During the week of Christmas while many of us were cooking and doing last minute shopping, I photographed a portrait session in Dunwoody, GA for this beautiful family. All three grown siblings have kids of their own and the family continues to grow with little Chapin being born just 3 months ago. Since the entire family doesn't live in Georgia, being together for the holiday was a wonderful opportunity to schedule a family session.
Normally I like to include one favorite image from each session in my Picture of the Day. But I had a really hard time deciding so instead, here are two. Yay!
I got the best (and most unusual) complement this morning from one of my clients."Sara, you're like crack. We're addicted to you and your photography. Your photography is the best I've ever seen."
How awesome is that? I've never been told I'm addictive like a drug. But I like the idea. :)
Take a look at the CarryAbout Album created from Carter's Growing Baby Portrait Package. It's amazing how much he's changed since I started photographing him. Thanks Jonathan!
If you couldn't tell from my lack of blogging action, December was a bit crazy. And I'm sorry for ignoring you for too long. Hopefully you've been following me on Facebook and have become a fan on our fanpage so you haven't gone into withdrawal. I kid, I kid (as in the words of Jeff Dunham) I know you didn't go into withdrawal because you were just as busy, I'm sure!
Over the holiday weekend, I wrote a list of all the things I want to blog about and the list isn't even complete at 15 items. So, get ready for some mad blogging throughout the next few weeks.
I'd like to begin with something a bit somber. On December 14th, my Great Aunt Esther passed away. She was 92 years old and lived a long and rich life. She was my Grandfather's sister and they had so much in common. She loved her family and relished the time she had with them. She had such a thirst for education and knowledge that she attended adult education classes at the local college in her 70's and 80's. She always had wonderful words of advice to share with me and never missed an opportunity to tell me how much my grandparents would have been proud of my accomplishments. In some ways, losing her was like losing another part of my grandfather, so it was an especially difficult thing to handle.
The last time I saw her was on my last visit to Seattle in March 2009. It meant a lot to me to be able to visit with her and I will cherish this photo forever.
Cyber-Monday excitement continues! Our Thanksgiving sale ends tonight at midnight so be sure to take advantage.
I met Naomi early this year when Nick and I decided to take a trip to New Orleans to volunteer our time to help rebuild in the aftermath of Katrina. The trip was so educational and moving that upon my return, I created a movie with the images from my time there and my thoughts about our experiences. You can watch it here. I also wrote one article and had one written about me in the Atlanta Jewish Times and Professional Photographer Magazine.
So, Naomi is one of the amazing people that worked for JFSJ, the organization that sponsored the trip. Her enthusiasm about the program and her genuine desire to connect with all the volunteers was palpable and infectious. She and Alana guided the Atlanta office to great things. So, when it came time to thank her for her efforts, we couldn't think of a more fitting thank you than a portrait session of her family.
Photographing Naomi and Michael and their two girls, Jolene and Talia, was really fun. After a morning of rain, the skies cleared and we had a beautiful fall sunset. Riding bikes, pretending their backyard was Cinderella's Ball, and singing silly songs meant the pictures from their session truly captured a day-in-the-life of this family.
Today you get 3, count 'em THREE, Pictures of the Day. I just couldn't resist. :) How adorable is Simran in her bassinet? Yes, this was taken in her home and no, I didn't bring this prop with me. This is what makes storytelling portraits so special. This is Simran's bassinet that she used to sleep in when she needed to sleep close to mom. What a wonderful way to remember how small she is now.
Today is the regular deadline for all holiday orders and all 2009 client image galleries.
We will however be able to take orders after today at a 50% rush fee. Please see below for more information.
One of my clients recently asked about something she saw in another client's photos. Harper has some colorful dots on the walls in her room. They match perfectly with the rest of the brightly colored decor in her room.
On Saturday, I photographed a Halloween party for a house-full of one-year old's. I was so excited about photographing this party because really, there's little that is cuter than a baby in a hooded costume. And, I was definitely not disappointed. All the parents I met were really great and Courtney's parents were wonderful to host such a fun party.
And bonus! - Courtney walked for the first time at the end of the party! It was a really exciting moment. Everyone started clapping and she looked around like she had no idea what the big deal was. So cute. It got me thinking that if I could time my clients' portraits sessions for the exact moment that their child takes his/her first steps that'd be perfect. So, let's get on that. :)
Here is my favorite Picture of the Day of pouty Superman. How precious is he?
