This is why you want to capture the little ones… take a look at Nico & Jack from a couple of years ago when I photographed them…  Wow, have they grown since then!  Now, they are two little boys who love to play wtih Transformers and “Plants vs. Zombies” on the iPad!  Another fun session with these two…boys will be boys!  Thank you for allowing me to capture Nico & Jack again.  It’s always a pleasure =D

So handsome!

Boys will be boys!

Do you remember those days when we’d run just for the heck of it and race each other just ‘coz?  Oh to be young again!

This is so Nico!  Cute!

Wow!  The last time I photographed Noah, he was just a little baby boy and  now look at him!  Those big brown almond shaped eyes will just melt your heart…

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

xoxo Michele

Misha Media on Facebook

Also, join me in my quest for taking a photo with my iPhone for 365 days.  I just started on July 1st, so it’s not too late.  Here is the Facebook Group: iPhone project 365 You may upload direct from your iPhone to this page.  OR if you just want to check out what others are getting with their iPhone cameras, join us!  It’s fun!

You don’t need a “nice” camera to take nice pictures… it’s all about light and composition!

Noah, Jeff, and Che, thanks for coming to visit us!  We miss you guys already!

Do you remember Adrian? He now has a sweet baby sister named Sara!   For a newborn, Sara was very alert, very smiley, very hungry, and very sleepy, just like her brother =D  I will be documenting Sara’s first year of life with my “Grow with Me Sessions” so you’ll be seeing a lot of Sara throughout the year.  Berenice & Nick, congratulations on your new addition to your family and thank you for welcoming me into your home again!  It was my pleasure meeting and photographing baby Sara!  She is precious!

Here are Adrian’s blogged “Grow with Me” Sessions: 1, 2, 3.

xoxo Michele

I photographed big brother Adrian in the same tub… of course I had to do it again for baby Sara :)

“break time!”

Adrian is so fond of his little sister.  He’s going to be a good big brother!

Photographed with a lot of help from mommy Berenice… thanks Berenice!

Lucas is such a ham in front of the camera!  I had so much photographing this little one.  This photo shoot was for comp cards his comp card :)  This busy bee is signed with two talent agencies: Lily’s Talent Agency and Babes ‘n Beaus Model and Talent Agency.  Seriously, after spending a day with him, who wouldn’t sign him!?  He’s so adorable! After the session, I had promised Lucas that I would play the Wii with him.  He definitely did not forget and immediately went to the Wii after we were done… Guess what game?!  Of course Baseball!  Thanks Lucas for a fun session and letting me play the Wii with ya!  xoxo Michele

I cannot wait to meet Adrian’s baby sister… or is it going to be a baby brother??  I’m not very good at guessing the sex of the baby since I guessed incorrectly with Adrian the first time around, but I know that baby #2 will definitely be a cutie!  I have been photographing Adrian for over a year now and it’s so great to see him grow!  He is now a little more than a year and a half and he’s grown to be such a cute toddler.  Those beautiful brown eyes are just so darling!  And I am so envious of his forever long eyelashes…

Adrian loves his books!

Beautiful Berenice… She definitely has that certain glow about her!  Congrats on baby #2!

Adrian thought it was funny as I was lying down on the sidewalk to get this shot…

Puzzle time with Daddy!

Adrian was so proud to show me his “big boy” bed!

See what I mean?  Super long lashes!  Love them!

’til next time…

Nick & Berenice, you have a beautiful family and we are so happy that there’s going to be a new addition soon!  Thank you once again for trusting us in capturing your family!

Michele & Andy

If you have a young child between the ages of 6 months and 3 years old, you must read this post!

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to photograph baby Liam and his mommy.  Needless to say, we’ve become friends and I’ve been keeping up with her through Facebook.  Danielle is a very talented graphic designer and she actually does customized invitations with her own business Danielle Designs.  About 2 weeks ago, I was contacted by Danielle regarding her second child named Brendan.  Much to my dismay, it was a sad correspondence.  I found out that Brendan has Retinoblastoma and she contacted me to see if I can photograph Brendan before he loses all of his hair after his first round of chemotherapy… After coordinating our schedules, I made it out to their home last week.  I didn’t really know what to expect… Once I got there, I was so happy to see that Brendan was doing really well!  He is such a happy baby and you would have never guessed that he had undergone chemotherapy a few days before our session.  It breaks my heart to see little ones go through rigorous tests and treatments, even a  poke by a needle is so hard to see.  Please pray for this little guy for  much needed strength and for his speedy recovery.  As of today, I am happy to say that Brendan hasn’t had any hair loss and is doing great!  Danielle and her husband are all about spreading awareness regarding Retinoblastoma.  It is curable, but early detection is key!  Please read below on some details regarding Retinoblastoma and what you can do as a parent.

