I’m sure I’m not the only one scrambling to finish my big long to do list this holiday season.  My busy season extended until late November this year and I am just catching my breath.  I still have a couple left over to dos from 2008 and we’re back up & running in early January.  Thank you everyone for being so awesomely patient this holiday season!

I’ve been so busy that it took up until this past few days to get my own children photographed for our Holiday card.  I know!  Could I be cutting it much closer to the actual Christmas holiday??!!??  However I am excited to finally be finished with it.  It truly was a bit of work as I wanted to come up with something that adequately showcased the ice glazed wonderland that I was living in the midst of at the time (all that has changed with about 4" of snow and who knows how much rain!).  So this year my card will be more of a New Year’s treat.  No matter, I love getting cards and I’m certain I’m not the only one!  Clients: look for your cards in the coming weeks.

Here’s a couple of sneak peek images for client cards.  I have to thank the girls for being real troopers in all of this.  They really did their best to tolerate the ridiculously low temps (who knows what the windchill was!) this past Monday.  🙂  Gotta love kids who really cooperate for a cause!

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Chicagoland Children

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Happy Holidays to all my blog readers and well wishes for a wonderful, happyment 🙂 filled 2009!

 

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  • Rachelle - December 25, 2008 - 8:16 am

    Happy holidays to you. Many blessings in the new year 🙂

    Love these shots, especially the colors in the first one. I’m sure these clients are totally stoked about you giving them these priceless card images.

  • liz - December 25, 2008 - 12:42 pm

    you really captured the beauty of winter!

  • Jana Kunz - December 25, 2008 - 6:18 pm

    These are very cute. 🙂
    Merry Christmas!

  • Denise - December 27, 2008 - 9:09 pm

    Wow… lovely images. Hope you had a great holiday. Happy New Year! 🙂

  • Amy - December 28, 2008 - 5:48 pm

    All of these rock! Sure is nice to have a Winter Wonderland in your photos 🙂 #1 and #3 need to be in a large canvas!!!

  • elizabeth - December 29, 2008 - 5:59 pm

    these are wonderful Mare.. love these.. Happy New Year to you and your family

  • Terrilyn - January 2, 2009 - 8:42 pm

    Ooooooo Mare, lovely photography as always! What troopers those girls were eh? From what you’ve shared here it was certainly worth it!

  • jennifer - January 15, 2009 - 10:18 am

    oh these are just gorgeous, love the closeup especially!

Wrapping up 2008 I had the great fortune to photograph this radiant mom to be (and of course her husband).  Thanks to them for braving the supposedly "warm" Sunday this past weekend and driving out to my Wilmington studio for a session indoors.  We had great fun!  G was creative and open to any suggestions for her session and we collaborated successfully on a fantastic maternity session.  I am so in love with so many of these images, I cannot believe how much fun we had.

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A big thank you to G and her dh S for coming out and allowing me to capture this magical time in their marriage.  It was a true honor photographing you guys, thank you for everything!

And that wraps up new stuff for 2008!!  If I can get caught up in the next few days I’ll try keeping my tradition of an end of year slideshow…I have yet to get my personal holiday card done and that’s obviously top priority but I suspect I won’t let 2008 pass without the end of year client highlights slideshow that I so enjoy doing!

Keep in mind that Marmalade Photography will be out of office for the Holiday Season starting this Wednesday.  We will be finalizing all client orders with guaranteed delivery during this time.  Thanks for a great 2008!!

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  • elizabeth - December 17, 2008 - 6:01 pm

    These are gorgeous … love em

  • MJphoto - December 17, 2008 - 7:53 pm

    Love the second one especially.

  • Season Moore - December 18, 2008 - 6:50 am

    The light on that second one is divine!

  • Terrilyn - December 18, 2008 - 7:22 am

    Mare, stunning work! She looks just radiant and Dad looks so proud in that first image. Beautiful session!

  • Lisa Kelly - December 19, 2008 - 3:51 am

    Wow, such amazing images. She really looks sensational.

  • Jana Kunz - December 19, 2008 - 8:07 pm

    Wow, Those images are stunning!

  • kristina - December 19, 2008 - 9:39 pm

    These are just gorgeous!!!

  • PamN - December 23, 2008 - 9:20 am

    How beautiful! Can’t wait to see their newborn images!

I am very behind on so many things as I try to wrap up everything for 2008 this week. 

This past weekend I had the pleasure of photographing beautiful baby M and her family.  Look at how this gorgeous girl shines in her beautiful christening gown…it was spectacular!

