Everything you need to know including booking links
A lot has happened in the past few months. On Jan 1st I opened my own studio in North Center. I added Branding Photography to my repertoire and have really been enjoying working with different brands and influencers. But I still love photographing kids, family and couples and sometimes your pets – so here is my Spring and Summer schedule. A few things you should know before I post the pricing and booking links: I changed my sign up system, I hope in the long run it’s going to be easier to use for both me and you guys but I am still ironing out some stuff, so if you have ANY trouble booking, please just send me an email to alinesternphoto@gmail.com.
How it works: You click on either “Silver Session” or “Gold Session” and my scheduler will pop up. You select a date (my Spring and Summer calendar goes from April 18th-July 31st – my late summer/Fall calendar will be live in early June), it will prompt you to enter your name and email address. I will send an email with my contract and invoice. Once you sign the contract and pay the deposit ($100 – which is the first part payment on the invoice) – you have reserved that date. IMPORTANT: your date and time are NOT secured until you paid the the deposit!
My other big change is that I changed the wording from “Mini Session” and “Full Session” to “Silver” and “Gold” Session. I did this because I never felt like I can give you a proper photo experience in the 10 minutes a normal mini session takes. In the studio I will still be offering themed mini sessions a few times a year (like Mommy&Me or Christmas Sessions).
Spring and Summer Prices
Silver Sessions
$350
Do you need an updated family picture? Do you just want some nice pictures of you and your kids but you don’t want anything time consuming? Then the Silver Session may be a good option for you.
Outdoor Silver sessions are 20 to 30 minutes long. I shoot most of my outdoor Silver sessions at Winnemac Park. It’s the perfect place for Minis because we can get a good variety of pictures in a short amount of time and the foliage there is gorgeous. I also shoot Silver Sessions in a few other locations close to the Lincoln Square/Andersonville Area.
Included in the price of a Silver are EIGHT edited photos in both color and black-and-white. You may purchase extra pictures for $30 or upgrade to a full gallery for $200. You will receive an online gallery with your selected and edited photos to download as high-resolution files and an option to order prints.
Gold Session
$550
In the Gold sessions we take our time and try to capture moments and emotion. We spend 40 to 60 minutes together. We start out with the sort of pictures we’d do during a Silver session – smile in the camera, the perfect family portrait. After we get those shots, we play, we laugh, we run around. I’m going to make this experience as relaxed and positive and fun as possible for you and your kids. My goal is to get everybody out of their shell and to just capture love and personality.
With a Gold session you receive at least 60 pictures, usually more, in both color and black-and-white versions. You will receive an online gallery with your photos to download as high-resolution files and an option to order prints.
Extended Family Session
$800
(up to 20 people)
Since Extended Family Sessions are very popular this year I have decided to officially put them in my price list. For booking just book them as a Silver Session but please mention in the booking questionnaire that it is an extended family session and how many people will be part of it. I do not travel further than 45 minutes from Lincoln Square/Chicago for sessions so if you are in a far West or South suburb, let me know, I know lots of photographers and should be able to send you some recommendations.
My extended Family sessions are always posed sessions. We simply don’t have enough time to do fun, unposed shots in extended family sessions and these kind of sessions can be very overwhelming for little kids so I try to not drag them out. A lot of clients book both a full session for their extended family photos as well as a mini or a full session for their own family on a different day if they want to get more pictures of just their family.
If you have more than 20 people, please contact me for pricing.
BOOKING
To book just click on the link below to the session you’d like to book, then select your date. If you’d like to book a different day than the days available, shoot me an email and I will see what I can do! I generally keep Sundays as rain make-up days but will make an exception if it’s the only available day for you.
I am so looking forward to working with you! If you have any questions or any troubles booking – please shoot me an email at alinsternphoto@gmail.com.
Read On
It’s been a busy year and I am starting to wind down for the season. I have just a handful of opportunities left for family photo sessions. I have decided to not host studio minis this year (again, unfortunately), so this is it for 2021!
$250
10 minute sessions in Winnemac Park. 3 pictures included in the session.
When booking please let me know if you want some Christmas-y props or focus on more natural shots. The weather forecast says it will be a chilly day, so dress appropriately and if you have a tiny baby, maybe consider a different kind of session since babies do NOT like being cold and it is almost impossible for me to get them to smile when it’s under 45 degrees.
