CHICAGO WEDDING & FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY

Category: Projects

  • Road trips with kids: My 31-hour California Adventure

    Road trips with kids: My 31-hour California Adventure

    31 Hours: Our Impulsive Road Trip to California

    Last week, completely unplanned and stupidly so, I drove to California. If you don’t know, that is 31 damn hours from my home in Illinois. Road trips with kids can be daunting; however, this impulsive journey was exactly what my soul needed. Was it a bit wild? Probably. Consequently, I have no regrets about the decision.

    THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND MY DAUUGHTER MONTERREY
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    Planning Impulsive Road Trips With Kids

    On Wednesday my mom mentioned the idea, and by Thursday night, we were already out on the road. I drove through the night fueled by crappy gas station coffee and good music. While everyone else slept, it was just me and my thoughts. Lately, I haven’t allowed myself to just sit and be with myself. Additionally, 31 hours is a significant amount of thinking time. Usually, road trips with kids involve constant snacks and distractions, but the quiet of the night highway felt like a necessary reset.

    I wish I had taken more photographs during the drive. Unfortunately, I always regret not taking enough. I did manage to get in the frame with my kids, which is getting harder to do as they grow. My brother helped capture some of our time at the beach once we arrived. Furthermore, even though I wish I had more to show, I tried my best to be present.

    MY DAUGHTER BEING EXTRA Road trips with kids
    WINDY PORTRAIT Road trips with kids
    MONTERREY BEACH Road trips with kids
    ME AND MY KIDS NEAR THE SHORE Road trips with kids
    HUGGING MY BABY Road trips with kids
    RUNNING ON A SHORE Road trips with kids

    FFinding Peace in the Chaos

    We had so many deep conversations during the drive. As a result, we also had plenty of bickering fights. It was chaos and peace all at once. I truly can’t believe how much beauty is out there across this country. The route is incredible and it’s easy to get mesmerized by the open road.

    If you are planning your own road trips with kids, my advice is to just go. Don’t wait for the perfect plan. The time alone, the music, and the shifting landscapes reminded me that wherever you are in life, you will be okay. Therefore, if you can’t cope with life right now, just go take a damn cross-country trip like I did.

  • Standing in the light | Chicago and west suburbs photographer

    Standing in the light | Chicago and west suburbs photographer

    This post is a little departure from what I usually blog, beautiful families with tiny humans who bring so much joy. But I think throwing something different at you is something you can handle. May even be necessary. I’ve been exploring what my womanhood means to me. & I probably shoud have shared self portraits along with my words, but sharing women who inspire me seemed more fitting. I would say that unless I found myself on the path that I am on I would have never even questioned what I thought about womanhood. These images are from Austin, the last location for the last workshop I hosted. I had a conversation with my friend B via Facetime recently, in which we agreed that for both of us so much perspective and change came about leaving our nests for these workshops. I can’t speak for everyone who has ever ventured out of their comfort zones but for me, I can’t live without the challenge. If I get too comfortable it becomes this nagging feeling that I need to push myself. That’s what these workshops meant. Pushing myself and in the process discovering more about what it means to fail and to get comfortable with the unknown. Im evolving my thinking and have so much to uncover but for now I’ll leave it at this new discovery is beautiful. This new questioning is amazing. Womanhood is dope as hell. I’m so excited to grow more into myself.

    Can I also say how important it is to sorround yourself with inspiring women who are living their life in their own way unapologetically. Both Britt and Angela have in so many silent ways encouraged me to live authentically. This ish is hard, I won’t lie. I remember when I first became aquainted with these two women. Their existence and the way they moved through the world made me so uncomfortable. I think it was because to me, they were living true to themselves and I didn’t know at the time how desperately I wanted that to be me. These days I am living and standing in my truth. I know without a shadow of a doubt what I want and I am persuing that passionately. I hope this post encourages you to do the same.

    “This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they’ve never been.”

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  • Chicago Photographer Self Love | North Carolina Alley

    Chicago Photographer Self Love | North Carolina Alley

    This Chicago photographer self love project started with an alley in North Carolina and a decision to stop making excuses. I spend so much of my time documenting other people’s most tender moments and this was my reminder to document my own.

    The journey to strong self-love is hard. It reminds me of that one terrible Chicago street you know the one, riddled with potholes, the kind you navigate like MacGyver just to make it through. Self-love is like that. You brace yourself, you maneuver carefully, and sometimes you hit a rough patch anyway.

