COUPLES EXTRAVAGANZA!

So, I'm updating everything.  EVERYTHING.
And that means I'm updating all of my imaging and pictures for the website and 'coming-soon' blog.  BUT...

I need to update my couples images.

Here's the deal, I'm offering sessions to couples in love - married, engaged, newly together, whatever - the entire session fee is $20.  TWENTY BUCKS!!!  Trust me, NOT gonna happen again.  This is a one time deal so, if you know someone... and we all do....  tell them to contact me as soon as possible. 

They'll get a write up with their love story on the new blog when it's released. 
*AND*
40% off all images and products they decide to order (provided they order within 2 weeks of seeing their online gallery)
*AND*
I'm throwing in low resolution images for web-sharing.
*AND*
If they tell me you referred them, you get $25 off your next session fee....

We're talking, win/win for everyone.

The only catch is that they need to contact me before September 15th.  Email. Facebook. Phone. Somehow, get a hold of me, and you/they can take advantage of this ONLY HAPPENING ONCE kind of event. 

A little about me ~

Here's a little window -

Some random SAE details:

 

• Feels music deeply– sometimes to the point that she weeps.

• Believes that true LIFE is based in the relationships we enjoy. And therefore feels deeply that the relationship with Jesus is more important than anything on earth… Life-giver.

• Believes whole heartedly in the Style Statement blend of her personality – her 80/20 blend is 80% Elegant and 20% Feminine. Look it up… Style Statement…

• She is a worship leader who graduated Magna cum Laude for Practical Ministry, with an emphasis on music, and has no trouble pursuing Jesus through worship - whether she’s by herself or with large crowds of people.

• Sarah has been married for over 10 years to a man who is a fire fighter. She loves that he wanted to be a fire fighter because he was passionate to help people when they are at their most desperate. And she is crazy in love with him.

• One of her most favorite thing to do is listen to her daughter make up songs and sing her heart out –

• And watch her boys ‘leave it all on the field’ – as they say – while they’re playing a wild game of soccer.

• And she always cries when they are singing worship songs together…

• Has an ridiculous attraction – borderline “love affair” – for a well made White Chocolate Mocha

• Would rather stay in a B&B than a big hotel.

• Longs to impact people’s lives for the better

• She is a hopeless romantic…

• Who loves classic English literature…

• And can still smell her newborn babies in her mind when she thinks back to that time in her life. It's Johnson & Johnson's lavender…

• And that makes her smile!

Here’s my deal –

I am completely enthralled with life. Really. That’s actually why I love photography the way that I do. I remember the first time I sat down with a couple who had just brought their very first baby girl into this world, I was enthralled.

Up to that point, I had in my mind that I was going to use specific props, and create a specific style of picture. I fashioned it all in my head. But the strongest images I walked away with were relational. It was the look on her daddy’s face as he leaned down and hushed her so quietly.

I talked about it with a friend of mine, and he put it into words so well. Great photography freezes a moment in time.

That was it for me.
It’s not about a pose, or a style, or a location … it’s about a moment. It’s about the relationship between human beings that makes an image powerful. It’s about the life it carries. So I take the pose, style, and location and I wrap it around that life – I thread it into the image to tell the story – and in the end, we get an emotional piece of art that holds so much more value in the heart.

I look back at my children, and I see that the pictures that are the most precious to me are the ones that don’t just document what they looked like when they were younger, but they capture the moment. I love those. I cherish those. The pictures that bring tears to my eyes are the ones that remind me of a season.
In my photography, I pursue that life.

So It Begins - Albany GA Children's Photography

So it's begun! - This week is all about school, and we start it with the oh-so familiar annual school pictures!  Are you ready for that?

I am sitting here, right now, looking at my daughter's school picture from last year.  YUCK!!  Her hair was a disaster, and the lighting left a really weird shadow on the back of her head.  This is a complimentary picture because I absolutely refused to buy a package.  Is that wrong?  Here are my thoughts...

In first grade the company set her on a rock.  It was a full-frame shot of her posing on a plastic boulder, and she was wearing a pretty little jean skirt with tights and an ivory shirt.  Nice, right?  Yeah, you could see straight up her skirt.  Didn't buy those.  The next pictures, she was totally sporting the playground hair and no one paid attention to the fact that she looked like she had just climbed out of a convertible on the Audubon!  Didn't buy those either.  By third grade she at least had learned how to smile for someone other than me.  Up until that point, everything was cheesy and completely unrecognizable.  My son's face literally contorts into this weird gorilla-showing-it's-teeth expression, and I can see horror, frustration, and a strong desire to sprint in his eyes... (we've all seen that expression).  And - didn't buy those either.

That's when I decided that I absolutely refuse to have the only portraits of my child done through the school.  I have a friend who is an amazing photographer - Holly Tye - and we had her shoot for us that year.  I can't tell you how much happier I was with the pictures.  It wasn't about cost to me because portrait photography is not about price, but value.  I don't have words to explain how precious those images are still to me.  Elise was missing two teeth, Evan's expression was totally genuine, and Ethan was just hitting his two year old toddler stage.  How perfect!  That session was a game changer for me.  My husband and I reasoned that if we were going to spend money on our children's pictures, they had better be professionally done.  We can't afford to buy images that my children will regret, or we don't really like.  Aren't we called to be good stewards of our money?

So, here's the announcement.............drum roll please................ 

This fall, I'm opening my studio for school portraits.  These are mini-sessions that will give you some control over the pictures that you buy.  You're there to make sure their hair is right, and their clothes don't have smudges from the breakfast pizza they ate in the cafeteria. 

