jookie, a portrait boutique
- August 2007A toddler comes in for a photo session. He's hungry, fussy, and hasn't had his nap. His mom tries to soothe him, with little luck. Then, the photographer gets to work. Jill Liebhaber, photographer and owner of jookie, a portrait boutique, has a magical way of coaxing the best out of children. A smile here, a giggle there—even if it's over in a flash, she captures it on film. A series of photos from her session with this little boy hangs on the wall of the boutique. They reveal none of his grumpiness and all of his sweetness. "I love to get kids in their best happy mood," explains Jill. "Sometimes I think it would be fun to videotape a photo session. You could probably learn a lot from observing the kids. I enjoy being able to capture them at their best."
Jookie is called a "portrait boutique" for a reason. More than just a photography studio, it has a warm, homey atmosphere that's been well thought out. Filled with color and items of interest to children, the boutique has lots of kid-sized furniture and toys. And parents will be glad to know that the studio has been kid-proofed to make it as safe as possible for the little ones. The boutique part comes in with all the little items that Jill has for sale, ranging from jewelry, to coasters, candles, business card holders, and tissue boxes—all with the image of your choice printed on them. "The idea behind the boutique is that I want to give people the opportunity to enjoy their photos in forms that they can keep with them and use all the time," she says. "I try to get in something for everyone."
The actual studio area makes you feel as though you're backstage in a green room. There are comfortable couches, eclectic props and costumes on the wall, and a family-friendly bathroom. A few steps through the velvet curtains is where Jill shoots the photos. "You can fit as many as six or seven people comfortably," says Jill. "I like that I can control the lighting. There are also a ton of different background options that you can choose." With the sweep of a curtain, Jill can change the background from a brick wall to any variety of hanging backdrops. As your photo session draws to a close, you might think you smell the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. You're right. Jill bakes them for her clients as a treat to enjoy before they go home. "I keep a little toaster oven in the office and bake them up," explains Jill. "Photo shoots are always a bigger workout than people expect. It's just a little something to get their blood sugar back up again."
Once you've finished your photo shoot, it's time to choose your frame. Jill's close friend, Ross Martens, does all the framing in a shop in Evanston. There are tons of color and style options. "We have two basic lines: the classic and the ones I like to call jookie chic," says Jill. "They're the handmade, whimsical line of frames that are really fun and colorful." She has also been working on a project for a few years that has inspired her to collect antique windows to use as modified picture frames. "I may start offering those as an option eventually," she says. "If someone brings me an old window that is sentimental to them, I could use it to frame their photo." When your photos are ready, Jill will invite you to the studio to see them projected on the wall so you can decide what sizes and orientations you like best. "I use software that shows people all of the things they can do with their photos," Jill says. "Seeing them at their actual size helps people visualize what they will look like in their home. I know what a lot of my customers' homes are like, so I help them choose the frame and image that will look best with their decor." When it's time to pick up your photo, you'll find it waiting for you on a stand on the counter when you arrive. A woman with two small sons comes in to pick up their portrait with the family dog. She is amazed and overjoyed when she sees the photo sitting there, right in plain view.
Jill is a true artist, who lives creatively in all aspects of her life. She started out as a painter who studied at Northwestern University. "My transition from a painter to a photographer happened naturally," she explains. "I wanted to have a creative job and I didn't want to be a starving artist. I enjoyed portraiture, so I was drawn to photography." Her interest in art was out of the ordinary where she grew up, in Waterman, Illinois, a farm town of about 1,000 people near DeKalb. But she lived in an oasis of creativity. Her three brothers and one sister all followed artistic pursuits: one brother is a painter, one is a photographer and art teacher, one restores foreign cars, and her sister is a pastry chef. But Jill isn't all right-brained. She learned the balance between the right and left brain from her parents. While her dad makes sidecars for motorcycles, her mom is a clerk in a hospital. "You have to be balanced between the two to run a business," says Jill.
For Jill, opening her business in Lincoln Square was an easy decision. She's lived in the neighborhood since she graduated from college. Her brother lives a few blocks away with her two young nieces, who are often subjects of her photos. "I felt a natural affinity for the neighborhood because of my background," explains Jill. "My dad's side of the family is German. My last name means 'to have love' in German." For a photographer who specializes in images of children, Lincoln Square was a natural place to start her business. "There are so many families with kids, dogs, big yards—starting the business here was a no-brainer," says Jill. "It also feels like a small town, which is ironic because I grew up in a small town."
After college, Jill worked for a while at an art gallery until she took a job at a Lincoln Park studio that specialized in photography of kids. She found that she really enjoyed working with children. "Some people have a personality that just clicks with kids," she explains. "In particular, I love working with really young kids. They change a lot in their first few years. They're so adorable, fun and sweet, and you never know what to expect from them. They're so pure, you couldn't pose them if you tried." After working at the studio for five years, Jill decided that it was time to take her ideas about photography and put them into her own business. So she opened jookie, named for her niece's pet guinea pig, on Rockwell in August 2006.
Speaking of pets, Jill also takes portraits of your companion animals. "I photograph mostly dogs," she says. "They're the most like kids. I use a lot of different tricks to get them to stay posed for the photo. The puppies are all over the place, while the older dogs usually just sit down and wait patiently." Although she sees mostly dogs, she also has photographed cats, bunnies, and even a turtle. "The turtle was challenging," she explains, "because you couldn't make it stick its head out. Once it decided it was going in its shell, that was the end of the shoot." Jill loves the spontaneity of photographing animals and catching the same kind of candid moments as she does with children. Her experience with kids and pets has prepared her to handle pretty much any scenario you can think of. "There's a woman in the neighborhood who's a vet and who keeps telling me that she's going to bring in her seven dogs for a photo," says Jill. "I told her, go ahead and bring them in. I'm up for anything."
So if you're interested in having your family photographed at jookie, here's how it works. Jill recommends that babies under one year of age schedule three to five sessions per year. "A lot of people like to capture all of their child's development phases," she explains. "I've photographed a lot of children from birth. It's great because I'm able to develop a rapport with them over time." You can schedule a session for one child or the whole family, or for your four-legged friend. Jill will help you not only capture unbelievable photos, but will also help you decide which images are best for your home and what's the best way to print them. "It's not about just creating an image," says Jill. "I have a specific style and people come to me for that."
The flyer promoting jookie's one-year anniversary shows four images of Kerry and Zach's (of Bloom Yoga) son at different stages of development. Like jookie, he's also one year old. In just one short year, jookie itself has bloomed, as Jill has found something she really loves to do. "I grew up a shy person by nature," she says. "Photography allows me to interact with lots of different people in a totally different way. It's such a fun thing to do for people and it feels like such a gift. That, to me, is the coolest thing about my job." Interestingly enough, one of her customers observed that running the business was a little like having a child. "I didn't realize until I opened that running a business is like having a baby of my own," laughs Jill. "Like my client said, it keeps me up at night and gets me up each morning. The studio really is my life."
jookie, a portrait boutique
4656 North Rockwell Street
Chicago, IL 60625
773.463.5665
www.jookiephoto.com
Hours by appointment only:
Monday, Friday, and Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday and Thursday 10:00am - 8:00pm
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