How was your Halloween weekend? Mine was really busy. And as a result I have a ton to post here over the next few days. The highlight was arriving home on Saturday after shooting to find that Nick had gone shopping and put together a Halloween-themed dinner just for us. We decided to take it easy this year and just hang out at the house and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters. So this dinner and drinks was awesome and so perfect. Did I mention that he made two mixed cocktails? Pictured are "Monster Eyeballs Martini" and for dinner, "Bat Wings".
We crafted some floating ghosts in the front yard and bats in the windows. Scary!
Our new coffeetable album arrived and it - is - beautiful! We've upgraded the actual album to one that has hard-backed pages, full images across the entire page and a choice of covers. This one is a fine art canvas cover. This album is more durable than its predecessor and a much more substantial look and feel. You are guaranteed to be wowed.
The design is one we've been working on for quite a while (and is the first of three designs that will be available). It's called Color-block and has infinite possibilities of color combinations. The blue-green is perfect for this one year old boy. Think two-tone pinks for little girls, taupe and white for an elegant gender-neutral album, or knock-out purple and yellow for a bright fun look.
It's hard to believe that Harper is one year old. Since her first portrait session, it's been so fun to get to know her. If her pictures are anything, they are really colorful. Love the striped rug in her room, her striped legs and her striped jacket. The combination of colors make the pictures so lively and fun.
Although I have terrible allergies to dogs and cats, my love for them is stronger, and I can't help but photograph the four-legged family members as well. Love the images of Harper's dog sitting patiently outside on the deck while we finish up her session.
Enjoy the slideshow!
Let me preface this post by saying a big "Thank You!" to Cobb County Fire Station #3 on Terrell Mill Road. The firemen were so gracious to give us a tour of the trucks and the station, and most of all, put Patrick in the driver's seat for this very exciting portrait session. I don't think there is anything more exciting for a 3 year old boy than seeing a firetruck up close and being able to "drive" the truck and turn on the flashing lights.
I love this idea for a portrait session! Patrick loves trucks of all kinds so this seemed like a perfect choice for this 4th portrait session. Now that he's all grown up and completed the Growing Baby Package, we started the new Annual Portrait Session Package with this fun adventure. Although Patrick was a bit shy at first, he eventually got down from his dad's arms to explore the firehouse. The hoses, the tools, the huge steering wheel, the helmets, everything was so neat! And can't you see the excitement in Patrick's eyes? We started and finished at his house with biking, snacks and playing with some favorite toys. We really managed to get a lot into one 2-hour session.
Enjoy the slideshow below by clicking the picture to view.
I know what you're thinking... You have so much going on that even though registering for Portrait Day is on your " to-do list," you just haven't had the time to register. Well, the good news is that we still have some spots open. The bad news is that registration is only open until 11:59pm Wednesday night (tomorrow, October 7th). So, hop to it! Click here to learn more about Portrait Day and register before the buzzer goes off and the gong is, well, gonged.
And since I can't post here without something for your visual pleasure, I thought I'd spread the word about a hilarious comedian who's getting his own show on Comedy Central. I first saw Jeff Dunham in college and then took Nick to see him a year ago here in Atlanta. He is the most original and talented comedian I've ever seen. That's a pretty big complement considering Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Bill Cosby, et al., but he does something completely different. (Warning: the material in this video may not be suitable to young ears.)
Enjoy!
Carter is such a sweetie. This was his third portrait session and I can't believe how much he's grown. I know I say that all the time, but really, when I start photographing little ones when they're....so little, it's amazing and emotional to watch them turn into little boys. Carter just celebrated his 2nd birthday, and he loves to read and climb and slide and throw and look at bugs. So needless to say, this session was jam-packed with activity. We even made it down to the neighborhood park like last time. And if you remember from the first session, Hiro, Carter's doggie, got some photo love, and this time, he got some love again. Who can say no to those precious eyes? Not me.
Carter's family was especially wonderful this session because I am working on a top-secret project in which they are playing a huge role. (Hey, that was great grammar!) I hope to announce the project in the next month or so. So, thank you Amy, Jonathan and Carter!
View the slideshow by clicking the image.