$250
10 minute session, 3 pictures included
I will offer these on regular weekdays from 9.30am-3pm and on the last two Sundays in November – Chicago North Side only! When booking please give me two options for preferred time and date.
I will have a few Christmas props in the car if you want to make your porch more festive!
$600
50+ pictures
Did you always want to have pictures of your family in your decorated home? I will come and spend 30-60 minutes in your home and take pictures of your family. We will talk before what you’d like to do – me taking pictures of the kids making cookies? Kids in their Christmas pajamas?
Or did you want to do a shoot downtown with the Christmas decorations? Or by the lake? It’s getting too cold for toddlers and babies for outdoor shoots that are longer than 10 minutes but if you have older kids, I am definitely up for another outdoor session!
I will take December off from regular family shoots in December but if you need headshots, corporate or if you have a newborn baby, please send me an email to info@alinesternphotography.com. January I am back fully and hopefully refreshed! Have a great holiday season!
Read OnEverything you need to know plus booking links
It’s that time of the year again! We are getting ready for Fall photoshoots – the best time to do pictures in Chicago!
First of all I’d like to talk about Covid. I am fully vaccinated. I arrive to every shoot with a mask. If you are vaccinated as well and you’d like me to take off the mask so you can understand me better I feel comfortable to do that with outdoor shoots, though I will still keep some distance to the kids. I am also totally fine with keeping the mask on so if you don’t specifically ask me to take it off, I will just keep it on.
I am still going to be very flexible with rescheduling if you or any family member feels sick at all. I just ask that you give me as much notice as possible so I’m not already on the way to our shoot.
Now – October is always my most busy month. There are several reasons why October is so popular – it’s cooler and less humid, sunset is earlier and sunrise is later so we catch that amazing golden light without having to worry about sleep schedules or cranky kids and most of all – of course the beautiful Fall foliage. However – October is also notoriously rainy. In October I cannot postpone shoots because we have an overcast sky or a windy day – there simply aren’t enough days. I will shoot in any weather except full on rain or very strong winds. If you have kids under 3 I highly recommend booking your session for August or September (my August booking is in the previous blog post). Small kids do not do well with cold winds and rain. If you are really set on late October/early November, just book a mini session or wait for my studio sessions to open up in November.
About studio sessions: at this point I am not sure how I am going to proceed about studio sessions. I will most likely offer my holiday minis in November in a studio but I haven’t decided yet where this is going to be. Stay tuned! I wish I could tell you more right now but I think I won’t know for sure until school starts in September. If you want to do an indoor shoot, for example newborn shoot – I do indoor shoots at your home – so that is an option. Send me an email to info@alinesternphotography.com to inquire about indoor sessions!
Here is my Fall pricing for 2021:
$350
Do you need an updated family picture? Do you just want some nice pictures of you and your kids but you don’t want anything time consuming? Then the Mini may be a good option for you.
Outdoor Mini sessions are 20 to 30 minutes long. I shoot most of my outdoor Mini sessions at Winnemac Park. It’s the perfect place for Minis because we can get a good variety of pictures in a short amount of time and the foliage there is gorgeous. I sometimes shoot Minis in other places if I have a Full session before or after.
Included in the price of a Mini are ten edited photos in both color and black-and-white. You may purchase extra pictures for $25 or upgrade to a full gallery. You will receive an online gallery with your photos to download as high-resolution files and an option to order prints.
$490 on weekdays $550 on weekends
In the Full sessions we take our time and try to capture moments and emotion. We spend 40 to 60 minutes together. We start out with the sort of pictures we’d do during a Mini session – smile in the camera, the perfect family portrait. After we get those shots, we play, we laugh, we run around. I’m going to make this experience as relaxed and positive and fun as possible for you and your kids. My goal is to get everybody out of their shell and to just capture love and personality.
With a Full session you receive at least 60 pictures, usually more, in both color and black-and-white versions. You will receive an online gallery with your photos to download as high-resolution files and an option to order prints.
$550
Since Extended Family Sessions are very popular this year I have decided to officially put them in my price list. For booking just book them as a Full Session but please mention in the comments during booking that it is an extended family session and how many people will be part of it. I do not travel further than 45 minutes from Lincoln Square/Chicago for sessions so if you are in a far West or South suburb, let me know, I know lots of photographers and should be able to send you some recommendations.