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and her gorgeous siblings were so great to shoot as well, such great sports for our brief journey outdoors in the cold (although after Monday, I’m not sure it was that cold on Saturday anymore!)  🙂

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Thanks K Family for journeying out to my Wilmington studio for some indoor and outdoor photography fun during this chilly December!

 

Quick update regarding availability over the holiday season.  I am currently wrapping up deliveries for all clients that were guaranteed Holiday delivery.  We will be out of the office starting this Wednesday until early January, on or about January 5th.  Thanks for a wonderful 2008.  One more session to wrap up the year!!  🙂  It’s a beaut, I promise!

 

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  • PamN - December 16, 2008 - 11:26 am

    These are so beautiful and timeless…exactly the type of images that will look good in their home for years…and the images that will be proudly shown to future generations!

  • ginny adkins - December 16, 2008 - 12:20 pm

    Beautiful as always!

  • Terrilyn - December 16, 2008 - 3:57 pm

    Oh Mare these are just gorgeous!! From the soft beautiful little baby to the rich classic black and white portraits – perfection!

  • Jana Kunz - December 19, 2008 - 8:07 pm

    Such beautiful children. You did an amazing job capturing their personalities.

First some tunage…it’s been awhile.  I’m a wee bit obsessed with the big horns and the B52 sound married with Modest Mouse and a bit of Talking Heads in this song:

 

 

I want to thank little J’s parents for braving the Indiana-Illinois traffic and travelling several hours today to meet up with me at the studio for a session.  It was wonderful to meet them and little J who is seriously adorable.  It was a pleasure working with all of you.  A little sneak peek action going down:

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i love this picture below so much, it feels winter-y and it feels like it belongs in an ad for this coat.  🙂  her expression cracks me up!

let it snow chicago area children

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  • elizabeth - December 2, 2008 - 8:29 am

    cool sounds.. love the photos.. hope you are well

  • Kimberly Whipps - December 2, 2008 - 11:59 am

    Beautiful little girl. I love that last image.

  • PamN - December 2, 2008 - 12:31 pm

    This is what custom photography is all about – these images are ART! Priceless.

  • Denise - December 2, 2008 - 12:43 pm

    B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!! Wow, that coat one. 🙂

  • Sylvia - December 10, 2008 - 1:03 pm

    looks like well worth the drive for a marmalade session. gorgeous images as always.

  • Jana Kunz - December 10, 2008 - 9:00 pm

    What a beautiful little girl, I love her jacket!!

  • marie - December 15, 2008 - 9:00 am

    love that coat…what a doll

Happy Thanksgiving!!  I want to quickly mention the things that I am thankful for before proceeding onto sneak peek time…

I am thankful for my family, my wonderful and supportive husband who always has my back and always stands by me.  My beautiful children, I cannot imagine what life was like before you two shared your lives with me.  Thank you for being wonderfully sweet, funny, happy, silly, sassy, goofy, smiley, giggly, hyper…oh I can go on and on.  I thank all of my lucky stars for this past year, another year with my dad and with my mom.  For my friends, my in laws, my extended family.  I am thankful for my clients, for whom without my life’s purpose would be nonexistent.  Thank you to all of my clients, friends, blog readers for checking in with me, seeing what’s up in Marmaland 🙂 and for caring enough to stop in.  I am thankful for a healthy life, I am doubly thankful for being allowed a second chance to exist and share in my children’s childhood and to be allowed to breathe, to move and to love.  Speaking of moving, I am thankful that I am beginning to find my stride again with movement and exercise.  I am thankful for the beauty in this world, for the changing seasons and for everything that those seasons bring.  Gratitude is a part of being.  We can not simply exist without taking time to be thankful for all the beauty we have been given.   For all the love that we share…

 

• • • •

 

Speaking of giving thanks…I had the great pleasure of meeting L (who has the coolest first & middle name ever but for the sake of privacy I will leave it out–I assure you though, completely unique and completely awesome).  L is just over one week old and his mom came out to the studio from the Lockport area for a newborn session with me.  Thank you Michelle for allowing me to capture this BEAUTIFUL time in L’s life and more importantly in YOUR life as well…first born babies bring a sort of magic with them that is completely indescribable, enjoy these magical days with your sweet little boy.

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Isn’t he the most sweet & cuddly baby ever? 

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  • PamN - November 29, 2008 - 9:34 pm

    Oooh, that baby is so precious! Love the animal print, he looks so silky smooth and soft on it!