family – CHICAGO AND SUBURBS FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

at home documentary, family, kids, personal, self portraits, short personal stories

Seasons are changing, Self Portraits with my children in Jackson Park Chicago IL

Featuredby Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

Well hello there.

I dragged my kids out for some self portraits and a new adventure. You want to know something.. it felt amazing. I’ve missed getting behind the lens, I used to do it so damn much before. It always felt like it pushed my growth. I think I’m currently stifling my creativity. So tragic right? I’m not sure why I’m holding my self back. When I know I can do anything and everything.

I always get super thrilled when I picture my kids in the future showing these to their kids or their partners and going on and on about all of the adventures I took them on. Making me the best mom ever lol. But little do they know how much of this is for me. It’s healing. Connecting to nature is my jam. I want to point out all of the beauty to them, and also the grandness of them in this beauty. It’s spring time and I’m sure I’ll never stop being in awe of how year after year things just come back. No matter what, trees and flowers bloom. You blink and there are little sprouts everywhere not announcing their arrival, just being. Currently I’m working incessantly to stay present. Everyday is a new way to show up. But I’m super fucking impatient. I desperately want something to tell me “Adri you are healed” Here’s your sign. I guess there will never come a sign, just like the little sprouts, I just have to be. Day in and day out continue to attempt at this (insert your best fucking adjective) life, until I’m no longer trying to heal all of my wounds. Maybe I’m being silly and that’s the point I’m missing. You’re just never finished. I guess time will tell. Time always does. As I look back on my life, Motherhood was a huge catalyst toward healing, or at least the beginning of feeling. I know i need to stay present. stay in the beauty of spring. Let it teach me. Take in all of the beauty and just await the new season of life.

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

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family, maternity

The Santiago family is growing, Orland Park IL maternity photographer

Featuredby Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

I had the absolute pleasure to get to capture the joy of this beautiful family. They are expecting their second child and can you see the look on big sister’s face? She was such a wonderful kiddo. She’s awaiting the arrival of her brother. From our session together I learned about her favorite snacks and although it’s been a while, turns out I’m still fluent in toddler lol. Jasmine is due any day now and I get to meet that sweet little boy. Oh did I meantion it’s a boy.

I met Jasmine online sometime ago. She is a fellow photographer and I am so honored to be the one who captures this new stage in her life. Their session although a tiny bit cold due to March in Chicago’s unpredictability, however it was full of ever flowing love. You can tell that this baby will just be such an extension of their love.

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at home documentary, Chicago BIRTH, Client session, family, home birth, maternity

Hannah and Eric welcome their sweet baby girl at home | Chicago IL birth photographer, Edgewater neighborhood

Featuredby Adri De La Cruz | Photographer1 Comment

Each birth I attend is this beautiful unfolding story. My clients are all different, lighting can be diffent. Comfort levels too, Dynamics etc. First time parents however seem to all be the same. They are all at the precipice of a life changing moment, unlike anything before. I can sense the nervousness and the hesitation. When I arrived Hannah spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom challengely lit by one candle. In moments like this, where my lens struggles to find the subject… I freelens. Because I trust that slice of focus. It reminded me of stories I read before, of women birthing in caves all that time ago. She craved the coziness of the bathroom. It almost seemed to sooth her. Of course I would never put any words in my clients mouths but I can only speak to what I was and what my camera captured.

I also saw this beautiful togetherness. They both moved with synchronicity, the pair of fresh to be parents. It was a mighty thing to witness. Eric was a phenomenal birth partner in my opinion. But Hannah’s vigor and courage are the stars of the show. She moved that baby down by trusting her body and she allowed herself to be so vulnerable. Perhaps there’s nothing but vulnerability allowed at home births. Perhaps that’s the beauty of them.

My job is to capture these moments, but with every birth, I leave with such a sense of purpose. The uniqueness in which a mother labors and moves through these moments leave me breathless. A rush of love for life fills me to the brim. I am so grateful I get to be a part of this.

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Client session, family

Camblin Family session in Elmhurst IL Wilder Mansion

Featuredby Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

Well this session was a big surprise. I do believe this was my first big family session without any babies. It also made me think about the direction of my work and how to incorporate my personal work as my kids get older. I do think it’s a thing of beauty to still want to be in images with your folks, as teenagers. The love and connection between this family was amazing. They all were so insanely lovely, even if a big session wasn’t their idea of a well spent Sunday evening, they were kind and patient. And the beauty my god, the women in this family. Just wow am I right? I mean the boys aren’t far behind. But this stunning bunch of women just blew me away. Lori had this incredible energy that you saw reflected in her children.

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at home documentary, family, personal, self portraits

My loves | Adri De La Cruz Chicago family photographer

Featuredby Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

I cant believe we’re here, so close to December. Just about to celebrate Thanksgiving. As I mentioned in on my previous post things are looking different in the future for us. Perhaps this is too heavy and personal for my photography page or perhaps it’s just what my clients need from me. To see me, to go a little deeper into who I am and to see who the person is behind the lens. I capture the beauty of family because it is my passion. My family is also my passion. and If I am to live my one and wild precious life the way I want, then I guess I’ll have to be judged. I am so grateful for my soon to be ex-husband who agreed to do this for me. In actuality I know he knows it’s for them. We may not have always modeled this great incredible marriage for them, but we will make sure that they now see unconditional love and friendship moving forward. I started the decade of my twenties by having a baby boy, launching my business, absorbing everything I could. In the last decade I’ve also launched photographer communities and workshops all across the United States. I taught others to find their voice and maybe even dabbled in having my own magazine. But all of that would mean nothing without them. I was 21 when my son was born, shy of 22 by mere days. What an incredible journey it’s been. I’m 31 now. The best part of getting old is that you realize that you absolutely know nothing. Such a humbling thing to acknowledge. & in this nothingness I will begin my next decade, and I hope I can sit here at 41 still just admiring all of the greatness that has come, and not focus on the “what -could -have -been”. I hope I am forever a glass half full kinda girl. No matter what comes.

