It snowed here yesterday. It doesn’t do that very often; almost never actually. So, everyone was pretty excited. And, yes, we even had a SNOW DAY! As with most of our snow storms, this one ended in rain…and then the sure to follow…ice. During the changeover from snow to rain, everything outside took on this beautiful misty, foggy look. So, I grabbed my camera, my daughter and her two friends (who were playing upstairs) and headed down to the Perkiomen Trail for some quicky quick photos before it really started raining! And, oh yes, it did start raining!

Rebecca was a favorite client of mine. I photographed her a couple of times along with her beautiful husky DD and her son Matt. Photographs were important to Rebecca. She had a strong passion for photographs and the memories they hold.

Last fall, Rebecca called me for a session with herself, DD, Matt and the new man in her life…Frank. Rebecca simply glowed during the session, and I remember telling her many times, just how beautiful she looked. She was surrounded by those she loved most and, hopefully, I was able to capture that in the photographs.

On December 31 – just two days ago, Rebecca passed away from pancreatic cancer. She had been battling it for a while. I still cannot believe she is gone, and when I look at the photographs below, I can only remember her smile, her laugh and her love for Matt, DD and Frank. She was a strong, successful woman and my thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends in this time of unbelievable sorrow.

My absolute, hands down, most favorite photograph of all that I created of Rebecca. This was her.

All images ©Susan Dodd

Remember the red door shot from Ursinus College?  How could you forget, it’s only a few posts down! 

So, this is what I do for fun. As all of my clients know, I love setting images to music. I love music. As a matter of fact, I used to sing in a small band. Love to sing. Love music. Love photography set to music.

Occasionally, when I hear a song for the first time, I am struck by the fact that I need to use it as a background for some of my images.

Such was the case when I heard this song. Right at about the midway point of “Twilight” is the baseball scene…which may be arguably the absolute best scene in the movie. Great scene, great action, great music….Super Massive Black Hole…an amazing song by Muse.

So, yesterday I sat down with the images from the “red door” sitting and Super Massive Black Hole… and created this…a pretty fun show. I really think the images were perfect for the song, since my daughters and nephews…although they are most definitely not vampires….do “bad ass” pretty darned well.

Now remember, I am biased when it comes to these subjects!

If you would like, click the letters (or the photo) below and enjoy!

..d.. | ..e.. | ..b.. | ..c..

All images ©Susan Dodd

I know, it’s an overused term.  But if ever it fit, here is the place! 

I photographed the Hackett family for their Christmas card this year.  What a wonderful family! Linda is my good friend, Nancy’s twin sister! I always knew Nancy had a twin sister, but never had given it much thought. This year, Linda saw some work I had done for Nancy, and wanted me to do the same for her family! What luck for me. Have you ever had a friend you felt so incredibly lucky to have? Well, just imagine finding out that there are two of them! No, I know twins are never exactly the same, but Nancy and Linda share many of the same wonderful qualities! Like I said, what luck!

It was a lovely, chilly day for portraits. The Hacketts were so much fun! It was an effortless sitting, and I left their home with a warm feeling and a smile on my face!

So, tell me if you agree…Cutie P. Tooties?

All images ©Susan Dodd

It was so great to see Lynne and Zoe again!  This time, not only did Lynne bring Zoe along, but she brought some wonderful new friends as well; Roger and Timmy and sweet little Mabel! It was a chilly but beautiful fall day and we had so much fun at my favorite location. I secretly call this park the Susan Dodd Environmental Studio…cuz I’m always there!

Lynne and Zoe..so beautiful!

Timmy. He’s wiggly, happy and oh so cute!

Beautiful Zoe. Rescued from Greece where she was hit by a car, beaten and left to die, Zoe has found a wonderful life with Lynne. Zoe is the sweetest girl. She gets around like nobody’s business in her little wheelchair!

Roger and Mabel and Lynne.

Wicked awesome!

All images ©Susan Dodd

On Thursday (Thanksgiving day) I finally got to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Last minute, I decided to grab my nephews and my daughters for some quick, but hopefully cool photos. It really was last minute; the turkey was waiting…impatiently

But, luckily, we managed to pull a few off.

Ursinus College’s campus is absolutely gorgeous and just full of great locations.

I actually went to Ursinus College – for a week….but that’s a whole different story! Anyway….we ran around grabbing shots on the fly…here and there.

Here’s a peek.

| DAVID |

| BRIAN |

I’m lovin this red door shot!

| THE WHOLE GANG |

Aren’t they cool? 

Nope, I’m not biased. 

Not at all. 

All images ©Susan Dodd

I hope this day finds you warm, lazy, healthy and loved. Whoever you spend your day with… friends, family, pets, humans…whoever, relax and ENJOY!

We’re trying a new recipe I found on Blog Nosh. It’s a little scary, because there are only TWO ingredients – pumpkin and spice cake mix. Easy enough, but we shall see! 20 minutes in the oven, two ingredients, healthy goodness? Who could ask for more!

Try it, we are!

Just a little reminder…Christmas is coming! It’s just around the bend. Are you ready?

Happy Thanksgiving!

All images ©Susan Dodd.

Eryn and her friend Meghan seem to keep finding themselves in front of my camera. Or, more accurately, they put themselves in front of my camera. Hey, it’s fun to pose. We did our first session right in the middle of the day when the sun couldn’t have been any higher in the sky – not the best for portraits; so I promised them I’d do another session. Well, this time they “forced” me to run over to the the middle school right at dusk – or should I say ONE minute before complete darkness!!!  

Actually, though, it made for an interesting look. They are so into it, aren’t they?

We had Eryn’s Sweet Sixteen party this weekend. I rented a sweet suite at the Homewood Suites, and Eryn and 5 of her closest friends and I hung out! It was great fun. The girls swam, ate, played games, watched the olympics and basically had an awesome time. The suite was gorgeous, and I highly recommend doing this for a special birthday party.

Late Saturday morning, just before checkout, I did some “hotel room” photos. We didn’t have much time at all – only about 15 minutes – but I managed to get a few memorable images.

Eryn and the girls (just 5, one had to leave early), but here they are…..
Meghan…Brooke…ERYN…Rachel…Meredith

Silly…

This is Rachel. She and Eryn have been friends since they were born..well, pretty much! Aren’t her eyes spectacular?!

Brooke! So beautiful! She and Eryn go way back and it was so awesome to have Brooke with us for the party!

Meredith. Naturally beautiful, and beautifully natural in front of my camera!

Meredith and Brooke. They didn’t even know each other before the party, but I thought they looked great with their long hair, so I put them together. Simply stunning!

And this last one…Eryn and Meghan. We did these photos a little while ago, but I never posted them, so here is one of my favorites..

All images ©Susan Dodd Photography.

Today my daughter, Eryn, turned 16. That’s right, 16 years ago, on this day, I gave birth to my first beautiful daughter. It’s so unreal how time just flies, but I have enjoyed every single minute of it! Eryn has been my assistant since I started my Cool Pets business, so many of you may know her. She has an amazing way with animals and is a huge asset to each session. Whether she is beside me helping to get my subject’s attention, or off keeping one, two or three dogs busy, while I’m working with the fourth dog, she is always there. I love our sitting adventures, and wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Mostly, I wouldn’t trade her for anything.

Eryn and I recently headed out to do some fun photos. I wanted to experiment, so off we went to the railroad tracks. Here are some of the results, along with a not so recent image.

Then and now..

Not sure of the exact date of this photo, but I think Eryn was only a few months old. We were on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey – one of our most favorite places at that time, and my husband, Derek, snapped this.

And, now, all grown up and beautiful.

All images ©Susan Dodd Photography.