Aug 20
July 2010 Blog / Newsletter Posted by Susie

Dear friends,

I hope you and your family are enjoying the last few weeks of summer. The summer seems to go faster than any other season. It is jam-packed with clients, fun, road trips and education.

My family spent July 4th weekend at my sister Julie’s Lake house in Virginia. We spent most of our days on Kerr Lake on their boat just enjoying the sun and the water. (I felt like a hound dog in a truck…. just content to look at the passing scenery) The highlight was having a golf cart parade with the entire neighborhood… There were at least 50 golf carts that participated. We decorated the cart with helium balloons and my 3-year old son Micah LOVED “driving” the golf cart. Pictured to the right is my husband, David and 9-year-old daughter Grace.

We watched a very thought provoking movie called “The Book of Eli”. It was a post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind. Denzel Washington did an amazing job as the main character. I have to admit I closed my eyes a lot because I don’t enjoy seeing violence (Remember: My favorite movie is the Sound of Music). But overall, it was a powerful movie and a great message. After seeing Denzel’s amazing martial art moves, it made me want to learn karate. :)

Every summer I take a week off and study with some of the best photographic artists in the nation. It is an investment that is worth every penny because I love learning more about photography and I want to provide you with the finest portraits available. The class is the highlight of my year and I learn so much from observing photo sessions and asking questions. This summer I had the honor of learning from a husband and wife team Gregory and Lesa Daniel from Titusville, Florida. Not only are they amazing artists who create breathtaking portraiture with natural light, but they are very nice people. They also work well together. Gregory is the photographer and Lesa assists him by interacting with the client to capture a genuine expression, which they call, “the spaghetti moment”. Lesa is a gifted communicator and her role is to handle client consultations and slideshows. Gregory creates beautiful storytelling paintings of his photographs and I was very inspired by his artistry.

Gregory & Lesa took our class of 15 professional photographers from North Carolina & Virginia to Moore Square in Raleigh, NC (otherwise known as the homeless park). I was a little uncomfortable to say the least…. bringing our very expensive cameras and equipment to A HOMELESS PARK!

In the middle of our session, a few homeless guys walk right into the picture and sat down behind our models. I love what Gregory did. He just knelt down and got a lower camera angle, so the men weren’t in the background anymore. The portraits turned out beautifully. He used a large reflector to bring the sunlight into the subject’s face. Here are my favorites from the session. There is a lovely edge light on their arms which separate them from the background. The plants in the foreground and the lamp also add to it’s charm. These portraits would be lovely as three separate canvas wraps over a sofa or in a dining room above a buffet table. Great job Gregory & Lesa!

Two days after my photography class, my family headed to Topsail Island, NC for an annual family reunion. We had a wonderful time visiting, catching up and enjoying the beach. There were several families who could not make it and we missed them! I was the designated photographer and did portrait sessions of anyone who wanted their portrait taken (and even those who didn’t… that’s you Uncle Carl!) My favorite photography location was below the beach house in a hammock chair where the light came in at an angle and was nice and soft. Can you tell who I “photoshopped” into the group portrait?

I was excited to work with Interior Designer Gina Langdon to redo my Studio’s Presentation Room. I love the plan she came up with. It’s not completed yet because there is still some furniture and accessories we need to shop for, but I love how she repositioned the main pieces in the room. It was therapeutic to work with her because I felt “stuck” and didn’t know what to change in the room. Women naturally love to make their environment a comfortable haven for their loved ones…. so I think that’s why it was so refreshing for me to have a professional come and advise me.  The lesson that I learned from it was…. when you want a job done correctly, hire someone who is trained to do it. I could have saved myself years of mulling over that room about what it needed. I’ll post pictures when it is finished.

Thanks so much for taking a moment out of your busy life to visit my blog. I enjoy staying in touch with you! I look forward to our next photography session.

Love to you all,

Nadia is pictured above. She chose a studio fashion session and we had so much fun with lots of outfit changes and poses, a bubble machine, and a fan blowing her hair.

School is starting soon and time is running out for you to schedule your Senior’s Photography Session. They will be leaving the nest soon and you’ll treasure the portraits from this important session. The Facebook slideshow is A MUST HAVE. It’s all your favorite Senior portraits set to music. Contact Susie at 662-5541 to get on our schedule.


Client of the Month: Dick and Carolyn Cobb

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! This month’s featured client is Dick and Carolyn Cobb. I met them years ago at a coffee shop where I exhibited my work and Carolyn called me when her son was a high school Senior. They combined a family session and Senior session in the studio and outdoors. We had so much fun and they even brought their little dog Betsy to the session. She is a family member, you know!

Here is Dick and Carolyn’s story in their own words…

Dick and I met at Southern Wayne High School in Dudley, North Carolina during the first year the school consolidated four(4) high schools together in 1966. I was a cheerleader and he was a basketball player. I was too young to date and he had his driver’s license. He had to ask a girl to a Sweetheart Ball for a youth organization to which he belonged and he asked me to go. My mother was generous enough to allow that date. As our high school years went on, we became great friends and went to concerts, proms, movies, and the beach together. I knew he was a keeper, but college would take priority over any future plans together. We have been married 35 years as of June 29. Most of all, we are proud to know the Lord Jesus Christ, enjoy traveling together, and love watching our children grow and mature. We have enjoyed owning five dogs: Blackie, Bernie, Brandy, Baxter, and now Betsy.

Dick graduated from Atlantic Christian College (Barton College) and I graduated from East Carolina University. He missed his calling as a teacher of health and physical education and became a salesman instead. That is what he has done for over 3 decades. He started his own consulting business in 2004 and is very happy to continue doing that. I became a middle school teacher and I plan to retire this coming school year because I have a book to write that is in the planning stages.

We plan to spend time with friends at Lake Norman and the beach, enjoy our silky terrier Betsy, and watch what God has in mind for our two children Anna (age 23) and John (age 21). Anna attends UNC-Greensboro majoring in marketing and John is attending Wake Technical College for a degree in HVAC. This should be an exciting journey!

The first thought I have about both Anna’s and John’s personalities are that they are loving, fiercely determined, and stubborn. Both Dick and I are enjoying observing Anna and John recognizing the many “boundaries” that life presents and how they are learning to navigate through them. Our prayers are for them to be obedient to the Holy Spirit, to be blessed daily, and to recognize that all good and perfect gifts are from God. Having John and Anna out of the house is fun because we always wonder how God will surprise them and us. We always pray for a good thing. Betsy is our precious “little spirited one”. She loves to play ball, hockey, and have a walk every day. She has coffee every morning with us and loves to be called “sweet girl”.

The things Dick and I enjoy most are reading, biking, working independently, and retiring from teaching (Carolyn). We look forward to studying Isaiah this year, giving to our favorite charities, our children, our neighbors (Frank, Mary, Bob, Jane, Mickey, Lynelle, Will, and Evan), traveling, and church. I am still biking, but no bike tours are in my future unless it falls within 20 miles which Dick says is too far. When I lost my balance as my bike slipped between my legs, I asked myself: “Do you not realize that you do not fall softly any more?” I did recover from the broken wrist, but last summer I fell onto the shoulder of the road when my shoe would not release from my pedal. Out the shoes went! No accidents since! I did totally wreck my favorite little red Jetta GLI in April, 2008. God’s mercy is absolutely astounding and magnificent! I am more than a conqueror in Christ.

Dick and I accepted Jesus at an early age and we thank Him for His merciful grace that has taught us and led us to surrender unto His authority. God is in control–He is Almighty, All Merciful, All Holy, All Compassionate and Loving, Our Great Shield and Reward, Abba, Our Defender, Protector, and Provider, Our Lord and Savior, Our Friend . . . He has shown Himself to us in these roles and many more throughout our lives and we praise Him!

We first met Susie at Aversboro Coffee in Garner where she had pictures of new babies and mommies.I loved her work. I asked for her card and kept it. When my son John graduated in 2008 from Middle Creek High School, I can’t believe I remembered her when I thought of who could capture this memorable time. Susie was so spontaneous to make an appointment within a short time.Dick, John, Betsy (our silky), and I met Susie and she was so personable I thought she should be in the pictures with us! She felt like family.

We were shocked at the quality and quantity of photographs we had to choose from and it was difficult.I had planned only to buy one 16×20 wall portrait and a small book of 5×7 pictures. Dick and I were very impressed with Susie’s work. In fact, he ended up buying two wall portraits for his office—one of he and John and one of Betsy and me.

Our coffee table album was outstanding and each time we look at the album or wall portraits, it feels like they are new. We never tire of looking at them. My daughter was not in the session with us because she was away at school and she loves the pictures. Hopefully, she will graduate soon and we’ll see Susie again. It is very joyous to look at the pictures and know the memories will be lasting! Susie and her talent is a blessing to us.

-Dick and Carolyn Cobb    Raleigh, NC

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Thank you Dick and Carolyn for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. I enjoyed our session so much and you felt like family from the very beginning.  John’s Senior portrait was chosen to be displayed at Wake Dental Care and Carolyn surprised him by taking him there to see it. Wish I was there to see his expression when he realized HE was on the wall! I look forward to meeting your daughter and photographing your whole family together.

Have a great month everyone.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan (or click Like) at Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page. click here to say you like Susie Gilmore Photography.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

Jul 16
June 2010 Blog / Newsletter Posted by Susie

Dear friends,

I hope you and your family had a wonderful month. June came and went…. it was a flurry of activity with a trip to the beach, clients, my birthday, a week of VBS, and decorating a dental office with my work. I am enjoying having the kids home for the summer… although it is more of a challenge to get things done…. I like being at home instead of being a taxi like I am during the school year.

If you get a chance to take your kids to a hotel with a lazy river….. do it! We stayed at the Caravel in Myrtle Beach, SC and had the best time. It is perfect for children and I made so many friends just chatting while we floated down the river. My best friend Carrie and her son came with us and we made lots of memories with the kids.

My birthday was celebrated with an ice cream cake (yum yum!) We had to improvise with my age on the cake because the candles were missing. We used my three year old’s refrigerator magnets to say “39″. Then we reversed it to “93″ just for fun! The windows were open because our air conditioner was broken. Can you tell we were a little sweaty? Bring on the fans!

I collaborated with a dentist and her interior designer to decorate a new dental practice with 11 large wall portraits. Dr. Tina Goodall of Wake Dental Care and Gina Langdon of Langdon Interiors Inc. are pictured as we put the finishing touches on our plan. It is a gorgeous space with granite, a rock wall, and lots of windows.

Thanks to all my clients who were chosen to decorate the walls of Wake Dental Care. You’ll have to drop in to see your portraits in their practice. The address is 3100 Highway 55 Suite 201 Cary, NC 27519 (919) 363-3133 http://www.wakedentalcare.com It certainly adds a friendly feel to the office. I’ve known Dr. Goodall for almost nine years.. we were in a Bible study together when our children were babies. So it’s hard to remember to call her Dr. Goodall… because I think of her as Tina. She and Dr. Jim Bohn own Wake Dental Care.

