MOUNT GREENWOOD — Chicago's elite athletes trust Naja Lerus with their most prized possessions — their newborn children.
Lerus has photographed infants with well-known parents, including Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls as well as Matt Forte, Martellus Bennett and Jermon Bushrod of the Chicago Bears.
The self-taught artist began pursuing a career in photography four years ago. After two years of shooting weddings and senior pictures, Lerus decided to focus on infant photography.
"The newborn stage goes by so fast. I just want to bottle it up and keep it forever," said Lerus, who works from her home studio in south suburban Robbins.
Howard Ludwig says business took off after Derrick Rose let Naja Lerus show off her photos of his son:
Lerus, a mother of three, was born in Chicago. She moved to France when she was 3 years old. Her father, Ken Dancy, played for Chicago State University before being drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1980.
Dancy's time in the NBA was short-lived, but he went on to have a 20-year career playing for various teams throughout France.
Lerus met her husband, Emmanuel, in high school. The French sweethearts moved to Beverly in 2000. Lerus was drawn back to Chicago by her family on the South Side. She and her husband were also looking for better career opportunities in the United States.
They moved to West Pullman in 2008 and had their children before moving to their current home in 2010. Lerus decided to become a photographer after taking pictures of her children: Calab (11), Layla (8) and Maya (4).
"The more you shoot, it helps narrow down what you like to do," Lerus said.
She made infant photography her specialty after attending a conference in Atlanta where the speaker advised her to "do what you love," Lerus said.
Her big break came after photographing Derrick Rose's son, Derrick Jr., in October 2012. Lerus had done a photo shoot for a set of twins belonging to Rose's girlfriend's cousin. That recommendation led to a session with Derrick Jr. and his parents.
"I was nervous, but [Rose] is such a genuinely nice person," Lerus said.
As much as she wanted to tell the world about the photo shoot, Lerus respected her client's wishes and kept from using the shots to promote her business. But Rose later tweeted out several of Lerus' pictures.
After the tweet, Rose agreed to let Lerus use the photos. It was that photo shoot and subsequent tweet that launched Lerus into the world of professional athletes.
Lerus charges $550 to $1,700 for a three-hour photo shoot. She prefers to photograph infants within the first 10 days of life, though she accepts clients up to 3 weeks old.
She's participated in workshops that focus on posing infants. Most of her shots occur while the baby is sleeping.
To help infants relax, Lerus keeps her studio at 85 degrees. She said her style is meant to keep the focus on the baby, thus avoiding dressing the child with large bows or posing in over-the-top sets.
"In Chicago, people like more classic [photographs] ... more timeless," she said.
Lerus takes maternity photos as well as a few other types photographs too. She said the maternity sessions typically serve as a getting-to-know-you meeting. These shots then lead to an infant photo session.
She said a large portion of her business comes via recommendation. Belle Up, a high-end maternity store in Mount Greenwood, has proven to be a useful source of recommendations.
Recently, Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery turned to Lerus to shoot his engagement photos after she was recommended by Forte, the Bears running back.
Lerus shoots about three infants per week and is usually booked three months ahead. She hopes to open a studio outside of her home in the future and is scouting sites in Beverly and the South Loop.
She expects to continue to focus on newborn photography, though she's occasionally willing to capture families and couples. But there's one area of photography she's decided to steer clear of.
"I definitely don't do weddings," she said.
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