Maricel Cruz Photography Chicagoland Wedding and Portrait Photographer

I went to school for Interior Design at Illinois Institute of Art and did my internship at an architectural firm for 2 years. This is where I met Heather and became instant friends. Daily lunches and breaks allowed us to get to know each other pretty well, so well she asked me to stand in her wedding! They now have 3 beautiful children. When they asked me to do their family session I couldn’t wait, these kids have such fun personalities. We had such a beautiful fall day (it was warm in November) and the sun was perfect.

Here are some sample from their fun session at Cantigny Park.

What can I say about this little guy? I mean, just look at that face! Anthony is my best friend Evelyn’s son. His photos do not do him justice….he’s got the funniest personality you can’t help but be mesmerized by him! When I first purchased my camera and started practicing portraits, he was one of my first subjects. Between my Nieces & Nephews, Delilah and him, I had plenty of models to photograph! It’s been a pleasure to pretty much document this little guy’s growth.

My brother and friends decided to visit Starved Rock for the first time, so I asked Evelyn if she wanted to take a drive out there and meet up with us. Wow, is this place amazing! Unfortunately, the recent heavy winds and lack of rain didn’t help the color of the leaves this year. No biggie, we still managed to enjoy the scenery, great company and weather. We walked a couple of trails and soaked in the scenery, it was breathtaking!

Here are a few photos from my session with Anthony that day.

It’s not too late to book your session for Holiday photos! Contact me today!

One of my BFF’s (I feel like I have many!) referred me to Karen for family portraits. I met Karen a few years back at a party and recall how well we got along. When she contacted me to set up a session, I was naturally excited to see her again and meet her beautiful family.

The second I arrived, it was nothing but laughing; I felt like we were old friends! We started the session photographing her 2.5 month old baby boy, Lucas. What a doll! I believe he only cried once while I was there (and I was there a LONG TIME) and gave me some incredible smiles to capture. We gave Lucas a break since it looked like Jaelyn (4 years old) wanted some camera time too…but she needed to warm up to me a little bit. Tickling did the trick! At first mommy had her in pig tails, but when I saw the beautiful curls I asked if we could put her hair down. So glad I did! What a cutie patootie!

After a couple of fun hours of shooting, we hung out for a bit and got to know each other a little bit more. It was such a great time. Karen & Juan, thank you SO MUCH for allowing me to capture your beautiful family, it was a ton of fun and I hope you enjoy the photos. Here a few of my faves from the day!

Oh, and Karen, let me know when you’re ready for sushi!

Still a little shy, but I love it!

Warming up to me a little more……and finally got her to be silly with me!

I couldn’t choose just one photo from this series, so I’m showing my 3 faves

And finally Jaelyn was ready for a nap after this pic