Congratulations to Chris and Michelle Johnson on the birth of their son Kellan. They sent me the coolest picture and I just had to show you. This is baby #2 for them and I can’t wait to get my hands on him to photograph him. We’re doing newborn portraits soon. His big brother Keagan came to the studio while he was still in the womb (Michelle’s maternity session) and I had so much fun photographing him during his first year of life.

Meredith Dorman came to pick up her portraits today and   the image on the right is her and I pictured with Hayes’ gorgeous wall portrait. Meredith and her husband Michael were holding him and he was sleeping like a baby. I love how his hands and feet are hanging down. Newborns can sleep anytime, anywhere. (Just like husbands!)

Thank you for letting me do what I love everyday! I enjoy being behind the camera and choosing the exact moment to press the shutter when I see the real you emerge. My favorite part of my work is the friendships that develop as I photograph each person. It encompasses much more than snapping a shutter…. but it’s the interaction and the fun we have chatting and sharing stories about our lives and our loved ones. I don’t think you can capture the heart of a person in a photograph unless you take the time to connect with them and allow them to be themselves. The magic happens when my subject is relaxed, enjoying the moment and being real. My goal as a photographic artist is to bring out the real you…. the masterpiece that you are.

Love to you all,

Award Winning Photographer Susie Gilmore is working on several new inspirational art books and is looking for models of all ages. (Baby, Children, Family, High School Seniors, & Maternity) The session fee is just $55 and participating models will receive a discount on the book. Appointments are limited, so call today to secure your spot 919-662-5541.

Client of the Month: Michael and Meredith Dorman

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! This month’s featured client is Michael and Meredith Dorman. They came to the studio with their newborn baby Hayes who was just 26 days old. When they walked through my door I felt like I was on a movie set because they were beautiful people. Michael looked just like Mel Gibson and Meredith looked like a model. They were so much fun and we had the best time sharing stories, laughing and photographing their little miracle Hayes. We ended up with the coolest images.

The portrait above has a cute story behind it. Hayes likes to tuck his fist under his chin while he sleeps and during our session, his dad Michael imitated him. It was so darling, I asked Meredith to do the pose too for a picture and this is what we come up with….. priceless!

Here is Michael and Meredith’s story in their own words…

Michael and I met 5 years ago in Atlanta, GA while we were both working in the same office building. We dated for 4 or 5 months and decided to go our separate ways for awhile. We found each other again about 2 years ago, even though we had never lost contact of each other, we just decided we didn’t want to be apart from each other any longer. We both did a lot of growing up and knew that’s what we wanted and needed for the rest of our lives. Michael had moved to North Carolina and so I made the move in May of last year. We will have been married a year in November.

Our little bundle of joy was born May 21, 2010 and we can’t imagine life without him now. He is the best thing that has happened to either one of us. He brings so much joy to us everyday. He has bit of both of our personalities in him, but definitely looks like his mommy. He is starting to look like daddy more and more everyday though.

We saw Susie’s work the first time we walked into Dr. Brannon’s office and knew that we would want her to photograph our baby. We loved how she captured every detail. After Hayes was born we made our appointment with Susie and it went fantastic! Susie is absolutely amazing and was so great with our little Hayes. I would recommend her to ANYONE! LOVE HER!

When we went back to view our slideshow she was even so nice to bake homemade chocolate chip cookies for us. When we first saw our slideshow it was unbelievable how perfect they all turned out, it was so hard to choose. We had such a great time with Susie during our session and the viewing of the slideshow. She is so down to earth and makes you feel like part of the family. We laughed and joked and had the best time, she makes you feel so comfortable.

We ended up choosing a package that would give us several portraits. We chose a wall portrait of Hayes to display in our living room, it is just precious! We will cherish it for a lifetime. We also chose a quad that has four different body parts of Hayes included in it, which we will display with the full body shot of him naked on his belly. We got so many responses from our friends and family on Facebook after Susie posted one of our pictures. Everyone was amazed!

We truly could not be happier with how our portraits turned out and will definitely return to Susie for our little Hayes’ 6 months portraits.

-Michael and Meredith Dorman    Apex, NC

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Thank you Michael and Meredith for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. I enjoyed our session and I’m going to miss you guys when you move to Atlanta in December. Michael is the Owner/Principal of Multivista South East (Multivista.com) and Meredith was the General Manager of Office Suites Plus.

Have a great month everyone.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan (or click Like) at Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page. click here to say you like Susie Gilmore Photography.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

Jun 02
May 2010 Blog / Newsletter Posted by Susie

Dear friends,

I hope you and your family had a wonderful month of May. We had a busy month with soccer, graduation, a beach trip and a family birthday. My husband David traveled throughout the state teaching cell phone forensic seminars during the month of May. He is an IT Manager and doesn’t normally teach seminars. He says public speaking gets easier each time you speak… but he will keep his day job.

My daughter Grace’s soccer season just ended and they had a great time. They were undefeated and had excellent coaches to encourage them along the way.

Grace graduated from the 3rd grade, she had wonderful grades and received medals in Reading, Spelling & Bible. We are amazed at how much she loves to read. She reads 1-2 thick chapter books a day. If we can’t find her, she’ll be curled up somewhere with a good book. In this technology age of TV & videos I am glad she has discovered the treasure of reading.

Micah turned three on May 30th and we celebrated with lunch at Red Robin. While the waitress was taking our drink orders, Micah piped up, “I want a Miwk shake” It was cute!

I attended a photography conference in Sunset Beach and my family came along for a day before it started. We followed the example of my dentist who takes a potty seat for her young children in her van. It worked out perfectly for our 3-hour trip! We enjoyed a Japanese meal and Micah surprised us all by eating with chopsticks like a pro!

I am working on several inspirational art books this year. Pictured on the right is a sneak peek at my book called Baby’s First Year… Artful Baby Portraits with Heart-warming Quotes. Baby Charlotte Cavanagh is the model featured on the cover. I love her portrait, her face is so sweet and I love how her feet are folded perfectly.

I am scheduling a limited number of baby sessions in June and the fee is just $55. Models who are chosen will receive a discount on the book. If you know of any cute babies (newborn to age 1), please pass along my information. 919-662-5541.

I am thrilled to announce that I’ll be adding video clips to my premium sessions starting in June. When you buy a DVD slideshow of all your images set to music, you can have the option of getting video clips from our session included in the DVD. How cool is that?

I enjoyed photographing those who came in May. I always look forward to “playing” in the studio with you and capturing the milestones of your family.

Love to you all,

I had a huge response from my reorder sale last month, so I am extending it into June. So you have one more month to get reprints of anything you have ordered in the past. It includes 55% off 8×10s, 5×7s & wallets. This is an amazing discount, so you can get reprints of your favorite portraits for Father’s Day. Call today 919-662-5541.

Award Winning Photographer Susie Gilmore is working on several new inspirational art books and is looking for models of all ages. (Baby, Children, Family, High School Seniors, & Maternity) The session fee is just $55 and participating models will receive a discount on the book. Appointments are limited, so call today to secure your spot 919-662-5541.

Client of the Month: Andrew and Jane Flanagan

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! This month’s featured client is Andrew and Jane Flanagan. We have mutual friends that referred me to them and I had the honor of photographing two of their children during their Senior year as well as a family session. They were a model family with beautiful eyes and their clothing was perfectly coordinated. They wanted a natural surrounding, so we went to a private residence with a pond near my studio and we got some beautiful portraits.

Here is Andrew and Jane’s story in their own words…

Andrew and I met in the 9th grade. It wasn’t until the last month of high school that we started dating when he asked me to go to the prom with him. We dated for 6 years before we got married. On June 20th of this year, we will have been married for 23 years.

Andrew is a warm and caring person. He has the ability to see the good in life while I tend to look at the glass half full. I love his ability to lift me up when I’m down and the way he makes me laugh. He truly is my best friend and I love spending time with him.

Andrew is an Executive Director of Marketing Operations for Lenovo. I have stayed at home with the kids and even though my responsibilities are becoming less as each one heads off to college, I love being able to be there for them, even if they don’t need me.

We have 3 children, Alison-20, Michael-18, and Kristen-14 and a much loved Golden Retriever named Shandy. Our family came to the US from Canada is 1996 - just in time to experience Hurricane Fran. We came here for a 2 year assignment with IBM; however, after 6 months, we fell in love with NC. Leaving family and friends was a very difficult decision. I am not one for change but after much apprehension, we knew we found our new home.

Having the kids leave home and go off to college is bittersweet. It really doesn’t get easier as each child leaves the nest. I am very excited for Michael to start his new adventure. I am excited to see where life will take him. I will miss the sound of his music in the house. It is hard to let the kids go. I want to keep them safe. I have to believe Andrew and I have given them a strong foundation to go out on their own. I love seeing them grow into wonderful adults.

Andrew’s job has taken him to many places. He has traveled to China, India, Brazil and most recently Mexico. As a family, 2 years ago we took a once in a lifetime trip to Costa Rica. The kids were at an age where we were able to do some exciting things - a zipline tour through the rainforest, snorkeling, touring a coffee plantation and seeing a volcano. We saw wildlife and scenery that have left a lasting impression and have many wonderful memories.

We first saw Susie Gilmore’s work at our friend Carol Colborn’s home. We loved the family portrait Susie had done for her. When I saw Susie’s website and spoke with her on the phone, I knew she was the one to capture Alison’s senior year. After seeing Alison’s portraits, there was never a question as to who would photograph Michael for his senior year and take our family portrait. We plan on using Susie for Kristen’s senior year in 4 years.

Susie Gilmore made the photography sessions special, they were very casual, enjoyable, fun and easy. Most importantly she made us look good! She has a natural curiosity about people and their stories and is able to capture the personality of the people she photographs. She made sure everyone was comfortable and wearing clothes they like. Susie suggested that Michael bring his guitar for his session and it turned out to be a wonderful idea because it allowed him to relax and be himself.

For Alison’s Senior session, the outdoor location and time of day was perfect. The colors and lighting in the photographs are fantastic. We had a great laugh when a duck joined in Alison’s session. I love the photo of her reaction to it. It was so spontaneous and genuine.

A week after our session, we came to Susie’s home to view the slideshow. She made it a special event. Not only were the photographs wonderful, she used the kid’s favorite music and served chocolate chip cookies. As a family who loves sweets this was a great treat and a memorable experience. The only problem was having to chose a few photographs from all the great ones.

We wish we could have picked more. However, adding the holiday cards allowed us to add to our selection at a reasonable price. I kept one of the cards and put it in a two sided frame so I can enjoy all the photos. Our friends and family loved the cards.

We purchased a wall portrait of our family which is displayed over the fireplace in our family room and I am able to see it when I am in my kitchen. The other loose portraits are displayed throughout the house and Andrew has taken some to work. We gave some to our parents for them to enjoy. They don’t see the kids very often so they are special to them. When I look at the portraits throughout my day, I feel a great joy in my heart and I can’t help but smile. I gladly recommend Susie Gilmore to friends. I carry the wallet size photos and take any opportunity to show them off.

