Favorite shot of the day

On Saturday, I had another great opportunity to second shoot with Matt Yung in Athens, GA. I truly love second shooting weddings with Matt. It was a lot of fun to be able to take some more creative shots and move around a lot more. As the lead photographer, I generally am concerned with getting a lot of "necessary" shots, in addition to candid moments, to be sure that I cover everything. But as the second photographer, I can be a bit more relaxed and look for the unique angles and candid moments that can often be missed. It refreshed my creative eye!

This is my favorite of the day.

Sara Speert Photography - Georgia's photographer's photographer

Harper - 9 months

I visited with Harper and her parents last week for her second portrait session of the Growing Baby Collage Package. Harper is just about ready to walk which is so exciting. Whenever she can, she will walk with mom and dad's help. And just like her first session, her smile is infectious.

I started playing with some new effects during the retouching process and I love the way these have turned out. Some are a bit retro looking, like they are old photos that were taken some 30 years ago or more, and others are just different and fun. My favorite image is the one below. A tender moment of Harper and her mom reading one of her favorite books. I love that it has so much emotion and yet leaves much to the imagination.

Enjoy the slideshow below by clicking the image.

Sara Speert Photography - expressive and artistic portraits

albums, albums and more albums

I've been a bit neglectful of blogging recently. Sorry! I still love you all! I have however been posting to our Facebook page so be sure to become a fan.

I've been working on 4 album designs simultaneously, which is a new record for me, in addition to retouching a bunch of portraits and orders. I know that Christin & Jason are really anxious to see their wedding album and although it isn't complete, I can't wait any longer to show them (and you!) a few of my favorite pages. Their final albums, yes, I wrote "albums" because they're getting two to hold all the pictures from their 2-weekend celebration, will be beautiful Queensberry 18x12 Duo albums. The Duo means that the album is a combination of matted pages and flushmount/magazine pages - the ultimate in design.

Harrison

I had the pleasure to meet Harrison and his parents last week for an afternoon portrait session at their home. He is a very happy baby and seemed to enjoy everything. We started off with a bath, then some dinner (mmm, spaghetti!), and then went in to the yard to play on the new swing set. I must mention here that Harrison's dad built the swing set - very impressive! And although it's not yet complete, Harrison is already enjoying it. Just look how happy he is on the swing!

The truck that he's playing with here was passed down to him from his Great Grandfather, for whom he's named. Imagine him playing with the same toy at Harrison's age - so amazing. I love that we incorporated this special toy into the session. It makes a beautiful memory.

Enjoy the slideshow!

Sara Speert Photography - baby, children & family portraits

STuFF - Sara's Totally Fantastic Finds (episode 7)

My vacation was fantastic, albeit too short as most vacations are, but it was great. Got to spend some much needed time with my family, including my 9 month old niece, Elizabeth Sophie. I'll post some pictures soon.

In the meantime, it's been a bit difficult to get back into the swing of working after being off for a week, so I mosied (is that a word?) on over to YouTube to watch my favorite Muppet who always makes me laugh. Thought I'd share it with you...just for laughs. Amazing how much laughing can relax a person! Ok, I mean me...

Evie, Duncan & Bennett

Saturday morning I met twins, Duncan & Bennett, and their big sister, Evie, at Piedmont Park. With all the newborn portrait sessions I've been doing recently at my clients' homes, it's been a long time since I was at the park and it was great to get back. I was reminded how nice it is to photograph there, except when there's an event going on. So it turns out that Saturday morning was the Peachtree Junior Road Race. I had no idea there was such a thing, but it looked like a lot of fun. With so many people in the park, it's often difficult to take pictures of my clients without someone in the background. But I was up for the challenge. I figured out one wonderful advantage to photographing a portrait session in the park on the day of an event - MUSIC! We had great music to listen to throughout our session and it made the beautiful day even more fun. Hmmm...maybe I should start bringing music with me on all my shoots. :)

Thanks to Evie, Duncan & Bennett for a fun morning! I definitely got my workout for the day trying to keep up with the twins. If you're a mom with little ones who are suddenly walking, you totally understand.

Enjoy your slideshow. Click the image below to view it.

Sara Speert Photography, Piedmont Park photographer

Reese

Reese has grown so much since I first starting photographing her a year ago. She is walking and talking now, and she has beautiful blond curls. I'm liking this look a lot better than the bald baby look. :)

I am really excited to start designing her baby album from all three portrait sessions. I'll be sure to post a few pages here when it's complete.

