Debbie Becker, The Bee Lady

Debbie Becker, Bee Keeper, Oak Parker.

It's legal again to have bees in Oak Park and Debbie Becker I believe was first to get her hives up and buzzing this year. We had been waiting all summer for a cooler day to visit Debbie and the bees, how many bees, about 40,000 or 50,000. The whole process of bee keeping is fascinating to me, from starting the hive to winterizing it, and Debbie seems to have all the answers and willingness to share her knowledge. It's the sharing of knowledge that made me want to include her in the 52 Oak Parkers. Once again someone who takes their love for something and shares it with the community. Tomorrow she will even share some of the honey with people attending the Green Living and Learning Tour put together by Green Community Connections. She reminds us that although we live right by one of the biggest cities in the US we don't have to be far removed from mother nature and life. We can share our home.

If, as physical scientists assure us, we all contain a few molecules of Einstein, and if the atomic particles of our physical body reach to the outermost bounds of the universe, then we are all de facto components of all things. There is nowhere left for us to go if we are already everywhere, and this is, in truth, all we will ever have or need. If we love ourselves at all, we should respect all things equally, and not claim any superiority over what are, in effect, our other parts. Is the hand superior to the eye? The bishop to the goose? The son to the mother?”

A Quote from Bill Mollison, permaculturist.

Hillary Kieser, Midwife, Gentle Birth Care

Hillary Brown Kieser, Midwife, Gentle Birth Care, Oak Parker.

Before I ever moved to Oak Park I met Hillary, she helped me through my first labor and the birthing of my son eight years ago.

Midwife; to assist in the birth. That she does both physically and mentally for her families. Labor is called labor for good reason, it is a lot of physical and mental exertion to produce something, a life, and Hillary is there with her women for the long haul, ever calm, ever present.

I have had the honor of joining Hillary and a few of her mothers over the past few years on their labor days and for the birth of new life. Much of her life is lived on call and she shows up with a smile and a hug. Since opening Gentle Birth Care in downtown Oak Park over three years ago she has helped a lot of mothers, she had delievered well over 1000 babies in her time as a midwife, so I wanted to include her in my 52 Oak Parkers project. This shoot fell into place last week when I got the call to say Mama S (one of my clients and one of Hillary's clients) was in labor.

Helping mothers bring new life into the world is something to be celebrated and acknowledged in a community.

Autumn Photography Specials

Oct 20th and 27th, Nov 3 and 4th available for senior portraits discount day and family mini sessions outdoors, on location or studio style. This is the best time for outdoor mini sessions to be used in holiday cards.
Nov. 24th Studio Style mini session, last mini date for holiday card images.

Full sessions are available on any of these days or any other day.

How are mini different than full sessions, or how are they discounted?

Senior Portrait; I spend 1 hour with the teen and we do a mix of looks outdoors and in.
It usually costs $150, on the dates listed above it is $120 and comes with one digital file that can be used for announcements, social profiles, acting headshot, school year book etc...
Family mini session; This is a shorter than usual session, about 20 minutes. Great if you know what style you want. Perfect to get the image you need for holiday cards. $125.



Oct 15th and Nov 14th Professional headshot/networking image; Studio or location style headshot with a digital file of the chosen images in color and B&W with full web and print usage rights. $120. Group rates available. I can come to your place of business.

Oak Park Women's Guild

I am available to attend any professional networking group, Meet-Up, or group who would like profile images of each of their members/attendees. Discounted group rates available.

Meet new co-president of The Oak Park Women's Guild Emily Shepley and Sarah Miyata.


If you have been thinking of joining the Guild now would be a good time, new member coffee is Sept 26th. Support local charities and meet some new friends.
Below are just a few of the friendly faces I photographed at yesterday's meeting for their member directory.

Dr. Paul

Dr. Paul Schattauer - The Green Medical Practice - Oak Parker

Forward thinking by keeping it natural, for the past 20 years Dr. Paul has treated patients seeking natural medicine and minimizing the use of pharmaceuticals while providing cost effective healthcare, independent of insurance plans. He specializes in the prevention of illness and the promotion of health and wellbeing, taking his practice to a whole new level of treating the individual.


When we think of a community, a village, it is made up of many parts and people, there always needs to be the medicine person, healer, town Doc. type person. Dr. Paul was the obvious choice for this position in my Oak Parker project.

and hey he even practices what he preaches

Rob Breymaier

Rob Breymaier, Social Activist, Fair Housing Advocate , Oak Parker

"We're a small, unique community situated in the fifth most segregated region in the country. Earlier generations have provided us with a great place to live. Now, our generation must play the role of affirming our diversity. Otherwise, we could lose the very thing we moved here for in the first place."

taken from an article by Rob about why so many of us choose Oak Park as our home, and what we should do to preserve it.

Rob's name first came to my attention in July when he returned his Eagle Scout Medal, the highest rank, to the Boy Scouts of America after their decision to continue its ban against homosexual Scouts and leaders. He didn't stop with returning his medal, he has an 8 year old son who did not re-enroll in scouts this year but instead they started their own local group that can impart Boy Scout values without excluding anyone.

Here is a man who stands up for what he believes in. For the past six years as executive director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center he re-educates people about living in a diverse community. For the past five years he has been an Oak Parker.

If like me you moved to Oak Park because of the sidewalks, parks, small businesses and diversity you may not have realized what a concentrated effort went into making Oak Park what it is today. I'm learning a lot from my Oak Parkers; about the towns reputation for clean government, about groups like the Oak Park Regional Housing Center set up in 1972 to promote fair housing for all people in Oak Park when all around them there were municipal powers opposed to integration and "white flight" and block-by-block "steering" was rampant. The work continues 40 years later and is just as important today as it was then. Unfortunately we don't have to travel very far from OP to expierence segragrtion at its worst.

Trough this project I'm meeting the people and seeing the faces dedicated to preserving the values of Oak Park. The people who are Oak Park.