When photographing the Sutters at the Historic Pearl, you have to know how much I adore these folks.  JB and Donna are a couple that my husband and I met in 2010 at a home group hosted by Riverside Church. JB and Donna are a very generous, loving, kind, joyful couple, and I can’t say enough how grateful I am to have crossed paths.  They have two sons, Ben and Will, and their patience and playfulness with those boys during the session made it fun, carefree and a fantastic experience for all.

Instead of a hug, handshake or a fist-bump, upon arrival JB greeted me with an elbow bump! Haha.  You wouldn’t believe it that he was sick during the session as he pulled off those joyful smiles extremely well. Donna, having prepared 3 men for this important evening, greeted me with happiness, kindness and poise.  We met inside Hotel Emma which is a must if you haven’t stayed there before! A-mazing. It was warm inside with a beautiful Christmas tree lit, as always, this time of year. I was so happy to see Ben and Will’s faces as they came around the corner, a year older and a year more handsome.

Walking around the Historic Pearl is always a pleasure, so we saved the best for the last.  We started off at the river and took some beautiful shots by the water.  The boys found sticks and tall grass along the way for their own fun, tickling each other with the grass and playing with the sticks.  I love seeing kids, no matter their age, finding fun along the way at a session… it makes my heart smile! My wit can only go so far. 😉

Making our way back, we had a lot of laughs with walking photos, sitting photos, individuals and love story photos with just JB and Donna.  All throughout the session, Donna kept a joyful disposition, allowing me to capture perfection every time all the boys were looking and smiling the right way.  (It’s a lot harder than you think as a mom to appear joyful when something as important as your wall photos are at stake!) Thank you so much, Donna and JB, for this amazing opportunity to take pictures of your beautiful family once again.  I’m truly and wonderfully blessed.

~Hannah Charis