Susie, through your photographs, you have captured the spirit and beauty of our family. I will treasure them always.

-Andrew and Jane Flanagan    Holly Springs, NC

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Thank you Andrew and Jane for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. I love photographing your family. Everyone is so much fun to be around. After you shared about your children leaving the nest, I had to hug my young children because it reminded me that I only have a certain amount of time with them. I look forward to photographing Kristen’s Senior portraits in the future. Just make sure she doesn’t cut her gorgeous blonde hair!

Have a great month everyone.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan (or click Like) at Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page. click here to say you like Susie Gilmore Photography.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

May 02

Dear friends,

I hope you and your family had a wonderful month of April. Spring is a lovely time of year because it beckons us outside to enjoy all the treasures of new life. My azaleas, tulips and creeping phlox greeted us this month with their radiant blooms. Flowers have a way of capturing our attention, making us pause our busy lives to take them all in. Their beauty is amazing. I love bringing my camera outside in the evening to photograph our flowers and my children playing. Each flower is unique with color, texture and design. I am like a child in the spring, in awe of the beautiful world we live in.

We enjoyed spring break with our children. We played outside, did yardwork, and went to the beach. My best friend Carrie and her son came to Topsail Island with us. We had fun relaxing on the beach and watching our children play. A surf fisherman caught a Stingray and we got to see it up close before he threw it back. I had never seen one in the ocean, so I was very excited to see it… and a little more careful about where I stepped in the water! When we returned to Raleigh, we were greeted with pollen everywhere!  Carrie’s white Honda was now yellow. It looked as if yellow spraypaint was all over the cars, houses and driveways. My least favorite part of April was working on taxes. I’m glad to be finished!

David was mowing the grass one evening and my two-year-old son ran into the garage. He came out with his toy lawn mower and began “mowing” parallel with his dad. When David would turn around, he would turn around. Thankfully he kept his distance. It was so cute I had to take a picture! He wanted to be just like his daddy and mow! I know what his job will be when he gets older!

I was inspired by the movie “Christmas Cottage”, a semi-autobiographical story about artist Thomas Kinkade. Glen Wessler (played by Peter O’ Toole), was a famous painter who lived next door to Kincade and became his mentor. Wessler didn’t teach Kincade HOW to paint, but WHY to paint. Wessler encouraged Kinkade both to tie his art more directly to emotion, rather than observation alone. He said in a very moving candlelight scene….

“Record the people you love for posterity. It could change the way they see themselves. Art crosses all borders, surpasses all languages, it’s a place where we are one family. And if you were willing to REALLY see with your eyes and your heart, one image can change lives. You can introduce men to their souls… Give your very best always. Always the finest your heart has. It’s the only way an artist knows.

I feel very fortunate to record people through the art of photography. When I am commissioned to photograph a person or a family, I try my very best to capture their personality… the heart and soul of the person. I approach every order with a perfectionist’s eye for detail and make it my goal to create a masterpiece. Although the process is time consuming, I can’t accept any less because “it’s the only way an artist knows.” When I heard that line in the movie it rang true with my heart and I understood myself better. I’ve always had an inner drive to do my best and now I know it’s the artist in me. Thank you for entrusting me to create masterpieces of your children to decorate your home and to pass down for generations. I take your trust very seriously.

Love to you all,

For the month of May only, Susie Gilmore Photography is offering a NEVER BEFORE discount of 55% off 8×10s, 5×7s & wallets for any portraits you have purchased before. This is an amazing discount, so you can get reprints of your favorite portraits for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Call today 919-662-5541.

Award Winning Photographer Susie Gilmore is working on several new inspirational art books and is looking for models of all ages. (Baby, Children, Family, High School Seniors, & Maternity) Participating models will receive a discount on the book. Call today to secure your spot 919-662-5541.

Client of the Month: Chris and Kathleen Cavanagh

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! This month’s featured client is Chris and Kathleen Cavanagh. I met Kathleen and her mom Sandy when she brought her newborn baby Charlotte for a photography session.

We had such a fun time and we captured the most delightful portraits. We chatted during Charlotte’s feedings and enjoyed getting to know each other. Kathleen shared the most hilarious embarassing story…. Sorry I can’t tell you in the blog. But if you know her you’ve probably heard the story. It’s funny when someone shares something about themselves… particularly embarassing things…. how it stays in your mind and brings down walls. There’s a deeper level of understanding about that person. When I lead groups, I sometimes use “share your most embarassing story” as an icebreaker. Now just a disclaimer, there are some people who are not comfortable with that type of transparency, so then you can always resort to “share 2 truths and 1 lie about yourself” and the group has to guess which one. But when I think of Kathleen, I’ll always smile because of the story she shared.

Kathleen joined my baby plan, so I am so excited about photographing all of Charlotte’s milestones…. sleeping, pushing up, sitting up, cruising and walking. It’s amazing that all these things occur around the first year of life. I feel so honored to be invited to capture these moments.

Here is Chris and Kathleen’s story in their own words…

My husband, Chris, and I met while in high school in Hendersonville, North Carolina. While we weren’t high school sweethearts, we did start dating shortly after starting college.  We both attended North Carolina State University.  I studied chemistry and he was a business and finance major.

During college, Chris was a reservist with the Marine Corps. He was activated, and sent to Iraq.  After he left, I knew then that he was the man I was going to marry.  The thought of never being with him again was unfathomable.  I couldn’t image life without him.  He was my best friend.  We had so much fun together and he was always so encouraging and supportive.

One day, while I was in class, Chris called me on a satellite phone from Kuwait. At the time, the military did not allow the Marines to call home very often. He was able to call me about once a month on a military satellite phone.  I remember running out of class – I was so excited to hear from him.  During that phone conversation, I told Chris I wanted to get married when he returned home.  He was shocked!  We had never discussed marriage before – but he agreed.  Thankfully, Chris returned safely and we were engaged shortly after.

After graduation, I enrolled in law school in Florida. During this time, Chris was working at an insurance company and saving money to enroll in flight school.  It has always been his dream to be a commercial pilot.  In fact, he trained and received his private pilot’s license when he was just 16 years old.

During the winter of 2006, we were married at a beautiful basilica in Asheville, North Carolina. Seeing all of our family and friends made us realize how much we missed North Carolina. So, after graduation from law school, I took a job in Cary, North Carolina as a patent attorney and Chris was finally able to attend flight school.  Soon after, Chris became a commercial pilot for U.S. Airways.

After being married just two years, everything was going great for us.  Chris and I were able to buy a beautiful home and we both had started wonderful careers. We even had a sweet dog named Piper to greet us when we came home from work.  We decided that this was the perfect time to have a baby. We were overjoyed to find out I was pregnant in May 2009.  After finding out we were having a little girl, we started to discuss names.  We could not agree on any names – nothing seemed perfect enough for our perfect angel.  In fact, it wasn’t until 24 hours after she was born that we both agreed on Charlotte Anne.

Charlotte Anne is a beautiful baby. The first time I saw her, I thought she looked just like her dad.  And, she looks more and more like him everyday. The joy that all parents feel bringing home their new baby was short lived.  Just 5 days after Charlotte was born, Chris and I knew that something was wrong.  She wasn’t eating well and we had a hard time keeping her warm.  After going to the Emergency Department at Wake Med Raleigh, Charlotte was admitted for observation.

Soon after, we found out that she had a very rare metabolic disorder called Propionic Acidemia. We were transferred to UNC Children’s Hospital where she received care and treatment from the best metabolic doctors in the state.  Children with Propionic Acidemia are not able to metabolize proteins effectively.  This disorder is very serious and can be life threatening if not properly treated.  We are so lucky that Charlotte received the treatment she needed.

After ten days in the hospital, we were finally able to take Charlotte home again. She is doing so well - Chris and I couldn’t be happier.  However, because Charlotte’s metabolic system is so fragile; we did not feel comfortable putting her in daycare.  We wanted to avoid exposing her to any cold virus or flu. So, Chris has decided to stay at home with Charlotte.  This was the best decision for our family and I am so thankful for his decision.  Although, I must say that I am jealous of him every morning that I leave for work.  She is so happy in the morning and her smiles and giggles make it so hard to leave her.

I first saw  Susie Gilmore’s photography at my obstetrician’s office. Dr. Brannon’s walls are full of beautiful maternity and newborn photography.  We waited until Charlotte was 10 ½ weeks old to bring her to Susie’s studio.  Susie was amazing with Charlotte.

We wanted photos of Charlotte in her baptismal gown and Susie had the perfect backdrop and props.  The pictures are amazing! Susie also had a ton of ideas for pictures of Charlotte with flowers and pink fluffy tutus.  Susie even posted one of my favorite pictures on Facebook.  It is a picture of Charlotte lying in a sea of pink tulle.  Her blue eyes pop right out of the picture.  My friends and family are still commenting how beautiful the picture is.

About a week after our photography session, Susie invited us back to her home to view a slideshow of Charlotte’s pictures. My mother attended the slideshow with me.  We all (even Susie) started tearing up as we watched the slideshow. I ordered an album and several stand alone pictures.

Susie has a wonderful plan that follows a child from newborn to one year old. I plan to fill the album with pictures of Charlotte has she grows throughout the year.  I know that this album will sit on our coffee table for a while.  Our family and friends are going to love looking at the photos over and over again.  Several of the stand alone pictures I plan to bring to my office.  Since I cannot be with Charlotte during the day, it is essential that I have some beautiful pictures of her at work.

These images of Charlotte are very important to us.  Not only is she our first child, but we almost lost her. Now that she is home and doing well, we will never take a moment for granted.  She is so special and we want to document and remember as many special moments as possible.  We will treasure these photos for the rest of our lives.  And hopefully, one day Charlotte will be able to show them to her daughter.

-Chris and Kathleen Cavanagh    Fuquay Varina, NC

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Thank you Chris and Kathleen for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. I’m so glad Charlotte is doing well and she received the care she needed to flourish. It is true what Elizabeth Stone said about becoming parents. “Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” Charlotte is such a beautiful baby and I look forward to photographing your family in a few weeks.

Have a great month everyone.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan of Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page. click here to become a fan.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.


Apr 02

Dear friends,

March has been a month full of celebrations! My best friend Carrie turned “40″ and we went to D’Elegance spa in Raleigh for a massage and pedicure. I am still relaxed from it! David and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary and had a delicious meal at the Angus Barn thanks to my sweet client Anne Winters who sent us a gift certificate! Something you may not know about me is that I LOVE cheese! And the cheese that was served at Angus Barn with homemade crackers was my favorite! My husband David was getting a little embarassed that I was eating so much cheese. It was funny.

