the room. After twenty years behind a camera, I’ve learned to watch for those moments so you can enjoy being there with the people you love.
I photograph bar and bat mitzvahs, sweet sixteens, quinceañeras, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and family gatherings across Chicago’s North Shore. Whatever brings everyone together, I’d love to help you remember it.
In Their Words
How It Works
1. We Talk
You tell me about your family, we pick a date, and I help you think through what everyone should wear. Nothing complicated. Mostly I’m trying to make sure the session fits the people in it.
2. We Meet in Good Light
An hour at whatever time suits your family, outdoors or at home. Your children don’t have to cooperate and it goes better when they don’t. You’ll forget I’m there somewhere in the middle. I’ll be guiding you all as well.
3. We Choose Together
About two weeks later we sit down and go through the images, and I help you decide what’s worth keeping and how to live with it. This is the part most people are surprised they enjoy. You decide nothing until you’ve seen the photographs.
4. Your Artwork, Delivered
Albums and framed pieces arrive finished. For wall artwork I bring it to your home. You don’t end up with four hundred files on a drive you keep meaning to sort through.
Investment
Full portrait sessions begin at $500 and include our time together, careful editing of your photographs, and a private appointment where I’ll help you choose your favorites. You’ll see your photographs before deciding what you’d love to take home.
Most families invest between $1,500 and $3,000 in albums, printed artwork, and digital images. Your session fee is credited toward any collection you choose, and I’ll walk you through the options so you can find what feels right for your family.
Serving Chicago's North Shore
I often meet families at Gillson Park, Crow Island Woods, or the Skokie Lagoons. If there’s a place your family loves, I’d be happy to travel a little farther and meet you somewhere that feels like you.
I photograph families throughout Winnetka, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Glencoe, Northfield, Highland Park, Northbrook, Glenview, Deerfield, and Evanston.
For newborn sessions, I’ll come to your home so you and your baby can stay comfortable and settled. Family and maternity sessions can take place outdoors or in the comfort of your home. We’ll choose somewhere you feel at ease, with room to relax and enjoy being together.