Judging the Boys & Girls Club National Photo Competition

I was honored to be asked to judge The ImageMakers national photo competition for the Boys & Girls Club of America yesterday. All of the images in the contest had won both local and regional competitions in the United States and abroad and were up for some fantastic prizes with this final national competition. They had the opportunity to win $3,000 within each of the 5 categories and a free trip to San Francisco for the winners of the portfolio competition.

It was so much fun to look through images that the kids had taken. Their perspective on family, friends, the environment, poverty and nature left me awestruck. The creativity, vision and originality was impressive. The images were divided by category and age group (ages 6-18). The youngest group were kids 6-9 years old and I must say (I mean write) that their images were among some of the best. There is definitely some fantastic talent out there and it's great that all the kids are being encouraged to experiment and have fun with photography. One girl's portfolio explained how photography has become so much more than a hobby. She wrote that she suffers from depression and that photography is the only thing that makes her happy, that gave her peace. How amazing to find something that can do that for you and even better that she found it at such a young age.

The wonderful staff at BGCA who organized the contest are Jennifer Young and Cristin Cerda. My other judging buddies were Roberto Arevalo and Kelly LaDuke.

Roberto and Kelly debating over which image is stronger....

Roberto reading an entry in the Photo Essay category. All these entries dealt with "G'Local Issues. Global and Local issues impacting Our Communities."

Some of our favorite images. The goldfish that I'm holding was AMAZING! The photographer was able to capture bubbles coming from the fish's mouth. It is so difficult to do macro (close-up) photography on moving things like a goldfish. Kuddos!

Thanks again BGCA, Jennifer, Crista and Elaina!

Baby Addison

Sorry, I just couldn't resist this adorable tush as the first slide in Addison's slideshow! Addison's portrait session was the 3rd furthest distance I've traveled for a session (McDonough, GA) and wow, was the trip worth it! Addison and her parents are fantastic. Really nice people and she couldn't be more cute. She was getting over being sick and although she was napping when I arrived, after she woke up she quickly lost energy and almost fell asleep twice. Her mom says that it takes a while before she finally gives in and falls asleep even if she's exhausted. Which explains why I was able to photograph her dozing off to sleep in her crib and then wide awake and smiling. So funny! I'm sure many of you mommies can relate.

Click the picture to view the slideshow and enjoy!

Portrait Day 2008 - some details

After last year's successful first Annual Portrait Day, I have my sites set on a bigger event filled with local children's shops and companies that provide services to families and kids. In addition to a larger all-day event where you can mingle with other parents and the kids can meet and play together, we will be donating a portion of the proceeds to a worthy non-profit. I've placed a poll at the top of this blog because I'd love your input on which organization you think we should donate to.

If you have suggestions of business you think would like to be involved, please write it in the comments section below. This year's Portrait Day will be in September so check back to learn more about the fun event!

Carly's Bat Mitzvah

Carly's Bat Mitzvah and Reception were fantastic! Although I didn't attend the actual Bat Mitzvah, I heard that she did an amazing job leading services and reading from the Torah. In fact, her dad said that she thrives under pressure so the nerves I saw at the rehearsal must have helped her do an outstanding job.

Just a couple weeks before the big weekend, we did some portraits of Carly on the tennis court and at their home. Then with the help of her mom and a friend, she chose three images for the sign-in board at the party. You'll see a shot of that in the slideshow. I love that they wanted to do something a bit out of the ordinary and include more than just one photo.

All the details that were meticulously put together were great. From pink Gerber daisies to Carly's name in lights, from jewelry engraving to green-screen photos, from flat screens showing the party to festive lighting throughout the room, the party was fantastic and it was great to be a part of it.


Services were held at The Temple.
The reception was at the newly renovated W Atlanta Midtown Hotel.
Catering by W Atlanta Midtown
Event Coordination by Sharon at It's My Party, Inc.
Music and Entertainment by EventOvation

If you'd like to be notified when the Preview Website (with all the pictures from the portrait, rehearsal and reception) is released, click here to add your email address.

Click the picture below to view the slideshow.



Mazel Tov Carly!

Alyssa & Anthony

Another beautiful day of adventure at The Roswell Mill. Alyssa and Anthony are 8 year old twins who's personalities definitely came out during our shoot. Alyssa is pensive, calm and cautious while Anthony is talkative, curious and adventurous. Despite the heat, we had a great time playing in the Chattahoochee River.

This portrait session brought to you by ...... Alyssa and Anthony's Great Aunt who gave the portrait session as a 10 year wedding anniversary to their parents. What a great way to celebrate such a wonderful occasion. While I photograph mostly babies, toddlers, young children, and weddings, and I look forward to my own wedding this fall, 10 years sounds like a huge and amazing accomplishment. So, congratulations!