He kept saying, “you may want to save room for your main course.” But it was SO GOOD, I couldn’t resist!  And yes, I took my steak home for later. Grace said, “mom, this is the best steak I’ve ever had!” So it all worked out well. I got to enjoy the cheese and Grace got the steak.

Our anniversary tradition is to watch our wedding video. It was so much fun going down memory lane…. hearing our vows & seeing all of our loved ones assembled in one place. We held hands on the couch and our 8-year-old daughter Grace kept asking, “where am I in the wedding video?”. We kept saying, “Honey you weren’t born until three years later.” She was a little disappointed… but she’ll understand later that it’s a good thing she wasn’t born yet. :)

We celebrated my husband’s birthday with a dinner with his family in Clayton. It was a lovely spring day and his mother made a delicious meal that we enjoyed on their large screened in porch. I brought my camera and took a lot of heartwarming family portraits. We also made a mold of Micah’s footprint for a garden stepping stone… one of my favorite traditions. Grace started her second season of Upward Soccer this month. She is having fun and enjoying the fellowship of her teammates. She scored her first goal on Saturday. Way to go Grace!

On a sad note, my client and friend, Jamie lost her dog this month. Our prayers are with her as she grieves and mourns for Ashley who has been like a family member to her for all these years. Here is a picture of Jamie & Ashley from October 2009. Jamie brought her along when she picked up her portraits & she shared that she didn’t know how long Ashley had…. so we took a few portraits and I’m so glad we did.

I had a wonderful time with my dear clients this month. I love the art of photography and how wonderful it is to get to know the people I photograph. I feel very blessed to know all of you. Thank you for your friendship and your trust.

Love to you all,


Client of the Month: Jerry and Elsie Ruehle

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! This month’s featured client is Jerry and Elsie Ruehle. I met Elsie when she brought her three month old Rachel for a photography session. We had such a fun time and we captured the most delightful portrait. Her portrait is displayed at the checkout area at Dr. Brannon’s office in Cary, NC. Elsie is very easy going and open to trying different backgrounds, props and outfits, so every time she comes for a session it’s like a creative playdate.

Here is Jerry and Elsie’s story…

Jerry and I met 8 years ago in the spring of 2002 through a mutual friend, Jerry’s best friend Jim. As we got to know each other I quickly learned that we compliment each other well.  I used to always tell him, sometimes you don’t know why you love someone you just know that you do. We started dating in June and were married in March.  I knew he was the one and that I didn’t want to be just his girlfriend.

I went back to school in the summer of 2006 to pursue a career in nursing. This has been a dream of mine for a very long time.  And I can proudly say I have less than 9 months until my graduation, December 9, 2010.  I hope to work at the Jaycee Burn Center at UNC.  Jerry is an auto mechanic at Crossroads Exxon in Cary.  He is probably the best mechanic in the area.  I am so proud of Jerry for how hard he works so we can have everything we need while I am in school.  Not only does he work six days a week, but he is renovating our home in Apex.

I must be the luckiest girl in the world. Jerry and I are very much in love.  We have been blessed with 3 beautiful children, Abigail, Rachel, and James. We also have  3 amazing dogs- Lance (a sheltie mix- 10 years old), Misti (a sharpei mix- 10 years old) and Luke (a burmese mountain dog mix- 7 years old) and my cat Paula who spent my entire 20s with me, she is 13.  Before anything I am a Christian, then a mother and a wife.

Abigail was born February 7, 2004. She looks just like me and is my best friend.  We named Abigail after one of the wives of King David and her middle name is Leigh after my dad’s middle name (Lee). Her name means a father’s joy. My pregnancy with her was pretty typical.  My next pregnancy was not so typical.  I guess deep down I knew something was wrong from the beginning.  At 12 weeks pregnant on February 25, 2007, I found myself in the emergency room hemorrhaging.  I wouldn’t let the doctors check the baby until the chaplain came in.    He prayed with us for the baby to be alive and ok and that if the baby wasn’t meant to be touched by human hands for God to take the baby and take care of our baby. That is the only time I have ever seen my husband cry.  When that baby died part of me died with him.

Five months later I was pregnant again. My pregnancy with Rachel was difficult.  I was in a car accident the day I found out I was pregnant with her, I had morning sickness until the day she was born, but more than anything I was terrified of losing her.  She was born 10 days early via cesarean section on St. Patrick’s Day 2008.  Rachel Clare is named Rachel after my great grandmother and Clare after Jerry’s grandmother.

My last pregnancy was great. I felt great and it was so easy compared to Rachel’s.  Baby James was born August 27, 2009.  We named him James after Jerry’s best friend Jim who died in a car accident in July of 2005.  We both loved him and he was the reason we met.

I first saw Susie’s work at Dr. Brannon’s office when I was pregnant with Rachel. However, I didn’t realize until I talked to Susie on the phone for  the first time, that her sister Laura lived 2 houses down from us!  We chose Susie because I wanted to capture the love and adoration that I saw in the pictures in Dr. Brannon’s office.  Susie photographed Rachel at 3 months; Rachel, Abigail, and me when Rachel was 13 months; my maternity with James; James’ newborn; James and Abigail when James was 3 months; and Rachel at 2.

When I decided to have my maternity pictures done with James I knew it would probably be my last pregnancy. It was my last chance to capture that feeling and hold onto it.  I understand what a blessing it is to carry a child.  God blessed me with that honor four times.  We got an 11×14 to hang above James’ crib so when he goes to bed he’ll know how much Mommy loves him.  I had an amazing time at my maternity session.  It was surprisingly relaxing and something that I was able to do just for me.

We did James’s newborn session on the spur of the moment. I was picking up my maternity picture and Susie said she had some free time. I wanted to do the baseball and glove picture because Jerry loves baseball and he took me to a Braves/Red Sox game right after we started dating.  We decided to do a wall portrait of James from his newborn session.  The first time I saw his face was the happiest moment of my life.  I immediately had a sense of completeness when he was born.  I told Jerry later that I never loved him as much as I did at that moment and from that moment forward.  Every time I see his portrait I will be reminded of that moment and of this special time in our lives.

We later decided to do a wall portrait of each of the kids. They are each so special to us and unique.  I am so proud of each one of them  We want them to know how much they are loved and valued as a part of this family. We chose Abigail’s wall portrait because not only was it a gorgeous picture of her, but it also reflected her personality so well.  She is very fun and outgoing.  She is very confident and more often than not she is the leader when she’s in a group of her peers.

Rachel had her picture for her wall portrait taken the day after her second birthday. Two is my favorite age.  Rachel has blond hair and the face of an angel.   She is so sweet and kind. She loves her big sister as her best friend and her baby brother as a second mother.   She likes to go down the slide and play in the sand.  As a two year old, she does have her mischievous side, but it makes me laugh more than it makes me angry.  This is what her portrait means to me.  This is what I want to remember about Rachel at 2.

All three wall portraits will be in our living room. Abigail and James’ are side by side above our sofa.  Rachel’s will be on an adjacent wall.  They are the focal points of the room.  I am thrilled that our home reflects what is most important to us- our children.

Susie offers a free facebook image from our sessions and it was really nice to be able to share all the beautiful images with so many family and friends. After our last session, Susie said she would post a picture on facebook for me.  I was expecting just one, maybe 2 but she posted 20! They are from Rachel’s two year old session and James’ newborn session.  Going through them was like having the slideshow all over again.  They were even more beautiful than I had remembered.

I love my maternity collage with my daughters. It is so artsy and not only shows their relationships with me, but their relationship with each other.  We ask Rachel who her favorite person is and she always says Abby, Abby!  They are so close even though they are 4 years apart.  It is hanging in our bedroom and I smile every time I see it.

Each time when we have gone to the slideshow, I think, ok we just need 2 or 3 good ones, and they are all good! Susie is a great help in narrowing them down and making suggestions.  My heart just melts watching the slide show.  It’s funny, our first session was with Rachel at 13 weeks with big blue eyes (Jerry’s eyes). When we went to the view the slide show  Rachel had big brown eyes.  The girls both have my eyes and it looks like James is going to keep Jerry’s blue eyes, he’s 7 months now, so we’ll see…  I am glad we have those beautiful images of Rachel with her big blue eyes because I know she will never have them again.

Susie is more than just our photographer, she became a good friend from the first time we met. She has given us a priceless gift.  Nothing is more important to Jerry and me than our family and she has captured the essence of it.  Thanks Susie!

-Jerry & Elsie Ruehle    Apex, NC

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Thank you Jerry and Elsie for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. Your children are precious and I feel honored to capture the milestones of their lives. I can’t wait to photograph James when he is sitting up! It’s my favorite time in a baby’s life because they just sit there and smile and you get so many wonderful portraits!

Have a great month everyone and I look forward to photographing you soon.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan of Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page. click here to become a fan.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.


Mar 01

Dear friends,

As I say goodbye to February the thing that stands out the most is this crazy weather! I don’t remember having this much snow fall in Raleigh. When I lived in Boone and West Virginia, cold weather was normal…. but not here in the south! We pushed my son in a big wheel in the snow and it packed up on the tires and made it rise off the ground about 12 inches! He loved it and squealed with delight. For the last snowfall, we got smart and built a snowman and fort in the FRONT of the house so the sun couldn’t reach it and our snowman lasted a week longer than the snow. It was great!

One of the highlights of my year is a five day convention for Professional Photographers who come from all over North Carolina to learn from the top photographers in the nation. I have been having a wonderful time going to classes, trade shows and visiting with old and new friends. It’s a great week that spurs my creativity and charges my battery.

We had a print competition on Saturday and I was excited to receive two Court of Honor awards shown above. Judges were flown in to pick the best images based on a set of twelve criteria established by the Professional Photographers of America. This has been a great way to perfect my craft and to see how my work compares with my peers. It’s been inspirational to see all the beautiful images.

Sophia Tidaback of Durham is the baby featured in the portrait on the left. It is entitled, “Pucker Up”. The judges loved her piercing blue eyes and her expression. My sister, Amy Sams of Cary, is featured in the maternity portrait entitled, “Maternal Elegance” The judges loved the flowing fabric, her expression and the movement created by her form, called an “S curve”. Congratulations to Sophia and Amy for being such lovely models. I feel very fortunate to capture this moment in their lives.


Client of the Month: Benjie and Michelle Harrison

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! This month’s featured client is Benjie and Michelle Harrison. I met Michelle when she brought her newborn Charlotte for a photography session in November. She looked like she just stepped off the cover of Vogue magazine and not someone who had just had a baby. We got the most heartwarming portraits of her and her daughter that reflect their bond and the sweetness of a newborn.

And something that you’d never guess about Michelle is that she is very thrifty. She buys beautiful clothing at second hand stores. Michelle filled me in on the best places in Cary to go. These days, shopping is not in my schedule. But when things slow down a little…. I’m looking forward to finding some treasures… like ski bibs for the kids that they’ll only wear for a month or so.

