BOZEMAN CHILDREN and SENIOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER, BOZEMAN BABY, CHILD, FAMILY and FAMILY REUNION PHOTOGRAPHY by MONTANA'S SUSANN SAAREL » Events

We are gathered here today…

Susann — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:46:58 +0000

…to witness the coming together of this man and this woman in holy matrimony. These were the words Susan and Ed likely heard during their wedding ceremony back in 1960. Fifty years later, they gathered once more…this time with their children, grandchildren, Susan’s sister, niece and nephew in-law to celebrate at Chico Hot Springs Lodge. Susan & Ed had these fabulous t-shirts made just for the occasion. The group had been busying their days with trips into Yellowstone and dips in the Chico pool, but took some precious time out for a family reunion photo session. You never know what you’re gonna get with kids under the age of 5 and triplets Jay, James and Jacob (3-1/2), not to mention their cousin Jack (5) kept me on my toes the whole time. Girls, as we all know are sugar & spice and the triplets big sis, Jacey (8) was just that!

Susan & Ed, I had a ton of fun spending a sunny summer morning with your beautiful family. Congratulations on your 50th and many, many more!

Love goes round

Susann — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 17:11:40 +0000

Wow! This cute couple are the third I’ve photographed this summer that are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary! Phyllis and Rolly’s daughters and their families all came together to help celebrate traveling from as far as Littleton, Colorado. We met at Lindley Park in Bozeman one fine Saturday afternoon to document this momentous occasion before the group headed out for brunch. Congratulations you two! Your love goes round and round!

50 years and counting {Chico Family Reunion}

Susann — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:04:53 +0000

I got the call just days before. Poor Becky had been laid up recovering from knee surgery when it suddenly occurred to her she hadn’t hired a photographer to document the momentous occasion of her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary and family reunion at Chico Hot Springs Lodge. Far be it from me to say I’m too busy to be there…after all, 50 years is an incredible accomplishment and family members were coming from as far as Florida to help celebrate! I’m so glad for the opportunity to meet Lowell and his beautiful wife, Gwen celebrating 50 years and counting! Becky was a real sport in tossing her crutches aside and hobbling into place for group portraits. Her doting husband Bob was always at the ready following each shot with a folding chair! Awwww. The grandkids were absolutely delightful and beautiful, I might add! And to top it all off, sweet Bob even made himself late for dinner by helping me search for my lost earring! (I should have known better than to wear my beautiful new chandelier earrings, but they just made me feel so pretty!).

50 years of love and togetherness, 3 children and 8 grandchildren later…

Here are a few more from our session…

A few days later, my husband and I returned to the scene of this session AND my lost earring, metal detector in hand combing every inch of the gravel and grass when along came friendly Chico Maintenance Man, Amos who found it within minutes!!! Just like that! Thanks again, Amos!

Gardiner Family Reunion

Susann — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:13:17 +0000

There’s just something about family reunions that I love. Grown brothers & sisters with families of their own reconnecting. Cousins playing. Grandparents doting on their newest great-grandchild. When four generations of the T-M family with ages ranging from 10 months to 75 years, gathered for a few days this month at the Stone House in Gardiner, they set aside an evening for family portraits and a bit of adventure! After meeting this fun and carefree group of 20+ people, we piled into cars and drove our caravan into Yellowstone National Park. And we drove, and we drove. Looking for a pretty spot, without too many tourists and some nice open shade. Here the results of our adventure…

There were nothing but happy smiles from this group who’d been enjoying hiking in the park daily, so this shot of the family with the mighty Yellowstone River meandering through in the background is the perfect memento of this occasion. There were sooooo many photos to blog, I decided to use my new “Mr. Big” Canvas Collage to post the highlights! The canvas measures 24×36 and is just tons of fun to look at.

These more intimate family groupings below were created using my “Larger than Life” canvas templates. Also a fun way to keep the memory alive!

Many thanks to Katie, who hired me for this event and to the entire T-M family who were awesome to work with. Happy Birthday, Marilyn!!!

Feels like Christmas

Susann — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:06:34 +0000

It’s been snowing off and on all month so far which means quite a bit of plowing, shoveling, MUD, and keeping the winter gear at the ready for another few months just to be on the safe side (yes, we’ve had snow at late as June and as early as September at Sky Ranch!). So I’ve been working in my office here at 6,100 ft. this past week, watching the snow fall and thinking about how it looks like Christmas. And better yet, it feels like Christmas every time the FedEx and UPS drivers arrive to deliver all the fabulous new boutique products I’ll be displaying at the Grand Opening of The Boutique Salon tomorrow night…

So, just to give you a little background on my journey as a photographer and the concept behind The Boutique Salon, I thought I’d share with you this little promo video I created…just a little sneak peek of what’s to come.

I’d love to see you at the Grand Opening…and remember, we’ll also be hosting a Matilda Jane Trunk show for the 3-day event (the trunk is already here and let me tell ya, the clothes are darling!). Again, here are the details:

WHEN: Friday, April 16 from 6-8 pm and Saturday & Sunday from 11-3 pm

PLACE: 119-1/2 West Park, Livingston (just above the Mexican Restaurant)

Bring your friends!

Grand Opening of our Boutique Salon!

Susann — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:49:54 +0000

Please come celebrate with us the Grand Opening of our Photography Boutique Salon in historic downtown Livingston!