As I climbed out of the tub and shook my hair dry, I told myself: Maybe in a different life.
Isn’t that interesting?
As if I had more than one.

-Untamed

About this session. I will forever love our chalk wall. I probably can’t do that in my new rental but we’ve drawned and played a multitude of fun games on it. I’ve been surprised by love notes from my children written on it. Also have seen some incredible freaking art skills displayed on here. I don’t want to take credit lol but maybe thats a little of me rubbing off on them. In reality we know all children are great artists, I’m only happy mine constantly choose to share their work with me often. I wanted to use this as a backdrop for a few portraits then head out to Oak Park and just do something different. I have driven pass that green wall always hopeful to have a session there at some point. I think a lot of people struggle to see beauty in a ugly green wall, but then that’s why there’s people like me. I understand that the point of a session is not the background but the love and fun represented in front of it. From a chalk wall to a green wall. I love how these came out, I mister helped me take the group ones. I didn’t trust a tripod in the middle of a street with winds and cars flowing by. I hope we can make this happen every year until my kiddos say no lol.

I hope you all have an amazing bunch of Holidays.

Love the De La Cruz family.

at home documentary, chicago family, Client session, family

The Dryfhout Family session | Homer Glen IL photographer

Featuredby Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

The absolute most kind of people also happen to be the most beautiful. We did the math during their session and I have been photographing their beautiful family since before little miss E was even alive. How insanely special is that. I’ve seen two of their stunning homes and have seen the kids go through various changes. Now they’ve added an adorable pup. I always say that Matt won the wife lottery (mainly to myself) but you can see from these images that theyre all so beyond lucky to have each other. I cannot stress enough how welcoming and lovely they are. Getting to catch up and see the brand new adventures they’ve made is so much fun. Miss Z + E make me jealous, for my own little Zoe, I know she wishes she had a sister. I myself had 2 but they came almost a decade after me. It’s also crazy to see just how tall Mr. A got, close to being over six feet. He will absolutely surpass his dad. He’s just as handsome as ever and so clever. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s no such thing as a bad location. We shot these in their front yard, around their house and in the back. There is always some kind of magic everywhere.

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chicago family, children, family

McCallum extended family session, Long Grove Illinois photographer

Featuredby Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

This past weekend was just incredible weather for sessions and exploring. I had a chance to catch up with the lovely McCallum family and they brought along her sister and family. Karissa is such a kind and wonderful soul, she is just one of those inviting people that I think everyone should have in their lives. All of her warmth transends onto her children. Her and Patrick are just doing an amazing job raising those three. I look forward to many years of checking in and seeeing them grow and expand into their beauty.

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Charlie is four, mom and daughter session in Downtown Chicago | Adri De La Cruz photographer

October 7, 2020by Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

I cannot belive this little beauty is four already. We were there to welcome her, the weekend after her birth. She was so insanely beautiful and tiny with the darkestlittle curls all around her head. I have a photograph of my baby zo holding her and its one of my favorite photos of the two. They’re so close and inseparable. I love that they have each other and I bet that they become the best of friends. I got to photograph Charlie with her beautiful mama by the river a few weeks ago, and the weather couldn’t be more perfect. It was sunny and warm kinda like this duo. You can see just how much they adore each other. This location was bustling with life. We are still so careful to watch out for covid. But it was fun to see people on the river and enjoying the lovely fall weather. We had a blast during this session mainly because Chalie is such a little ball of energy and loves to dance.

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children, family

Orland Park IL, Meha family session | Adri De La Cruz family photographer

Featuredby Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

A few weeks ago I did this beautiful session at 3:30 pm. Why is that relevant? well if you’re a photographer, then you know how difficult brighter light can be for a session especially with little kiddos. They move fast and they’re unpredictable. Most of the space in this location was also very open. But if you know me, you know that I love a challenge. The Meha family was so beautiful ( as you can see from the photos obv) the babies are actually twins and it’s so funny to me how genes work and how unlike each other they actualy were. I absolutely enjoyed getting to know them, twins run in their family. For mom in both of her parent’s families, so it was def set in the stars to have her be a twin mom. They came in looking so sharp and I am so in love with these images, wide open spaces and a beautiful family in front of it is one of my favorites. I loved the beautiful blue contrasting sky. I hope that they trasure these for years to come.

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at home documentary, Chicago BIRTH, chicago family, Client session, family, infant, kids, minisessions

Front porch session | Davison Family, Downtown Chicago session

August 21, 2020by Adri De La Cruz | PhotographerLeave a Comment

During the middle of quarantine I offered my clients a tiny front porch session. This is the Davison’s beautiful front porch. I was so excited when I was the beautiful tree oasis right in front. Im always so happy when we can venture and do a few different things. It was so lovely to see them again. I had just photographed their birth story and getting to see a real life update

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