Here is Benjie & Michelle’s story…

I’m originally from Houston, Texas and have been in North Carolina since 1993. I’m a stay at home mom with three wonderful children who keep me quite busy. I feel like the CEO of the Harrison Family. It’s truly like working three jobs. My husband is originally from Tampa, Florida and relocated to North Carolina in 1999. He is a Senior Manager for IBM and between work and our family, he’s quite busy also. We attend Cary Alliance Church and enjoy spending time together with the family, taking trips around North Carolina, it is such a wonderful state.

Benjie and I met in December 2001 at Tony’s Oyster Bar & Restaurant in Cary. I was there celebrating a friend’s birthday and he was there with a small group of guys from work. We struck up a conversation and things took off from there. I had just moved and had a new house number, so I ended up giving him the wrong number. Good thing I included my work number! We have been married for five years, since September 2004.

What qualities do you appreciate about each other? Michelle is funny, outgoing, everyone’s friend, loves her family and places her children before herself. Benjie is organized, efficient, and a great supportive father with lots of patience. We both share the same moral, family and Christian qualities and love spending time together. We try hard to support one another though difficult and challenging times that come with a young family. Having both of us fundamentally grounded helps set the tone in the family and provides “some” consistency.

We have three children who are four and under. Benjamin (4 Years): is energetic, strong willed, funny, & very spirited. Caroline (20 Months): is crazy, drama queen, girly girl, funny. Charlotte (3 Months): is a love bug, snuggly and always hungry. Both Benjamin and Caroline were planned, and with Caroline being placenta previa, we were set on just two children. We were very surprised when we found out Charlotte was on her way into the world. Knowing this, we had to get creative with the sleeping arrangements, we thought about the girls sharing a room but came to realize that girls sharing a room may not be the best idea. So, Mr. Benjamin is now in the “Greg Brady” suite upstairs in the bonus room, he’s living large right now.

Benjamin and Caroline love the new addition and the family are adjusting well. We take it a day at a time and make on the fly adjustments and remember that at the end of the day, our duties as parents are to ensure our children grow-up with grounded moral convictions with a love for God which will give them to tools they need to be successful adults. We have two cats, anyone want them? Charlie and Mariah are the same age (11 years old) and Caroline calls them “Lee-lee.” We did have a beautiful English Setter named Reagan, but she had a hard time adjusting to Benjamin, so we gave her to a nice family in Willow Springs who had more land for her to enjoy and explore.

Before I was a mom, I was a Flight Attendant for Midway Airlines, a Dental Assistant and small business owner. We owned Cookies In Bloom in Cary before Benjamin was born. He spend his early days smelling fresh baked cookies and making deliveries.

Being a parent is something you can never prepare yourself for. It’s amazing how God gives you the tools you need to adjust and cope to such a life changing experience. Even though it’s chaotic and tiresome, seeing them interacting, learning, growing and sleeping in their beds it touches your heart and all those stressful times just melt away. Children truly are God’s gift.

When I first saw the slideshow of Charlotte’s portraits set to music I got a little emotional. To see her in the various settings, so cute and sweet only being 18 days old, really moved me especially knowing she is our last child. I loved all of my portraits! If it was feasible, I would have loved to have everything. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but with Susie’s help, she helped place portraits in groups, with great ideas. With a lot of patience we got it narrowed down to a trio collage, quad collage and an 8X10 gift of Charlotte and myself.

When I first saw Charlotte’s Trio collage, my first response was AHHHHHHH! It was a surprise to see my husband’s wedding ring in one of the photos (dangling from her finger) it really showed how small she was. Even though he was unable to attend the photo session, he was incorporated into the end result, very special. We are going to display it in our study with our 8×10 which will be viewable from the front door. It will remind us of how special this time is. Having two that are beyond her age and the fact that she will be out last, it will hold a special place in our heart every time we see them.

When I first saw Charlotte’s Quad collage I thought it was extremely special. Susie had a great idea to have her baby dedication hat and bible verse (James 1:17) as part of the photo.  It turned out great, with the verse displayed below the portrait. We placed it above her crib and on the adjacent wall, we placed her baby dedication hat in a shadow box. It turned out great! The collage is a reminder of God’s love and blessings to our family.

My husband loved the 8×10 of Charlotte and I because it captured the bond between mother and child. It is so soft, sweet and a fantastic gift. It’s a visual display of a mother’s love towards her child, a nice reminder during those hard times.

I loved getting a free Facebook portrait from our session. It was a nice touch and a quick way to share with friends and family. We got quite a few hits across the US. Friends and family said it was “Breathtaking” & “Beautiful”.

My experience with Susie Gilmore Photography was great. Susie provided a natural, comfortable setting that was quite enjoyable for both Charlotte and myself. The setting was stress free and the process of taking pictures felt more natural and free flowing verses a strict, ridged, time sensitive environment. Our session felt more like a play date. Susie’s work ethic and quality is top notch and I would highly recommend her to any new mom or family. My husband and I are looking forward to going back and having a family portrait done in the spring.

-Benjie & Michelle Harrison    Holly Springs, NC

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Thank you Benjie & Michelle for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. I know it’s hard work raising children…. you always feel exhausted at the end of the day, and you never quite finish your “to do list”. But seeing little smiling faces in the morning and hearing all those cute little things they say make it all worth it. I’m looking forward to photographing your family soon… I love how everyone in your family looks alike…. with blonde hair and blue eyes! We’ll have a fun session.

Have a great month everyone and I look forward to photographing you soon.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan of Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page. click here to become a fan.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

PARTICIPATE IN OUR CHARITY MODEL SEARCH FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A NEW CAR!

Susie Gilmore Photography is participating in the International Charity Model Search to select North America’s Cutest Family and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. (NILMDTS.org) Are your loved ones North America’s Cutest Family? Many exciting prizes will be awarded, and the grand prize winner receives A NEW CAR! Model Search Special: $125 entrance fee includes a two hour model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. (Facebook is going to make this very easy to get votes) Each vote is $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS.org). Grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts. The winning family also receives a session with the renowned portrait artist Sandy Puc’ and international recognition. Call 919-662-5541 now to enter your family in this exciting contest. *Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan of Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page. click here to become a fan.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

Jan 31

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! That was the theme of this weekend in Raleigh, NC. My children squealed with delight as they watched the snow fall & accumulate over 5 inches! My 2-year old LOVED driving the sled because it had a real steering wheel. We played in the snow, sipped hot chocolate and watched our favorite HGTV show, “Color Splash.” At the end of the day, my daughter Grace declared that this was the best day of her life! And looking back at my childhood, I would have to say the same thing about snow days. Life is good.

I attended a photography conference in High Point this month and was inspired by the paintings of Sam Gray and the latest technical photography gadgets reviewed by Will Crockett. I found several new frames to add to my collection to offer my clients. I went to High Point a day early & met my best friend at Furniture Land South Outlet Center. We had so much fun and I found two formal chairs that will be perfect for my backgrounds. We didn’t have our children with us…. so we played in the store and took pictures of each other sitting in different chairs and couches. Just like old times. :)

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Wall Portrait Sample Sale. I had a great time reconnecting with so many old friends and clients during my “FIRST EVER” Wall Portrait Sample Sale  for the month of January. I have accumulated quite a bit of wall portraits over the past six years, and I needed to make room for new samples. So I offered a huge discount to those who were featured in the wall portraits. It was bittersweet for me, because I’m going to miss seeing all those smiling faces on my walls, but I know the best place for them is with their family. Claudia Sabulsky is pictured her with her new painting and framed wall portrait of her daughter.

Thank you for your friendship and for the privilege of photographing you and your loved ones. I am energized by every step involved in creating photographic art for you; from our photography session, to creating your slideshow, to retouching each portrait, and to watching your face when you see the finished piece. Thank you for allowing me to do what I love. For that I am grateful and blessed beyond measure.

Looking for Ballerina Models (6 months old - age 4)

For the month of February, I am looking for ballerina models (6 months old to age 4). I have darling tutus, pettiskirts and a new set that I’d like to try.  Your daughter may be chosen to be featured in a Wall Portrait in my studio & in a marketing ad. The cost is just $55 and you will receive a FREE 5×7 portrait mounted on salon board. Feel free to forward this to your friends with daughters in this age range. I only have 4 sessions available, so call me soon to secure your spot 662-5541.

Client of the Month: Kevin & Leah Williams

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! This month’s featured client is Kevin and Leah Williams. I met them in 2007 when I photographed their newborn baby, Lily. And since then we’ve kept in touch. Leah is warm and friendly and has never met a stranger. She recently brought her newborn Kinley to be photographed and we had a wonderful time and got some gorgeous family, sibling & newborn portraits. I’ll let them tell their story in their own words.

Here is Kevin & Leah’s story…

Kevin and I are both from North Carolina, he is from Franklinton and I am from Maiden (near Hickory). We met in May 2003 and married in October 2004.  I am a proud ECU graduate (GO PIRATES!) with a degree in School and Community Health and Kevin is a graduate of ECPI with a degree in Networking.  I am a middle school Health and PE teacher in Wake County and Kevin works for the NC Reinsurance Facility where he is an insurance auditor.  We have a beautiful 4 year old red and white Siberian Husky named Vegas and a 12 year old grey cat named Triton.

Kevin and I compliment each other well. He is so patient and teaches me how to be more patient every day.  I tend to get “excited” we’ll say a little more easily than he does and he keeps me grounded.  He says I get excited because I care so much about others and want what’s best for them and I try to “fix” things for them.  It could be said that I do most of the talking and he listens.  We definitely work together and keep each other balanced. We have been blessed with two precious little girls. Lily Gabreale is 2 and Kinley Margaret is 4 weeks.  Each girl is named after our maternal grandmothers. Lily is my grandmother and Margaret was his grandmother.

In 2006, we had decided we wanted to start our family. We knew it may be a little more difficult for us due to me having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and being Type 2 diabetic.  So, we tried unsuccessfully for a few months to get pregnant and decided to try fertility treatments.  After a few months, I became pregnant but lost the baby at 9 weeks.  It was heartbreaking but knew we would try again.

In January of 2007, I became pregnant again and had Lily. The pregnancy was easy!  I had to check my sugar 8 times a day, take insulin and visit Drs. Brannon and Rogers quite a bit but she was so worth it!  Those were easy prices to pay for Lily.  After she was born and as she has grown, we have wondered what in the world we did with all our time before she was born.  She was our world!

Then, in April 2009, we found out we were going to have another child!  Now this was unexpected and after the shock wore off we were thrilled. We knew we wanted another child but figured we would have to work just as hard to have another . . . boy were we wrong!  The Lord decided we didn’t and wouldn’t work hard for our second blessing. The pregnancy was pretty easy but at times had to work a little harder to keep my sugar under control.  But, I know things could have been harder so no complaints.   In December 2009, right before Christmas, Kinley made her appearance.  What a Christmas gift!

Lily was an extremely easy baby but has definitely developed her own personality (she is a bit stubborn!).  Kinley is making me work a little harder to get her on a schedule but we are getting there.  She loves to be held, which I love to do.  I think she may have some stubbornness too!

