Heineman 8th Grade Dance 2014

I went to Catholic School. School dances were a big no-no and my school only had one the entire time I went there, when I was in 7th grade and I didn't even go. Once I became a teacher in a middle school in Elmhurst, I realized how big of a deal the 8th grade dance really was! At that school, a note had to go home informing parents that formal dress, tuxedos, and limousines were prohibited from the dance. What?!?!?! As a 23 year old newlywed, I couldn't even imagine a parent making that big of a deal about an 8th grade dance.  Fast forward 17 years to my very own 8th grader getting ready for his big night.

I had been drafted by a friend to be part of the photography area of the dance, as well as the photographer for the night. Gee, thanks Toni! ;)  Lots of planning and work went into it for weeks before the dance just for our little area. The other committees really had their hands full. As we were decorating our areas, I just couldn't imagine how it would all come together but lo and behold, it did. I was blown away by the creativity of these parents and the sheer will power to get it done in the 5 hours we had to decorate. 

The kids all seemed to have a great time and I really hope they enjoyed their night. Here is just a sampling of some of the great pictures the kids were taking all night!

I'm looking forward to next year when its my daughter's turn at the dance!

Hanna (John) | Newborn

So in the spirit of full disclosure, this next little guy is actually my nephew! My baby sister has become a mom! It is definitely surreal to me but it was a ton of fun to photograph him because I could do whatever I wanted. The bad part of it was that because he was so new (4 days) there was a houseful of people clamoring to see him including 7 adults, 7 kids, 2 dogs plus a couple of visitors that stopped by for a bit mid shoot.  Just typical Pannaralla (my maiden name) craziness!

Here are a couple of my favorite shots of the day:

I am such a sucker for Chevron!

John's full name is Hanna Yousef Akroush. His dad's family is Jordanian and Hanna is a family name. This little guy's grandfather to be specific. It is their tradition to name boys after the grandfather. Hanna translates to John in English so that's what all of us Irish folks call him!

 

My whole family, especially my sister and mom, are huge Chicago White Sox fans so there was no question about whether or not we were getting some baseball shots in!

Nothing beats a good Black and White. 

This was one of the last shots of the day and I was afraid I didn't get it! We were losing light fast so my older sister was being "the light from heaven" as she named herself and was using my reflector to get me a little light. There was absolute madness going on as my 3 year old nephew really wanted to love on his new cousin and my dogs wanted in on the action too. Suddenly, John falls asleep and then lets out this adorable little newborn smirk. Swoon.  I was completely in love! <3

Since he is now almost 5 months old (I'm only a little behind on my blog!) there will be some updated pics coming soon!

Parker | 6 Months

I first met little Parker when he was just a newborn. I was thrilled when mom called me up and asked if I could do his 6 month pictures! I love getting to see how these little guys grow so much so fast. When I got to their new home in downtown Chicago, I barely recognized him! He was huge!

We started his session with some simple shots.

Then, since his 6 month birthday fell so close to Christmas, we changed it up and did some Christmas pictures.

Gotta get some jammie pics for Christmas, right?

And last but not least, his brother and sister wanted in on the action too!

I can't wait to head back downtown once this awful winter is over and take some new family pictures outside. Parker should be walking by then! Time goes by so fast. Enjoy him while he's small!