We produce high quality image art for all of our clients. If you're interested in working with us we are available for sessions on location throughout Chicagoland. We also offer Marmalade Location sessions in our home area in the SW Suburbs of Chicago.
We are often booked several weeks in advance especially during our peak seasons (spring, summer and fall). Session fees start at $195 for weekday sessions @ our Marmalade Locations or $295 for weekday sessions on location in Metro Chicagoland. Weekend sessions are available for an add'l $60.
Prints are a separate purchase and start at $45. Collection pricing starts at $795. Please call us: 815.603.8450 with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!
About Marianne
Since 2005 I have been in the business of creating tangible memories but the truth is that I have been a photographer "forever". I was about 6 when I first held my brother Matt's (heavy) Canon AE-1's viewfinder up to my face, I the heft of the camera heavy in my hands & the strap scratching the back of my neck. I remember seeing the world through that viewfinder rectangle for the very first time.
For a number of years I worked as an RN in the critical care setting and at some point I had a realization that while I loved the connection nursing allowed me to have with others, I wanted more to contribute beauty and love to their existence. Some of my favorite patient families would bring photos in for their loved ones - visual reminders that the patient lying in bed is a human being, struggling at the moment but in reality this person is a loving parent, a doting grandparent, a wonderful wife or husband, someone's best friend. Those photos personalized my experience with my patients. It is because of these experiences that I continue to grasp to UNDERSTAND the meaning of this life. My belief is that the meaning lies in the connection between us all, relationships, after all, are the only thing we leave on this earth with any real meaning.
In 2005 when I finally took the leap and started Marmalade Photography it was based upon a single vision: fun, beautiful and quality photos for Chicago area families and children that speak to who they are as a character in the plot of their lives and who they are in the connectedness of this life.
My ten years photographing people of varying ages is of benefit to you: I offer a full service photography experience and have the expertise to create art you will love for your home. I love to help clients design wall galleries, provide custom created beautiful albums and art pieces. I have even been commissioned to create images as large as 10 feet in length. High touch, high quality, there is no other way to do it.
While I do live, breathe & eat photography obviously I am not just Marmalade Photography. I am also a wife…a mom to Maddie & Lauren who inspire me every day in so many ways…I am a historian and a friend…a gardener (who can't keep indoor plants but I have a green thumb if it grows outside)…funny…fun loving…serious…in fact you & I may have a lot in common…I would love to get to know you through that rectangle & tell your families' story for you.
Because, as I have blogged before, they are my toughest clients to date! LOL. But today, I don’t know if it was my whatever the heck happens attitude or that I allowed them to choose the location (they chose URBAN STUDIO!! LOVE those kids) but they were cooperative. Mark it in the record books folks, the girls were on their best behavior.
A quick note to A’s parents from yesterday’s session, I am Jesus and Mary Chain obsessed now (again). Thanks Brian!! And for you folks wondering what the heck I’m listening to now (I know you all are!), I am big into Mellowdrome, the single best album I’ve bought in a year (last year my Muse album was my most favoritest with The Killers Sam’s Town a close 2nd (altho Duane got me that album so nevermind that). Anyway, I hope little A is feeling better and all is well with you guys.
Ok, on to my gorgeous cooperative children who didn’t run away cooperated when I insisted on torturing photographing them today.
Thanks for stopping in. Oh and the eleventy calls I need to return, if you’re reading this I haven’t forgotten about you! Busy season and all that good stuff, this week is all catch up!!
Thanks for allowing me to bore you with my chicas!! xoxo, Mare
As usual you never cease to impress me with your work..and once again you have impressed me by knowing who Jesus and Mary Chain are.. I saw them Years and Years ago now when they first started out.. once of my fav. bands.. they played the whole concert with their backs facing the audience..haha.. it was awesome.
I’m frantically putting together sessions, editing and doing all the great behind the scenes stuff I can spare you all from but I thought I’d pop in for a quick update.
Availability starts for November at this time…I seem to have overbooked October somehow. LOL. It’s a good thing, I’m not complaining, it’s good to be loved. If you are interested in a November session, please call to book : 815.603.8450
Other than that, not much else to add. Oh, my wonderful husband bought me a new cd of dance music so hopefully that keeps the pace up here in Marmaland, currently listening to a remix of HelloGoodbye “All of Your Love” (the YouTube version is a bit Daft Punkish (the You Tube link is good, you have to sit through a minute of snoozeville but after that it’s kind of amazing).
Anyway, I suspect I’m completely digressing…(yeah Mare, really what else is new…)
Highlights from recent sessions…favorites and ones I can dig up on the fly. 🙂
Wowza, it’s mostly about boys here today. Yikes. 🙂 Must be in the air!
Til we meet again! xoxo, Mare
p.s. A Happy Birthday to Miss Allison who is Five Years Old today! A big congrats to her and many wishes for a year filled with sweetness!
p.s.p. Another Happy Birthday wish…this time to my favorite Amellionaire! LOL. Happy Bday A!
Some are in the city at a public area/park, the bear shot is at the client’s home and the rest are either Marmalade Locations or my Studio (none are “MINE” per se, I wish!)
…because I could NOT wait until later to take a look at this session!!