Lily is a wonderful big sister!  She says NUMEROUS times a day, “I kissa her!” She then gives Kinley a kiss. Lily loves to help us with Kinley and I am thankful for that.  Lily thinks that if Kinley cries, she must give her a pacifier. Lily tells everyone at her school that she is the big sister and she is going home to see Kinley. I remember going into Dr. Brannon’s office and the first thing I saw were these beautiful portraits of babies on the wall.  There was one on the wall that brought me to tears almost every time I saw it. After having my miscarriage, I knew that the Lord had given me Lily.  The portrait was of this sweet little girl and she had a tag that said “From God” and I knew that I would have my little girl’s picture made with that same tag.  After she was born, we had that picture made and I see it every day.  On one of my follow up visits with Dr. Rogers, I walked into the office and on the wall was a beautiful little girl, my Lily.  Susie had hung one of Lily’s pictures (the one we chose for her birth announcement) on the wall in the office.  It was beautiful!

We had the best time with Susie that day!  She was so loving to me, Kevin and Lily.  I knew she loved what she does from the moment I made contact with her but I saw it during our session.  She showed such patience with us.  We were new parents and still learning the ropes if you will.  I remember watching her ever so lovingly place the “From God” tag and take the picture.  It still brings tears to my eyes. She took all the time in the world with us and we had a ball!

When our family went to have Kinley’s portraits made, I wanted some of all of us. It didn’t seem right not to include Lily in this.  I will admit, I worried if Lily would cooperate but she did great!  During the session, Susie was given many opportunities to capture a big sister kissing her new little sister.  We did family pictures, mom and Kinley, dad and Kinley, Lily and Kinley and of course, just Kinley.  It was such a wonderful time and I can’t wait to see the photos!

Lily’s birth announcements were perfect and everyone loved them!  There are many at my school and our friends loved them too!  The 11×14 that we purchased hangs in our living room for everyone to enjoy.  My mother took it and had framed for me and the frame shop just loved the picture.  The other pictures I purchased hang on a wall in my house for our family and friends to enjoy all the time.  These pictures of my girls will be passed onto them when the time is right.  It means so much to have that time in their life captured so beautifully. I will cherish these pictures always and they will remind me of how very lucky we are to have our family.

Susie and I were instant friends.  We have a lot of email communication.  I have sent her pictures of Lily as she has grown over her 2 years.  I really appreciate all the time Susie took with us for both sessions.  Most people would hurry you through the sitting but not Susie, she captures those perfect moments of your child and family.

-Kevin & Leah Williams    Raleigh, NC

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Thank you Kevin & Leah for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. I know it’s been a tough journey to start a family and I am very thankful that you have two healthy little girls. Sisters have a special bond and I’m sure they’ll always be close.

Have a great month everyone and I look forward to photographing you soon.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan of Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page. click here to become a fan.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

PARTICIPATE IN OUR CHARITY MODEL SEARCH FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A NEW CAR!

Susie Gilmore Photography is participating in the International Charity Model Search to select North America’s Cutest Family and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. (NILMDTS.org) Are your loved ones North America’s Cutest Family? Many exciting prizes will be awarded, and the grand prize winner receives A NEW CAR! Model Search Special: $125 entrance fee includes a two hour model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. (Facebook is going to make this very easy to get votes) Each vote is $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS.org). Grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts. The winning family also receives a session with the renowned portrait artist Sandy Puc’ and international recognition. Call 919-662-5541 now to enter your family in this exciting contest. *Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.

Happy New Year! My heart is full of joy as I reflect on the blessings of the past year. I am thankful for each of you… for your friendship and for the privilege of photographing you and your loved ones.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving & Christmas. This was a very “stress free” Christmas for our family because we didn’t travel to Winston-Salem, NC as we normally do. My sister Amy is due with her first baby any day now, so my family had Christmas in Raleigh on the 26th. We spent the night with David’s family in Clayton on Christmas Eve and my two year old LOVED EVERY MINUTE of unwrapping gifts and playing with all his toys. His Aunt Karen and grandparents went all out & bought him enough toys to fill a small toy store. I put him to bed with some of his favorite new toys & hear him having a ball before he drifts off to sleep.

I surprised my husband this year with a PAINTING of our family portrait (pictured above). I love paintings, they are so rich with depth, detail and flowing lines. I find myself admiring it during the day… so maybe it was more of a gift for me! :)

I have enjoyed having time off with my family during the Christmas break! My husband took off for two weeks, we relaxed, watched movies, played the guitar, David played the trumpet, and Grace and David played the Wii. I read the book “The Blind Side” plus several Nancy Drew books with my eight-year-old daughter Grace. We’ve been staying up late reading because we’re captivated to solve the mystery. We also painted Grace’s room a lovely pink and lavender over the break (pictured left). It is now a Princess room and very inviting.

Our family had a very scary experience on November 21st. Our 2 1/2 year old developed a very high fever of 106.4 and had a febrile seizure in my arms. It was terrifying to watch my son lose color and convulse uncontrollably. Although I knew it was a seizure and it would end (because my daughter had one when she was 18 months old) it was still scary to see. When something like that happens to your child… questions that you never want to think about go through your mind….like, am I going to lose my son?

My husband called 911, and the ambulance arrived within minutes and took us to the nearest hospital. I can still feel the emotions from that day as I write. I held him in the ambulance and answered the EMS’s questions although my mind was in a state of shock… because of the overload of emotion and adrenalin. After many negative tests, the doctor said it must have been a virus. David’s family met us at the hospital and Micah perked up when he saw them. Thankfully he was okay, his fever finally lowered & we brought him home 3 hours later. Then that night we spent an almost sleepless night trying to lower his fever with medicine & sponge baths. But in the morning he was our happy little toddler who climbed in bed with us laughing and cuddling.

That experience cleared our head of all the many things vying for our attention and reminded us of how precious and fleeting life can be. Thankfully Micah came through okay. We needed a relaxed Christmas break after that experience!


FRAMED WALL PORTRAIT SAMPLE SALE

I have NEVER done this and it may be years before I do it again, but I am having a Wall Portrait sale for the month of January ONLY to make room for my new samples. If your family, child or baby has been featured in a Wall Portrait or Painting at my studio or a display in the community, you can buy it for 30% off. This is a HUGE savings… you will save $750 off a 20″ painting or $480 off a 30″ wall portrait. Don’t delay because the best frames will go quickly.  I have so many beautiful portraits & paintings. Call today to bring your masterpiece home where it belongs… you will treasure it! 662-5541.

PARTICIPATE IN OUR CHARITY MODEL SEARCH FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A NEW CAR!

Susie Gilmore Photography is participating in the International Charity Model Search to select North America’s Cutest Family and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. (NILMDTS.org) Are your loved ones North America’s Cutest Family? Many exciting prizes will be awarded, and the grand prize winner receives A NEW CAR! Model Search Special: $125 entrance fee includes a two hour model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. (Facebook is going to make this very easy to get votes) Each vote is $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS.org). Grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts.  The winning family also receives a session with the renowned portrait artist Sandy Puc’ and international recognition. Call 919-662-5541 now to enter your family in this exciting contest.  *Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.

CLIENT OF THE MONTH: Wes and Kim Cannon

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! This month’s featured client is Wes and Kim Cannon. They came for a maternity session and we had lots of laughs. Wes has a great sense of humor. We were finishing up a slideshow and a carpet cleaning salesman came to the door. I told him I was not interested and that I was with a client at the moment. The persistent salesman came back later and Wes answered the door this time. The salesman said, “You must be Susie’s husband” and Wes without missing a beat, said, “Well, some of the time” We laughed so hard after he left. He’s one of those people that keep you smiling…. You never quite know what he’s going to say.

Here is Wes and Kim’s story…

Wes is from Cary, North Carolina born and raised. He went to college for a short period before realizing that it was not for him. He has worked in construction and now in sales. I’m from Bloomington, Indiana, one of the best towns in America. I miss it dearly but also love the Raleigh area and my husband, which is why I am here. I went to cosmetology school, and then ended up working in an office using accounting software. I am now a full time mother, but have worked with accounting departments of several small companies over the last 15 years. Wes is in sales, he sells plastics, such as stretch film. We have a beautiful dog, Josie, she is a 4 year old German Shorthaired Pointer, who is spoiled rotten.

Wes & I met met through family over 20 years ago but were reconnected about 10 years ago. Our personalities seem to compliment each other in the sense that he has extreme highs about things and I seem to be pretty even keel. He always tells me that I don’t get excited enough and I tell him that he gets too excited! My husband and I are best friends. We both love the outdoors and nature. We both always wanted children and are so happy to have Ava.

We have been married for three years and 8 months. Once we realized that it may not be so easy to get pregnant we resorted to fertility treatments. Starting with IVI in 2007 and eventually moving on to IVF in the fall of 2007. We had one chemical pregnancy with IVF which was absolutely devasting to us, but we were never ready to give up. We decided to try again two more times with no success before finally taking a break in the fall of 2008. With our resources drained, we just kept reading and learning and trying on our own. I found out that I had thyroid disease in September 2008 and started on medicine. By November I was pregnant and it happened naturally! The pregnancy was another chemical, but gave us some hope that we could have a baby, and in January 2009 we got pregnant again and this time it stuck and we have a beautiful baby girl!!

I tested positive for some antibodies that required me to take shots everyday throughout my pregnancy. Wes gave them to me at first and then it got easier for me to just do them myself. The shots were in my belly and it bruised very badly. It was worth every prick though. All in all I had the best pregnancy, not one day of sickness, and only slightly uncomfortable at the end.

I don’t think that we have quite adjusted to life with a new baby, but it is such a joy. I will forever be tired, but I’m learning to cope. Our baby Ava is the sweetest little thing and has so much personality. She smiles a lot, she laughs and talks and her eyebrows are so expressive. What I enjoy most about being a parent, is that I have such a beautiful daughter to enjoy everyday. The gratification of knowing that she is ours is enormous.

I first saw Susie’s work at Dr. Brannon’s office and it made me tear up everytime. I was always on edge because I was high risk so it just made me feel good to see all the portraits in the office. We had a blast during our maternity photo session with Susie! She really got to know Wes and I and made us laugh. She is very professional but in such a fun way. When I first saw our images at the slideshow, I started to cry. They were all absolutely beautiful and it was hard to choose.

We chose a personalized 40 page album entitled “The Cannon Family” which starts with four maternity portraits. This will mean so much to our family because of everything that we went through to have Ava. Some people take having children for granted and don’t even realize it. This album will show the years of all the wonderful things that we worked so hard to get. I can’t wait to fill it!

We choose a wall portrait of Wes and I because we have been through a lot together during this process and it has made us stronger as a couple. We will hang it somewhere we can see it everyday, probably our bedroom. We chose a framed collage with four portraits and a few loose portraits. It means a lot to us, it grounds us to realize that life is such a blessing and reminds us of our trials and dedication. The portraits are all just perfect and we want to look at them everyday.

