win·try/ˈwintrē/

Adjective:  Characteristic of winter, esp. in feeling or looking very cold and bleek:  ”a wintry landscape”.

Happy New Year!!!  Wow!  What an amazing hear I had!  Oh sure, it started off with a doozy of a winter and an unplanned 2 month hiatus as I became a full-time nurse to Doug after his accident, but professionally, 2011 was my greatest year ever!  So I never got around to building my mobile websites, pulling all the garden weeds or sending out Christmas cards for that matter, but I won’t complain because for me, busy = blessed.   I had the privilege of meeting and/or working with dozens of families from all over Montana, the U.S. and from as far as Europe and have enjoyed making new photographer friends through Facebook.    To top it all off, our family celebrated the Grand Opening of my new boutique studio in Livingston in August to rave reviews, were featured in the Livingston Enterprise and in the Bozeman Chronicle’s B2B (Business to Business) Trade Journal (see page 2…the Comings and Goings section), and were also featured on The Savvy Photographer Blog, an inspiration blog for photographers with a world-wide following.

Decorating and outfitting the boutique studio was a 10 month long labor of love.  In between, I shot my first newborn and baby studio sessions ever, a handful of family reunions, and a bunch of family/child sessions mostly here at Sky Ranch.   I am so grateful to the people who invite me into their lives trusting me to photograph their most important family moments. I want to remind each and every one of you how beautiful you are…how special your connections are…what a gift to your family you are.  So, with a grateful heart, I created something especially for you…the first of hopefully many more, “Year in Review” videos.  Here, are a few of some of my favorite images from 2011…”The Year in Review”!!!

May God bless you and your families in the coming year!

xo,

Susann

And check out Laila Ali’s nursery for her daughter.  (Nursery design by Little Crown Interiors).  The image hanging above the crib appears to be one of her own father, Muhammed, lovingly admiring his newborn daughter (Laila).

This twins room mixes large canvases (one of each baby) with a series of “expression” shots in fun, but classic circle frames.  Images via photographer Nancy Ferrell Belden.

These nurseries go all out with large prints in colorful whimsical frames hung in fabulously painted rooms.  Love the series on the left of the new baby with mom and dad!  Photos via Michelle Rasmussen of Wondertime Photo.

And last but not least, this crib and bedding is absolutely gorgeous, but what I love most is that the framed images of baby really take center stage when you walk into this nursery due their size and bold framing which compliment the crib.  Image by Brenda Horan Photography.

Well, if this isn’t enough inspiration to want you to have another baby (or grandbaby), I don’t know what is!  Hope you enjoyed today’s Wall HeART Wednesday ~ in the nursery!

Love this grouping of family photos (new & vintage) along with landscapes from the family’s travels.

Family photos through the years can be displayed as a cohesive collection when photos are printed in black & white or sepia tone and framed in black or cream-colored frames.

I love this gallery of sepia-toned images displayed in various shapes & sizes of black frames with a few wall quotations and stitchings mixed in adding meaning, depth and dimension.

An interesting mix of black & white photos framed in various black & white frames styles, shapes & sizes hang alongside a canvas print and family initials making for a meaningful and interesting staircase display.

photo courtesy of Tracie Rossie

How over-the-top this is!  Perfect for a clutter free modern house with simple clean lines.  Let’s go crazy on the staircase!  Slade Architecture created this magnetic wall specifically for their clients to hang family photos upon.  As you travel up the stairs, you travel the family timeline.  Read all about the design concept here.

Photo courtesy of Slade Architecture

And finally…OK, I know…no photos along these walls, but I just had to share this design by Holly Mathis Interiors of Texas.  Love how the steps up to the kids rooms and playrooms are numbered.

Photo courtesy of Holly Mathis Interiors

With the upcoming holiday season, this is the perfect time to spruce up your staircase and create a meaningful display your family will enjoy in all the years to come!

Not too long ago, a man named John Jenson from Minnesota commented on one of my blogposts.  He’d been going through old photos and found one of his maternal grandmother and two other people who he assumed to be her brother and sister dating back to the 1890′s.  He searched for “Finn” and “Livingston, MT” on the internet (the name and location of the studio on the bottom of the photo) and found ME here!  Not at all what he was expecting to find, but he was kind enough to leave a comment which led to an email conversation.  This is the beautiful image he was researching:

As John wrote to me, “The woman on the left, black gloves, is my maternal grandmother, Hanna Peterson (some documents say Johanna).  She married John Hedlund in about 1897.  I have the list of all the things the bought to start their house in Little Falls, MN and this is dated 12.29.1887 so I assume that this is about when they were married.  A note from my mother’s cousin would estimate it to have been a couple of years earlier.  Looking at the Livingston photo and others taken in Little Falls, I would estimate that the Livingston photo was taken about 1894-6.  I am not sure who the other two people are.  Something I should have found out many years ago.”  John also sent me a wedding photo (of Hanna Peterson to John Hedlund) which was done by Solem Brothers in Little Falls, MN here:

