The best baby faux-hawk ever.

"Oh my goodness."

If you've ever hung out with Jeff or Carolle (or both!) during a baby portrait session (see more from our Bebe Collection), you've probably heard that phrase once or twice (maybe more?). I would venture to say it attempts to express a reaction to things beyond cute . . . and believe me; we get a lot of that here.

Take little Tyler for example- just look at this little guy.

Tyler, like Mason (read about little Mason in Wednesday's post), is also 4 months old and came in with his mom, Carly just a few days ago.

Tyler is the second child in the family to visit our studio for Bebe portraits. We love working with him and big brother Dylan every time they come in for portraits. "Too cute for words" pretty much sums this session up . . . don't you agree?

Wow- three posts in a week!

Happy 100th birthday, Aunt Rachel!

We LOVE this recent WMUR story of Jeff's great-aunt Rachel taking a spin at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway for her 100th birthday. Jeff and his family recently spent some time taking portraits of Rachel and her children to commemorate the occasion.

In honor of her 100th birthday, I thought we'd show you some of her portraits from a few weeks ago . . . we think they capture her cheerful disposition and love for life.

A few days after their session, Rachel's daughters stopped by the studio and I asked them to reveal her secret . . . they said simply, "a positive attitude and a healthy diet." Hmmm . . . sounds good to me!

Thanks for spending time with us, Rachel. Happy Birthday!

~Abby

Baby portraits with Mason, 4 months.

This week is dedicated to snuggly baby posts!

Today, we're featuring baby Mason and his mom and dad, Yvonne and Peter. We were just tickled by Mason's sweet demeanor (not a bit of fussing for his hour-portrait session, we kid you not!) and adorable little habits- check out the "I Love You" sign as he sucks on his fingers.

And if that doesn't do you in, his big brown eyes surely will win you over.

This was Mason's first visit to the Dachowski Photography studio for portraits, and as you can tell, he's already a pro!

Thanks, Yvonne, Peter and Mason for coming to visit us!

We love to share precious moments.

We're constantly gushing about how privileged we feel to share the most special occasions in the lives of our clients.

Who can beat the feeling of capturing the sweetest moments of weddings, new babies, bar mitzvahs and Golden Anniversaries? We're just so lucky.

We've had quite a few clients approach us with First Holy Communions and baptisms over the years and spring is always a time when people plan for these occasions. Looking back on some of these sessions, I've been struck by how they are so

timeless, reminiscent of generations past and are a special glimpse into landmark moments in the lives of many children and parents (not to mention how much easier it is to capture beautiful images in a controlled studio . . . no competing with other cameras and proud parents after mass!). I can imagine these are portraits passed down to children and then (one day) grown grandchildren . . . how neat is that?

You can learn more about Jeff and Carolle's photography of children, infants and special events by visiting our website.

~Abby

P.S. Please remember Dachowski Photography is closed Good Friday and Easter weekend (April 23-25th). If you need to reach us, please leave us a message at (603) 626.7300 and we'll return your call when we're back in the studio. Best wishes for a blessed weekend!

Guest Post: Why You Should Never Skimp on Wedding Photography

We love scoping out hot topics amongst other wedding professionals across the country. I stumbled upon this article by stationery designer/venue owner Southall Eden and thought, "That's worth sharing!" It's not every day you discover a piece from a potential competitor written in support of what YOU do . . . neat huh? We think these are some wise words to consider; enjoy! ~Abby

Why You Should Never Skimp on Wedding Photography

"Let’s face it. Weddings are crazy expensive. I’m all about finding ways to save money, and there are lots of ways you can do so. But if you only splurge on one thing for your wedding, let it be photography. That’s right, I’m a venue owner and a stationery designer and I’m not telling you that your splurge item should not be one of those things, but photography. Why? Because its true! Chances are you know someone who is a “photographer” and its tempting to hire them for cheap or even have them shoot your wedding as a wedding gift to you to save money, but hear me now and believe me later, DON’T DO IT!!!

