Thursday, May 19, 2011, 12:13 PM
The other day at lunch we were sitting down with our new friend, Tori, who has spiked out, short black hair, works on cars and develops video games. Tori is such a champ. We were asking her about the life-cycle of her AH-mazing hair (which is really what us girls spend half our lives talking about) she told us she was born a blonde.... none of us at the table believed her so she whipped out the most beautiful photo of herself as a little girl. In the image Tori was about three-years-old and she was eating an ice cream cone, half of it was dripping down her face. I loved everything about it. And of course, Tori did in fact have bleach blonde hair.

Aside from my shock that this was the same person, it really made me think... I wish it was federal mandate that all of us were required to walk around with big necklaces around our necks displaying a photo of ourselves when we were children. Photos of ourselves in that completely uninhibited state of mind (preferably eating ice cream!!). First of all, it would no doubt bring about a lot of interesting conversation, but more importantly, I think if we could just view one another as children we would have a greater capacity for grace, compassion and understanding. Whenever I get frustrated with someone, I just try and think of them as the awesome tiny human that they once were... because after all, we are all just a little taller, a little fatter, and with some slight to extreme hair modifications.

Thoughts
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Megan Eckers says: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 10:00 AM

:) :) :)

Couldn't agree more.

Megan Eckers says: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 09:59 AM

:) :) :)

Couldn't agree more.

Megan Eckers says: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 09:57 AM

:) :) :)

Couldn't agree more.

Mary Marantz says: Friday, May 20, 2011, 02:45 PM

Love this Sarah!!

tina says: Friday, May 20, 2011, 04:50 AM

Sarah...thank you...thank you for seeing the world the way you do and for sharing it with us all!! much love from the land of AUZ!

tina says: Friday, May 20, 2011, 04:49 AM

Sarah...thank you...thank you for seeing the world the way you do and for sharing it with us all!! much love from the land of AUZ!

Kristin says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 08:29 PM

That is a fantastic thought. :)

Meredith A says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 05:11 PM

What a beautiful way to think. Thanks for this, Sarah :)

Meredith A says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 05:11 PM

What a beautiful way to think. Thanks for this, Sarah :)

julie fitts says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 04:13 PM

ha, so true. that's a great perspective. :)

Annie says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 03:51 PM

Good idea! :)

applem00n says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 02:59 PM

beautiful insight

the detailed life says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 02:20 PM

funny. yeah, this is a good idea. everyone's constantly saying how much my 14 month old looks just like his daddy... yes, he does... but they say that mostly because of his extremely blonde hair, that his dad also has... only I had super blonde hair too when I was his age, and nautis (my son) actually looks so much like how i looked... grrr!
I took a photo of myself like this, for that reason. it's up on my old blog. this photo just reminded me of that.

Rich Park says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 01:32 PM

so true how much people change as they grow up - what a great way to see things!

Jenn Stark says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 12:39 PM

How great would that be?? Awesome idea! :)

Cyndy says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 12:37 PM

Wow such an awesome idea. I train and work with teachers who work with students with severe behavior and psychiatric disorders. I am going to use your idea..it's powerful when working a kid through a meltdown to remember the cute tiny humans they were. THANKS!! Love love love your work also!

Stacie says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 12:34 PM

um, yeah, you're pretty amazing...just sayin...and I say that to the little you and the now you.

(is that strange to say when I don't even know you? meh. this is a great post, your pictures are amazing therefore SO ARE YOU)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 09:44 AM
Meet one of our most wonderful friends in the world, Jordan. Mr. Butcher is a rockstar designer who was in need of some photos for some press and promo pieces. His website is currently getting worked on but you should check back next week and see some more of his fabulous work. And now is the time where I get to brag on our dear friend: Ladies, if you have seen the movie Bridesmaids, Jordan did a lot of the design on that front for the movie and soundtrack packaging. He has been Grammy nominated for his packaging work for Underoath, and did all of the packaging for one of my favorite shows on right now, 30-Rock, for their coffee table book soundtrack packaging. Basically his client list is pretty epic and Jordan is the jam both professionally and personally.

I feel like these images are a pretty honest and authentic portrayal of Jordan. He is an all-American guy who would secretly rather be working in a factory back in the 1940's. He has been like a big brother to me and is one of Chris' closest friends. We're super thankful to have Jordan in our lives. Jordan is bold, he is confident and his hard exterior is really holding together his sweet softy of an interior. He's got a heart of gold and would do anything for his friends. Jordan is the guy who picks us up from the airport in the middle of the night. I'm a pretty firm believer that a quick and easy test for true friends is who takes you and picks you up from the airport. Try it sometime... you'll know real quick who loves you. And then don't say I never taught you anything :)


Thoughts
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Roeland Van de Velde says: Saturday, May 28, 2011, 05:45 AM

Very cool series!

