Southport

In my quest to find interesting details at home and around town this winter, I discovered how focusing on the little things can uniquely tell a much larger story. Take one of my favorite streets in Chicago. I've always loved hanging out on Southport, but concentrating on its details - the sophisticated boutiques and independent restaurants and cafes, the trendy hustle and bustle of its patrons - made me rediscovered why I loved it.

And a little Midwestern hospitality!

Random Studies

I've had a lot of fun playing around with depth of field and motion this winter. The ice and snow and, well, lack of life outside forced me to get creative and look for the beauty in details.

Snow, snow go away...

I used to love snow. It meant surprise days off from school, building snowmen in the back yard, staying cozy inside the house. But now we have to walk to work in it. Drive in it. Dig out our parking spots. Slip down the front steps in the morning. And this year, we're getting slammed. For me, the charm and romance of the snow died when the several feet we had on the ground iced over during the 20-below week. Now it's just an abundant, frozen, slippery, cold menace. It's a good thing Chicago summers are amazing enough to keep us going through the tough winter months. Hurry, Spring, hurry!

A fun afternoon

It was a pleasure for me and Mike to get to know this wonderful family. The girls were so sweet, very fun, and we loved their cute wardrobe options! I think we had as much fun as they did taking these photos. Thanks again for a great afternoon and hope to see you all again soon.

Celebrating with the nephews

Mike's sister has two adorable sons. We don't get the chance to hang out with them very often, so when we do, of course, we bring our cameras. We had a blast playing with these two cuties over the holiday. They're very happy brothers and it's a joy to watch them learn and grow.