When: Friday, April 16th from 6-8 p.m.
Saturday, April 17th from 11-3 p.m.
Sunday, April 18th from 11-3 p.m.
Where: 119-1/2 West Park, Livingston ~ Suite 4

Come any day you like and bring your friends! See, touch and feel our fabulous luxury boutique products. We’ll also be hosting a Matilda Jane Trunk Show! Matilda’s super-cute clothes are not just for little girls, but for big girls, teens and moms too. They’ll be perfect for your summer session!

Sip champagne ~ Enter our drawing to win a free photo session!

If you’d like to attend our Grand Opening event just come on by! If you’d like to be the first to be informed about our future events, please become a fan on facebook and/or sign up for our Email newsletter below:

For Email Marketing you can trust

The Boutique Salon

Susann — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:48:04 +0000

Holy smokes…where did January go? I’ve been so busy working on all the exciting things I have planned for 2010 that the month just flew by! Several projects and events are in the works as well as the introduction of some stunning new products, but first things first! Its all going to kick off with this one: Soon, very soon, I will be announcing the grand opening of my Boutique Salon! What is a boutique salon you may ask? Well, its a lovely little “salon” downtown in Livingston’s Historic District where I will display my “boutique” products and portrait wall art and meet with you, my fabulous clients! Hence, boutique salon!

According to Webster, the definition of salon is: 1. a large reception hall or drawing room and 2., a regular gathering of distinguished guests. Although I would define the space more along the lines of “petite” or “charming”, it will most definitely be a gathering place for distinguished guests. Yes, that’s you! I’ll fill you in on more later, but for now, here’s a little sneak peek…

If you’re interested in attending the upcoming 3-day Grand Opening event and you are not yet on my E-Mail Newsletter List, feel free to join by entering your email address here and/or become a fan on Facebook.

Christmas Tea

Susann — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:29:28 +0000

Family and holidays mean tradition. Like decking the halls the day after Thanksgiving while dancing to Ray Conniff’s “Here We Come A-Caroling”. Like searching for the perfect tree, chopping it down, hauling it up to the house on the snowcat and dragging it in through the front door. Like baking Wespennester, Zimtsterne and Zitronenherzen. Oh, there are lots of traditions in our house and yet, there is always room for another.

This year, I invited my daughter Larissa to Christmas Tea at the beautiful Gallatin Gateway Inn. Just the two of us. Girlie girl all the way. We decided to forgo our fancy dresses for more practical (read: WARM) clothes, since the temps were below zero. We also decided to talk with British accents. We sipped Christmas Tea and nibbled on delicious finger sandwiches and English cookies while seated between a roaring fire and a 20-foot Christmas Tree. As the pianist played, tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at my beautiful girl and realized that this was one of those moments in life I wish had no end. But crumbs, an empty teapot and a darkening sky signaled the inevitable conclusion of our perfect afternoon. As we departed, holding hands and dashing through falling snow towards the car, we knew. Another holiday tradition had begun, one for just us two.

Wishing you and your family many happy traditions and joyful memories this Christmas and a very Happy New Year, 2010!

Ho Ho Ho!

Susann — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:41:09 +0000

Ho Ho Ho!…Christmas is only 10 days away, which means that Santa will soon be on his way! With fondness, I looked back on some photographs today. Photos of Santa. I never thought I’d do it, but when Sheryl Sanders, owner of LillyLu asked me years ago to set up a photo session during the holiday season, I thought why not? Why not photograph the children sitting on Santa’s lap? By appointment! No more waiting in long lines at the mall! No more cheesy Santa’s pictures! I took the challenge on and yes, believe me, photographing the kiddos with Santa is not always easy! You’ve got to be quick, before they realize the big man in the red suit and long white beard is actually pretty scary.

Over a period of 5 years, I photographed hundreds of children dressed in their LillyLu holiday finest with Santa Claus. To this day, I still have clients asking me if Santa will ever return to LillyLu or telling me how much they still enjoy the Santa portraits taken years ago. Indeed, you too look back with fondness…

Nothing can replace the must-have memory of your child’s photo with Santa, but if you can’t make it to the mall this year, I discovered today, that Santa can come to you! Yes, indeed, he will appear on your computer screen for your child to see in a personalized video sent by email from Portable North Pole TV. Make sure to create one here for your child. Seeing him or her watch it will be priceless. I guarantee it!

LillyLu’s New Nest

Susann — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:28:24 +0000

Dressed and ready to go to attend Lilly Lu’s long-awaited Grand Re-Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony last Tuesday night, wouldn’t you know, the 4-wheel drive would go bust! Darn that Murphy! The bit of time it took to chain up the Tahoe so we could safely make it down the hill was enough to make us late.

Thank goodness our good friend, Doug Loneman of loneman photography was on hand to capture the moments as LillyLu revealed its beautiful new nest. Following a pastor’s blessing, Sheryl addressed the anxious crowd on that chilly wintry night. Lilly, now 13 years old, cut the ribbon just as she had done 10 years ago as a toddler…and LillyLu was officially back on Main! Welcome Back, LillyLu!

And thanks again, Doug, for snapping the photo of our twins, Sam & Larissa all dolled up in their Stella McCartney for Gap Kids Sgt. Pepper jackets!