Lauren Coleman says: Friday, May 27, 2011, 11:11 AM

awesome designer, love his work! and I love the way you portrayed him, both professionally and personally!

Nikki McArthur says: Friday, May 20, 2011, 10:44 PM

DUDE! Are you telling me that I'm the only chump that parks at the airport because I don't want to inconvenience anyone... heck last time I flew in without my hubby the dude made me take a cab home. LAME!

Paige Butcher says: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 09:18 AM

Like. Like, like like.

But Jordan, smoking is bad for you (Mom would want me to say that) ;)

FRESH says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 05:24 PM

de-lovely imagery and congratulations on landing that campaign. will be watching & waiting! woop woop.

Andrew Cahill says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 05:07 PM

Really funky photos, love it.

Annie says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 03:38 PM

Love what you see :)

Katie Kolenberg says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 02:56 PM

Oh yeah. Loads of personality, coming through strong and clear. Love your work, as always.

Rich Park says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 12:08 PM

very stylish - chill and cool. the photos are perfect and definitely give me a sense of who jordan is. amazing job!

Jordan Butcher says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 11:08 AM

Thanks for the kind words and amazing photos, Sarah.

Stephanie says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 10:44 AM

Ah! Another West Virginian turned Seattleite! Always have to be around mountains, I guess. :)

You really did a wonderful job capturing personality with these. These images make him look like your description exactly. Excellent work. :)

jeff ambrose says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 10:06 AM

i dig the interaction between yourself and the subject.

Linda says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 10:05 AM

Love the personality captured through these photos :)

Jenn says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 10:01 AM

brilliant. brilliant. brilliant. absolutely stunning work! LOVE the detail shots!

anda says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 09:57 AM

new favorites, maybe. i LOVE the feeling in these!

Sara Jane says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 09:55 AM

wow! these images are fabulous.. i look forward to your posts every week! you're friend seems like my dream guy! what an amazing set of photos!

Kip Beelman says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 09:53 AM

Bomb digular.

That cafe is amazing.

Joel Flory says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 09:51 AM

love this series. Great work as always.

Monday, May 16, 2011, 02:44 PM
I have been such a bad blogger this past week! This is me publicly slapping myself on the hand. However, in my own defense, we have been up to some fun projects, most notably an office renovation project that pretty much occupied all of our time for the past 9 days. Chris and I have had our hands full considering neither of us are pro-carpenters.... really my skills fall somewhere very much below amateur and that is if I had a very gracious judge. But lucky for me I have a man who is pretty skilled with those large scary power tools and he made it all come to life... I was honestly there for moral support and simple sous-chef tasks :) Once I get caught up on my blogging over here, I will be posting some before and afters of our crazy DIY reno project on our blankhaus blog. Now onto the exciting stuff...

Sarah & Steve got married a couple of weeks ago in Carefree, Arizona. It was one of the most charming little southwest towns I have ever experienced. When we arrived the first night we grabbed some BBQ brisket and I felt like we were picked up and put in a shoot em' up cowboy movie. The man next to me literally had a gun holster (with no gun in it) on his waist with his boots and his pearl snap button up shirt to boot. It was pretty darling. Sarah's parents have a home in Arizona and Sarah & Steve wanted some sunshine and warmth for their outdoor wedding making Arizona a great choice. I was in LOVE with the color palette they choose for their day. The florals and location were just breathtaking and so was Sarah. 

I also had one of the more "dignifying" experiences of my career while on our creative photo session with these two #sarcasm. I stepped in a Jumping Chola Cactus bush and literally had to throw away my Toms Shoes mid wedding day. I posted a photo of my shoes on my facebook page here. It's pretty ridiculous. Thank goodness for Sarah's sweet bridesmaid who came to my rescue and let me borrow her flip flops so I didn't have to be the barefoot photographer :) 

This day was just so much fun, Steve and Sarah are such a delight and their families made us feel like we were family! Enjoy a little bit of these two!

Venue/Catering: Desert Mountain, Arizona



Thoughts
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Arran Moffat Edinburgh Photography says: Friday, May 20, 2011, 03:16 PM

Wonderful pictures! I'll be sure to check back regularly. Very inspiring stuff.

Tegan says: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 09:54 AM

SOOOO beautiful! I

yana says: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 10:17 AM

Beautiful work. Love the hanging lanterns and the photo with the two ladies helping with the veil.

Aaron Snow says: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 08:09 AM

Beautiful colors in these images. Awesome work guys!

Rich Park says: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 07:41 AM

beautiful wedding - you guys did an amazing job capturing it!

