I photographed baby Reese three and a half weeks after my baby was born. I was not planning on doing any sessions during that time but Reese’s mama, Dani, and I have kind of a special relationship. We met while we were both planning our destination weddings to Mexico, we both used the same wedding photographer and when we both got pregnant, we were due within one day of each other! We were able to meet up a few times during our pregnancies and spent a good deal of time talking about our symptoms, and our hopes and fears about our entrance into parenthood.

When Dani and Matt’s little peanut arrived I offered to drive out to the suburbs to do a session. Dani’s sister watched Quinn for me (thanks!) and we had a great session. Little Reese was itsy bitsy, even for 13 days old and while she was not interested in sleeping for us for the first two hours I was there, once she fell asleep it was magic.

Hope you enjoy the sneak peek!

Congratulations to the G family!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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This week’s photo is for my mother who has been asking if Quinn’s eyes are turning brown yet. I think they are still blue and getting lighter. What do you think?

This shot was taken by my wonderful husband, Steve, who also second shoots weddings with me sometimes.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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I can’t believe Quinn is already 5 weeks old. Our session with Amy Ro Photography was yesterday and I’m so ridiculously excited to see the pictures! She posted one on her facebook fan page, you should go check it out.

In the mean time, here’s a snapshot of of Quinn from last week. I ordered a bunch of flowers and headbands and they are too freaking cute! When I say ‘snapshot’ I mean that I just grabbed my camera and took the picture. It wasn’t posed or set up in a special way. Photographers tend to over think the shots that they take so sometimes it’s nice to just snap away and capture the every day. So, while it isn’t a technically perfect image, it’s still a moment I’m thankful to have captured!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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Well folks, the newest addition to the Crane family has arrived and we couldn’t be more thrilled! Quinn Charlotte Crane was born July 4th at 2:01 AM. Her arrival came three weeks early and we weren’t entirely prepared but we made it work! Her official newborn session was scheduled with Amy Ro Photography and since Amy is from the East Coast, we picked the weekend two weeks after Quinn’s due date to have Amy fly in for photos. We wanted to err on the side of caution just in case I was over due! Ha! So our session with Amy will be this weekend and Quinn will be 5 weeks old already but that’s ok.

I figured that since I am a photographer I’d be able to get some good photos of her while she was still brand new so here’s a smattering of what I’ve gotten in the past few weeks. I started with snapshots and then at one week did a short session with her. Hope you enjoy meeting her!

Quinn: 4 hours New

4 Days New with Grammie:

5 Days New with Mommy and All swaddled up:

That’s a big yawn, not a scream.

7 Days New – Official Shoot

I’m sure there will be plenty more Quinn to share as the weeks go by. Thanks for stopping by and sharing in our joy!

Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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Meet Kelly and Dominic! Their wedding is coming up in October and if their engagement session is any predictor, it is going to be a dream to photograph! We met up at Cantigny Gardens and Park in Winfield, IL on a Sunday morning after being rained out the day before. The session was relaxed and fun, the location did not disappoint and best of all, we didn’t get soaking wet!

Kelly, here are your teasers! Hope you love them as much as I do!

There is no doubt, they are head over heels for each other!

You can’t visit Cantigny without playing on the tanks!

I had a fantastic time meeting you two and can’t wait for your wedding in October. I’m sure it will be a blast. I’ll be in touch with the rest of the photos soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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Memorial Day weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Martin and Chia-Ying’s wedding at the beautiful Bond Chapel on the gorgeous campus of the  University of Chicago. I could shoot on that campus every day only fall deeper in love with the location! Martin just finished medical school at U of C so the location was very special to the couple. Congratulations Doctor! The reception followed at the Smart Museum where they were able to take advantage of the indoor/outdoor space. We danced the night away to the DJ stylings of DJ-Chicago and I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a great time!

Here are some teaser photos from the wedding and portraits!

Looking for his bride!

This image says so much

Wonderful capture by my assistant for the day, my husband Steve. I believe this would technically be a ‘Fail’ in the task of lifting up the groom but it was a definite ‘Win’ in the hilarity department!

::sigh:: University of Chicago has the most beautiful campus! And check out that dress!

Gorgeous couple in gorgeous sunset light!

One of my all time favorite ring shots! Gorgeous!

Congratulations to the new Dr. and Mrs! May your marriage be blessed with happiness and prosperity! It was a pleasure being your photographer, hope you enjoyed the teasers!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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My best friend Kelly recently finished an intensive yoga teacher training with Inner Bliss Yoga Studio and wanted to commemorate the accomplishment by doing an Asana (yoga position) photo shoot. We decided to utilize the theme “Yoga is Everywhere” and shot all over the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. I love the urban vibe of this shoot, especially the photos we took on the El platform.  Kelly’s strength, flexibility and positive attitude are represented in not only her yoga but her approach to life. Check out her website KellyLovesYoga.com

These are just some of my favorites. Which one is your favorite?

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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Baby Alice is here! She is just a tiny little bean and absolutely adorable. Her moms, Megan and Sarah, could not be more proud and they are so great with her. It was extra fun to be around for some of the firsts for this little lady. These mamas were troopers, Sarah was peed on for the first time and Megan was pooped on! Everyone survived though and the photographer somehow managed to make it out unscathed, which is not always the case! This session was a healthy mix of traditional posed baby shots and more observational lifestyle shots of the family and I’m so happy with how it turned out! Without further ado, here is Baby Alice and the D family.

Hello World!

The D family is now a family of three!

All I can think is “Nom Nom Nom”

Hi Mom.

Someone is a happy girl.

She is so precious!

I love the look on Megan’s face. Oh Alice!

Mommy’s got you.

Thank you Sarah and Megan for letting me come document this special time in your lives. It was great to see you!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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Just a quick post, I put together a birth announcement for Baby Owen and love how it turned out so just wanted to share!

Congratulations again to Bethany and JT on the birth of Baby Owen!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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There comes a time in every photographer’s life when she wants to try something new with her camera. I absolutely love shooting weddings and couples, but I also love babies and children, so I’ve been shooting both since I started my business. While I’ve had many opportunities to photograph older babies, I realized quickly that it is not as easy to find newborn models to photograph. True newborn shots need to be taken as early as possible. Two weeks old is usually the maximum age and ideally the photos will be taken in the first week of life.

When I found out that my cousin Bethany was pregnant I was so excited! She and I are only 5 days apart in age and we grew up spending summers together and going through our major milestones as a twosome. She and her husband JT live in Denver, CO so we don’t see each other very often anymore but we try to get together whenever possible. I knew immediately that I wanted to be there to help her out when her baby came and realized that I could also do a newborn photography session for them when I was in town. So, we arranged for me to fly out to Denver to spend a long weekend with them after their son was born.

Here is the result of my first newborn session! Baby Owen was a fantastic model and Bethany and JT were glowing with the joy of being new parents. Congratulations on your bundle of joy!

I see some strawberry hair!

This boy is going to be a tall one!

Celebrating our Swedish heritage!

Absolutely gorgeous Mama Bethany!

Proud Papa, JT!

The Happy Family! Congratulations!

I had such a wonderful time in Denver with the happy little family and enjoyed our photoshoot so much, I can’t wait to photograph my next newborn model!!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Morgan Crane

www.morgancranephotography.com

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