    Chicago photographer self love seeing myself for what I am
    Chicago photographer self love woman behind flowers
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    Why This Chicago Photographer Turned the Camera on Herself

    Self-love gets sold to us constantly. Buy this, follow that routine, and you’ll have it. But nobody says out loud that you can’t fake it. It shows up in every action, every word you use about yourself. I hope it shows up in these images.

    Turning the camera on myself keeps me honest. It reminds me what it feels like to be in front of the lens — the vulnerability, the in-between moments, the ones that end up being the most real. It makes me a better Chicago family photographer for my clients too.

    Nearing 30, I found myself caring less and less about what others think. And somehow, a random alley in North Carolina became the place I put that on film. Imperfect, a little raw, completely mine.

    Chicago photographer self love woman on the floor

    Chicago Photographer Self Love — A Practice, Not a Destination

    I don’t have it all figured out. But as a Chicago photographer self love is something I come back to again and again in my work, in my personal projects, and in the way I show up for myself and my clients. This alley in North Carolina was just one reminder of that. There will be more.Self portraiture has a long tradition in art — explore the history at The Guardian’s photography section.

  • Documentary Storyteller in Chicago | Childhood magic

    Documentary Storyteller in Chicago | Childhood magic

    A Sweet Goodbye to Summer

    Yesterday felt like a sweet goodbye to summer. As a documentary storyteller in Chicago, I felt an overwhelming need to capture these last moments for my own kids. Specifically, I wanted to freeze the feeling of this season before the school year shifted our rhythm entirely. I turned on the sprinkler for just fifteen minutes and simply documented their joy. But let’s be honest, there were also plenty of moments of them fighting for the best spot near the water.

    Consequently, this transition feels heavier than most. After this summer, I no longer have a kid at home to keep me busy during the day. There is so much change ahead for our family. Our schedules are getting full, and so are the backpacks.

    Next week is the first day of school for my littlest as she starts Pre-K. I know she’s going to love it; she is truly one of the most extroverted kids I know. Ultimately, I look forward to hearing all of her new stories, even though change is never easy. Nonetheless, we just have to keep moving forward.

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    Candid example of authentic childhood fun, captured by a documentary storyteller in Chicago

    The Heart of My Storytelling

    Because I don’t have many photos from my own childhood, I am deeply intentional about preserving these visual legacies for my kids—and for yours. Whether we are playing in a sprinkler in Forest Park or exploring a park in Oak Park, my goal as a documentary storyteller in Chicago is to capture the “ordinary” days that are actually extraordinary.

    Ready to document your own family’s magic? If you’re looking for a soulful, unposed experience, explore my work as an Oak Park family photographer or view my latest Chicago family photography sessions. Let’s tell your story, exactly as it is.

    Honest moment of pre-K transition and last days of summer, documented by a Chicago storytelling photographer, kids running around their front yard with a sprinkler

    Planning a Session with a Documentary Storyteller in Chicago

    Specifically, many parents ask me how to prepare for an unposed session. Ultimately, the best advice I can give is to lean into the chaos. Whether it’s a sprinkler fight in the backyard or a messy breakfast at the kitchen table, these are the moments that truly tell your story. Consequently, as a documentary storyteller in Chicago, I am not looking for perfection; I am looking for the connection that makes your family unique.

    kids in front yard with sprinkler creative shots
    Documnetary family session near Forest Park, focusing on real-life details like filled backpacks and full schedules
    boy playing with sprinkler at home
    ifestyle family photography in the Chicago suburbs, showing an intimate, unposed backyard sprinkler session documentary storyteller
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    documentary storyteller in Chicago
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    adri de la cruz chicagos best family photographer (14)
    adri de la cruz chicagos best family photographer (1)
    adri de la cruz chicagos best family photographer (13)
    portraits of a 4 yr old documentary storyteller in Chicago
    boy wiping hand documentary storyteller in Chicago
    kid swinging on wood swing documentary storyteller in Chicago

  • Project 5for5 days

    More failures to add

    So here I am. Last month I attempted a P/30 and I will humbly say that it was not a success.  My heart just was not into it. The images I took were not my best, it was like a chore to me. It was dreadful. Maybe I’m just not a “project ” person. I just have to accept it and move on. I’m at a point in my life where realizations are so incredibly welcomed. I have stopped trying to be someone I’m not, and this is another step in the right direction. Will I try again? Who knows , maybe. It was a little disappointing  to not pull through for myself for a month alone. But alas, some friends on facebook. tagged me to join along this week and share 5 for 5 days, easy enough right? Well here we go.. wish me luck.

    5 FOR 5… DAY UNO WHIMSYHEARTPHOTOGRAPHYCHICAGO