Sarah brought the most adorable little girl today, her daughter R and what else did she bring? a wonderful raspberry pink Kaiya Eve tutu! I was in love I tell you. Nevermind that R had the most awesome clothes, she also has a really cool mom. Sarah, thank you so much for bringing out R today for a nice afternoon amongst the white flowers and fall colors (what we have of them anyway). I had a fun time getting to know you and R and I promise there are going to be plenty of tutu shots to make you happy!! Thanks to Sarah and R for making the drive from Hickory Hills.
So what are you reading this for? Scroll down for your sneak!
This was an early wake up a.m., I had started editing the backlog of sessions I seem to be encountering at the present time and thought to myself, SHOP? Oh yes! Shop!! So I started entering random searches….an online friend of mine has recently opened a studio in North Carolina and she showed off parts of it to this large group of friends, her kids room was way adorable and I got inspired to shop for the playroom in my studio because let’s face it, as much as I love vintage, I do love modern just the same (my home office is a nice mix of modern where as my studio seems to lean towards vintage funky so…I straddle both worlds these days) and in my vision for the studio I had always wanted vintage + modern.
This a.m. I started on a quest to find the perfect mix of modern for the playroom in studio. Granted, I need pieces that I could use in photography situations so this gets complicated. In my quest I found a ton of cool shopping resources for my blog readers, some home related, some to accessorize your little darling with…all of which I want to share with you.
Modern Seed: AWESOME site. Go and check out the Eames® Hang It All® a cool take on the utilitarian nature of coat/hat hooks. So fresh & funky!
And umbrellas (now recall please that I’m a bit pirate obsessed this year…) check out this find by Paul Frankâ„¢! Adorable…a must have for pirates everywhere!! I love the polka dots as well. The boots made me smile when I saw them, I could totally see a kid decked out in this get up for a splashy sort of rain session. Oh, and could you imagine these with a girly frou frou sort of tutu?
This one isn’t for the bargain hunters in us (altho, The C Family dug a similar find up and redid the chair themselves!), the Eames Chairâ„¢ is a modern classic. I was lucky enough to photograph the C kids “lounging” in their neighborhood, doing some chillaxing while sitting in this icon of post modern design:
Lastly for Modern Seed, check out their sales! I love the quirky clothing on clearance. Small Paulâ„¢ (seriously, who doesn’t love Paul Frank? I have an obsession with the freaky monkey, got some kick butt fuzzy slippers in Andersonville awhile back…) has an amazing selection for the under 4T set as does Paulina Quintana (love that polo dress, wish I had little ones left to outfit!)
These little poofs made by zid zid kid are simple and fun. What kid wouldn’t appreciate seating of their very own?
I’ve noticed a recent design trend with some of my clientele and love the latest rage of modern crib designs. This crib sheet set would be perfection for the modern nursery, love the subdued yet brightly hued colors and the simple design. This one screams I AM A GIRL AND I AM PROUD (who doesn’t love pink? Also check out the pink painted brick behind the set.)
For even more Dwell Baby, I think this burp cloth/bib set would make a stylish baby shower gift. Cowboys, cowgirls, brocade, dots, how could you even decide on one style for the gift. I’d have to get them all, they are fetching.
More room design, ROMP has amazing things. Look at the wallpaper trees (the birdhouse is a great touch):
And it’s never too early to start shopping for the holidays. Look @ the wooden rainbow imported from Germany. What a great imaginative toy.
The Japanese Pinhole Camera (I had one similar to this when I was a kid), this one uses 35 mm film (thank goodness it’s still readily available!). Great for learning the basic science of photography, pinhole cameras are amazing for creating moody works of photographic art. Neat toy (for adults as much as for children).
Ok, now this one isn’t necessarily kid related but in my search I found this really great sofa, I mean, it’s totally modern and probably not suitable for most of us but you’d be hard pressed to not be impressed by its’ frivolous design.
This afternoon I had the pleasure of photographing a wonderful family who came out for a Forest Session from Orland Park. I enjoyed meeting them, the twins J&S and their parents, Dan and Stephanie, were so sweet and a pleasure to work with. I had a blast capturing for them their family life at this stage. Stephanie had remarked to me that she had wished she hadn’t waited so long to get good family images and although I see her point I applaud her for knowing that there is no better time than now. She and Dan are raising two incredible kids and I’m sure they even can’t believe how much time has passed from babyhood to this almost teens period. Yikes, it does go so fast! (If I stop and think, it’s amazing that the time moves at such a fast pace (when mine were littler I couldn’t wait until bedtimes but so many bedtimes have passed and now I almost long for that time to be again, alas, it can never be so…)) Capturing today will be more important tomorrow than you will ever know.
A big thank you to this fantastic family. I hope you all had a good time. Here’s a bit of a sneak peek of two of the most awesome 11 year olds I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and one of the whole family.
As usual you never cease to impress me with your work..and once again you have impressed me by knowing who Jesus and Mary Chain are.. I saw them Years and Years ago now when they first started out.. once of my fav. bands.. they played the whole concert with their backs facing the audience..haha.. it was awesome.
LOVE the J&MC. Love. I’m envious you got to see them.
And thank you for the kind words, Elizabeth.