Enjoy the mini slideshow below and the full version here.

Discount for FunFest

I just received an email about a great discount on tickets for Saturday's FunFest.

Use the coupon code "NEWSLETTER" and pay only $7.50 for each ticket ($10 regular price and on the day of the event). Click here to purchase your tickets now.

Am I looking out for you or what?!

Kids' FunFest this Saturday

FUNFEST 2008!

This Saturday I'm participating in a festival celebrating kids and healthy living.

Join me for a great afternoon at
The Frazier Center
Saturday, June 14
12pm - 6pm.

Visit the Children's Wellness Network website
for more information and purchase your tickets here.
Kids are FREE!

Activities include:
Puppet-making with The Center for Puppetry Arts
Bird Show
Belly dancing
Cooking
Yoga
and a Documentary Film by Two Angry Moms about improving school lunches

Some of the sponsors and other businesses involved include Sevananda, Flying Biscuit, Get Outdoors America, REI, and Captain Planet.

The event is located at TheFrazier Center
1815 Ponce de Leon Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307
Between Virginia-Highland and Decatur
Get Directions

Hope to see you there!

Ryen at the Park

The last time I photographed Ryen was September. When I met her, her parents and grandparents at Peachtree Heights Park in Buckhead last weekend, I couldn't get over how much she has grown in just 9 months. She has become a beautiful little girl and I just loved capturing her laughter.

She had me laughing when her dad handed her some bread to feed the geese and instead popped the bread into her mouth. But she learned that the geese would like some too and did offer them some of the yummy bread.

I was feeling that some retro & antique effects would enhance this series of images. And l love how they turned out.

Enjoy the min-slideshow below or the full size here.

June 1, 2003 - Day 0

Sunday was a BIG DAY for me. It's hard to believe but Sunday, June 1st marked my FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. It's been 5 years since I took the plunge and started Sara Speert Photography back in 2003. My memories of that day are somewhat vague but I do remember exactly how I felt that morning I woke up without a job to go to. Let me rephrase that, without a job to go to with someone else as boss. It was a REALLY exciting and invigorating moment because I had been unhappy with my full-time job for sometime, but it was also really scary. The thought of not receiving a bi-weekly paycheck was terrifying. But I guess not terrifying enough not to take the risk. I was definitely naive to the reality of what I was about to take on, and it's probably a good thing that I didn't know all that I was about to face because I may not have done it. Since then, I've realized that I have to think a while before making big decisions. the pros and cons, whether I can actually picture myself succeeding, blah blah blah. So I have a feeling I would have been swayed by the fear of the unknown and of failure, and never begun.

Good thing I didn't! The last five years have been amazing. I have learned so much about stretching myself artistically, technically and about how to better run my business. I have also learned a tremendous amount about myself, about balancing personal time and work, and how I handle stress. (And after 5 years, I can safely say that I have perfected all these things...... yeah, right.)

I have also learned how amazing the photographic community is. When I first started pursuing my then hobby for photography, I found that there were a handful of pros in the Atlanta area who truly enjoyed sharing their experience and knowledge but overall, most kept things close to their chests. When I first moved to Atlanta and decided photography may be something I'd like to pursue, I opened the Yellow Pages to "photographers" and found an ad for a photographer in Roswell, GA. Little did I know that a simple cold-call to him would open up a world of opportunity and a chain of events and decisions that have led me here. John Haigwood was so generous to open up his studio to me. He offered advice, his experience and opened his darkroom to me so that I could work on my technique and art. At the time, he was still operating from the basement of his home and his wife and kids were so great to me.

I remember John's daughter was having a birthday party at their home and John asked if I'd like to come by to take some pictures and play with some of his amazing lenses. I took a photograph then with the first wide-angle lens I'd ever used of his daughter enjoying her cake with a flurry of kids and families around her all there to celebrate her birthday. It is still one of my favorite images for the moment it captured and how the angles of the ceiling "point" at my adorable subject.

Early images like this one convinced me that photography was not only something I enjoyed, but it was something I did well and really could be a career. Thanks to John for his vote of confidence in my talent and perseverance and to the countless other photographers and family and friends who have shared ideas with me and taught me so much.

Here's to 5 more!

Flick-on-the-Deck

The newest reason why Nick and I love our new house. OUTDOOR MOVIE THEATER!

After having some friends over for a Memorial Day grill-out, we decided we wanted to watch a movie. Not an unusual occurrence in our house, but I came up with the idea of projecting the movie onto the side of the house so we could continue to enjoy the beautiful evening. And of course, we had to choose a scary movie. So, Nick set up the stereo so that we could hear each little detail of frightening suspense as we huddled together for What Lies Beneath. (Harrison Ford plays the villain for once.) With every little noise in the bamboo next to us, I jumped. :)

Here are some pictures of what will definitely become a monthly tradition. Now we just have to figure out how we can fit more people on the deck to watch the next flick with us.