Here's how it works - you come to my home-studio where you pay a $30 mini-session fee.  We shoot on your choice of a few different backdrops, and we'll take a short series of shots.  I'll make sure the pictures are color balanced, and any blemishes are removed.  In two days you'll be able to view 4-6 of the best images.  At that point, you can order a la carte, or one of the mini-shoot packages - perfect for marking the years-gone-by and still having control over the way your child looks in those pictures.  Here's an example of the type of images we're talking about:

For me - I like doing a full family portrait session once a year, and then a couple of mini-sessions for Christmas, sports, ballet, and school.  Everything else is snapshots.  That might seem like a lot but how else can you capture those precious moments?  I would have to buy the school picture package for each child, the ballet studio pictures for Elise, the sports pictures (per sport per season - and I HAVE BOYS!) and the Christmas pictures for cards and gifts, and it makes so much sense to me for people trust one person for all of it.  There's a relationship there, and kids are so much more at ease when they're with familiar people.  Not to mention, when you have a relationship with your photographer, they know you and can reward you.  There are definite benefits!

Back to the point - School pictures.  Let me make this disclaimer - I don't think ALL school pictures are bad.  And I know some great school portrait photographers, so please understand that I'm not coming down on everyone in the business.  I couldn't do it.... hundreds of children and small amounts of time is not necessarily the best recipe for a great photo.  Just the thought makes my nerves feel like spiders are dancing on them!  It's just my point that if you're going pay for professional pictures of your children, it makes more sense to take them to a professional that can 1) reward you for your faithful business, 2) guaruntee their appearance is as you intend, and 3) get the familiar smiles you recognize. 

Tomorrow - more on 'back to school' and how it relates to photography!

The Summerlin Kiddos

I had the most wonderful time at a family reunion just a couple of weekends ago!  It was the beginning of a long two weeks where my own children would be staying with their grandparents in central Florida.  I had just left them with my mother and I was headed to Moultrie for the annual Eldridge family reunion.  I'll have some fun pictures of that soon. 

Typically I end up hovering around the deep end of the pool, posing as the unofficial life guard!  (Not really).  Actually, because I have three very active kiddos who love to swim, I usually spend most of the reunion making sure my children are safe.  This weekend was very different, though.  With Evan, Elise, and Ethan being with my parents, that left me free to explore the 'family' part of 'family reunion.' 

I must say, it has been confirmed that I L-O-V-E children.  Sure, I shot pictures of adults, the always entertaining auction, and the food (of course), but I just couldn't keep my camera off these beauties.

New Baby Claire

Anyone who knows me understands how much I L-O-V-E babies.  I can't express how thrilled I was to shoot this beautiful lady.  Her name: Alyssa Claire Langley.  Her birthday: June 26, 2010.  She was 12 days old for this shoot. 

She was a funny little lady!  Oooooooohhh, did she NOT like being naked!  And I remembered how new babies can take all of our best laid plans and flip them upside down.  It was a long shoot, but in the end, the images we came away were not only timeless in many ways, but could not, and will never be reproduced. 

I could, at this time, produce a cliche full of catch phrases and boring statements that really mean nothing.  Instead, let me explain what I believe photography should do. 

Great photography should take a moment and somehow stop time.  When I look at the snapshots my daddy used to take when I was a kid, somehow I'm transported to that moment.  Good photography is, in my mind, doing what everyone else is trending on.  Great photography stops time. 

Claire will never again be this small, and this moment with her daddy will never happen again.

I absolutely adored everything about this shoot.  From the hours spent preparing, to the hours spent with little Claire, to the hours spent scrutinizing the images - processing and post-processing.  I loved all of it!  Here are some of my favorite images from the shoot.

Young Women - Ideas for What to Wear!

If there's one thing I get asked more than anything else, it's this:

"What do I wear for my pictures?"

Check out my 'What To Wear' pages for the different styling tips for the best images, but here's an outfit that would look great!

My New Favorites

So I've had a small lull in my session bookings - much to the chagrin of my children - but I must say that these might be my all time favorites thus far!!!  I would love to hear what you think.

At the Ballet

Alright, so anyone who knows me at all knows that I L-O-V-E ballet.  I always have.  One of my most precious possessions for years was a porcelain ballerina that my daddy brought home for me one random day.  I have no idea what prompted it, but I will never forget the moment he gave it to me.  I was sitting on the floor in my bedroom when he and my mom gave me the box.  I asked him why he bought it and my mom said, "He found it and knew you would love it."

I had porcelain ballet slipper Christmas ornaments, and ballerina calendars, and posters, and dolls.  Anything.  Everything. 

So when my daughter started her ballet lessons, I was thrilled.  She loves it.  I love it.  What a beautiful thing to share!  BUT, there was no way I would ever be satisfied with a one pose farmed picture that every other mother in the school had of their little girl.  No, my Elise was too special for that.  I respect the people who take the pictures - talk about stress!!!! - but I wanted something different to remember the year by. 

So, here are my baby-girl's ballet pictures for her first year.

Welcome to my new blog!

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!!!!
Finally, I am posting the pictures from a fantastic photo shoot that I did with an amazing set of twins. At first, they were both a little shy, but it didn't take long before Olivia was walking all over the yard, and Henry was watching intently. We shot in mid-afternoon which is usually terrible for harsh light and heavy shadows, but putting the babies on the front porch with a nice little bench brought some of my favorite shots!

Olivia brought in some fantastic smiles, and I LOVED the personality on that little lady. She was playful and funny, thoroughly enjoying the grass and the fresh air. Henry seemed shy at first, but I found that occasionally he would shoot off a tender little smile that could melt my heart in an instant. Here are some of my favorite shots...