Click the image to watch the slideshow.

Sara Speert Photography, Decatur, GA baby photography and baby albums

Joshua

Have I mentioned how many of my friends are having kids? I guess there's just something about my age, but it seems like all my friends who are married are having babies. And as you'd imagine photographing my friends' families is SO AMAZING. I pride myself on getting to know my clients and knowing what moments and images will be most meaningful to them. Add that I know my friends even better, sometimes for years, and it makes the process of documenting their little ones even more special.

I've known Dan & Rachel since college. We all attended the University of Rochester (in fact, that's where they met) and I am so grateful for their friendship. Photographing Joshua was an especially fantastic experience. I can see how he resembles mom and dad in so many ways and it's so wonderful to see how much their love reflects in his eyes.

Click the image below to see a few of my favorite images from their session last weekend.

Sara Speert, Dunwoody, Georgia children's portrait photographer

Published! - Professional Photographer Magazine

I am honored to be included in the May issue of Professional Photographer Magazine. I have been reading this magazine for years, folding down page corners and tearing out articles, getting new ideas, and being inspired and re-inspired by other photographers, technical tips and marketing ideas. So to be included is amazing! Being interviewed for this piece was one of the highlights of my professional career and I couldn't be happier to, at the same time, bring some attention back to New Orleans, a place that still needs help 3.5 years after Hurricane Katrina.

To read the full article, click below.

For more information:
View my New Orleans documentary movie
Jewish Funds for Social Justice
St. Bernard Project
The School at Blair Grocery
The House of Dance and Feathers
Beth Israel Congregation

For more information about volunteering with other organizations:
Volunteer New Orleans

Luke & Clark

Spring is finally here and with it comes portraits! Yay portraits!

This morning I had the pleasure to visit with Clark again. I photographed a portrait session of him at Piedmont Park last year just after his second birthday. Now he has a baby brother, Luke. Luke has the most adorable smile and it was so fun talking to Clark. I am always so excited when my kids are able to communicate with me verbally and even use my name. At the end of the session as they were getting ready for lunch, he asked me if I'd like to join them for pizza. How cute is that?!

Here's Luke and his big brother, Clark.

Sara Speert, Atlanta baby and kids portrait photographer

Improving the Awesomeness

It's been a long 5 months....ok, not really. It's just that I've been working on a lot of new projects since January. Kinda like a total business overhaul. June 1 will be my 6th anniversary so it was really time for some changes. I've learned a lot in these 6 years and while I have been making changes along the way to accommodate the requests I've received, this time it's a big change because so many things have been enhanced.

Today is the day that the new price list is being released! I know, not something you are really all that excited about, but you should be! We now have wall art collections, an inspiration guide to help you think about the creative and attractive ways you can display your favorite images, enhancements to the Coffee Table Albums with something totally custom-made (and unlike anything you've ever seen), and so many more things. Not only are there new concepts and products, but it looks beautiful too! Here's a little glimpse.

If you'd like information about any of our services, concepts or products, please contact us. Here's our main website - click on the contact page.

Christin & Jason - wedding

What an beautiful wedding and a beautiful couple! Christin and Jason's beach wedding was just perfect. An intimate wedding, beautiful weather, and a barefoot first dance on the beach...

Looking forward to the reception on Saturday at the reception at Barnsley Gardens!

Click the image to view the slideshow. As always, the show can be purchased by clicking the DVD icon at the bottom of the show.

Thanks to Candice K for second shooting with me! It was so great working with her and her images, just fantastic.

Beach Family Portrait

On my first full day in Santa Rosa Beach/San Destin, FL for Christin and Jason's wedding weekend, I had the absolute pleasure to photograph a family portrait session on the beach for some of my favorite clients. I have been photographing Avery and her parents, Kelly & Chris, since she was just a few months old. Now she's 5 and has a sister and brother. I don't get many opportunities to photograph sessions on the beach, so it was a real treat to photograph their annual portrait in the sun and sand. The weather couldn't have been better and ....seriously, what's not to love about playing at the beach? It was also a lot of fun to come up with new ways of photographing the whole family. Walking on the beach is just so simple and beautiful, and when I saw a row of 5 blue beach chairs, I couldn't resist. I love how Jack is standing on the chair in that image. It's just so expressive of his personality and of all the fun the kids had at the beach. Next year, I hope we can return to the beach for some photos of the whole family buried in the sand!