The deck is wrapped by our house on three sides and bamboo on the fourth so it's a really great space for watching movies without bothering all the neighbors.

The lovely bamboo. :)

Personalized Father's Day Gifts

Can you believe how quickly Father's Day is going to be here? June 15th is right around the corner. If thoughts of boring ties and impersonal electronics don't do it for you, may I suggest something that he'll not only use but cherish?

We have some fantastic personalized Father's Day gifts. These items are ONLY available for Father's Day.

Willard Keychain - $60, This leather and pewter keychain is simple and fun. And the best part is that he'll be reminded of his favorite people each time he uses his keys.

Thomas Wallett - $85, The modern design of this leather wallet leaves ample room for credit cards, while cash is safely tucked away under a sturdy magnetic clip.

Use pictures of the kids, the family pet or the whole family to personalize these great gifts. Order by June 4th to receive it in time for Dad's Day or add it to any of our Portrait Packages by June 15th.

Client Designs

This week I've been busy working on collages and albums for some of my fantastic Growing Baby Portrait Package clients. It's been so fun to watch William and Patrick grow over the last year. One of my favorite moments is walking into my clients' homes on the 2nd and 3rd visits and see how much he has grown. It's so fun to see which features and personality traits remain and which ones adapt and change as the little baby grows into a child.

Here's William's 9-image collage.

And Patrick is getting our newest album - the Carry-About Album. I actually used pictures from Patrick's 2nd portrait for the studio sample and what mother could say no to this adorable album?! Patrick's mom opted for the 5x5 album with leather cover. Check out the entire design by clicking the image below.

Have a great holiday weekend! Yay, BBQ time and beautiful weather!

Elijah and the parade

At Elijah's portrait I experienced a FIRST. Soon after we arrived at the historic Grant Park we heard a marching band in the distance. It was the 125th anniversary celebration for the park and we got a treat when the parade marched right past us. Of all the times I've photographed portraits in parks, this was a first and I loved it! It added to the photojournalistic style of the portrait session with such exciting activity going on.

After the fun time at the park, we headed back to the house. Elijah had a great time swinging on his swing on the front porch and playing on mom and dad's bed.

Thanks for a fun morning! View the full size slideshow here or view the mini version below.

New Sample Album!

It finally arrived! The new 3x3 Carry-about Album and it is so CUTE!!! Yes, you read right....3x3 inches. It's perfect for carrying around with you and bragging to everyone you know (and don't know) how cute your kids are or how beautiful the wedding was.


This sample album was all about Patrick. This adorable 1 year old had fun riding his tricycle and playing all over the house on the day of my second portrait with him. The full-bleed images, hard-backed pages and leather cover make this a great add-on to any of our packages.

Also available in 5x5 and 10-20 pages.

Feel the Joy

I met Avery and her parents in Spring 2005. Avery was just 6 months old and mom and dad couldn't have been happier to have her home. They adopted little Avery from Guatemala and although I know I'm biased, she is just so much fun! Throughout the last 3 years I've had the pleasure to watch her grow from the little munchkin who sat on the bay window chair with the infectious smile to her latest love - being a ballerina.

This portrait session was an especially meaningful one because Avery has a new sister and a new brother. Lucy and Jack were also adopted from Guatemala and in fact Jack had been home for only three weeks. This is such a special time for this family and it was really a great honor to document it at their home. What I love about these images is that you can feel the joy in this family with their hugs, their laughter and simply watching the kids play. Kelly and Chris's love is boundless and has created a warm home where all three kids will grow and flourish. And I couldn't be happier for you!

Thanks again! Here's the full size slideshow and the mini-show below.

Our Engagement Session

So, we've officially started the countdown to the wedding in October. When Nick reminded me that we have five months to the wedding, I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. I have so much to do!! And I am so excited!

A couple weeks ago we felt like a real engaged couple when Chris and Katie met us to photograph an engagement portrait session. Wow, was it weird to be in front of the camera! I had to keep telling myself to "live in the moment" with Nick instead of thinking of what the images were going to look like or what I would be shooting. I had to step back from my creative side to just BE, what a weird concept...

Choosing our photographers was a really tough decision, as you can imagine. I'm a little picky when it comes to this stuff! But we are so excited with the images they captured. We went to Atlantic Station, where Nick proposed on one foggy December night and then to Piedmont Park, one of our favorite outdoor spots in Atlanta.

Below are some of my favorites. And check out the slideshow here.

Dancing in the park.

