Merry Christmas

Well, it's only a few days before Christmas and I can't help but think about what the spirit of Christmas is all about. Every year it seems I rush around to find a gift for this one or that one and start to become a bit frustrated. After all, it's snowy and slushy and seems to take about an hour to get the kids all bundled up. Then, I can't find a parking spot at the mall and it takes forever to get through the check-out line.

This year, I've decided to put a more positive spin on it all. I did a lot of shopping online, which definitely helped to relieve some of the holiday stress. But I also have been trying to talk to the children about how my favorite part of Christmas is the joy I get from giving someone something they need or want.

Let's face it, we all love getting gifts, but I think it's important to take just a few moments to take a deep breath, and remember that this is a time to cherish your family and to feel the joy of making someone else happy, in whatever way works for you.

This is my latest "Letters To Santa" portrait. Little Will was absolutely adorable and I love that he wanted Santa to bring his mom new shoes.

Enjoy the Spirit of the Season! -Suzanne

Beautiful Girl

Just had to post one image from little Maggie's session. Isn't she adorable.

Nostalgia

So, I decided to borrow "The Wizard of Oz" dvd a couple weeks ago from the library. I wasn't sure if it would be ok for the kids being that they are only four and five but I gave it shot. I forgot how much I love that movie. It is truly a classic.

It was fun to watch it with the kids. They seemed to really enjoy it, especially the part with the Munchkins. They were a little freaked out during the flying monkey scene, but even I remember being scared of those monkeys.

The funniest thing though, was when the movie was over they started to reenact the part where Dorothy throws water on the wicked witch of the west and says, "I'm melting, I'm melting."

I also recently found an old Muppet Show skit that the kids absolutely love. It's hilarious to listen to my son's laugh when he watches the video.

I love sharing some of my childhood favorites with my children. I feel like it narrows the old generational gap and they actually get some of my random references now.

Good Times.

"Letters to Santa"

This week I've been thinking about the things my kids say and how excited they get about holidays like Halloween and Christmas. It's so entertaining to hear about things they've done at school or their interpretation of an event like an election. For instance, our four year-old son stated that he was "voting for John McCain". When we asked him why, he said "because he needs to brush his teeth because he has a cavity." Now, I have no idea how his little mind works, but I do know that we had to try really hard not to laugh.

Christmas time is great and the kids get so excited about Santa, especially the last year or two. It got me thinking about preserving some of those precious things they say and in response we've come up with our "Letters to Santa" sessions.

"Letters to Santa" sessions are mini sessions with the child drawing or thinking about what they would write to Santa. The sessions include one 8x10 portrait, like the example below, and includes the child's letter to Santa. I think these are a really cool way to remember what your child was into at this point in their life.

Holiday Cards

I've been busy photographing families and children for holiday cards. This is a great time of year to take advantage of the beautiful, New England fall foliage and the weather has been amazing for outdoor portraits. I've been at Forest Park again this year and it never fails to disappoint. There are so many different spots within the park that every time I go, it's like going someplace new.

I'm really excited to share my new holiday card designs with you. These are new designs for this season.

Also, I would thank to thank everyone who came to visit me at the WNE Womens Show on Sunday. It was great speaking to all of you.

My self-assignment

I gave myself a creative assignment last week. I went out and photographed textures! I know it sounds really weird. I photographed tree bark, concrete, grass and leaves and park bench seats. I always think it’s interesting what you “see” when you’re not looking at the big picture.

Sondra, a friend of mine, was here when I was reviewing my images and she fell in love with the concrete textures. She suggested that I could use them as portrait backgrounds. So… I did… This is the latest in the Novella Collection.

Have you given yourself an assignment lately? It really is fun. Allow yourself to go do something you haven’t done in a long time or something you’ve always wanted to try. Here are a few suggestions for assignments:
Play at the playground – swing, slide, spin – have fun!
Go to the library and find a book on a topic you’ve never read about.
Take someone for coffee. Maybe an elderly neighbor or someone from your church.

