Susan McLaren Photography

My goal is to simply capture the beauty that God has created. I'll do any type of photo-shoot, but I favor portraits. I hope to convey the essence and beauty of the individual and share that with you, the viewer and the client.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

P.S. You can find SMP on Facebook for more photos and contact information.

Artist focus: Vivian Maier

Every once in a while I find these great artists that make me stop everything…. and look at their work. I find myself spending hours clicking through the links to discover more of them. You cannot overlook great artists. Today’s focus is Vivian Maier.

What I find most interesting about her is how she was discovered. She was a nanny in New York in the 1960’s living a completely ordinary life that could have easily been overlooked. Her photos were recently discovered in the attic of a house that just happened to be sold to someone that cared enough about making her work known. John Maloof saw her talent and has since been working hard to get her work “out there.” Now, she is considered as one of the greatest street photographers. Check her out!

Introducing, Singer/Songwriter Anna Natale! Her CD will be coming out THIS May. You should check it out! She’s pretty great. We had a lot of fun shooting in the woods. A little shady… but we survived! and got some great shots as well! Hope you enjoy!

I found these pictures “lying” around on my desktop, so I decided to share. My mother owns a business called Unique Life Stories. Her job is use old records (diaries/pictures/recipes etc.) to create a biography of the person’s or persons’ lives. These photographs are from a while ago when my mother made a book with memoirs and recipes of her father’s father and mother who were missionaries to South America. She presented the book to my grandfather which was a very special occasion. They came all the way from Texas to come see us and for my mother to present the book to my grandparents! These are just a couple of pictures from the event.

Presenting, the wonderful Dana Woodard! These are some of the photos that we took for her Senior photos. *Sniff* They grow up so fast!

Presenting the Parker Family! I took photos for Dave and Janel when they were pregnant this past Spring. Now, baby Isaac is six months old! He is getting so big! We revisited the park where we took their maternity photos. It was neat to see the happy little addition to this wonderful family. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and it wasn’t too cold. The leaves are so pretty in fall. Lovely!

Presenting the beautifully talented Summer Anthony! She is a fashion major at Liberty University and, may I say, quite talented. This is just one of the dresses that she has designed. It is made from old sheets (notice the dinosaurs?). I love it! Check her out on Facebook: ViaSummerLynn.

Here are some photos from our YLPS trip where we went to an orchard in Amherst. Despite a couple of detours, we finally made it before the sun set! It was so gorgeous out there! Can I just say, Fall is wonderful? Yes.

Artist Focus: Arnold Newman

In my array of photography books and magazines, I found on the edge of the page a tiny paragraph called “must-see master: Arnold Newman.” This is one of my favorite photography books, I have found so many random photographers that have inspired me to stretch my techniques. The paragraph below his name reads: “Newman is arguably one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century… [he] is widely credited with inventing environmental portraiture— placing subjects in settings that capture their personality and their work, such as actors on set or writers at their desks.” I must say I agree.

Rarely do we think that what we see on magazines everywhere had an innovator, someone that dared to go beyond the typical portrait. His photos are amazing. The humanity and care placed into each portrait is beautiful— AND it was done before this crazy, overdone, overproduced digital age. When you look at his work, it’s like he knows these people on such an intimate level. How did he do it?! It boggles my mind. I wish that I could one day be a third the portrait photographer that he was. On this beautiful Sunday afternoon, I just had to take a minute to share. So, stop for a minute and admire this man’s talent. Everyone has a story, who are you?

There has been a new addition to the family!! Meet Kisa! She was rescued off of the streets by one of my friends. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t keep this little kitty in her apartment. Fortunate for me, I get to keep her! She is rambunctious for sure, but very entertaining and a great model. She’s a natural!

I journeyed to Richmond this weekend and took photos for a bridal shower. The couple are having their wedding in Georgia next month. These wonderful ladies of Grove Avenue Baptist Church decided to throw a shower for Matt and Tiffany because many of them would not be able to attend the wedding so far away. Here’s a little bit from that afternoon. They ended the shower with a blessing and gathered around them for prayer. Such a beautiful time!