Love this one - this is Nick's engagement ring. Yes, he has one! I think it is only fair that guys get a ring too. I mean, marriage is supposed to be an equal partnership so why don't they get rings?

One of the many laughing kisses. I think by this point we were just feeling so funny kissing-on-demand that we couldn't contain ourselves.

I'm planning to put together a sign-in book for the wedding with the images from our session. If it works, I may start offering it to my own clients... Love how my experience through this whole process is helping my wedding photography business. Can't wait for wedding pictures! Thanks, Chris and Katie!

Performer Mag Loves My Fiance'

Today, Nick received an amazing review of his latest blues-rock CD (online release only) "Live in 2007." It's a compilation of live performances while he was on tour last year including an on-air performance on WUGA in Athens. Performer Magazine LOVED HIM! I am so excited for him that I just have to post the review here to share the news.

Athens music native Nick Edelstein takes the listeners on a terrific ride through the world of blues with an online release of live recordings held in venues throughout the Southeast.

A record chocked full of strong blues material, including classic blues standards such as “Crossroads,” “Stormy Monday” and “Hound Dog,” the artist’s handywork on lead guitar is impeccably precise, as each live song spills with fervent balance, delivering
punchy lead solos galore.

Edelstein also shows his intimate and personal side with soft-spoken material, on endearing works such as originals, “Sign from Above,” flawlessly recorded at Athens radio station, WUGA-FM, and “Ripple,” recorded at a bar in Charlotte, N.C.Although much of the live recordings are very murky and muddy, what is most important is Edelstein’s craftsmanship on blues guitar. “Crossroads” churns the album from the start, launching the album’s fiery energy and tenacity from the get-go.

Edelstein is sloppy in some places on his lead guitar improvisation, yet only true guitarists know, and not the audience. Certainly a highlight displaying his most superior guitar work falls in the intro and throughout “Red House,” a dazzling, mesmerizing statement of guitar-driven blues-rock.

Much of the record has some breathtaking guitar work, and his voice suits the blues man, with performances of liquid gold, compared to the swift speed of a dozen horses at Churchhill Downs, as notes flourish like a roaring freight train.

Though he has much room to grow and improve, his potential is boundless. He even throws in some great riffs and chops that speak of his influences, possibly reminiscing Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Santana’s artistry comes to fruition in a frighteningly well-spoken version of “Europa.”

It’s good to hear much of Edelstein’s background through short bits of interviews on WUGA-FM, as he dwells into his work, and his further studies in comparative literature. (NESS Records) www.nickedelstein.com

-Shawn M. Haney, www.performermag.com

How cool is that!? I swear he didn't pay for that! :) Performer Magazine is one of the industry's top trade magazines so it's huge that they love him that much.

Check him out at his website - www.nickedelstein.com - (photos complements of yours truly) or download the CD at www.discrevolt.com. His CD is featured this week on the home page of the site, so you can't miss it.

Some Puppy Love

At Carter's baby portrait a couple weeks ago, I was reminded of one of my favorite things to photograph. Adorable pets! I met his adorable dog, Hero, (love that name....when does Heroes come back on anyway?) and felt the NEED to photograph his adorable face. These are some of my favorites...

Doggy nose!

Have a great rest of the week and weekend! I am headed home to Baltimore, MD for my bridal shower! Can't believe it's already here but then again it has been 18 months since we got engaged. :)

The Traveling Wedding Album

I heard from Courtney and Michael after they received their wedding album a couple weeks ago. Their destination wedding in St. Augustine, Florida was so beautiful and fun. I am so flattered by Michael's comments about the album that I wanted to share his thoughts with you, my wonderful blog-readers.

Courtney let me (yes, I had to get permission to take it away from her!) take it to work, daycare, the bank, post office, Zaxby's, the UPS Store, Shane's Rib Shack, and a few other places where people know me on a first name basis yesterday...everyone LOVED it! I really am still in shock over how you were able to capture each and every feeling and moment that we had that day/night!

How cool is it that he took it everywhere. I bet the UPS Store employees were ready to pack it up and ship it for him when he walked in!

It seriously makes my day to hear such great feedback from clients after all the work and love I put into their photographs and their album. So thank you, Michael and Courtney, for the awesome feedback!

View their wedding album here.

William's Third Portrait

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since I started photographing William and his parents. This third portrait was just days after they celebrated his first birthday. (Thanks for the jelly beans party favor!) This summer William will have a new brother or sister which is really exciting. And I am thrilled to continue documenting this beautiful family.

During the session, it was great to see the canvases and framed enlargements from previous portraits around the house. And the best part was watching William point at himself in the pictures and smile.


Click here to see the full size slideshow or view the small version below.

Love the slideshow? It's available on DVD or in digital download for your video IPod. Simply click the CD icon in the menu bar of the show.