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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm

Ratchford Studio, 208 Commercial Street, North Sydney, NS (2026)

10/02/2026

Good morning, everyone! Please welcome our newest Cutest Little Caper, Mr. Theodore! ❤️

I first got to meet this cute little fella during his mom’s consultation with us, along with Nana, of course!

Little sidebar here… I photographed his Nana way back in 1993 when she was in Miss North Sydney! 😳 A little shout-out to Earlene! ❤️

Anyway, the minute I met Theodore, I knew that when his photo shoot came around, I’d better wear my sneakers and jogging suit.

😂 At two years old, you could already tell this little guy had ENERGY!

And I was right.

Usually I can get a few studio portraits before the little ones run out of steam and we head outside, weather permitting.

Theodore had a little cold coming on, though, and he was a bit fussier than usual.

Being contained and standing still were definitely NOT on his agenda that day. 😂

But we did manage to get that beautiful classic fishing portrait that I love so much.

Honestly, that fishing scene is everybody’s favourite. It just works! The kids seem to love it too… at least for a few minutes. 😂

Then we headed outside.

And THAT is when the jogging suit came in handy!

Mr. Theodore is a man on the move. He likes to keep things moving, and quite a few of these photographs were literally taken while he was on the run!

But look at him. ❤️

Super handsome. Super cute. And full of personality.

There’s even one photo where he looks decidedly unimpressed with all of us… probably because we had the nerve to try to make him stand still! 😂

And that’s something I want parents to know about these sessions.

Your child does NOT have to sit perfectly still for me to get beautiful photographs.

Quiet, shy, busy, wild, serious, giggly or running at full speed — we work with them exactly as they are.

As long as my knees, back and sneakers hold out, I’m good to go. 😂

His pretty mom even got in an impromptu photo!

Seriously, though, we LOVE our annual Cutest Little Caper Contest.

It continues to make us smile every year, not only because of the wonderful children and families we meet, but because it allows us to support something incredibly important to our entire community

— the Patient Care Fund at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.

Since beginning Cutest Little Caper, we are now approaching $40,000 raised, and we are incredibly proud of that. ❤️

And we’re not finished yet!

For only $149.95, your little one can become one of our Cutest Little Capers!

Your entry includes:

❤️ Your photography session
❤️ One beautiful 8x10 portrait
❤️ Entry into our annual Cutest Little Caper Contest
❤️ And most importantly, helping us continue to support the Patient Care Fund at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital

If you’d like additional portraits, we always have an in-person consultation beforehand so you know exactly how everything works before your session.

Cutest Little Caper — newborn to 8 years old.

📩 Message us to book your little Caper!

And Theodore…

Thanks for the workout, buddy. 😂❤️

10/01/2026

I know there is an anxious family waiting for this Cutest Little Caper post!

Actually… a Cutest Little Caper AND her sister, who is ALSO a Cutest Little Caper! Our contest goes all the way from newborn to eight years old! ❤️

Meet Lexi and Caliana!

These girls had the time of their lives at the studio, and I think it’s something—at least for Lexi—that she’ll remember for a long time.

Lexi has quite a way with her little sister and knows EXACTLY how to make her smile.

Now, let’s face it… I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’m usually pretty good at getting kids to beam at the camera. 😂

But Lexi was watching me work and decided she had a better solution.

I got her to come really close to my camera so Caliana would look in my direction, and Lexi simply said…

“Cali… I farted.”

🤣🤣🤣

Well, Cali thought this was the FUNNIEST thing she had ever heard!

And it worked.

Over and over and over again.

What a secret weapon Lexi turned out to be! 😂

The truth is, Caliana absolutely adores her big sister. She looks up to her, finds everything she does entertaining and, like little sisters tend to do, wants to copy her too.

I wondered afterwards how the session would have gone if Caliana had come by herself. I’m sure we would have gotten some beautiful photographs—but having her big sister there made the whole experience that much more memorable.

And Mom, Dad and Nana certainly seemed to enjoy it too. ❤️

These are the kinds of days I love at the studio.

And YES—we are still accepting Cutest Little Capers for this year’s campaign!

It’s only $149.95 to take part, and $50 from every session goes to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Patient Care Fund.

Over the last few years, together with our families, we have raised tens of thousands of dollars, and we are getting very close to our goal of $40,000! ❤️

So you’re not only getting wonderful photographs of your little one—you’re helping us do something pretty special for our community.

There are lots of prizes for our winners, of course…

But let’s face it.

Bragging rights are pretty cool too. 😂

In truth, ALL of these kids are beyond cute, and we feel very lucky to photograph so many of them year after year.

If you have a little one from newborn to eight years old and would like to be part of this year’s Cutest Little Caper, give us a call at 902-794-8880 or message us right here on Facebook.

And grant us just a little patience if you don’t hear back immediately—we are right in the middle of moving the studio and working through all the logistics! 😅

But we ARE still taking appointments!

Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone! ❤️

—John & the Ratchford Gang

09/29/2026

I know some people worry about their kids.

Well, let’s be honest… probably every parent does.

Are they getting everything they need? Are they fitting in? Are they able to express themselves? Do they feel confident? Do they know how beautiful and special they really are?

Those are some of the things I hear about the most.

And it’s one of the reasons we love doing our Ratchford Next Top Model & Tween program.

Now, it’s certainly not the answer to everything in life. 😂 But I do think we have a unique ability here at the studio to see people—to understand them, celebrate what’s different about them, and sometimes show them something wonderful in themselves that maybe they haven’t quite seen yet.

When I met Zoe, one of the first things I noticed was her energy and how incredibly fit she seemed.

I said to her, “You look like a superhero!”

And you could actually see her perk right up.

She went from being a little shy to having this whole different energy.

I think when kids realize that you genuinely see them—and see what’s unique about them—it gives them a little boost of confidence.

But really, isn’t that true for all of us?

Don’t we all just want to be seen, valued and heard?

I know the people who have made me feel that way in my own life are people I’ve never forgotten.

Zoe had such a cool energy. She was even singing in the studio! 😂 And we managed to keep that energy going for the whole shoot… as long as I kept supplying the Gatorade. LOL!

We started off simple, and I could tell she was having fun.

It was actually such a rainy day that I wondered if we should cancel the outdoor part altogether. But toward the end of the day, the sky finally opened up and gave us a beautiful little window to get outside.

And I’m SO glad it did.

I had this little poncho hanging around the studio and suggested Zoe put it on.

That took a little coaxing. 😂 She wasn't convinced she was going to like it.

Well… it ended up creating one of my favourite photographs of her!

Funny how that works.

I knew it would work with the fence and the whole feel of the location, and I absolutely love what we created.

Sometimes it just takes a fresh set of eyes to see something in you that maybe you didn’t see yourself.

We love doing that for people here.

If you have a tween between 9 and 13, we absolutely LOVE this little program.

Tweens bring some of the best energy into our studio, and there’s something pretty special about watching them come alive in front of the camera and seeing that confidence begin to show.

We are still accepting Tweens for this year’s program!

If you’d like to learn more, there’s absolutely no cost to come in and chat with us.

Send us a message here or call 902-794-8880 to book a consultation or simply ask us some questions.

Have the best day, everyone! ❤️

— John & the Ratchford Gang

PS: Thank you Zoe my little Superhero for a great and fun day!!!

Address

208 Commercial Street
North Sydney, NS
B2A1B7

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

1902-794-8880

Website

http://www.ratchfordphotographic.com/

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