Here’s why:

1. You will not get this chance again.

This is your wedding. Hopefully you will only be having one. Isn’t it worth the investment? The #1 regret I hear from Southall Eden brides about their wedding day is that they are not happy with their photos. Don’t be one of them. Besides, when else will all your family and friends be gathered in one place? Probably never, except for at your funeral, and by then you won’t care. My own sister had a very mediocre photographer at her wedding. Within a year, both my grandma and my mom passed away. Those are the last family pictures we will ever have, and they are not good. The value of that now far exceeds the $1,000 or whatever money was saved on the photographer.

2. It’s not just for you, its for everyone who loves you.

Of course your wedding day should be all about your and your fiance, but don’t forget how much time, effort, and money your family and wedding party have put into it as well. They deserve some nice photos to remember the occasion by. But even more than that, think about future generations. Won’t your kids and grandchildren want to see these? What girl doesn’t love seeing old wedding photos of the generations before her? This is the one aspect of your wedding (aside from your marriage itself) that will last forever.

3. A wedding photographer can anticipate what will happen next.

This is why you should not only get a great photographer, you should get a great wedding photographer. The word “photographer” encompasses a variety of people- family photographers, fashion photographers, commercial photographers, etc. Being good at one area doesn’t necessarily mean you are good at another. If you hire someone whose livelihood is shooting weddings, there is a pretty good chance they have done this enough times to not only know where they need to be in order to capture certain moments, but also random things like what kind of light will come through a stained glass window at 5:00 in May, etc.

4. A great photographer can turn an ordinary wedding into an extraordinary wedding.

I have seen this first hand on multiple occasions. A couple is on a tight budget and doesn’t have a lot of money for decor or fancy extras at their wedding. But they hire a great photographer, and lo and behold when you see the photos you would think the wedding cost twice what it really did. The photographer captures everything at its best, and everything that is wonderful about the day, and when you look at your photos you remember your wedding day fondly.

5. If it doesn’t turn out well, you don’t want to have hard feelings with a friend.

This is a big one. If you hire (or ask a favor from) a friend and the photos don’t turn out well, it can seriously damage your relationship. Every time you see that person for the rest of your life you will think of how s/he “ruined” your wedding photos. It may not be intentional, but you will. Its kind of like if they ran over your cat with their car tire. You know its not intentional, but you can’t help but associating them with this one unfortunate act.

So how much does a great wedding photographer cost? This depends on what all is included. Some photographers quote their rates for shooting only, while others quote packages that include both shooting and prints, albums, digital images, etc. When you are researching photographers you should keep this in mind and make sure you are comparing apples to apples with regard to pricing. That being said, I know a couple of great photographers whose coverage starts around $2,000, but you should not be startled at a base price of $3,500 either. Sure that’s a lot of money, but what you get in return is priceless. How can you argue with that?"

~Southall Eden via WedCandy

Look what we found!

Oh, the things you find when searching your boss' name on YouTube. Recorded at Imaging USA in San Antonio back in January. Yeah, Jeff!

On the road.

Just last week Jeff was off (again!)- this time to our nation's capitol to photograph an engagement session for a couple marrying in August. Photographing romantic images in the middle of cherry blossom season was far too good to pass up and Jeff zipped back and forth from D.C. in just a day and half! The couple and he braved a pretty nasty rainstorm and still made it out with some beautiful images.

This session is so fresh that our clients haven't even seen their portraits yet! That said, you'll have to wait a bit to catch of glimpse. In the meantime, feast your eyes upon a image Jeff created of the Lincoln Memorial during his trip. Truly captures the distinguished and monumental nature of the memorial, does it not?

Through Jeff's Lens: The Baltimore Basilica

While passing through Baltimore, the Dachowskis paid a visit to the Baltimore Basilica- both a national historic monument and the first cathedral in America.

For all the history and architecture buffs out there, the Basilica was built from 1806-1821 and has hosted visitors such as Pope John Paul II and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. It stands as the first cathedral in America.

Jeff and Carolle visited the Basilica the day Carolle's brother was named Archbishop of Quebec . . . Jeff remarked that the visit was especially moving on such a momentous morning.

Have you checked us out on YouTube?

We know that there isn't exactly anything new about YouTube, but we recently updated our channel with a few videos- it's now featuring seniors and weddings (plus a little tour of the studio)!

Keep a look out for more of these- especially during the spring and summer when wedding season is in full force and seniors begin to come in for their portraits. Things are about to get very busy (and very exciting) here, so visit often!