Professional Services in Hartford

The owners of Big Z Cleaners, Twin City Dry Cleaners, & Squeeky's Cleaners & Laundromat wash and dry-clean garments with environmentally friendly practices and a keen eye for detail honed over a span of 40 years. After dry-cleaning silk blouses, suits, or dress shirts stained with business-related marinara sauce, specialists press collars and cuffs and preserve their shapes with a customizable dose of starch. The team also carefully executes wash, dry, and fold services that conclude with exemplary folding and placement on hangers.

Kelly and Kathy's friendship first began in high school, staying strong throughout their college years in Virginia and an eventual move back to Connecticut. Kelly's passion for photography led her to establish her own studio, and Kathy's business and education degrees directed her to teaching—though she never gave up on her childhood dream of becoming an artist. With Simply K Studios, the duo finally combined their respective experiences and industry savvy into a lifestyle photography venture, documenting weddings, senior portraits, infants, and families.

The shutterbug pair tries to capture each client's one-of-a-kind character during sessions, which typically travel to a nearby location or homecoming game reenactment of personal significance. Their prints, digital slideshows, and packages make for prime scrapbooking fodder as they transfer memories to tangible forms.

During shoots at Portrait Simple—a studio specialized in child, infant, maternity, and family portraits—skilled photographers snap an unlimited number of poses in front of a choice of backgrounds and provide the convenience of instant printing. Sessions can take any size group, accommodating families and close-knit juries. Models don simple duds without heavy patterns or logos and can tote props such as sports equipment or special blankies. After striking jubilant, winsome, or wrathful poses, guests sit down with the photographer to select images to turn into prints.

Though photographer Paulette Mertes usually poses her subjects, she captures them at moments that reveal their personality, such as during a smile, a wink, or a barely concealed laugh. Her photographs of adults, families, children, and pets glow with vibrant colors under high-contrast or soft-focus lighting. Paulette photographs babies, families, pets, and boudoir sessions in the comfort of her private studio, and also goes on-location to capture children, students, and newlyweds frolicking across a park or doing their taxes in front of a gushing waterfall. During each shoot she focuses on the small details in addition to the picture at large, a technique that's earned her accolades such as a Professional Photographers of America silver medal in 2011.

Driven by a love of family and memories, Amy Paradis snaps shots of her clients' milestones from weddings to house sales. Her portraits run the gamut from maternity or professional styles to senior pictures. Additionally, her wedding photography captures all the frenetic energy of the ceremony before her editing removes any wedding-crashing bears from the photos. She also helps local businesses generate revenue and incite customers' hunger pains with real estate and food photography.

Though Lauren Cooksey started out with just a Salvation Army camera in hand and three children in tow, the photographer and single mother was determined to fulfill her dream of achieving a successful career in her chosen art. Her talent and sheer willpower paid off; today, Lauren continues to snap shots under the moniker Cooksey Photo and has even enlisted one of those aforementioned toddlers, Tracy, to join her mission.

With 20 years of industry experience behind them, the mother-daughter photography team captures candid images of individuals and families, crafting prints with warm, sepia tones brushed with custom color. During photo shoots, the duo uses handmade sets and props to coax out the personality of each baby, graduating high schooler, or beloved mannequin. Afterward, they select the best image to edit before dressing it up with daubs of digital color. Finished prints from a family session spruce up a lonely end table, or a print from a pet photo shoot can enliven a mantel in a doghouse. The new in-home studio, which opened in June 2011 is also child-friendly.