{family} The Ruskowski Family

The air was crisp and salty. The wind carried the heat of the day off the ocean; the kind of heat that stays on your skin long after you leave the beach. The sun was setting, but everything was illuminated. The last few people were slowly making their way home as we walked down 83rd Street beach in Stone Harbor, NJ. That was where I met Anne and her three children, all teenagers and all smiles. Some walkers stopped to tell the Ruskowski kids how great they looked and a couple of surfers managed to call out to them, cheering them on for their shoot. It was obvious that Stone Harbor is a second home to their family and they are very well-liked by everyone they know.

Sally, Tim, and Laura really did look wonderful. They didn’t want to wear all the same outfits, but decided to wear all different hues of blue, which not only accented their eyes but the water as well. Each style, I found as I got to know them a little more, was unique to their own personalities. The entire hour flew by and not a minute went by without laughs, conversation, and small-world connections we made. They were an absolute delight to get to know and to photograph; it was easy to see why everyone we saw on the beach knew and loved them.

We went everywhere to take pictures: the dunes, the water, the snack stand, the life guard chair, and the life guard boat. Sally, Tim, and Laura were not only cooperative, but they were so much fun! The three of them reminded me so much of myself and my siblings (same birth order too!) because of their easy-going personalities and the goofiness they were able to show. At the end of our shoot, we had the most adorable surprise: their adopted dog, POTUS. POTUS not only has his own Instagram account, but he is incredibly photogenic. He posed with the kids as mom, Anne, beamed with pride for her family. It was truly something special to watch and capture the dynamic between the three of them.

They were the most polite, respectful, silly, adventurous and cooperative family. Photographing them at their happy place, on the perfect day, during a lingering sunset was truly a wonderful experience. As we traveled all across the beach I kept thinking of a quote from one of my favorite novels by Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees: …“the redness had seeped from the day and night was arranging herself around us. Cooling things down, staining and dyeing the evening purple and blue black.”