• An expectant couple on a tree-lined gravel path in autumn, their toddler holding on to her leg
  • An expectant couple resting on a blanket under a red maple with autumn leaves across the grass
  • Two young sisters in pink dresses standing together in gold grass taller than they are
  • A family of four standing together on a wooded path under yellow autumn trees
  • An expectant mother in a cream gown beside a white fence, gold and orange autumn foliage behind her
  • An expectant mother beside a white paddock fence, her toddler handing her a yellow autumn leaf
  • A mother holding her baby on a sandy beach path, low sun flaring through the trees behind them
  • A mother sitting with her two young daughters, amber autumn foliage behind them
  • A mother, father and baby standing on a brick garden path with a deep pink shrub and turning trees behind them
  • A father carrying his baby down a sandy dune path to the lake on a fall family session

FALL & HOLIDAY FAMILY PHOTOS IN CHICAGO

Most families who book me in the Fall are really booking one photograph: the one that goes on the holiday card, but fall family photos in Chicago with me are so much more than that!

It’s an unhurried family session in September or October, one your kids will actually enjoy and get to be kids! At the end of our session you will not only have the perfect “all smiles” photo for your holiday card, but also giftable prints for the grandparents, and photos that will be worth printing & hanging on your wall for years to come!

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BUILT AROUND YOUR FAMILY

I do not run mini sessions. There is no list of fixed dates to pick a slot from, no single location everyone rotates through, and no queue of families waiting behind you.

Instead, you tell me roughly when you want your session to be and what you want the photos to feel like, and we build the session from there. I will suggest the perfect location that has that golden Fall feel to it. We set the start time around the light and around your childrens’ nap, because those two things decide whether the afternoon goes well far more than anything I do with a camera. Bring the grandparents. Bring the dog, and we will do the pet photos first so everyone can relax afterwards.

It is the same approach I take to every family session I photograph as a chicago family photographer!

A family of four holding hands in a mown field of tall gold prairie grass during their fall family photos
A little girl in a pale blue dress twirling in long grass during a fall family session, amber autumn bokeh behind her

WHEN TO BOOK YOUR FALL FAMILY PHOTOS IN CHICAGO

What I tell clients every year- please let me know about a month or two ahead of time to secure a date, as my late September and October does tend to book up quickly. That has been true every year. By the time the trees turn, the weekends have gone.

Two things to plan around:

  • Fall Color is a three-week window, not a season. On the North Shore, the good Fall foliage usually lands in the middle-to-late half of October. If Fall color is important to you, book a date in that stretch. Beach photos are my favorite in the Fall, because it is cooler and the light is beautiful! September is a great time to photograph in locations with prairie flowers, so there are a lot of options other than just orange leaves!
  • The light collapses. A golden-hour session that starts around 6pm in early September starts around 5pm by the end of October. An after-work weekday session stops being possible for many families in October, and everything moves to weekends (which book up the quickest).

Keep in mind that the turnaround for your gallery is 2 weeks (72 hour turnaround available for a $100 rush fee). If it takes you about another week to order your holiday cards and get them printed and sent out, that is a total of 3 weeks to give yourself! So if you want cards in hand for Thanksgiving, book your date by around October 30 — which is also about where the outdoor Fall season ends here.

An expectant couple standing together beside a white paddock fence in low autumn sunlight
A small child holding a yellow autumn leaf up against their mother's pregnant belly

WHERE WE PHOTOGRAPH

These are some of my favorite locations for fall family photos in Chicago and out on the North Shore. They have the beautiful soft light that makes photos truly shine. All four of the outdoor spots below are open to the public — Elawa Farm and Mellody Farm Nature Preserve in Lake Forest, the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo, and Gillson Park in Wilmette — so you are very welcome to go and walk them before we choose.

ELAWA FARM, LAKE FOREST

One of my two favorite places to photograph a family during sunset. A working farm with brick barn buildings, gravel path lined with evergreens, and flower farm. In September and October, the garden is in bloom. Parking is easy on site and it is very walkable for small children.

MELLODY FARM NATURE PRESERVE, LAKE FOREST

My other favorite in Lake Forest, and a completely different look: open prairie, tall golden grasses, mown paths, big sky. It has a small parking lot, and it is worth going later in the evening when the low sun comes through the grass.

LINCOLN PARK NATURE BOARDWALK

The city option, and the one to pick if you want the skyline in the frame. Boardwalk over the pond, native plants, and of course the famous Honeycomb. Street parking around the zoo is the cheapest route (but can take a while to find), and it is super busy on the Fall weekends, so a weekday afternoon is much calmer experience.

GILLSON BEACH, WILMETTE

Sand, dune grass and open sky! Autumn is the right time to photograph here: the summer crowds are gone and the beach is effectively ours. There is very little foliage, but that doesn’t detract from its beauty. Bring coats for between frames, as the wind can get chilly here later in the Fall. I photograph right along this stretch of the North Shore — there is more on my Highland Park family photographer page.

YOUR HOME

Often the practical choice simply because you don’t have to drive anywhere. We can start the session right in your front yard, and then head indoors when the kids get too cold. This is a perfect option for those that want to document the coziness life in your home.

A father carrying his baby down a sandy dune path to the lake on a fall family session
A mother holding her baby on a sandy beach path, low sun flaring through the trees behind them

WHAT TO WEAR

The short version: dress in layers, because a cold child is a child who is upset in 5 minutes. Layers you can add and remove between frames and coats for the walking bits.

The long version is a whole article — I have written it here: what to wear for fall family photos. Every family who books gets a wardrobe guide and, if you want it, I am more than happy to help you source and put together your family’s entire wardrobe.

SESSIONS & PRICING

Classic Session — $900

A full family session with 60+ edited images and a print release, the wardrobe and planning guide, your online gallery and print store, wall art and album design, and 50 4×6 prints in a linen keepsake box.

Simplicity Session — $600

30 minutes, 20+ edited images and a print release, with the same wardrobe, guide, gallery and design inclusions. If the holiday card is genuinely all you need, this is enough.

Bump to Baby — $1,500

A maternity session and a newborn session together, with a print credit on each. Limited to twenty families a year.

Studio sessions require an additional $50 fee.

You do not pay all of it up front; a retainer holds your date and the balance is then due on the day of the session. The full range, including maternity, newborn, Fresh 48 and milestone sessions, is on my session pricing page.

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INDOOR OR OUTDOOR

Outdoor sessions run right through early August into late October. I also love photographing blended indoor/outdoor in-home sessions. In-home and studio sessions are also available, which is the best option for those that want a relaxed and warm indoor session in November and early December.

An expectant mother in a cream gown beside a white fence, gold and orange autumn foliage behind her
An expectant couple resting on a blanket under a red maple with autumn leaves across the grass

BOOK YOUR FALL OR HOLIDAY SESSION

Tell me roughly when you would like your session to be, where you live, and what kind of location you are hoping for, and I will come back with the dates I have left and the locations I would suggest for your family. A month or two of notice is ideal for late September and October; for a November or December session a couple of weeks is usually enough.

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