My extended Family sessions are always posed sessions. We simply don’t have enough time to do fun, unposed shots in extended family sessions and these kind of sessions can be very overwhelming for little kids so I try to not drag them out. A lot of clients book both a full session for their extended family photos as well as a mini or a full session for their own family on a different day if they want to get more pictures of just their family.
If you have more than 20 people, please contact me for pricing.
October/November Mini Sessions
September/October Weekday Full Sessions
September/October Weekend Full Sessions
If you’d like to change the day of the shoot (Sundays are my backup days for rain so I will only book a Sunday if absolutely no other day works) or if you’d like a different kind of session, like a newborn shoot, please email me at info@alinesternphotography.com
Thank you for your support and I hope to see you this Fall or before!
I am writing this today, on the first day of Spring. It’s been quite a year, my friends. Somehow we made it work. But I am looking towards a better future. I just got my first Covid vaccine yesterday and will be fully vaccinated by the end of April. The sun is shining, it’s warm. I hope you are doing well!
Even though I will be fully vaccinated – I am still going to be wearing a mask to your session (double mask or KN95 for indoor shoots), I will avoid touching you. If you want me to bring props like blankets or a box for littles to sit on please let me know! I totally understand that not everybody will be comfortable with using my props quite yet.
My studio will remain closed until Fall which is really a bummer but I have big plans for the Christmas shoots this year and will have an indoor space again for those (Covid numbers and Governor permitting) so stay tuned! For now I am still doing indoor lifestyle newborns and family session in your home if that’s something you are interested in. Please send me a message if you’re interested in an in-home newborn session and I will inform you about pricing.
As always I am offering two kinds of sessions – Mini Sessions and Full Sessions and I have kept my pricing the same for the last three years.
For Spring and early Summer (till the end of July) there is no weekend fee. From August till December the pricing is higher on the weekends since those spots are so popular.
There are several reasons to book a Spring/Early Summer sessions:
$290
Do you need an updated family picture? Do you just want some nice pictures of you and your kids but you don’t want anything time consuming? Then the Mini may be a good option for you.
Outdoor Mini sessions are 20 to 30 minutes long. I shoot most of my outdoor Mini sessions at Winnemac Park. It’s the perfect place for Minis because we can get a good variety of pictures in a short amount of time and the foliage there is gorgeous. I sometimes shoot Minis in other places if I have a Full session before or after.
Included in the price of a Mini are ten edited photos in both color and black-and-white. You may purchase extra pictures for $25 or upgrade to a full gallery. You will receive an online gallery with your photos to download as high-resolution files and an option to order prints.
$490
In the Full sessions we take our time and try to capture moments and emotion. We spend 40 to 60 minutes together. We start out with the sort of pictures we’d do during a Mini session – smile in the camera, the perfect family portrait. After we get those shots, we play, we laugh, we run around. I’m going to make this experience as relaxed and positive and fun as possible for you and your kids. My goal is to get everybody out of their shell and to just capture love and personality.
With a Full session you receive at least 60 pictures, usually more, in both color and black-and-white versions. You will receive an online gallery with your photos to download as high-resolution files and an option to order prints. Grandparents may be included in a Full Session but if you want to include cousins or friends or another family, your session becomes and extended family session – please contact me for custom pricing (depending on how many people, where, …).
Below you will find all my open dates until the end of July. The weekdays are flexible – if you really want to shoot during a specific week because your baby’s first birthday is that week or grandma is visiting that weekend but you can’t make the Thursday for the full session – let me know and I will work with you to find a day that works for both of us. On weekends I try to only work on Saturdays – because I have a family too! But should we be rained out on Saturday or if there is really no other day than Sunday that works for you, let me know and we’ll find a way!
Something else I wanted to mention – you don’t have to be a traditional family to do mini or full sessions – every year I do couples, maternity and even friendship sessions. Or maybe just you and your dog or cat – it is really up to you! If you’d like a headshot let me know though because those are cheaper than a mini session!
I am so looking forward to seeing and photographing you and your loved ones this Spring and summer!
As of today (January 30th) my studio is still closed and I am not sure when I can safely re-open but my guess is not before summer. This time of year is always slow for me but this year, due to not being able to utilize my studio, it is extra slow.
