Grace McIlvain Photography
ABOUT ME

Born and raised in the suburbs of Illinois with a sojourn in Hong Kong, college educated in Michigan, and now based in Chicago, Grace explores the beauty of life in her travels and at home in the city. After graduating Western Michigan university with a BA in English emphasizing Creative Writing, she became interested in exploring her storytelling visually through the photographic lens. Building an image in a reader's mind through language soon inspired her to speak to the observer through photographs. Grace uses her writing to motivate her photography; using words as a balancing act between art and craft, creative construction and criticism, knowledge and the unknown.
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Much of Grace’s work seeks to capture pivotal moments between loved ones. Her concentration surrounds engagements, families, newborns & weddings. Her prints compose tiers of reaction; encouraging viewers to explore perception, conception, and their intuition through one image.
Grace has done freelance work for the 2 years, and aspires to deepen her knowledge of photography and continue developing her career.
“Learning and evolving is the greatest gift we have. So many people are stuck in their careers and life. I have always chosen to learn things that excite me. Enthusiasm is the secret to life.” – Sue Bryce, Portrait Photographer
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Photo: Elle Rose Photography