Oats and Honey Photography

10/15/2026

The countdown to FIFTEEN is officially on! Sweet Sofía is getting ready to celebrate her quinceañera and we recently spent an evening by the river capturing some beautiful portraits for her invitations! Between the gorgeous scenery, her beautiful dress, those cowboy boots, and that HAIR (seriously 😍), I was OBSESSEDDDDDD! There’s something so special about this milestone. A quinceañera is so much more than a birthday party. It’s a celebration of family, tradition, and a beautiful new chapter in a young girl’s life.

And the best part?! I get to photograph her quinceañera in just a few months too!! 🥹 Getting to be part of these moments, from the excitement and anticipation leading up to the big day to the celebration itself, is such an honor. I can't WAIT to see everything come together and capture all the memories she’ll get to look back on for years to come!

Sofía, you are absolutely STUNNING and if these portraits are any indication of what’s to come, your quinceañera is going to be incredible! Now, excuse me while I obsess over these photos. Especially that reflection shot. 😭😍

10/15/2026

10/07/2026

A little love, a lot of laughter, and two people who just promised each other forever.

I had the pleasure of spending a little time with Alan’e and Darrien on their wedding day, sneaking away for some newlywed portraits and capturing those sweet, just married moments!

And can we PLEASE talk about Alan’e’s dress?! 😍 The lace, the train, the way it flowed during their dip… absolutely gorgeous! And Darrien looking pretty sharp in that white suit, too!

Congratulations, Alan’e + Darrien!! Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter, and beautiful memories together!

10/06/2026

I’ve been photographing this family for YEARS now. Engagement photos, wedding photos, family photos…and now we are very firmly in the Jolene era.

And listen. When you are this cute AND the only grandchild, what exactly is everyone supposed to do?! NOT spoil you?! Be serious. 😂

This little girl is very clearly the princess of the family, has every single one of these people wrapped around her tiny little finger, and judging by that smile…I’m pretty sure she knows it.

One of my favorite parts of this job will always be getting to stick around for the chapters that come after the wedding. I photographed Mom & Dad’s engagement and wedding, and now I get to photograph this sweet little girl growing up surrounded by a whole lot of people who absolutely adore her. ❤️

Also, I would like everyone to please appreciate Jolene’s floral farm boots because they were clearly a VERY important part of this session. 😂

10/05/2026

THIS is what I mean when I say your family session does not have to be everyone standing in a field smiling at me!

We ran around downtown Manteno, jumped on the pillow, played at the park, ate ice cream on the curb, let the kids be kids, and finished the night playing in the splash pad. And I am OBSESSED with how much personality is packed into these photos.

Bare feet. Sticky ice cream hands. Belly laughs. Soaked clothes. Little hands reaching for Mom and Dad. Big brother sneaking in kisses. Just pure, chaotic, happy FAMILY!!

These are the sessions I absolutely LOVE because it doesn’t feel like an hour of trying to convince your kids to “behave for pictures.” It feels like going out and making a memory together while I tag along with a camera. 🥹

And that golden light hitting the water at the end?! COME ONNNN. 😍✨

Downtown Manteno, you understood the assignment. ❤️

10/04/2026

🐮🎃 ALMOST HALF SOLD OUT!!! 🎃🐮

Apparently I am NOT the only person who thinks spending Halloween morning taking pictures with fluffy little Highland cows sounds like an excellent life choice!

HIGHLAND COW MINI SESSIONS
📅 Halloween Morning | 10/31
📍 Bourbonnais, IL
📸 15 minutes
✨ 5 edited digital images
🐮 One or two baby Highland cows

These aren’t Halloween themed photos unless you want them to be, so they’re just as perfect for families who want gorgeous fall photos!

Almost half of the available sessions are already claimed, and I only have access to the cows for a limited amount of time that morning!

🐮 BOOK HERE: https://oatsandhoney.sproutstudio.com/book/highland-cow-minis

You can also pre-purchase your FULL edited gallery for only $75 at booking!

COWS BY MORNING. COSTUMES BY NIGHT. I can't wait for these!!!

09/15/2026

I HAVE 7 FALL MINI HOLES IN MY CALENDAR AND I WANT THEM GONE TODAY. 😂

So I’m making you an absolutely stupid deal for the next few hours:
$150 PAID IN FULL
FULL GALLERY INCLUDED
10 DAY PRIORITY EDITING
Today only.

09/14/2026

This family lives all the way in Germany, and every time they come back here to visit, they book a session with me. 🥹 Which already means more to me than I can really put into words. They have limited time here, plenty of people to see and things to squeeze into their trip, and somehow family photos with me have become part of coming home.

But THIS trip really made us work for it. 😂 Of course they happened to be here during the hottest week we’ve had ALL YEAR, with real feel temperatures well over 100°, so trying to figure out when we could safely make their session happen was…a little stressful.

Their last full day here was Saturday, and by some freaking miracle, I had exactly a 45 minute gap between mini sessions. So we went for it. We met at a random forest preserve I had literally never photographed at before, crossed our fingers, wandered into the grass, got absolutely EATEN ALIVE by mosquitoes, and hoped for the best.

And somehow…THIS is what we got!! 😭 These are the sessions that remind me why photographs matter so much. Life changes, kids grow, trips home are never long enough, but for a little while, we get to freeze all of it.

Germany may be home, but I’m so incredibly grateful that when they come back here, Oats & Honey gets to be part of the tradition. Worth every mosquito bite!! Until next time.

09/11/2026

There was a time when photographing another photographer made me SO nervous. I’d get completely in my own head knowing the person on the other side of my camera understood photography, lighting, posing, editing…all of it. But somewhere along the way, that feeling changed.

Now, I just feel incredibly honored. There are dozens of incredibly talented photographers in our area, so when a fellow photographer and friend chooses me to photograph her family, it means more than I can really put into words!! 🥹

As photographers, we spend so much of our time behind the camera capturing everyone else’s memories. Being trusted to step in and capture hers, with the people she loves most, is something I don’t take lightly.

And if you don’t already follow Cassie Mathison Photography, go check out her work! She’s incredibly talented, and getting to turn the camera around on her and her family was such a privilege!!!

Nowwww…LOOK AT THIS FAMILY. 😍

09/06/2026

Okay, I’m gonna say something that is probably terrible sales technique 😂

I still have ONE $2,026 wedding spot left. And I’m not going to spend the next two weeks posting “ONE SPOT LEFT!!!!” at you every day because honestly…we’d all get sick of me. 😂

But I am going to say this: If you’ve been quietly watching this sale because you love my work but you’re not quite ready to reach out…TALK TO ME.

You don’t need to have every detail figured out.
You don’t need your venue booked.
You don’t even need your exact wedding date yet.
You don’t need to know whether you want 6 hours or 8 hours, whether you need a second photographer, or what the hell your timeline is supposed to look like.

That’s the stuff we can figure out later.

Right now, the last sale spot gets you:
💍 6 hours of wedding photography
💍 Engagement session + 15 edited images
💍 Custom photography timeline
💍 Photo priority + family formal planning
💍 My Wedding Planning Vault
💍 Planning support from me along the way

$526 to book. And then three $500 payments.

Two couples already said yes. I’m looking for one more.

So if you’ve been lurking, liking, tagging your fiancé, sending screenshots to your best friend, or telling yourself “I’ll message her later…”

Hi. It’s later. 😂

Comment WEDDING or send me a message. I’ll answer your questions. No weird sales pitch. No obligation to book.

☀️ Big Summer Blowout: Wedding Edition
💍 BOOKED
💍 BOOKED
💍 YOU?