These charismatic brothers, Raymond & Ricky, were such a joy to work with. They were polite and cooperative and they made me smile. It amazes me how these children manage to remain optimistic even with all they’ve been through and I’m humbled by it every time.

What does this mean? Well, you get your session free and one 8×10 print. That’s right; the session and first print are on Dave. You will also have the chance to purchase additional images at really great prices. So get the kiddos together, bring the grandparents, and come join us for this fun event. But you must register by calling me at 413.525.9089. There is limited availability so call right away to reserve the best time!

Who:  Sleaque Images Photography and Dave Hannah of Ameriprise Financial
What:  FREE Spring Mini Session Event, perfect for family portraits
Where:  Contact me, Suzanne, and I’ll give up the location
When:  Saturday, April 28th

It may never seem like the right time for a portrait because you’re waiting to lose fifteen pounds, for your daughter’s hair to grow out, for the family to have a good tan, or for your son’s new tooth to grow in. The wonderful thing about life is that it’s messy, especially with kids. It’s common to want to wait for the “perfect moment” to have a portrait made, but you can’t wait for perfect. It will never come.

The little moments that make up life are the ones we most cherish later in life. Think back to one of your favorite photos from your own childhood. It’s probably not the one where everyone is dressed alike, on the beach and is “perfect”. One of my most memorable photos is one of my sister and I with our dog, Ruby, sitting next to us and outfitted in a dress and a hat. Classic. It brings a smile to my face each time I think of it.

I’ve been a photographer longer than I’ve been a mother and I remember seeing photos of children with their missing teeth and thinking, “Why would anyone want a photo of their kid looking like that?” Well, now I get it. This is almost a right of passage. I don’t want to miss capturing this stage in my children. Even though each day can seem like an eternity, in fact it goes by so quickly. Sniff, sniff. Ok, I need to go grab some more photos of my kids.

Congratulations to my brother and his wife on their first child. He is a perfect little treasure. Here are a few of my favorites from the session.

When we were young, and I mean young like 8, Christmastime was magical. As we get older, it becomes a lot of work to make all that magic happen for our own kids. I know I sound a little jaded, but one of the things I’m enjoying these days about the holidays is the time to catch up with family, even if it’s just for a few hours. In my family, many of us live far apart and so we don’t get to see one another very often. It’s nice to look forward to the end of the year knowing we’ll get to see each other again.

For Karen, her kids live in three different cities and she was really happy to have them all home for Christmas this year. Luckily we set aside some time to get these lovely photos while everyone was in one time zone. Even furry Leia got in on the photo action.

If you’re looking for something a little different and fun to give as a gift this year, consider a Storyboard. These fun displays are a great way to highlight all the different expressions of your child.

In the meantime, I want to share an image of this lovely family. One of the first things clients ask me after they schedule their session is, “What do we wear?”. I think this image is a great example of how to dress. Simple clothes in similar colors work best. If you were to book a session with me right now, here are my top five suggestions on how to dress your family:

1. Have everyone wear dark-washed jeans.
2. Choose jewel-toned colored shirts, such as emerald green, burnt orange, plum, maroon, and even chocolate brown.
3. Shirts should be long-sleeved and have no patterns, designs or words.
4. Accessories are great. Use scarves or jewelry to add interest or another pop of color.
5. You don’t have to “match”. Not everyone needs to wear the same color. But, if you all choose jewel tones, the colors will go together.

The reason this image works so nicely is because each person has a slightly different shade of the same color. I love it!!

Please come join us for the first annual ELEEF 5k Road Race and Kids Fun Run on September 25th. The Kids Fun Run is for kids 10 and under. The first 40 kids who sign up get one of these fun t-shirts! This is a great way to support ELEEF and raise money for all the extras our teachers need.

The 5k Road Race starts at 9am and the Kids Fun Run starts at 10am. Please come cheer on our kids!