My face on Facebook

I recently joined Facebook and have been loving reconnecting with so many old friends. In the first few days, I "re-met" a friend from college at the University of Rochester who had just that week moved to Spain. Hadn't been in touch since graduation so it was really nice to catch up. It's hard to believe that next year will be my 10 year reunion at college...but that's another topic for another day... ahh, depressing!

Anyway, if you're on Facebook, be sure to look me up and send a friend request. I'm already so addicted and I love adding friends to my network!

Britton, Mike and Addison

I photographed engagement portraits for Britton and Mike a few years ago so when they called me to photograph portraits of their 14 month old, I was so excited for the opportunity to document their growing family.

Poor Addison is teething so she broke down in tears periodically through our portrait, but holding dad's car keys made everything better. The funniest photo from the day is toward the end of the slideshow. Addison sits on the floor holding the keys and touches her hand to her face as if to say "Oh, there they are! I thought I lost them!" Precious!

View the slideshow below.

A DVD of this slideshow is available if you click the icon on the show.
Thanks, Britton, Mike and Addison!

Best of Atlanta.....AGAIN!

WOW!!! We're jumping up a down and off the walls!!!

We were voted in Creative Loafing Atlanta for 2007
Best Established Visual Artist (2nd year in a row)
Best Photographer (first winner in this new category)
Best Local Visual Arts Website (www.saraphotography.com)

Thank you to everyone who voted for us. It means so much that our clients and friends took the time to support us...sometimes twice and three times.

We'll be sure to post the beautiful and precious awards soon.

For those of you who found us through CL's links, visit our main website at www.saraphotography.com to see our portfolios and learn more about our award-winning business. :)

Introducing "Portrait Days" in October!

Announcing the first "Portrait Days" at Piedmont Park...

October 26th and 27th

Join us for fun and casual portraits in the park with your family, kids, baby or hubby at a fantastic discount.

No need to stress at the last minute this year to get your family's holiday card done. Have fun with us on Friday or Saturday, choose your holiday card design and paper and we take care of the rest. How simple is that?!

When: Friday, October 26, 10am - 5pm and Saturday, October 27, 10am - 3pm

Where: Piedmont Park, we'll send detailed directions when you set your appointment

How long: 30-minute session per family

Who: You and your fantastic family! No pets please.

What to wear: Solid colored shirts and jeans, OR Halloween costumes!

How to sign up: Click this link or call us at 404-966-7272 to schedule your appointment. Deadline for signing up is Oct. 12th.

Investment: $200 for 15-20 images delivered on your personal Preview Website for 30 days, and fifty (50) 4.5x5 holiday cards with envelopes ($150 savings!)

Studio Hours for Friday, September 20

We will be closing early tomorrow in observance of Yom Kippur. If you need to contact us after 3pm on Friday, September 20th, please send an email to sara@saraphotography.com or leave a message at 404-966-SARA(7272) and we will be in touch as soon as we reopen on Monday.

Thanks!

Elizabeth, Matt and Elle

I met the most adorable family on Saturday. Elizabeth, Matt and Elle live right nearby in Decatur and we had a wonderful time capturing some precious and funny moments of 8 month old Elle. There is so much love in this family and it definitely shows in the photos.

There were so many great moments that day that it was hard to narrow them down for the slideshow. Some of my favorites were when Elle would periodically throw her arms up in the air and everyone would yell "Touchdown!", the tender moment when Elizabeth nursed Elle in the nursery (for Matt and Elizabeth's eyes only) and Elle's laughter as Matt held her upside down and put her on his shoulders.

Thanks again for sharing your moments with me! See you soon.

Enjoy the slideshow below!

Studio Hours

The studio will be closed on Thursday and Friday in celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

If you need to reach us, please send an email and we will respond upon our return.

L'Shanah Tovah!
Happy New Year!

Rockin' the Piano at Age 1

I have to thank my client, Andrew Horowitz, for referring his friends to me. A birthday gift certificate turned into one fun morning. Ryen and her parents are so great! Beautiful home and even more beautiful little girl. Ryen just celebrated her first birthday and she was so happy and full of energy when I arrived. As she got accustomed to me being there, she forgot all about me and had a great time playing with her teddy bears, reading with mom and snuggling with dad. I just love capturing these moments! Be sure to check out the piano-playing pictures in the slideshow. I think she's a virtuoso. :)

Thanks so much for a fun morning!

Top Secret

I'm going to share some super exciting news soon! I am so anxious but I'm not going to let it slip... :)

One of the best parts of being a small business is that I can take comments and feedback that my clients give and make instant changes to better serve them AND I don't have to consult a board of directors to do it. This latest news has been on my mind for a bit now and I am now able to follow it through.

Hmmmm....what could it be?

Check back here for all the juicy details!

Vacation in Asheville, NC

Back from vacation and what an amazing time we had. Nick and I headed up to Asheville, NC last weekend to celebrate my moms big birthday. It was to be the first time that the six of us (Mom, Dad, bro Jeff, new sister-in-law Kathleen, Nick and me) vacationed together and I was so excited. We managed to do so much in a short amount of time and still it felt so relaxing. There's something so great about a break in routine and the view - well, that was one of the best parts.