Brendan is almost 14 months old. He’s a healthy, active 1 year old who’s determined and strong-willed. He’s passed his brother in many milestones like crawling and walking. On March 22, 2010, Brendan was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma. He was taken in due to his right eye that was turning inward (crossing), which was thought to be Strabismus, but after dilating his pupils, the tumor was discovered by our pediatric ophthalmologist.

Retinoblastoma is a rare eye cancer that occurs in children (usually between the ages of 6 months and 3 years). There are approximately 250-300 cases in the US each year (about 1 out of every 15,000 live births). While rare, more than 95% of patients treated in the US are cured.

Symptoms of Retinoblastoma are a white pupil when taking flash photography (often referred to as a “cat’s eye” that has reflective qualities or a glow – this is the tumor blocking the red retina that would normally cause red-eye). Another sign of the disease is an eye that turned inward (crossed) or turned outward. Other more rare symptoms are redness, inflammation, pain and poor vision.

Most cases of Retinoblastoma are not hereditary. Those cases usually result in a tumor in only one eye. Hereditary Retinoblastoma normally effects both eyes.

Treatment is based on many factors, but can include enucleation (removal of the eye to prevent spreading to the rest of the body), radiation, photocoagulation (laser treatment), cryotherapy (freezing treatment), chemotherapy and/or a combination of these.

Early detection is crucial in treating Retinoblastoma. One easy way to catch this cancer is by taking a flash photo of your child once a month (eyes looking directly at the camera). If you see anything abnormal, consult your pediatrician.

Here are my faves from Brendan’s session.  Danielle, it was my pleasure to meet and photograph Brendan!  God Bless you and your family!

I fell in love with his big beautiful blue eyes right away, just like his big brother Liam’s

I love this moment between the two little ones!

The last time I saw Liam, he was only a few weeks old!  And look at him now!  As handsome as ever…

Happy belated 1st birthday to Brendan.  Danielle wanted me to photograph him eating his chocolate cake… of course, I couldn’t resist!  I love these series of shots…

It actually wasn’t as messy as I thought it would be, but there were a few crumbs on the walls after he was done… =D

… and tons on the hard wood floor!

“All done!”

Now who doesn’t like little piggy toes with chocolate on them!

I have a good guess of what Brendan was thinking while he was drinking… “the best milk ever!”

It goes well with chocolate doesn’t it?

Wash up time!

Love, Michele

“Oooh I want to do a mini-session…. wait what the heck is a mini-session?,”  you ask.  A mini-session is a photo session at a predetermined location which includes 30 minutes of photography, unlimited photos, complimentary 8×10 photo and an online gallery for ordering all for $75!  Mini sessions can be used for anything from family portraits, kids portraits, engagement photos, head shots, anytime photos (you don’t need to have a reason to have great photos taken) or after shoots ( for brides and grooms that want to get dressed up again!)  We are offering these sessions before our wedding season begins and time is limited.  When was the last time you had your photographs taken professionally?  We are offering these sessions at a discounted price because we want you to capture this moment in time with your loved ones… as you know, we are not getting any younger :)

So “when are you offering these sessions,” you ask.  We have a mini-session scheduled tomorrow in Schaumburg and have 2 more spots available.  If you are interested, please email us at emailme (at) mishamedia.com.  We will be announcing one more date this year at a specific location, so stay tuned!  If you are interested in the next mini session,  please email us to get on the list as there are only 7 spots available in each session.  Thank you for your interest in our sessions, now get outside and enjoy the warm weather…. before it starts snowing again :)

And because this is a photo blog and it’s just not as much fun without a photo, here’s a sneak peek of two little guys named Brendan & Liam that I photographed last week.  Have a great day everyone! =D Michele & Andy

Lia is Noelle & Joey’s little niece.  She just turned 3 a couple of weeks ago  =D.   Although she was a little shy in the beginning of our session, she quickly got out of her shyness and we had so much fun playing!

Lia is such a “mini-me” of her mommy!

her play birthday cake w/ 3 candles…

oh to be 3 years old again! :)

Thanks Lia!

I hope you all had a great Christmas celebration with your friends and family!  From my family to yours, I wish you all a Happy Holidays!

This blog post is a very special one for me.  First off, it’s another second generation Misha Media clients of mine.  Lily & Lucy are daughters of my past bride and groom, Cecille and Mike.  They have been blessed with twin girls and I had the honor of capturing them.  It was my first twins session and they were so much fun to photograph!  I almost forgot how tiny they can be and it brings me back to how tiny my daughter, Misha, used to be.  Again, I love continuing my relationships with my clients!  Thank you for giving me the honor!

Michele =D

Meet Denver & Reagan… They are my second generation clients.   I can totally see the resemblance from their parents, Amy and Ryan.  I photographed Amy & Ryan’s wedding back in 2006 and 3 years later, look at their beautiful family!  Great seeing you guys again and thank you for giving me the honor of capturing your two little cuties!  I love continuing relationships with my past Brides and Grooms =D

Denver is such a good big brother… Always lookin’ after his little sis

Reagan plays fairly and gives big brother Denver a ride also :)

=D Michele