Just as time passes, so to do the family moments. Do you remember when your son asked you if he could call you “Mom” instead of “Mommy”? I do.
Do you remember when your daughter got her own band-aide instead of asking you for one? I do. Do you remember when your spouse gave you a
rose for no reason other than to surprise you? Ok, now that one’s got me stumped. But I think you get the point.

Time is fleeting. Memories are all we have sometimes. Portraits preserve moments. They capture, in an instant, that one moment of time … forever.

What moment will be next as a memory in your life?
Aimee

The Hauser Family

One of very few families to “fall into professional photography,” this trio (quartet if you count Hello Kitty, who has in fact participated in a session) includes a set of working parents, one gorgeously cute and hysterically funny little blondie, lives in the northern part of Raleigh where, like all families, they take life “one step at a time,” says Mom … Fran.

Back when Pure Expressions Photography was in its owner’s home, Alexis (also kindly regarded as “Alex”) was a test subject (also known as guinea pig) for Aimee. “When Aimee was starting out, I was very interested in her work and offered to do test shots for the different techniques she was learning,” says Fran.

Two test sessions in the very first studio, and two studio sessions at the Chatham street studio and this family is hooked! They’ve remained indoor for their sessions, using the studios. “I love the simplicity of the decor, and didn’t want to deal with unpredictable weather,” says Fran. On the flip side, at a friend’s outdoor birthday party, the ball-pit image (to the right) was captured and has been a conversation starter for nearly two years! As a former studio sample, it is now a conversation piece in their house.

With so many sessions under her belt, we wondered what Fran does with all her portraits. She noted that she hangs her portraits on her walls, puts prints in albums, at her office and shares with family and friends, like most of us do. However, she’s more inclined to purchase digital image files than any other product. Says Fran, “I love the fact that if something happened to the prints, I could just re-create them. I have saved copies of the digital images to a CD and have put them in my Safe Deposit Box to ensure I will never lose them.”

As a working class family, flexibility has been a key factor in the success
of their portrait sessions. “I work full time, and I love the flexibility that we have when scheduling the appointments. Alex came down with hives a few days before we were supposed to have the photos taken, and Aimee was very accommodating by switching it to another day,” said Fran.

Given that Fran, her husband and daughter started as test subjects and have grown with Aimee, we asked her what draws her back? Why choose to drive to the southern part of Wake County? Why be shuffled from one studio to the next? Why? “I love how Aimee handles Alex. She is so caring, and it is obvious she loves what she does. The cutest part was when Alex wanted to sit on her lap. There was no way to get a picture of her there, but Aimee handled it with finesse. I love the way she captures Alex’s true personality in the pictures,” says Fran.

Fran, Jonathan, Alex … thank you for being our Featured Family!