We rented a house in the mountains which was perfect for our size group. It was so comfortable and the extras were amazing. Hot tub and a hammock overlooking the mountains, a huge flatscreen tv in the living room and combination tv/dvd/vcr's in every bedroom. This was our view from the deck just outside the living room. I shot this just before a storm hit so the haze really illuminates the distance and ridges. How great would it be to have breakfast every morning looking out onto this view?


On Tuesday, we headed out to find some waterfalls and learned that there are hundreds in this area around the Blue Ridge Parkway. So beautiful...


Jeff and Kathleen. Yay, their one year anniversary!


Mom and Dad enjoying the waterfall from a small distance. I think that finger in the airs means "I see you taking a picture of us!" :)


And this is how I got down to the water. Notice the death-grip on my camera. :)


As we headed out the park, we stopped at the visitor center and saw these hummingbirds chowing down on nectar. Where did that saying, eating like a bird come from anyway? Every bird that I've watched at a bird feeder is eating like it hasn't eaten in a week! It's so fascinating to watch hummingbirds stop in midair and then change direction. Hard to capture with the short lens I had, but you can still see the speed of their flapping wings. There's a second perched on the feeder in the front.


We got back to town on Saturday and got up at 6am on Sunday to get to the Atlanta Jewish Festival at the MJCCA Zaban Park. It was the best festival yet! So many nice people and for the first time, they moved us out of the smoldering tent outside into the air conditioned gym. So much better, especially when they had to force everyone inside when the weather service announced a thunderstorm warning.

"You Should Be Dancing..."

Last weekend I second shot with Ben again. I enjoy the change of pace when I second shoot because I can get a little more creative since I don't have to concentrate so intently on getting the necessary images. That's Ben's job! It allows for a bit more freedom which in turn leads me to be more creative when I'm the primary photographer. Plus it's always great to work with another talented photographer and bounce ideas off one another.

We photographed Maria and Nick's wedding at Peachtree Presbyterian. If you've never been to PPC before you would be blown away by the size of this place. They literally have so much land (and they're building on more across the street) that you have to call it a "campus." They have their own gym, three chapels, a Sunday school and so much more.

So I spent some time with Maria and the girls while they were getting ready. I love this moment with her mom.


The glass doors to the Ladies Parlor were really great. So I thought I'd take advantage of the unique design and place Maria right in the middle. This image is so timeless to me.


This special moment of Maria and her dad walking up the isle is so graphic. Even all the prayer books are lined up. Maria's dad later got so emotional during the father-bride dance that he shed some tears. So sweet...

Just after the ceremony, Ben and I photographed Maria and Nick in front of the huge chapel windows. I love the softness and femininity of this image.


Nick's nephew was so adorable. All throughout the day, he was such a ham in front of the camera but I managed to snag this shot while he looked at a picture of his mom on their digital camera.



And this was CLASSIC. Nick must have been practicing since age 8 because when "You Should Be Dancing (Saturday Night Fever)" came on, he tore up the dance floor with every shake, thrust and boogie that John Travolta styled. He had everyone rolling on the floor in laughter, especially Maria.


The beautiful cake. Love flowers on a wedding cake. So rich in color and texture.


And this was PRICELESS... During the cake cutting, a crumb fell down Maria's dress. Take a look at Nick's quick response. He dove right in there! What a moment!
Thanks Ben!

Cabinets, Oh Cabinets...

Super excited about the cabinets! We worked through the weekend, got all the Sheetrock hung and then 6 wall cabinets. It's coming along great and I'm getting really anxious to get everything done. Once we got the two cabinets up on the right wall, we noticed how slanted the old ceiling is. We thought that maybe our level was off, but no, it's the ceiling. It's an old house so we can't be too mean to it.


The green on the walls is the Sheetrock, not paint. Haven't yet decided on the wall color but definitely something bright.


This week we'll continue with the base cabinets including a huge lazy susan corner cabinet and a breakfast bar.

Rock it, Sheetrock!

The remodel continues... On Wednesday, we went to Lowe's to get the insulation and Sheetrock. Sheetrock is heavy! Especially when the two pieces are still joined. I managed to help Nick load up 7 sheets and as we finished up, an employee came over to offer help. Funny that she showed up as we were loading the last piece. Anyway, she says to me, "You're strong! I can see that you're a do-it-all-your-own kind of girl! Even your hair looks nice." HA! So sweet and a total boost when I was feeling exhausted. :)

Ahhhh, beautiful Sheetrock...

Here are some pictures of the kitchen in its raw look. (The new look this Fall) Nick is still running all the electrical and phone lines, but since this picture, we managed to finish the far wall and put up some insulation on the long one.



Yesterday all the cabinets arrived! Wooohoo! And they look beautiful. Never thought I'd love a cabinet so much. I'll post some more pictures after this weekend of hanging cabinets. After all the DIY shows, now I finally get to see them installed in person and actually help too.