Please share your assignments with me – I’d love to hear about them.

Where's the sun?

I've had a few people ask me recently about what happens when we have an on-location session scheduled and the weather is cloudy or raining. This is a really good question, and a common one.


I actually prefer to photograph outside when it is cloudy or overcast. The light on a overcast day is usually beautiful and soft. The trick is to be out early in the day. The later is gets, the darker it gets and this can be trouble. Here is an image I created of Alana on an overcast day last fall.





Now you may be thinking that you'll only want to have your session outside on an overcast day. That's not necessarily the case. I'm pretty good at finding spots that are a kind of substitute for cloud cover. As long as we're near some sort of building or structure, even on a bright sunny day, we can find great spots with great light. Here is an image I created in the middle of a very sunny day, just a few weeks ago. I think that the lighting on Amanda's face (below) is killer.





Of course, when it's raining, it is pretty tough to have an outdoor session. Typically, when a client schedules something outside, we choose an alternate date in case of rain. However, sometimes, the rain adds to the photo. Check out this photo of kids playing in the rain.

Summer of experiences

This summer has probably been the best summer I've had in years. As a family, we were able to take some trips and do really neat things, especially now that the kids are a bit older. We spent a week at the beach in Rhode Island, we went to the town carnival, attended the Fourth of July parade, went sailing off the coast of Connecticut, visited friends in Montreal, and dined "al fresco" on our deck.

We are very big on having our kids experience as many of life's joys as possible and Montreal was something we looked forward to all summer long. It was a long trip, and we waited for two hours at the border, before actually crossing into Canada. After that, it was a short 40 minute drive to our friends' home.

The first day, we went down to "Vieux Montreal" (Old Montreal) and got to see a lot of interesting characters. There was a man who breathed fire, jugglers, an accordion player, and lots of brides. Place Jacques Cartier seems to be a local favorite for having wedding photographs created. The clerks in the shops are all bilingual and it's great when they greet you with, "Bonjour, Hi" It's amazing how easily they are able to switch from English to French and back again with very little difficulty.

Montreal is special to my husband and me because that is where we took our honeymoon eleven years ago. We've been back a few times on our own, but we really wanted our children to experience the older architecture and culture. I think one of the most exciting things for them was hearing people speak a different language. We even taught them a few French words including how to ask for ice cream, "Creme glacée, s'il vous plait".

My wish is that our children will always remember the summer of 2008. I know I will.

Our Get Away!

In April, my husband and I took a cruise with some other photographers and their spouses. We had a great time. We sailed on the Caribbean Princess to the Eastern Caribbean. This is the back of the ship.

As I look through our vacation photos, I got to thinking about the most common mistakes people make with vacation photographs. I decided to share a few of our vacation photos with you and give you a few pointers for your photos.

MEMORIES:
Often, the memories of a vacation have to do with the colors and textures of the trip. These are elements that, when you see them, evoke memories of your vacation over and over. Be sure to take photos of "things" that will help you keep your vacation alive. I found these great colored umbrellaa at the beach and the crocheted tops in a nearby store front.

These were the vibrant colors and textures that will always remind me of St. Maarten.

SCENERY:
Taking photos of scenery is another great way to bring your vacation home. These photos of the taxi station and mountain in St. Maarten, this gorgeous bay at St. Thomas and the view from the harbor in St. Thomas all show off the spectacular views we'll always remember.

PEOPLE:
Of course, you always want to photograph your family enjoying these scenic wonders. This is Tom & I. Don't worry about your hair and makeup or whether your clothing is coordinated - save that for your professional portraits. This is the time to be spontaneous and capture the moment. Remember, make sure you don't have poles, trees, or other things coming out from behind someone's body or head.

Lastly, have your children take some photos. Pick up a few of the disposable cameras and let your children photograph what's important to them. What a great way to see your vacation from their view point!

Enjoy your family's summer vacation! Have fun, be safe and don't forget your camera.