What I appreciate most about Susie is her ease of making us feel comfortable and helping us capture every precious bit of our pregnancy. I would definitely recommend Susie to others, she is the best that I have seen.

-Wes & Kim Cannon    Cary, NC

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Thank you Wes and Kim for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. I’m so sorry for the losses you have experienced but I rejoice with you in your little miracle Ava. I can’t wait to meet her! I had to get those shots in my tummy too and that was very difficult… but thankfully it’s only during pregnancy.

Happy New Year everyone and I look forward to photographing you soon.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan of Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page.  click here to become a fan.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

Nov 03

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Susie Gilmore Photography! The weather is getting cooler and the brightly colored leaves make driving a joy. The road to my daughter’s school looks a postcard: horse farms and radiant trees line the road and whisper to me to take it all in. I’ve had to find my long sleeved shirts and jackets and have been using my seatwarmer in my vehicle.  Our family’s favorite thing to do in the evening is to have hot tea. We love Peppermint, Bengal Spice, Chai Tea and Chamomile. (The latter works great for children and adults who just can’t sleep) We recently stocked up on hot chocolate and marshmallows… so we are ready for the cooler weather!

I hope you and your family had a wonderful October. Mine was full of out-of-town trips, soccer games and events EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND! I’m a homebody, so this month was a little unusual… even though it was fun. I attended my sister Amy’s baby shower at Prestonwood Country Club and had a wonderful time seeing my mom, sisters, Amy’s friends & her husband’s relatives. I brought my camera and captured all the fun. I created a movie of the event, there’s a link at the bottom of the blog. This is Amy’s first baby & we can’t wait to meet her daughter. She’s scheduled to arrive after Christmas! The photo at the top left shows me with my sisters and & my mom. (From left to right its Laura, me, Amy & baby, mom and Julie.)

The next weekend, David and I traveled to Winston-Salem for my 20 Year High School Reunion. Yes, I really graduated from THIS high school (I attended a high school reunion in July that I WOULD have graduated from if my family hadn’t moved). It was GREAT to see dear friends and catch up with each other. We spent the afternoon with my best friend Carrie and I brought my guitar and we had a wonderful time. It was just like old times. It was a warm day, so we opened the windows and I bet her neighbors wondered if there was an InterVarsity celebration going on. Carrie helped me get ready for the reunion and it felt like I was going to the prom… she curled my hair and put on a TON of hairspray. My hair didn’t move the whole night!

The next weekend, Carrie & her son John came to the beach with my family for a photography conference. The kids LOVED the hotel even though we were crammed in like sardines with a pack-N-play, a roll-away bed and 2 queen beds. We swam in the pool, sat in the hot tub & had a wonderful Japanese meal.

The following weekend, the Flanagan’s came for an outdoor Senior Portrait Session for their son Michael and a family portrait. We had a fun session and ended up with some really special portraits. Michael is also a talented musician, he brought his guitars and played for us and we captured some images with him doing what he loves best. Their family is pictured below on the right and they all have beautiful blue eyes.

Grace’s last soccer game was on the 31st and they had an awards ceremony. Then later that evening we went to a Carnival with inflatables & games and had a wonderful time. Everything was FREE! We had hot dogs, drinks and cotton candy. I would rather go there than the State Fair! Grace dressed as “Cinderella” and Micah went with a monkey strapped on his back with a tail that we could hold onto. Grace had her face painted and then we came home for a quick photoshoot of the children. The picture turned out adorable. My two year old son LOVES to wear everyone else’s shoes. He clomps into the room, flashes his adorable grin and looks down at the shoes he’s wearing. After the carnival he put on his sister’s high heel “Cinderella” slippers and walked around like a pro.  I was impressed with his coordination because I can’t even walk in high heels! Needless to say, daddy was not impressed. :)

I saw many wonderful clients this month… newborns, babies, families & a high school senior. I feel very very honored and humbled when someone sits before my camera because I know how much these photographs will mean to them now and in the years to come. They will be a priceless treasure because you can never get these moments back. Thank you for entrusting me with your family portraits. Pictured above is Jamie Tidaback with her beloved dog Ashley, my children during a glorious sunset, and the Flanagan family.


DVD Slideshow set to music

Are you having trouble deciding which images to choose from your session? Why not get a DVD slideshow of all your images set to music. It’s a great way to enjoy all of the portraits anytime you like. You can even purchase a FACEBOOK slideshow to post on your page. I just created a DVD of all the portraits I took at my daughter’s soccer season and she LOVES it. She watches it at least 20 times everyday. Commission your Family Portrait in November and you’ll receive $50 off a Facebook Slideshow of all your portraits set to music.

Time is running out to get Portraits for Christmas!

How long has it been since you have had a family portrait? If you want them before Christmas… now is the perfect time to schedule a session! We can also create custom photo jewelry and photo handbags from your session portraits. Hurry, sessions go quickly because this is my busiest season of the year! Call today to secure your spot 919-662-5541. Kim Peele stopped by this week to pick up her new photo necklace and it was so pretty on her that I had to take her picture.

The Baby Registry at Susie Gilmore Photograpy is a great way to give the gift of portraits to a new mom & dad. The mother-to-be lists her wants and needs for photography and photography products, such as custom made baby books, announcements, framed portrait art, photo jewelry, portrait handbags and portrait packages. As a Bonus Gift for those who contribute $50 toward a mom’s registry, you are entitled to a FREE STUDIO SESSION for your own family. (an $80 value) Call the studio for more details. 919-662-5541.

CLIENT OF THE MONTH: Josh and Michelle Gardner

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! October’s featured client of the month is Josh and Michelle Gardner. They came for a maternity session and we had so much fun. Josh is a professional soccer player who plays for the Carolina Railhawks. So I asked him to bring his soccer ball so we could get some cute shots with a round theme. Josh reminded me of Ashton Kutcher the actor who played Hank in Cheaper By the Dozen) Of course he was a lot nicer than Hank. :) My daughter Grace was thrilled to find out that Josh had signed her soccer ball. Their baby came early…. actually on the day they were supposed to come for a slideshow. Michelle will share the details of that a little later.

Here is Josh and Michelle’s story…

Josh and I met while he was playing for the professional soccer team the Los Angeles Galaxy. My brother was drafted by Los Angeles and became friends with Josh on the team. He brought him home to play golf and instead met me and we fell in love. Josh and I quickly became best friends. We dated for two and a half years and after coming home from spending the holidays with his family, Josh proposed.

We married eight months later in a small intimate wedding in California on August 30, 2008. This last year and a half has been a whirlwind for both of us. After the wedding we moved to Seattle for two months where Josh finished up his soccer season with his new team. After the season we moved back to California where about a month later we found out we were expecting our first child.

I took seven tests just to be sure! Obviously it was a surprise and unexpected and we were naturally very nervous but trusted that this is what God had for us and it was neat to know that He entrusted us with this. Also during that time we had to decide where we were going to be for our next soccer season. We had to pick between teams in Portland Oregon, Austin Texas and Cary North Carolina. After much prayer, here we are! At first I was really nervous about the idea of moving around all the time and not knowing where we would be living year to year but it is actually really exciting to see how God’s plan unfolds and how our marriage ministry is being used in the different places we go. It is amazing to see my husband living his dream and playing soccer for a living and I am a very proud wife when he is on the field!

Josh is a lefty so he is a left midfielder. The league he is playing for now is about six months long, so in the off season he coaches and does personal trainings for kids of all ages. He does both half hour sessions and hour sessions for all ages ranging from skill development to speed and strength training. If your children are interested in personal training or have questions, please contact Josh at jbyrongardner6@yahoo.com.

Addison Grace Gardner was born on August 6, 2009. She is absolutely amazing! She arrived 3 weeks earlier than expected as I had gotten Pre-eclampsia. The nurse described it as your body being allergic to the baby, seeing it as a foreign object and the only cure is delivery! Josh had been in New York for a soccer game at the time, so as soon as they sent me over to the hospital to check-in, I called him and he got on the next flight out to be with me. My mom also got on a flight that night from Los Angeles and arrived the next morning.

I was induced at 2 a.m. and after many hours of being in labor the doctors noticed that the medicine that was making me labor was slowing Addison’s heart rate down so they took me off of it and said that I was going to probably have to have an emergency C-section. Hearing this news I began praying that God would allow me to have the baby naturally. I told Him that I wouldn’t think He wasn’t any less of a great God if He didn’t make this happen but I wanted to go against the odds of what the doctors and nurses were saying only for His glory and I would use it as a platform to tell people of His goodness. The nurse came in to check on me one more time before bringing me into the operating room and said she couldn’t believe what she saw. I was still laboring and ready to give birth!

God is good and I promised Him I would tell everyone I could, so through Susies blog, here I am! Addi is almost three months old now and is a little chubby bunny! She sleeps through the night already and has for the last month, which is so great! However, she doesn’t sleep unless she is snuggled up to mommy and daddy.

We saw Susie’s photographs while at my monthly doctors appointments with Brannon and Rogers. During my pregnancy I didn’t take a lot of pictures because I wasn’t too thrilled about my “ever changing figure!” :) But I really liked the ideas and creativity I saw on Susie’s website and I thought if I’m going to take pictures, I might as well go all out! I’m not one to get in front of the camera but my “ham husband” doesn’t mind it, so he made it so much fun! He made me laugh and feel so beautiful and excited that one day Addison will see what she looked like in Mommy’s tummy.

When the three of us went to go see the slideshow Susie offered tissue beforehand, and I told her I thought I would be okay. As soon as the slideshow started, the tears started coming. Looking down at my daughter and seeing the beautiful pictures Susie took was way too much to handle! The portraits mean so much to us, and they turned out amazing and we can’t wait to show Addison one day and to tell her what a miracle it is and tell her of her amazing Creator.

Susie was very welcoming and very easy to talk to from the first time we spoke on the phone. She made it so easy to be in front of the camera and was so encouraging and made me feel so beautiful. She reminded me of what an exciting time it was because we were quickly approaching our due date. She offered such great advice as we didn’t really have anyone to talk to out here about this new time in our lives! We enjoyed so much our time spent with Susie and we would definitely recommend her to all of our friends.

-Josh & Michelle Gardner    Cary, NC

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Thank you Josh and Michelle for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful portraits and your lives. Addison is fortunate to have such wonderful parents. I’m excited for you & the adventure of parenthood. Babies are so precious…. there is nothing like them and they change your whole life. Wherever your husband’s career takes your family… look for a mother’s group called MOPS. You will love it! (http://www.MOPS.org).

If you’d like to have your child personally trained by a professional soccer player, contact Josh. He’s got a great personality and character. I know your child will love working with him. His email address is jbyrongardner6@yahoo.com

Have a great month everyone and I look forward to photographing you soon.

Blessings to you!