Oddly, I had been wondering about Livingston’s first professional portrait photographer since moving into my new space on East Lewis in October and I discovered that it was C.E. Finn who is credited with taking a photo of not only Calamity Jane but a few others I found on the internet such as this one of Thomas Orr and his new bride:

I emailed this image to John Jenson who was quick to observe that the Orrs are posed on the same carpet as his grandparents, the Hedlunds.  John further noted, that “some things such as backdrops and movable props do not seem to have changed in concept over the years…though granted, much of your [Susann Saarel's] work seems to be outside without backdrops and a much less formal pose.”  Through family photos dating to more than 100 years, John has traced his family back to Sweden and Denmark.

Finally, John says this, “If I knew when I was younger what I know now, I would have gotten more family history recorded.”  John and his wife are from the Twin Cities area and have lived everywhere from Denver, CO to Rochester, NY.  It is most interesting to note that John worked for Eastman Kodak for 35 years.

Putting the bits and pieces together can be challenging if not impossible.  Research photos, take photos, archive photos.  Always record who’s  in them, places and dates (even estimated dates).  Learn how to preserve your vintage photos {here}.  And for goodness sake, please print out your snapshots, make albums and share with your children and family the story of their lives.

Many of you are still so young,  having babies and raising children… but keep this in mind…when you get on in age, when you begin to realize your mortality, it becomes ever more important to share your history, your life, your legacy and to have it documented for the generations to come.   It is a basic human desire to know where it is we came from.  Our existence is temporary.  Memories, stories and photos…these treasures of our lives live on.

These last two photos were taken during a 48 hour period when the wind gusts were up to 75 mph.  Harsh, certainly.  But still beautiful.

The day passed quickly and when I realized the time (and that the frost on the trees outside was perfection), the twins were instructed to shower, dress and be BRAVE, for they’d be stepping out at 4 p.m. into 3 degree temps holding their brass instruments bare-handed.  At 11 years of age, they have been gently brainwashed by me over the years to be the perfect models and follow my every instruction.  HA!  Our session lasted 30 minutes tops, with a few sprints back into the house to warm up freezing hands in-between.

I am so grateful that over a 14 month period, the elements required for me to create the images I had long envisioned, had come together!  As Sam & Larissa blasted notes out of their instruments, cold and frosty as it was,  they filled the hills that we call Sky Ranch with the “Sound of Music”.  The moment was beautiful in so many ways and for so many reasons.  Here, at long last, our Christmas Card 2010:

Front of Trifold Card

Inside Front Flap

Inside of Trifold Card

I have always believed in personalizing one’s space…in making a house a HOME and in “living with what you love”. To that end, we mix antique furniture with new, family heirlooms with our twins’ ceramic vases, and fine art paintings with family photos, many of them simple snapshots. Framed photos sit on the piano, my writing desk, in my husbands office, on our bedside tables, and in the kids’ rooms. They hang in the library and along the walls of our well-traveled hallway. The images tell the story of our lives as a family from the 1930′s photo of my husband’s parents, to photos of Doug & I at our wedding and on our honeymoon, from our twins’ baptism portrait to my fave photo of the kids running carefree along the shore during a Caribbean beach vacation. Our children can view their complete family history on our walls!

Alas, in many homes, walls are empty. Walls just begging to be adorned with family photos and artwork. Perhaps due to lack of time, decorating savvy or both. Decorating with photos does not have to be expensive or time-consuming. The photos do not have to be professional images. Most of us have more photos than anything else in our homes…stuffed in boxes, drawers, closets and attics. Wouldn’t it be fun to spend an afternoon with your kids looking through them all, pulling out the ones that truly “speak to you”, framing and hanging them? Wouldn’t your family love helping you bring that big blank wall or empty hallway to life?  Well, there’s no time like the present!…Pottery Barn is now offering 20% off their Wood Gallery Frames.  For less than $200 you can create a stunning wall portrait collection that will make your family proud!!!

Here are a few more inspirational ideas for decorating with photos you may already have:

It was years later when I took this photo of my own Larissa running through the woods not too far from our “Trail of the Fairies” for her own personal Children’s Fantasy Session.  The image holds a lot of meaning for both her and me, so we are thrilled to have it grace the summer issue (June/July 2010) of Montana Parent Magazine!

Be sure to pick up your free copy in Bozeman or Livingston at various outlets or, if you’re from out of town, be sure to check out the digital version!  Enjoy!

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!