Christine says: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 12:33 AM

beauuuuutiful, rhoadsies. :) i adore every last detail, and those couples shots with that light is just to die for. beautiful beautiful beautiful. :)

Anda says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 07:28 PM

well, your cactus/shoe encounter makes me feel better about some of the clumsy stuff i have done while shooting ;) love arizona and love your description and images of arizona. xoxo.

erika says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 06:15 PM

absolutely st st stunning!! lovin her veil

Kelsey says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 05:11 PM

I already commented on fb, but I'm seriously enamored by these images! A.ma.zing.! Love.

Chelsea Patricia says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 04:31 PM

Completely stunning.

Annie says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 04:00 PM

Favourite. Wedding. Ever. That has to be the most beautiful bouquet I've seen in my life. The moments you have captured are magic. I'm in love! :)

Andrew Cahill says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:51 PM

Beautiful, really get that warm feeling.

Rachel Pick says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:43 PM

Really lovely colour tones - colours of the day and your treatment go perfectly together. Nice job!

Mike says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:40 PM

cute couple! Great set! Sorry about the Toms!

Rensche Mari says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:26 PM

I love it! The colours for the wedding are really well picked. And yes, I can feel the sunshine!

jeff ambrose says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:17 PM

love what you did out here sarah. mind shooting me the venue? my fiancee and i are still looking.

Chelsea Carbary says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:17 PM

I love all of these - what a pretty day =)

Savanah Loftus says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:16 PM

Simply beautiful. My favorite is the one of them with that monster cactus!

-Savanah

Diane says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:08 PM

Beautiful wedding! I am a huge fan of your work!

the detailed life says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 03:08 PM

yay! love them ;)

velvetowlphotography says: Monday, May 16, 2011, 02:57 PM

Absolutely stunning wedding & photos!!

Thursday, May 5, 2011, 10:40 AM
Jordan & Nick are pretty much awesome. We met these two a few months ago over a night of bowling with a group of friends.They were brought by our good friend Tyler and I'm so glad he brought them along for the ride. They are just adorable and have amazing hearts. We are now in the same community group and get to see each other every Tuesday which if ultra fun. Jordan & Nick have impeccable style, love life and are seekers of truth. These guys were sweet enough to invite us into their home for a mini session so another photographer, Isabelle, who was here for a mentor session could see how we work with our subjects.

It can be nerve-wracking to be in front of the camera, but add an additional person watching and it can make things even more intimidating for the subject. So I have to give these guys some mad props not only for opening up their home to us, but also sharing a little peek into the more personal parts of their relationship with us. We had a lot of fun with these two.

I absolutely love shooting people in their homes. It's such a personal space to them and the nooks and crannies are often crawling with stories. The walls are full of memories and it's oftentimes a much more meaningful place to them than the "cool park" down the street. Not to mention, couples are oftentimes most comfortable in their own spaces making for some really honest resulting imagery. Enjoy a little of Jordan & Nick!




Thoughts
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Arya Ng says: Sunday, May 15, 2011, 08:28 AM

Gosh...super love your images! I can feel the emotion, the life coming up from each image. Brillian!

Dan says: Friday, May 13, 2011, 01:16 PM

A couple times a week I stop by your blog and I always walk away inspired! THANK YOU!

Roeland Van de Velde says: Sunday, May 8, 2011, 01:34 PM

Hey,

Great work. Stumbled upon your blog. Like the pictures a lot, great source of inspiration!

Whitney Schey says: Saturday, May 7, 2011, 06:20 PM

their style makes me die inside. i am so into it!

rich says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 10:57 PM

what an amazing couple with such great style! absolutely amazing shots!

Annie says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 05:57 PM

Oh. My. Word. Their house is amazing! I can't stop looking at that first picture. I want to be friends with them :) The last picture is absolutely gorgeous. I want to be friends with you! :)

Andrew Cahill says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 02:22 PM

Gorgeous photos. What a cute couple. That wall and lounge are sooo funky. love it!

yana says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 12:02 PM

The first image is spectacular. I love that wall!

Chelsea Patricia says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 11:14 AM

Love these two! And their house speaks LOADS abou them. Love what you said, Sarah!

Tricia says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 11:02 AM

WOW. Favorite house EVER. *save save save* this is going on my inspiration board. Superb! -Tricia

Doreen Kilfeather says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 10:59 AM

I was about to say that this is an exceptional group of images...but then ALL your images are exceptional...outstanding...such a joy and inspiration to look upon. Love the sense of ease between your subjects and you...there is wonderful freedom in your compositions coupled with graphic precision...a wonderful balance.

Jamie Wyckoff says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 10:31 AM

wow... their home, amazing! you always capture so much emotion... i love it!! :)

Christine says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 10:30 AM

Their house is really cute! And looks like a great couple! Beautiful pictures!

Tyler Eide says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 10:28 AM

First comment! Great shoot! Two of my favorite people.

Tyler Eide says: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 10:28 AM

First comment! Great shoot, two of my favorite people.