For all our mid-atlantic and northeast US clients and friends, we're heading your way this summer!
It's a new year and so I thought a perfect time to start something new. I am always finding things, places and activities that I think are cool, fun, meaningful, useful, or otherwise just interesting. I keep thinking," this would be fun to share on the blog," so I'll be sharing those things with you and I'd love to get your thoughts about them. (Just click on Comments at the bottom of the post.) Hopefully I can do this once a week, but don't kill me if I can't maintain that. It is kinda busy around here.
So, being a recent Mac convert, I no longer have all the error messages, blue screen of death, or the irritating - no sound when surfing the web. (Yes, it was really time to upgrade.) This little discovery has been around for quite a while, so don't kill me for just experiencing it because work preempted any fun on the error-filled computer.
AOL Internet Radio is so awesome! Free radio from any CBS station across the country. My personal favorite station of the day is Boston's 80's Channel. They seriously play all of my favorite songs from the 80's, including the first song I ever bought on 45 vinyl, "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco. Seriously, I haven't heard that song in SO long. I have another preset to the local Atlanta station DaveFM. So when I don't feel like getting up to turn on the radio (yeah, sometimes I feel lazy!), I can still hear Mara rant about something during the lunch hour.
So if you haven't tried it out, take a spin. You can listen to any genre of music or talk radio you can imagine.
(wow, I'm listening now and you won't believe what just came on....."Joy and Pain" by Rob Base. Hello memories from junior high!)
2008 was both an amazing and trying year. The economy, the housing market and the growing unemployment rate has been felt by everyone, but instead of dwelling on that negative, I prefer to stay positive and note all of the wonderful things that happened this year. [Cause when I stay positive, good things happen. :)]
For one, I got married! On a beautiful October Sunday, I uttered my vows through tears to my best friend, Nick. The entire weekend was better than I ever imagined.
And the year was filled was so many memorable moments with my clients. So many cute faces, hugs and kisses, and tears. Ok, many of the tears were mine. I don't know what it is, but just about every time I meet with clients for the Viewing appointment, I tear up looking through the images with them and seeing their responses. Whether they are laughing or tearing up themselves, it means so much to me that my images can illicit that kind of feeling. I think of what my favorite childhood pictures remind me of, the feelings I had at those moments, the security and love I felt from my family, the memories of reading Goodnight Moon with my parents, the thrill at the moment that my brother and I were caught red-handed sneaking Oreo cookies while we thought mom and dad were still asleep upstairs, sitting on my grandfather's lap..... The thought that I am helping kids (and parents) keep memories of their childhoods is both powerful and humbling.
I've heard from clients and friends that they teared up looking at other clients' slideshows, so now I have proof that I'm not just a softy. Just brings tears to my eyes thinking about it.
Ok, I've wiped away the tears and I'm ready to move on to my favorite images from the year. I'm liking this idea as an annual ritual so let me know what you think. Be prepared - this is going to be my longest post ever. Enjoy!
Wow, it seems like a really long time since I last posted. I've been busy doing a lot of planning and reorganizing for 2009. It's going to be a fantastic year and I am so excited about some of the changes taking place. To round out 2008, I'll be posting my favorite images from the year soon. But if you're a fan on Facebook, you can already view the pictures.
Last week I had the honor of photographing a portrait session for my friends, Jenny and Pete. I photographed their wedding, only my 4th wedding ever, back in 2004. Here is Jenny looking stunning in her gown and veil at Frogtown Winery in Dahlonega, GA.
Hope you had a great new year's. Here are a few pictures from our time in Dahlonega, GA. The cozy Blue Ridge Mountain town is a great escape from Atlanta and not far away either. Just 1 hour away, we found ourselves surrounded by Christmas lights covering all the trees on the square, homemade maple syrup with Georgia pecans, an awesome jacuzzi in our hotel room, strange and funny items at the local antique stores and some very parched rivers and lakes :(
But first, Nick's birthday was on Monday. Here he is blowing out all the candles on his ice cream cake from Bruster's. Yum!
Happy 2009! I'm in Dahlonega, GA enjoying some time with Nick. He
played last night at The Crimson Moon and when the clock struck 12, we
celebrated the new year AND my birthday, January 1, 197... You didn't
think I was actually going to tell you age, did you?! So enough
blogging for now. We're off to enjoy brunch and the cool, clean
mountain air.
Hope you have a happy, loving, healthy, inspiring, productive,
rewarding, laughter-filled year! May 2009 be the year you look back
on without any regrets.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The Gift Certificate sale is almost over. This is the last chance to save on portrait sessions, wedding packages, wall art, fine art canvases and more.
Know one of our clients? This is the perfect holiday gift. They can use the gift certificate to purchase anything they want.
New client? Use your gift certificate toward any portrait, event or wedding package, or any of our Gift Shop items.
Looking for a unique holiday gift for your wife or mother? Use your gift certificate for a beautiful sterling silver photo necklace. She'll love you for it!
The 20% off sale ends at 6pm today. Contact the studio at 404-966-7272 or place your order here.
Before heading to hear Annie Leibovitz yesterday, I photographed Cole's first portrait. This cutie is so blessed with two mommies who's love for Cole is touching. His beautiful nursery is serene and with the rain outside, the warmth of their home was soothing. Cole has three dogs who all make appearances in the slideshow below. It's only right to photograph the first "babies" in the house! The Christmas tree was another great scene that I just loved capturing.
Enjoy the slideshow below by clicking on the picture. The show is available for purchase on DVD or digital download. Simply click the DVD icon in the menu bar of the show.