A Happy Mother's Day

In honor of upcoming Mother's Day, I would like to share some of my favorite images, from this past year, that include mom.

Being a mom is a wonderful thing. Of course with the good comes those moments we wish we could forget. Like the temper tantrums and rolling eyes and my personal favorite - the outright defiance that seems to only happen in public places. But those precious moments in between are the reasons we all do what we do.

If you'd like to see/hear something very funny, check out this video where a mom puts all the mom clichés into a nice little three minute song.

Having kids of my own has made me realize how much my own mother put up with. Although, there have been many times when I just look at her in disbelief when my children are acting like madmen and say "did we do this when we were this age?" She just laughs at me, so I'm not exactly sure what that means.

No matter what stage we are in, I think we can all appreciate how much our mothers have done for us. Take a moment this year to let your mother know just how much she means to you.

And, Happy Mother's Day to my mother. I love you.

Confronting your fears

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of photographing Dianne who wanted to give her husband something special for Valentine's Day. She was pretty sheepish about the idea, but she wanted to go outside her comfort level and do something that he would never suspect. I suggested that she buy some lingerie items for the photo shoot. She was a bit hesitant at first. I guess she envisioned something a little less bold. Nonetheless, I convinced her to at least check out some sexy items. Boy am I glad she did. She got some great stuff.

I also found a great makeup and hair artist, Annie, to come and take care of the beauty aspects for the session. Annie did a great job, and I know that after she was done, Dianne felt like a supermodel. She looked great!

It took her a little while, but as the session went on, Dianne relaxed and we were able to get some really great images. When Dianne saw the final images that she was going to give her husband, she was truly shocked at how good she looked. I am so pleased that she was able to overcome her nervousness. I could really see her confidence level change when she saw the photographs and she told me how great she felt about it all.

This experience made me think, "What can I do to step outside my own comfort level?" One of my biggest fears is speaking in front of a group of people. For some reason, I become flustered and can barely tolerate the idea of all those eyeballs focused on me. Perhaps I can learn from Dianne and take some small step to confront my fear of public speaking.

What are you afraid of?

Unsung Heroines of Massachusetts

Did you know that each year, the state of Massachusetts seeks nominations for women residents, from each town, to be named an unsung heroine? I didn't either until today.

I happened across something online and did some digging. The MCSW, Massachusetts Commission of the Status of Women, was created in 1998. The goal of the groups seems to be advancing women of all backgrounds to promote rights and opportunities.

This is very interesting to me; I have never even heard of this organization before. Have you? If you would like to see who was named the unsung heroines of 2007, click here.

Personally, I think this is a nice way of recognizing the women in our community who go way above and beyond. I just wish more people knew about this. I'm sure we all know a fellow mother, teacher, nurse, or daughter who would surely qualify for this in our own town whom we could nominate. I encourage you to check out more information on this interesting organization.

A case of the Sillies

What is it about a camera that has such an effect on five year olds? It's like someone turned on a switch. While attempting to photograph my daughter the other day I was faced with the same situation that most of my clients face when they bring in their five year olds to be photographed. The dreaded silly face. All of you with a child this age knows exactly what I'm talking about.

It seems that a five year old just cannot resist the urge to make every silly face known to man kind. The puffing out of cheeks, the sucking in of cheeks, and my daughter's favorite - sticking out her tongue. But of course this only happens just as I'm about to press the shutter. This is typically the point in our sessions when the mother lets out the really big sigh of frustration and begins to lose it with her child. She knows they can behave better. After all, doesn't this kid understand that we're trying to get a "nice photo for the grandparents . . . "

Well, after becoming very frustrated with my daughter (I was in Mom mode), I remembered some of the tricks I use to get my five year old clients to cooperate. I asked her who her favorite Disney Princess was. Well that did it. I was able to get about ten very nice images while she smiled and told me about all her favorite Princesses.

Here's my tip for the day. If you are trying to get your child to stay still for a photo-op, try to remember to ask them about something they are very interested in. It really does illicit a great response.