Click the image to watch the slideshow. As always, it is available for purchase on DVD or by download. Simply click the icon at the bottom of the slideshow to purchase.

Christin & Jason - wedding sneak peek

Christin and Jason's intimate wedding (with just 20 friends and family) was on the beautiful beach of Santa Rosa, FL on Saturday. There were so many wonderful details and moments, and I am so excited to share them soon in the slideshow. But I know that Christin, Jason and their families are super anxious to see pictures, in fact, I'm pretty sure C&J are checking the blog from their honeymoon (hi!), so although I still have lots of editing and retouching to do, I wanted to share this great image. Enjoy!

More to come in the next week.

It's back to basics

The economy stinks and everyone is feeling the crunch. (As if I needed to tell you!) As we all try to make the best of this stressful situation, I'm reminded how important our families are. Remember how fun it was to ride bikes as a kid, go to the park, play a boardgame and do so many things that (hello!) cost little or nothing at all? It's those times that many of us remember most vividly because it was fun to be with our families without all the distractions. It's time to get back to basics and back to our families.

In honor of our kids, our husbands and wives, our parents and siblings, and the importance of refocusing our priorities, we have something really special for the first 5 people to contact us.

50% off our most popular ABC Storytelling Portrait session

The session includes:
A planning session at our Decatur studio
A 2-hour session at your home or local park for 3 people (additional people are $25/each)
An online slideshow of "photographer phavorites"
A Viewing/Ordering appointment at our Decatur studio
A Portrait Website for one month
And a $50 credit for the Viewing/Ordering appointment

Regular price for this package is $300 but this "back to basics" offer brings it to only $150.

So if you've been putting off scheduling a portrait session, carpe diem! This offer will only last as long as it takes 5 people to contact us.


And now for the fine print:
Portrait session must be scheduled for May 2009.
Travel beyond 20 miles from Decatur, GA will be an additional charge.
Prices for enlargements and other gift shop items are subject to current pricing.
This offer is not applicable to currently contracted work with Sara Speert Photography.



email: sara (at) saraphotography (dot) com
main: 404-966-7272

Our Cover Article in the Atlanta Jewish Times

Our article in the Atlanta Jewish Times was published today and I am ecstatic to see that it got the front cover!

The images I took, including the one on the front cover, accompany the piece that Nick and I wrote about our experience on a trip to volunteer our time to the people of New Orleans. We left with a much better understanding of the reality there, inspiration from the survivors and community organizers, and an awareness of the great need for volunteer help and donations.

Thanks to the Atlanta Jewish Times for giving this issue the priority it deserves.

Read the article here...

STuFF - Sara's Totally Fantastic Finds (episode 6)

Just some fun that my mom sent my way...



Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

http://playingforchange.com - From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes the first of many "songs around the world" being released independently. Featured is a cover of the Ben E. King classic by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it traveled the globe. This video and "Don't Worry" are available now at iTunes. Other songs such as "One Love" will be released as digital downloads soon; followed by the film soundtrack and DVD in stores on 4.28.09.



Pre-order the CD/DVD "Playing For Change: Songs Around The World" now at amazon.com!
www.tinyurl.com/c6mhgd

Order the "Stand By Me" and "Don't Worry" now at itunes!
www.tinyurl.com/bl7fvf

Sign up at www.playingforchange.com for updates and exclusive content.

Join the Playing for Change Online Street Team at:
www.ufanz.com/teams/playingforchange

Join the Movement to help build schools, connect students, and inspire communities in need through music.

STuFF - Sara's Totally Fantastic Finds (episode 5)

My amazing husband, Nick Edelstein, played on Fox 5 Atlanta's Good Day Atlanta this morning! Check out the footage below. He's playing organ and guitar, and he got a lot of face time, because he's so hot. :)

The band, Connor Christian & The Southern Gothic, is playing this weekend at The Atlanta Dogwood Festival. They go on at 6:30pm on Saturday.

Portraits in Baltimore - registration open

Registration is officially open for Portraits in Baltimore. We will be in Baltimore (my hometown!) May 30 - June 3 and we have sessions available for newborn, baby, children, family and couple's portraits.

For more information, click here.

Register online now.

Because we are limited to two sessions per day (one in the morning and one in the late afternoon), slots are filling up quickly.

Contact the studio with any questions. info (at) saraphotography dot com.

STuFF - Sara's Totally Fantastic Finds (episode 4)