I had the great opportunity to hear Annie Leibovitz speak last night at the Jewish Community Center in Dunwoody. She is on a tour publicizing her latest book, At Work. I recently saw a documentary about her on PBS and it was fantastic. Maybe you were lucky enough to see her exhibit at The High Museum last year. Tonight's book reading and talk were all about how and why she took some of her most memorable images. John and Yoko, the guards rolling up the carpet after Nixon's resignation, Demi Moore's pregnancy, and so many others. It was fascinating to hear how she originally got the idea to create staged storyboard portraits, or what she calls "Conceptual Portraits" - from a client! She was photographing poet Tess Gallagher in 1980 and Tess said that she had a horse and would like to be photographed with him. She also had masks all over her home and wanted to get dressed up. So Annie obliged and shot the image. It inspired her to start these types of portraits which have helped make her one of the most well-known photographers ever.
(iPhone picture) - waiting for the book reading to start.
Afterwords, we stayed to meet Annie and have our book signed. She was so nice to pose for a picture too.
Thanks to Marsha Brenner for the picture!
The Stewart's adorable holiday cards for 2008. White linen folded card with one image. The gray band at the bottom will not be printed. The front of the card features a black rough edge around the image which gives it a more finished look.
Really, it's hard for me to accept that it's December. I keep looking at the calendar trying to reinforce the idea, but it just won't sink in. Since I don't often go out of town on long vacations, I think our honeymoon just really threw me for a loop. I left town when the weather was my favorite - low 70's and sunny - only to return to 40's and 50's. Brrr! What happened to my northeast toughness, you may ask? I spent the first 18 years of my life in Baltimore, MD and then headed even further north to Rochester, NY for college. Four years of 8-month winters and "lake-effect snow" was enough to encourage my pilgrimage to Atlanta, but I always laughed when I saw people around town bundled up when the thermostat read 50-degrees. "You have no idea what cold is! This isn't cold!" Now, I've become such a wimp. I can't seem to get warm in our drafty house. And I refuse to go out for my nightly walks because it's just too cold!
I got a break from the cold weather over Thanksgiving when Nick and I went to Orlando to visit some of his family. The weather? Sunny and high 60's. Yay! We got to see the family, reminisce about our wedding, walk on the beach, eat a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, window-shop without coats, and the really fun part - we went to going to Disney! I haven't been to Disneyworld since was about 8 years old. (Everything wasn't nearly as big as I remember...) The Magic Kingdom was so fun. My favorite rides were Pirates of the Carribean, Peter Pan and The Hanted Mansion. Funny how I remembered The Haunted Mansion. It must have scared me so much that the memory of standing in the dark waiting for the car to arrive is burned in my memory.
Check out this warped picture of Cinderella's Castle. 
Nick and I in line for Peter Pan...
Me and Dumbo. I'm the one wearing sunglasses.
Disney Ducks! These were actual real ducks!Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting Ella and Paige at their home in Brookhaven. We had a fun morning playing in the playroom (Ella's play kitchen is nicer than mine ever was), napping, eating breakfast and playing outside until the cold air got the best of us. The dogs even got in on the pictures.
Thanks for a fun morning!
I had such a blast on Wednesday with my buddy, Patrick. After completing the Growing Baby Portrait Package, his parents contacted me to photograph another session just in time for the holidays. Since I started photographing Patrick when he was a baby, it was a great surprise to walk into the house this week and hear him talking. His mom informed me that they'd been practicing my name all morning so when I walked into the living room, I was overjoyed to hear him say, "Hi, Sara."
The entire morning was filled with activity - flying like Superman with dad, reading a book in his room, showing me how he brushes his teeth with mom every night, and then a fun trip to East Cobb Park. If you live anywhere near this park and have kids, you know what I'm talking about. They have a fantastic playground that tempted me to put down my camera and go sliding down the slide.
It's been a great season of seeing my babies growing up into adorable kids!
View Patrick's slideshow by clicking the image below. (The show is available for purchase on DVD or digital download. Simply click the DVD icon in the menu bar of the show.)
This is the second time I've photographed twins, Libby & Hamilton. It's hard to believe that it's been a year and a half. Here they are at the last session in Spring 2007.
William welcomed his little sister, Margaret, into the family just 3 months ago. I photographed William throughout his first year so it was so special to be a part of this next chapter his life and to meet Margaret.
Being a big brother means a lot of responsibility. No hitting, pushing or smothering little Margaret - which isn't so easy to do when you're a 2 year old boy and you love your sister as much as William does. When she gets a little bigger, William, I promise she'll want to play with you. For now, loving hugs and making her laugh are perfect.
Margaret is so expressive for a 3 month old. I spent the whole session watching her move her eyebrows creating completely different moods. Happy, worried, curious, cautious... So cute.
View the slideshow by clicking the image below. (The show is available for purchase on DVD or digital download. Simply click the DVD icon in the menu bar of the show.)
It's holiday portrait time! I love this time of year. The leaves are changing to the most beautiful colors, the mornings are crisp and cool, and I feel a great sense of newness as the seasons change and we start to look forward to the holidays with family and cozying up in front of a warm fireplace.
This is the 3rd year I have photographed Tripp and this year his cousins joined him. The range of ages (2 - 11 years) made for a lot of excitement. It was a cold morning but after running around a bit to warm up playing hide-and-go-seek and duck-duck-goose, we had a great time on Roswell Square.
Some pictures from years past...