Click on the arrow below to view my sister’s baby shower video. It’s precious!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan of Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page.  click here to become a fan.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

Oct 02

Dear Friends,

I hope you and your family had a wonderful September. My youngest child, Micah, started preschool this month. He LOVES it and enjoys doing art, music, playing with toys and playing on the playground with his little friends. He did much better than I did. I was a little sad for a few weeks before he started school…. wondering how my little man would do. But I felt better on his first day because he was so excited to be going to preschool. He felt very proud to wear a backpack and carry a lunchbox. He didn’t even notice when I left. It was really cute, the first thing he did was get out all the trucks, planes and busses and line them up like they were in a parking lot. See picture on the right. My daughter Grace has been enjoying Upward Soccer and her youth group.

This is her first year playing and she is doing great. We have enjoyed cheering for her team on the sidelines. I’ve been photographing her team practices, which is not my normal subject matter, so it’s fun experimenting with different F stops and shutter speeds. Here are a few pictures of Grace and her cheering section (Micah & David).

I was very excited to receive an award for a portrait I entered into the 2008 Print Competition held by the Photographic Society of the Triangle. Every year, the Society has a competition with Affiliate Print Judges from the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) who critique and rate the images based on twelve criteria: 1. Impact 2. Creativity 3. Style 4. Composition 5. Print Presentation 6. Color Balance 7. Center of Interest 8. Lighting 9. Subject Matter 10. Image Quality 11. Technique 12. Story Telling.

I made a big mistake this year…. I was very busy with clients this month, so I waited until the last weekend to choose, retouch and print my images. Unfortunately I was too late to send them off to a professional lab, and I had no other option than to send them to Walgreens One Hour Photo to get my competition prints. I was excited to be able to upload the images online and pick them up an hour later. But to my disappointment, they all had print roller marks on the side and the skin tones were slightly green. The paper was not a professional quality and it was too glossy. I always send my portraits to a professional photography lab, so I didn’t realize how badly the prints look from a one hour photo store. So lesson learned…. no matter how amazing my images are, they won’t look good when they are printed in a chain store photo lab. Always go to a professional photographer….for the best quality portraits.

On a positive note, I saw many wonderful clients this month… newborns, babies, maternity, children, and families. I enjoy seeing your smiling faces and your beautiful children. Thank you for your friendship and the moments you entrust me to capture. It’s a blessing to share in your lives.

The Baby Registry

I am very excited to introduce THE BABY REGISTRY at Susie Gilmore Photograpy. It’s a great way to give the gift of portraits to a new mom & dad. It is based on the existing model of expectant mothers registering the things they need for the baby at retail outlets. With our registry, the mother-to-be lists her wants and needs for photography and photography products, such as custom made baby books, announcements, framed portrait art, photo jewelry, portrait handbags (that make great diaper bags) and portrait packages. Now, not only can her friends and family shower her with such necessities as a car seat, diapers, etc., but also with photography that will last a lifetime. THAT IS A GIFT NO MOM WOULD RETURN.

At baby showers, moms are showered with baby outfits, blankets, and the latest gadgets. New parents certainly need those practical items, but what all new parents TRULY want and NEED, is to have a professional photographer beautifully document the first year of their newborn’s life. Those tiny hands and feet, and that perfect little mouth, need to be remembered, because very soon they will be crawling, sitting up, cruising, and walking. Mothers-to-be are thrilled with the prospect of receiving a gift that not only lasts a lifetime, but one that she will treasure more than any other gift as a keepsake of her beloved baby.

As a Bonus Gift for those who contribute $50 toward a mom’s registry, you are entitled to a FREE STUDIO SESSION for your own family. (an $80 value) Call the studio for more details. 919-662-5541.

It’s time to start thinking PORTRAITS FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

How long has it been since you have had a family portrait? If it’s been over a year and you have young children… now is the perfect time!

Commission your Family Portrait in October and you’ll receive $50 off a Facebook Slideshow of all your portraits set to music.

We can also create custom photo jewelry and photo handbags from your session portraits. Hurry, sessions go quickly because this is my busiest season of the year! Call today to secure your spot 919-662-5541.

CLIENT OF THE MONTH: Liz and Sean Gallaher

I consider everyone I’ve photographed to be a part of my “studio family.” I have photographed many wonderful and interesting people over the years and I wanted to give you a glimpse of their stories along with portraits we’ve created. So come meet the rest of the family! September’s featured client of the month is Liz & Sean Gallaher. They brought their beautiful children for a sibling portrait and they were a JOY to photograph. They were very well behaved, pleasant to work with, and very photogenic. I remember saying to Liz during the middle of the session, “can you come back every year because I LOVE photographing your children!”

Their oldest son Riley reminded me of the actor who played the “new” Superman in Smallville. Their daughters Regan and Gracen were lovely. They brought their American Girl dolls that looked just like them and we captured some priceless portraits. Gaven had a happy disposition and did very well for his age. The children enjoyed each other’s company and I was very impressed with how well they got along. They were very respectful to each other. I was impressed with how patient Sean was.

For a man, I think having a photography session is like going to the dentist… they don’t enjoy it as much as the ladies do. (I’m one of those rare people who enjoy going to the dentist, but that’s another story) Many dads are ready to go home soon after we start… but Sean just enjoyed the process and was very pleasant and it helped us get a variety of portraits of the children because I was not rushed.

Sean and Liz came with a goal to have a large wall portrait created to hang over their fireplace. They wanted to remember this stage in their children’s lives. And thanks to everyone’s cooperation…. we succeeded. Liz is very creative and she brought a few beautiful antique bears from her personal collection. She also made the gorgeous tan sashes of her daughter’s dresses which matched my background. I first met Liz in a mother’s group, Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) eight years ago. She was friends with my sister, Laura Gaskins, who was also in MOPS. I love all the connections we have with one another in the different stages of our lives.

Here is Liz and Sean’s story…

I am writing this on the week of our 18th wedding anniversary. It seems like yesterday that Sean and I met in the high school cafeteria, on the first day of school of our freshman year. I was new to the school system and only knew one girl in the entire building. Sean knew everyone, already having gone to school since Kindergarten with most of our classmates. We were very different: he was athletic and I was…well, NOT! He was outgoing and I reserved, he popular and I didn’t know a soul.

But, we hung out with the same group of kids and soon became friends, spending a lot of time together but never dating. After high school we went our separate ways to different colleges.  Then after graduation, Sean from Wake Forest and me from Virginia Tech, in God’s perfect timing, we met up again with friends at a restaurant and have been together ever since. We often laugh that it is a great thing that we never dated in high school because a teenage breakup would have ruined the fantastic friendship God had planted so many years earlier.

The last eighteen years have held an unbelievable amount of joy and laughter and a few tears. Sean and I have 5 wonderful children, unbelievable gifts from God that we treasure. Four have been photographed by Susie. The kids keep us busy.  We are involved in sports, church, and volunteering. Our oldest son, Riley (16) plays football, basketball and baseball. Our oldest daughter, Regan (12), is a regular volunteer at the SPCA, and the reason we have had 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 ducks, a mouse and unlimited number of fish. And she would like lots more. Our next daughter, Gracen (9), loves music, playing clarinet and keyboard and also softball. And our youngest son, Gavin (5), loves any game involving a ball. He plays baseball, soccer, golf and flag football.  Next year we will have FOUR graduations: one from high school, one from middle school, one from elementary school and one from Kindergarten. What a week of celebration that will be!

Our fifth precious child, Kyle, passed away in 1996. This was the turning point in our marriage and a true test of our faith.  God used this time to not only heal us from the deepest wound we thought possible but to bring us closer as a couple and more importantly to Him. Kyle’s life and death brought intimate meaning to God’s sacrifice for each of us as told in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”  Praise God for Everlasting Life!

I remember first meeting Susie in a MOPS group at Colonial Church in 2001. She was sweet, energetic, talented, and had a heart for God. The next year I left MOPS and lost touch with her.  Years later, at a benefit auction, Sean and I saw a beautiful portrait of children being auctioned and we knew we had to have this photographer create a portrait of our children too. Much to our joyful surprise it was Susie!  She still has all those qualities I remembered and more.  Our session was flawless, which says a lot with 4 active kids, not all of them interested in having their picture taken.  Susie was creative, adding little touches of flowers, antique carriages, asking us to bring any special dolls, bears etc.  Susie made the kids feel comfortable and special and they really enjoyed themselves.

Previewing our pictures was wonderful.  We viewed our portraits set to music in a theatre style presentation in a large picture frame. We appreciated seeing exactly what we wanted to order. I am not suggesting that deciding was easy…actually the opposite was true. There were so many beautiful pictures that we never thought we would decide. We ended up choosing the one that really brought out our kids’ different personalities. Sure, there were many beautiful, more serious photos, but we both knew we wanted this one to hang over our mantle and look at every day for the rest of our lives.  It will always be one of our most precious belongings and a family heirloom.  Thank you Susie for your friendship and the gift of a wonderful moment, frozen in time.

-Liz and Sean Gallaher  Apex, NC

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Thank you Liz & Sean for sharing your story and for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful children and your life. I feel blessed to know you and I look forward to coming to your home and seeing that lovely wall portrait on your mantle. Congratulations on your 18th wedding anniversary! Marriage truly is a gift.

Have a great month everyone and I look forward to photographing you soon.

Blessings to you!

To see more of my work, go to http://www.SusieGilmore.com

Become a Facebook Fan of Susie Gilmore Photography and receive a FREE portrait to post on your Facebook page.  click here to become a fan.

To offer you the finest in portraiture, Susie is an active member in Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers of North Carolina and Photographic Society of the Triangle.

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Photo Jewelry



Keep your loved ones close to your heart with Photo Jewelry from your Susie Gilmore portrait.

Photo Handbags



Carry your loved ones everywhere in a Photo Handbag! Your favorite session portrait from Award-winning Photographer Susie Gilmore can be made into a Gina Alexander handbag.

FREE Sessions & 8x10



If you are a patient of the following practices, you will receive a complimentary photography session and 8x10 portrait. (Limit one per patient)

Dr. Brannon (OB/GYN) of Cary

Dr. Goodall/Dr. Bohn (Dentists) of Cary

Dr. Mallik (Endodontist) of Durham

Susie's Art Book, The Miracle of Life



This book features heart-warming portraits of expectant mothers, fathers and babies with inspirational quotes.

Maternity Portraits



Pregnancy is a beautiful time in a woman’s life. Capture the glow before it’s too late with the gift of portraits. Gift certificates are available. 662-5541.

Baby Plan



The perfect gift new parents will treasure for a lifetime: Four photography sessions plus a FREE Newborn session in baby's first year. Receive a framed collage with four portraits.... All for just $250.

Wall Portraits

Paintings



Imagine your loved ones in a Masterpiece Painting above your mantle for you to enjoy everyday. With unparalleled beauty your portrait can be transformed into a one-of-a-kind Art Piece.

Albums

Births



Congratulations to Chuck and Valerie Ionadi on the birth of their daughter Ava.

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