software fills in when mother nature won't

Brad and Cari asked me to come to Chicago last week to capture their family, and of course I was happy to oblige ... Lee had been my first boss in Chicago many years ago, and we've stayed in touch (especially when he decided to convert to Macintosh). When he found out I was going to be in town, we quickly coordinated calendars.

The plan: get some nice family shots in the fall splendor that is Chicago in late October.

The reality: the trees hadn't really turned yet -- it was as green as July for a hundred miles.

What to do in that situation? You lean on the fine products made by Adobe, and tone down the leaves that forgot what month it was.



Cari must have known I am a Beatles fan, because the four of them looked extra sharp in black turtlenecks and jeans ... it looked like "Meet the Beatles" in many of the shots. People ask me all the time about how to dress, and my answer is always the same: A family's style and personality comes out in how it dresses, so just be yourselves and everything will turn out fine.

Paul (left) was feeling a bit under the weather during the session, but you'd never know it from the results. He and John both were right on the entire time, and I really appreciated their spirit and energy.



I always ask families to make some sort of goofy face for me -- it lightens up the mood and reminds us all why we're doing this (to have fun) ... The boys did not disappoint.



I smell a holiday card cover!