Chicagoland Photographer | Winter's Butterfly

I love butterflies (not a secret…ha ha) and I don’t think I have ever not gotten excited to see a butterfly dancing through the air. If I have a camera with me I will try to ‘catch’ him with my camera and follow him until he flies away. That child-like excitement about butterflies has never left me and that is exactly the way I feel when I photograph a beautiful girl in a dress running, dancing in the woods or nature in general.

Photographing Natasha was like watching a pretty red butterfly dancing through Winter Wonderland. Trying to catch that perfect shot... It was truly bitter cold and the snow so strong that it was hard to get an image without tiny snowflakes across the face.

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”

- John Muir

I don’t need much for a CHC-Signature photo shoot adventure, just a girl, a dress and nature. Thankfully Natasha didn’t even hesitate do be my model and stand in the freezing cold (and pretend like it’s super fun and no big deal).

The snow never stays on the trees for long so I knew it had to be photographed quickly. Although I am not ready for Winter I find this season very romantic, the cold and snow forming like a cocoon around nature. Forcing it to change and rest a little.

I guess that’s why I always feel very homesick and reflective during this time of year. It inspires me to create to find distraction. I feel very fortunate that I find really sweet people who want to be part of my dream and give them something that was unexpected for them…

Natasha is a talented hair stylist (and yes you can book her for your hair) and she was able to do her own hair and make-up! It was like watching a fairytale unfold, maybe it could be called Snowred ;-)

You know when children want to play outside and don’t care if they get cold and their feet get wet, that’s how we felt just playing around. It took a while for Natasha to defrost and feel her hands again after.

It wasn’t easy to toss the fabric around myself and for those shots I used my 35mm so I could be close while still holding the fabric. Later I had to spend some time in Photoshop to combine fabric shots.

These images turned out so magical that I can’t stop looking at them! Natasha’s eyes are stunning and I love the snowflakes on her lashes! Natasha, YOU are a beautiful soul and I am so happy we met!

I truly feel like I got an early Christmas present!

Thank you Natasha for being my muse for the day and making it seem effortless! Until next time…

Stay warm and be careful out there (after my shoot while going to pick up my daughter, I almost ran into a car that suddenly stopped. It was pure ice and my breaks did not respond, I was able to swerve and miss a tree by one foot and go onto someones grass/easement.)

Carmen | CHC-Photography, Inc.