My 16 hours in Rome, GA

On Saturday, I headed to Rome, GA with Ben Vigil to help him photograph Jenna and Bobby's wedding. It was the longest day I've ever photographed! We started at 8:30am at the salon with the girls (all 8 bridesmaids), moms and grandmas. And we photographed the bridesmaids' luncheon at the Victorian Rose Tea Room, the wedding at St. Peter's Episcopal Church and the reception at Coosa Country Club. At midnight we took our last shots as they exited the club through a wave of bubbles. It was a beautiful day and we even managed to avoid the rain while we photographed group portraits inside the church.

Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Thinking Outside the Box for Weddings

I photographed a wedding vow renewal ceremony in March for Jen and Adam. Jen recently converted to Judaism and they decided to renew their vows with a Jewish wedding ceremony with their closest friends and family. The entire day was just perfect - intimate, relaxed and meaningful.

Instead of creating a traditional wedding album, which they have from the first time around, they opted for a collage of photos that they could hang in their home and look at every day. I am so ecstatic with the way it turned out; I'm going to have to make a second to display in my studio!
By choosing a collage, they were able to put together a series of their favorite photos that tell a story of the day, including pictures of their parents and their adorable son, Ethan. Sometimes it can be impossible to choose just one outstanding photo to enlarge for your home, so this is a great option. The collages can be customized to match the colors in your room, your personal style and any number of images.

The frame just makes it look polished and complete. (If you look closely, you can see my reflection in the glass. HA!)

Piggy Banks and Quilts

Little William was such a great model! I don't think I've ever photographed a baby as young more content and laid back than William. I spent almost two hours photographing him and his proud parents - that's a long time in baby time! He is only 14 weeks old and being the only child, mom says he's pretty used to having all the attention so my camera and I didn't seem to bother him one bit.

The yellow and white quilt was a birthday gift from his grandma so I love that we could include it in the portraits. All the precious moments between mom, dad and William and the details in his nursery are so special. Together they tell a beautiful story of this young family.

Thanks for inviting me into your home to document this amazing time.

And the demo continues...

The kitchen has been coming along S-L-O-W-L-Y. We feared that we had asbestos in the walls which set us back quite a bit. We had to have it tested to be sure and then an estimate on the cost of removing it if the test came back positive. After finding out that to have a team come in and remove it would cost $2400, we were absolutely thrilled to learn that the test was negative. Talk about an added expense we didn't expect. You're seeing four levels of the wall in that picture. The first is the green, white and beige painted wall, then ugly paneling, then the yellow stuff (not quite sure what that is about), and the lathe board behind it. Our house is 60 years old and I guess that lathe is the way that walls were made back then. Must have taken so long to nail all those little boards to the studs. What's so weird is that previous owners kept adding to the walls instead of removing what was there and starting fresh. The same goes for the floor. Nick found 6 layers of floor below the tile including two different linoleum floors. Crazy!

Now I'm thinking of all the things I can do with the $2400 since it isn't going to the kitchen. New lenses, a trip to Hawaii.... Just kidding. It's not so much like found money, rather money we we didn't want to part with that we now don't have to.

I'll keep posting as changes are happening. It will be so great when we're in CONstruction instead of destruction. Those will be much more fun photos. :)

Like Father, Like Son

Last weekend I photographed a belated Father's Day portrait for Ethan and his dad, Chip. Ethan is 6 years old and loves playing with his dad. There's something so beautiful about the relationship of a father with his son - security, love and adoration. And I couldn't have asked for more handsome models! Love those missing teeth!

Chip's Father's Day portrait was a gift from Chip's girlfriend and a client of mine, Forrest. Holidays like Father's and Mother's Days, the winter holidays and even birthdays and anniversaries are perfect times for giving a gift certificate of portraiture. Your friend or family can schedule the portrait anytime that's convenient for them and you've given something that they can enjoy for years to come.

Thanks, Chip, Ethan and Forrest!

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!!! I hope you have a fun and relaxing day today. We're heading to a friend's place to watch fireworks from a rooftop deck on Peachtree Street. Talk about a quintessential Atlanta 4th! If you happen to be anywhere near a Peachtree Street or Road, you're set. :)


Here are a few pictures from The Police Concert in Phoenix. I was really nervous about losing my camera at security (No Cameras Allowed) so I did what I could with my cell phone camera.

Our beautiful hotel - The Phoenix Wyndham


The huge screens they set up were great because we got to see them up close, but also a little weird. Kind of like watching them from home on my tv.

So happy at the show....it was AMAZING!

House Guest

We have an adorable houseguest staying with us until Friday. He's so cute and reminds me a lot of my dog growing up, Doodle. Teddy will fluff his pillow bed and walk in circles until he finds the perfect place to lay down. This particular spot is our recliner. I tried to keep him from jumping up day after day, but I gave in. I just couldn't say no to that little face anymore.

Teddy and Booda, the dinosaur