So to entice you, my dear client, to give this weather a chance and maybe get some pictures with stunning winter sunsets and sparkling snow or even some Spring blooms, I am updating my prices from now until the end of April.
The Winter Special
Outdoor winter minis or porch sessions
$200
If you’ve booked a regular mini session with me you know we can get quite a bit done. They always end up being longer than I planned, almost like a full session but done faster. Not this session – this is a 10-15 minute session and it includes 5 pictures. I am keeping these short because while it may be pretty out – it is still winter in Chicago and it’s cold! But if you want a pretty family picture in the snow plus a couple of close ups of your kids or yourself, this is the session for you! These are limited to the Lincoln Square/Andersonville/North Center/Ravenswood Area! Porch sessions can be done anywhere on the Chicago North side.
The Winter Special Plus
Snow session, longer porch sessions, …
$290
These are slightly longer sessions, more like my regular minis. These are 20-30 minutes long and include all the pictures that turn out during the session (at least 10 pictures), so you don’t have to pick later! We will talk ahead of time how you envision this session – want pictures of your kids having fun in the snow? Some snuggle under a blanket pictures? Some more formal family pictures to send to the grandparents?
I am also going to start offering indoor hands-off newborn lifestyle sessions in mid February. Please be aware that this could change depending on the regulations made by the mayor. For these sessions I will be wearing KN95 masks to guarantee everybody’s safety. I will not be posing baby but I will advice you how to pose and we will still get beautiful and natural photos of those first early moments. Please send me an email for pricing.
Covid safety is of utmost importance to me. I follow all the guidelines and I expect the same of my clients. Rescheduling even if last minute if you notice any signs of sickness no problem at all.
And since it will most likely still be cold – please be prepared for these sessions and dress appropriately. I have never met a kid who enjoyed being cold. If you invision pictures of your family in pretty, light dresses, please consider booking a summer session instead.
I miss you all and I hope to get to see you soon!
Read On
First off – due to Covid – both the regulations and to keep my clients and my own family save from Coronavirus, I have decided to only do outdoor sessions for holiday photos this year. I have two options: Porch Sessions and Festive Holiday Minis.
10-15 minutes, 5 pictures included
$200
These kind of sessions have become very popular during the early stages of the pandemic. I didn’t do them back then because we were still under a stay-at-home order and at that point we didn’t know how easily the virus was transmitted. We now know outdoor with proper distance is unlikely to lead to infection which is why I decided to make this an option for holiday minis.
How does this look like?
I will come to your home (outside only) and we will take pictures on your front porch or if you don’t have a porch – on the sidewalk by your house. This is a good choice for people with small kids (under 4) that may not tolerate being out in the cold and feel more comfortable in a trusted environment. You could decorate your front porch whichever way you like and you could even dress up in your fanciest clothes or wear Christmas pajamas. It is completely up to you! These sessions are quick and as easy as they get for you!
These are quick 10-15 minute sessions. You receive 5 pictures that are chosen by me (when you book you can leave in the comments what kind of pictures you’d like – for example all pictures of the whole family, close up of one kid each …). If you’d like to pick your pictures or choose more please send me an email and upgrade to a regular mini session ($340). At this point I can only do these sessions on the Northside of Chicago.
https://alinesternphotography.bigcartel.com/product/holiday-porch-pictures-november
If you live close to Winnemac Park or Lincoln Square and need a different date, please send me an email at info@alinesternphotography.com and I can see if I can fit you in on a different day.
Lincoln Square Holiday Minis
$250
10-15 minute sessions, 5 pictures included
Every year in late November Giddings Plaza turns into a winter wonderland. I’ve always wanted to do holiday minis there but I didn’t like that it gets crowded and it is usually pretty cold by the time the holiday decorations are up. But since I can’t do studio sessions this year, I am opening up two mornings, the week of Thanksgiving for holiday mini sessions. Please be aware that turnaround for these pictures is about a week. You may pick your own pictures but it will add at least four days to the turnaround (depending how fast you pick!) so if you need your pictures fast, you can let me know that you would like me to pick your 5 pictures for you. These are quick sessions meant for holiday cards, so no outfit changes please!
Both dates are in the morning from 8am till 10am to avoid crowds. Here are the dates and booking links:
I am sad I am not going to be able to offer traditional studio minis this year. I hope to see you all again for holiday studio minis in 2021. Until then – we will make this work!
