At Pixels by Emily, we believe every family deserves the opportunity to experience a little of that magic. That's why our Santa Visit Sponsorship Program continues to be one of the most meaningful parts of our holiday season. With the generosity of local businesses and individuals, we're able to gift Santa experiences and beautiful keepsake portraits to families throughout our community. And this year, we're inviting even more people to be part of something special. 

I’m incredibly honored to be named Photographer of the Month and to have Pixels by Emily featured throughout this issue. Even more special, one of our images was selected for the inside cover. But what I love most about these pages is that they hold so much more than beautiful dresses and finished portraits. They hold the personalities of the girls in front of my camera. 

This year, families will once again step into two completely different Christmas worlds: Santa’s Magical Workshop and the Cozy Fireside Living Room. Creating them starts long before Santa arrives. Backdrops go up. Trees are fluffed and lit. Furniture is moved into place. Toys, tools, treats, and Christmas treasures begin filling the workshop. Every piece is considered not only for how it looks in the room, but for how it will look through the camera—and how it will help a child believe, for just a little while, that this really might be Santa’s workshop. 

There’s usually a wall. Maybe it’s the large empty space above the sofa that has never quite felt finished. Maybe it’s the staircase you walk past dozens of times each day, or the spot above the fireplace that has been waiting for something more meaningful than another piece of décor. You know you want family portraits there. What you may not know is what happens next.

Christmas magic has returned to Pixels by Emily, and registration for our 2026 Santa season is officially open. Each year, we look for meaningful ways to make this tradition feel even more personal—not by adding more for the sake of more, but by creating small details that help families remember exactly who their children were in this season. The wonder in their faces. The stories they tell Santa. The little hands reaching for an ornament. The height they will never be again. This year brings new keepsakes, beloved traditions and three ways for families to visit Santa: the full Magical Santa Experience, Simply Santa and Revisit.

Every Through Purple Eyes portrait begins long before the camera is lifted. When people see a finished Through Purple Eyes portrait, they often notice the artwork first. What they don't see are the weeks—or sometimes months—of quiet preparation that happen beforehand. Because these portraits don't begin with props. They begin with people.

Seeing those words after this year's Master Photographers International (MPI) International Imaging Competition was both exciting and incredibly rewarding. Not simply because of the medals themselves, but because they marked my return to something I hadn't done in two years. Photography has always been a craft I love to study. Between running a business, raising a family, and recovering from a back injury, entering competitions quietly slipped to the bottom of my list. This year, I decided it was time to jump back in.

We take more photographs today than any generation before us, yet somehow we see them less. They're tucked away in camera rolls, cloud storage, old phones, and forgotten folders. As photographers, we absolutely love creating images that families can treasure. But here's something we believe just as strongly: Your favorite memories deserve to exist somewhere beyond your screen.

As photographers, we spend a lot of time helping families preserve milestones. But some of the most meaningful photos aren't the ones where everyone is smiling at the camera. They're the little pieces of life happening in between. Here are a few moments worth capturing before summer slips away.

You don’t need a studio session to preserve a meaningful memory. Some of the photos your kids will treasure most someday are the ones you almost didn’t take at all. Here are a few easy ways to capture summer memories a little more intentionally this year, without stressing about perfection.

As photographers, we obviously believe in preserving memories. But we also know not every meaningful moment needs a giant scrapbook or perfectly curated baby book to matter. If you've been wanting a more organized, intentional way to save your family memories without feeling overwhelmed, here are a few realistic ideas we genuinely love.

Spring is one of the easiest seasons to style. Everything feels lighter, softer, and more natural—and when you keep it simple, it comes together beautifully on camera. You don’t need a full plan. Just a few guidelines that work every time.

There’s something about spring that just fits senior year. It’s a season of change, growth, and stepping into what’s next—and your photos should feel the same way. While fall gets all the attention, spring senior sessions bring a softness and energy that feels fresh, light, and completely you.

While outdoor sessions have their place, indoor studio portraits are where our artistry truly comes to life. It’s where every detail is intentional, every element is controlled, and every image is created with purpose. Because a portrait shouldn’t rely on chance. It should be crafted.

At Pixels by Emily, your portrait experience doesn’t end with the session—or even with the final image selection. One of the most important (and often overlooked) parts of the process is what happens next: how your portraits are finished and displayed in your home. Because a beautiful image deserves more than a place on your phone. It deserves a place on your wall.

Recently, Emily traveled to an intensive Santa workshop led by some of the most respected artists in the industry. Over several days, Emily participated in hands-on learning, creative collaboration, and in-depth discussions centered around one goal: how to make the Santa experience even more magical for every child who walks through the door.

One of the most exciting additions to our studio this year is the use of fine art embellishment—a process where portraits are enhanced by hand to create depth, texture, and painterly detail. The result is a finished piece that feels less like a photograph and more like a piece of artwork meant to live on your walls for generations.

Every image that led to this recognition began with a tween or teen who stepped in front of my lens — sometimes confident, sometimes unsure, sometimes carrying more than she shows the world. It began with families who trusted me with something sacred: how their daughters see themselves.

Through Purple Eyes: Portraits of Resilience and Courage is an ongoing artist portrait project created to honor resilience, courage, and the quiet strength found on the other side of domestic abuse — whether physical, emotional, or psychological.

Grace & Grit sessions continue to be one of the most meaningful parts of my work as a fine art teen photographer in Central Illinois. If you’ve been considering documenting this season for your teen, not for who they are becoming but for who they already are, this is a beautiful place to begin.