Double the fun...

Remember the Montana Parent Magazine cover for May 2008? The newborn twins?

Well, get a load of them now...

Lauren and Ryan are the most beautiful babies...and as any mother of twins knows...having twins is Double the Fun!!!

Miss Lauren is a living doll! Get a load of these lashes...
And those LIPS...

And is Ryan Mr. Personality or what???

They grow up soooo fast...

Thanks, Maurissa and Phil...I had so much fun photographing your munchkins again and I enjoyed hearing your repertoire!!!

Chocolate Moose

Chocolate Moose??...Yes, if you haven't heard, it's the fabulous annual fundraiser held each November benefitting Great Beginnings Montessori School in Bozeman. I am always excited to meet the folks who are the winning bidders of the Child & Family Photo Session Live Auction item I donate.

Azure & Jim have the most gorgeous kids and it was fun to do some black & whites for a change...

A few of my favorites...

California Girls

Oh, I love these ladies...they are just so much fun to photograph...

This is the second time that they have come all the way from Martinez, California to have senior portraits done...first it was Emily...now, Erin. I just love this one of Erin in the sunflowers...

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Awww, and how sweet is this sisters shot?

Always gotta get one of mom and her beautiful girls...I just can't get over all these sunflowers!!!

And finally, there's that California Girl hair...long and beautiful!!!

Sherry, Emily & Erin...it was great seeing you all again! And thanks for making yet another trek to Sky Ranch...

Children's Fantasy Sessions!

About a week ago, my daughter and I were shopping at LillyLu, the children's boutique in downtown Bozeman and much to my surprise, Larissa fell in love with a pink pettiskirt. Around here at the ranch, she is always running around in her twin brother's boy shorts and t-shirts, so the pettiskirt was something entirely new and exciting...we bought it.

Having this foreign object in our house inspired me to dig through the twin's dress-up chest for "props" to go with the pettiskirt. There were lady-bug wings, masks, capes, and fairy wands of all kinds. Visions of fairies dancing through the forest entered my mind and there was no turning back.

So last Saturday, just before the twins boarded a flight to L.A. to visit their Oma and Opa at Santa Monica Beach for a few weeks, I did a photo session of Larissa.

Just her...she was so excited.

Here are some of my favorites...we call this series The Pettiskirt Cowgirl...

And here's Larissa as The Woodland Fairy...

Then Sam decided to get in on the act as The Prince of the Forest...

The kids had a great time and so did I! I LOVE the bright colors. And the expressions on the kids faces...priceless. They really loved acting out their roles!

Before they left, Larissa asked me if I would make a slideshow, like on my website, of the photos. And, Children's Fantasy Sessions were born!

Children's Fantasy Sessions allow your child to become whatever they've dreamed of being in their everyday life and Susann Saarel Fine Art Portraiture will immortalize their fantasy in a photo session just for them. The resulting images, beautiful keepsakes, are a special way to make your child's dream come true.

To see more images, view the brief slideshow at the top right of this blog or check out the Children's Fantasy Session gallery on my website under "portraits".

Larissa and Sam, this one's for you! I love & miss you! Mom

Buss Family Reunion in Gardiner, Montana

It is always special when family comes together from far and wide and to be asked to document the occasion is really an honor. It's part of why I love photographing family reunions. There is so much love and history to capture in such a short amount of time, but it happens...LOVE remembers...

Here, 20 people came together from as far as Washington State, Colorado and South Dakota. They met at a beautiful log cabin in Gardiner, Montana, along the Yellowstone River where I photographed them on July 8th...

Here (below) is Meg, the matriarch of the Buss family surrounded by her 10 grandchildren...what a legacy!

And here are Meg and her 4 children, Marshall, Dawn, Darren and Jon...the start of it all...

There are always the requisite shots that need to be taken on such occasions, but there is also always a splash of the unexpected or a time to be creative...

Like when I am trying to take a nice portrait and Darren is goofing off in the background with his slingshot...(yes, a grown man...)...which means, come to Montana where you can be a kid all over again...

Here, Donna had an idea of her being courted by her husband, Darren from the other side of the fence. Happily, I got them to kiss and got this great shot...how romantic is that after 3 kids???

Many thanks to Staci (and her family, pictured below) with whom I've been in contact for over a year regarding this special reunion...

It was a real pleasure meeting you all...Meg, Marshall, Staci, Alanah & JB; Jon, Kim, Amelia & Melissa; Darren, Donna, Lauren, Kyle and Kelsie; Sean, Dawn, John (& Emily), Amanda and Kayla...

You were awesome...THANK YOU!!!

Congratulations to Genevieve & Norm on their Wedding!

It was a beautiful summer day on Friday, July 11th at Springhill Pavilion when our good friends, Genevieve & Norm pledged their love to one another forevermore...

Time flies so quickly...it seems like only yesterday, I took their engagement portraits up here at Sky Ranch...

...and now, they are man & wife! Congratulations!!!

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Their cards are just gorgeous and they will pre-ship envelopes so you can address them BEFORE the baby is born!

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~ Livingston Roundup Parade and Rodeo ~

It's been non-stop fun and action this week starting with the Livingston Roundup Parade on July 2nd which is the official kick-off to the 3-day Livingston Roundup Rodeo.

Bring on the bagpipes, bring on the clowns...

The Livingston Roundup, known as "Montana's Best Rodeo since 1923" opened with an exciting performance by the Bozeman Saddle-ites.

It is always a thrill to sit in the front row to capture rodeo action and expressions like this...

My Livingston Roundup Rodeo images have been on exhibit at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy in Colorado Springs, Colorado and were also the subject of a one-woman show I did in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in 2003.

To see more of my western landscapes, The Melin Family Ranch Branding and the Untamed Spirits series of rodeo images, click here.

~ Babes in the Woods ~

I am a sucker for vintage collectibles, so when I spied this baby scale at an Anaconda antiques shop, I just had to snap it up.

Placed on a stump in the forest with wildflowers in the background,

it makes a perfect setting for your newborn's "babes in the woods" portrait session.

And wouldn't you know, as I was in the woods doing this "prop shoot" I actually stumpled upon

a beautiful newborn fawn...

Actual images of "babes in the woods" newborn portrait sessions, coming soon...