Another Deserving Family (Philadelphia Area Family Photographer)

Last week I had the sincere pleasure to meet and photograph my third family of Need a Smile winners. To say that this mom is deserving of having this session done with her boys is quite the understatement. Her sister nominated her and here (in her words) is why she felt compelled to do so:

"I would like to nominate my sister. She adores your work, and has always raved about friends of her's who have had sessions done through your studio. It has been a long two years for her. She had her youngest son, Aidan 7 weeks early, and while Aidan was in the hospital, the business she and her partner built burned to the ground. There was no insurance to cover the loss, and there have been financial struggles since then. Her efforts in life have revolved around taking care of my parents. Our father, who has gone through two amputations in the last 18 months, and spent months in hospital and in therapy, had come home only to suffer another set back of a stroke. My sister is the one who has spent hours upon hours running my father to all his appointments, sitting bedside with him either keeping him company or giving him a quick shave and cut, a trade she learned in high school but never pursued. She is the person who ran our mother back and forth to radiation and chemo when she was diagnosed with colon cancer this past year. My mom had a heart attack soon after and my sister is the one who took care of her. She paid attention when the nurses would visit my parents at home and if a problem arose on the days the nurses weren't at my parents', she is who handled it.
Its easy for me to say that Chrissie handled my parents due to me and our other sister living so far away, but in reality, she did it because it's who she is. She did everything in her power, to get the Veterans department to recognize my father disabilities, and was able to get him a grant to have his home handicap accessible. She found the contractors to do the work, and my parents home is currently under construction.

She is a "basketball mom" to her oldest son, there for every practice and every game. She is currently over seeing a coat drive, for the needy and homeless, that her son started, as part of community service for his confirmation. Her youngest has also been in need of some special services for which she has had to work with CHOP and get him to appointments. She has a pretty full schedule to say the least.

She herself has had two cancer scares in the last six months.

She would love having the boys pictures done by you. She deserves this, more than any other person I can think of! I can't think of a better gift for her!!"

And, I couldn't agree more! So here is just a snapshot of some of the images from our session together.

Need a Smile Family (Philadelphia Area Family Photographer)

What a joy it was to meet my second Need a Smile winners! Back in December they were nominated by a family member who had this to say:

"I am nominating my amazing sister, Jackie! She is a working mom of two, married to her high school sweetheart. He commutes almost two hours a day. They chose to have this commute so they would be closer to family, but needless to say it is difficult for both of them, and became even more difficult recently. Last year around this time my adorable little nephew Cole was diagnosed with autism. My sister and Michael have been through so much as a couple and have been sacrificing a lot for Cole's therapy treatments. They both are so giving of themselves and are doing everything they can so Cole has the therapy he needs. I always say I wish I could just do SOMETHING for them, so I am giving this a shot! Cole's big sister, Makenzie, is always looking out for her little brother and is such a joy to everyone. She lights up the room with her big smile and beautiful blue eyes! Cole just turned 2 in July and he has finally begun to walk without his medical walker and the joy to see him walk is priceless! My sister does the best she can to capture the everyday moments, and hasn't taken Cole for a portrait because it is such a challenge and, let's face it...how many kids really want to sit in the studios being forced to "smile!" She really wanted to have a family portrait done and thought the money should be used elsewhere...for Cole!"

This truly is a beautiful family! Their love for each other was evident and it has seriously taken me forever just to figure out which of their many touching and beautiful moments to put in this preview. Cole is a lucky little boy who will surely thrive because he is surrounded by devotion and love. And though I am sure that is true, I also know that the ones who will be truly blessed are those who have the pleasure of knowing and loving HIM.

Thank you for the pleasure of spending the morning together. I hope these images bring you the smile you deserve!


























A little information about Autism in case you were unaware:

* 1 in every 110 children are diagnosed with Autism. That makes it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.

* Autism is 3-4 times more likely to strike boys (1 in about 70 boys are diagnosed).

* Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others

* There are several forms of Autism

If you would like to learn more, please visit the Autism Speaks page by clicking here.

If you would like to get involved in supporting the cause to raise awareness, support and research funding for Autism you can make a donation here or you can plan to participate in a walk.


If you live in the Philadelphia area there is a walk coming up at the end of September. More information can be found here.

Nicole and Malia (Chester County Children's Photographer)

Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing my first "Need a Smile" winners. The bright sunshine could not even begin to outshine the beauty and love of this mother and daughter.

Nicole is a close friend of mine from college and not only is it great when I get to spend time with her, but capturing special moments of her and her daughter Malia makes my heart smile.

I know they (and the person who nominated them) are very eager to see this preview, so I will just let the images speak for themselves. Enjoy your preview!

Need a Smile Giveaway Winners! (Chester County Children's Photographer)

In the last 10 days I have had the tremendous honor of reading the stories of some amazing people. People with resilience, determination, hope, unfailing love and faith. Each nomination deeply touched my heart. Everyone who emailed me did such a wonderful job of conveying how this gift would truly put a smile on the faces of those they love who are struggling, or have struggled in some way recently.

I have read the nominations over and over trying to decide who the winner of the free session should be and what I have decided is...they are all winners!
Yes, you read that right. Each of the 6 nominees will be receiving a free session. And here is the reason why.

I know that I could have just put names in a hat and drawn out a very deserving winner, but Christmas is about hope, unconditional, unfailing love and the gift and blessing of a Savior....my Savior. My family and I have been richly blessed in so many ways and by so many people this year and this is just one small way to share and show the love, hope and faith I have with others.

Over the coming months I will introduce you to these wonderful people and will joyfully display their smiling faces for all of you to see.

Merry Christmas!

Need a Smile Giveaway (Photography Giveaway)

Last year at this time I gave away a free session to a very deserving family in need of a smile. And this year I'm doing it again!

Do you know a family, a couple, a child or anyone for that matter, that could use a pick me up in the form of a FREE photo session? If so, I want to hear about it.

I have been so blessed by this business and all the wonderful people I have had the sincere pleasure of working with and this Christmas season I want to share that blessing.

Maybe you know of a family that has been struggling with illness, job loss or some other difficult situation, and family pictures would bring some joy back to their hearts and faces. Whatever the reason, if you know someone deserving I want to hear the story.

From today, December 4th, until December 14th, I will take submissions. Please email me at susanfordphotography@gmail.com with the story of why your nominee should be the winner of the free session. Please be specific. I don't need to know every little detail, but you need to convince me that your nominee is the most deserving. "They are good people" won't cut it. You don't have to be a spectacular writer or perfect speller, just a person who cares enough about someone you know to tell me their story, in a persuasive way, in the hope that they will be given this gift.

I will choose a winner by December 15th.

Please spread the word about this giveaway by email, Facebook and word of mouth as you see fit.

I look forward to hearing about some amazing people in the coming days and putting a smile on the face of the winner(s).

Merry Christmas!

Need A Smile Giveaway Winner Session - Lupo Family

Back in December I had a giveaway for a free session to a family that was in need of a smile. The winning family was the Lupo Family. If you missed my post on why they were selected you can read it here. Since the winter was a snowy mess, we decided to schedule the session for the much more beautiful and warm, Spring.
Last weekend I finally had the pleasure of meeting this lovely family. The smiles were abundant and the location was gorgeous. I have been wanting to do a session at this location for awhile and I was so excited when they agreed that it sounded like a lot of fun.
The Lupo kids were not shy at all and were both cooperative and full of ideas on where we should take pictures. As we moved around the area, they collected flowers for their mom and before the session was over she had a beautiful bouquet.
It was such a joy to be able to give them this session and I hope they will cherish these images for many years to come.

Lupo Family...enjoy your sneak preview and thank you for sharing your time and story with me!