194
Featured in Seattle Met: Bride & Groom
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Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 11:35 AM
We are so excited to have Cristin & Harpur's beautiful estate wedding featured in the latest issue of Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom Magazine. Cristin & Harpur's wedding was so much fun to be a part of. They truly incorporated their personal style into every part of the weekend. In the magazine article, I loved Cristin & Harpur's advice to get people out of their comfort zones and do some kind of destination or getaway wedding. Weddings like that are always an "experience" rather than an "event." Cristin & Harpur's wedding was so special because they really took the time to make it an incredible experience for each person in attendance. 

My favorite thing that Cristin said to other brides in the article is "Don't worry about getting your dress dirty." And this is why Cristin is my kind of gal. :) That is the best advice anyone can give you brides! Let go of the dress and live in it on your wedding day! Your dress is not supposed to be something that stresses you out it is supposed to be something that makes you feel beautiful. The brides that embrace this sentiment always get the best photos. They are less concerned with worrying about their dress touching the ground and more concerned with getting amazing images that they will have forever. You wont remember the little stain on the bottom of your dress, you WILL remember how you looked in your photos. So on your wedding day, Let go of the dress and the stress and LIVE in it on your big day! Not only will it make your photographer happy, it will also make all of your bridesmaids happy too. When the bride is stressed, everyone is stressed... so take one more thing off your list of things to worry about on your wedding day and let go of the dress :)

Thoughts
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Bianca Valentim says: Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 08:18 AM

CONGRATS!!!!!
:)
Harmony Loves says: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 07:53 PM

congratulations! the layout & images are just beautiful! :)
john pascale says: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 01:52 PM

That's incredible, congratulations! You deserve it!
Kayleen T. says: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 12:20 PM

Congrats! That wedding was amazing and your pictures were amazing!

angie says: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 12:09 PM

This Wedding was seriously amazing and her dress is seriously Heavenly! I love it! Such great advice for all brides!
pat furey says: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 12:07 PM

word. good for this bride - i need to spread the word on livin' in your dress
193
Lori & David
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Monday, December 21, 2009, 08:27 AM
Meet Lori & David, they are photographers out of Knoxville, TN with a vision to do something great with their business. They want to leave a footprint on this industry, on this world... and they will. Lori & David have a heart to love others, the passion to succeed, and the hard work ethic to thrive. They are in the beginning stages of their journey and we cannot wait to see how they will grow and where they end up. I feel like our day went so fast.... we covered the gamut in this mentor session. Working with husband and wife teams in our consulting sessions is always especially fun for us. It's like going on an 8 hour double date and pouring our hearts into a couple that we want to see succeed, and helping them navigate all of the facets of running a business together.

Helping Lori and David set up a roadmap for their business was so fun. Every mentor session is customized to where a person is at in their journey and since Lori and David are starting out, our goal was to help them avoid things that waste their time and money; and instead invest in the things that will make their business grow and flourish. We challenged them to get out of their comfort zones with the way they shoot, process & edit. And taught them how to finesse their workflow so that it is streamlined and flawless; resulting in ecstatic clients and a more balanced life.  We did a full portfolio review, worked on lighting and  discussed how to make a lit situation look like as if it were all natural light. This day was soo rich!!! I just adore these two! 

And a huge shout out to the ACE for the killer room that we shot in. We love the team over there at the Ace. The hotel ALWAYS takes care of our mentor session clients with kindness and grace, going out of their way to make them happy. 





Thoughts
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Brenda Landrum says: Monday, December 28, 2009, 09:42 PM

Get Out!!! I love this series of images and the second image....I looked at it for a long time. :) So much joy jumps out of my screen at me!!!
Justin James says: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 06:07 PM

Love this series. I love the simplicity of it. Thanks for sharing...

Nancy says: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 05:41 AM

I love this, someday I want my own session too. ;)
Lisa says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 02:20 PM

Okay, so I've got an idea.....how about you come to Australia so I can absorb some knowledge off you both!! ; ) I've probably said this a ton of times before but your work is just so inspiring.

Heather Stringer says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 01:46 PM

To: Lori and David, you guys are wonderful and it was great meeting you all. love the life exuding from these photos and in acutality...see you around, heh?
From: Heather (and Jay, I'm surrre he'd agree with me)

To: Sarah and Chris, words will not do, how about a virtual hug and nod to how enjoyable you both are and how beautiful it is to see you do what impassions your lives. it was great to be in some of the scenes of Friday...
From: Heather (and Jay, I'm also sure he'd agree with me here too)
Lori says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 11:01 AM

Sarah & Chris, I can't begin to tell you how much we love these shots! They show us, our personality, our love! Thank you, for everything! You are such wonderful, full of life people. We are so thankful to now consider you friends.

alice says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 09:54 AM

Love your combination with of the fun and the detail shots! Such a cute couple, great location, and lovely little plant.

Marissa Rodriguez says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 09:23 AM

The last one is my favorite! My husband and I SO want to do one of these mentoring session with you guys! I can't wait for the day we actually can! :)
sarahrhoads says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 09:13 AM

@ohana sorry the comments FREAKED out on you! lol
ohana photographers says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 08:42 AM

oh my gosh one more time. love.
Alexandra says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 08:38 AM

These are so awesome :) Beautiful shots!

Melina ~honeybird says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 08:31 AM

SWEET pics Sarah! Thanks for my a.m. inspiration!
192
A photo & wisdom
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Friday, December 18, 2009, 10:15 PM
A quick frame from my time today with the most fantastic Lori & David who flew in from Tennessee to come visit us today. It has been a full day for us with an all day mentor session, and two shoots and my voice is dead! There is something so amazing about transferring knowledge and wisdom onto people who are eager to learn, I am reminded of how good it feels every time we have one of our photographer consults. 

Speaking of learning/wisdom and passing on, I would be curious to open up the comments in this post to hear a little bit about what you have learned this year :). It has been a rich year of growth for Chris and I and I'm so thankful not only for how we have grown as artists but how my heart has grown. This year has been marked with facing fears, taking risks and learning the value in hard work. A huge take away I have had from all of those moments has left me to sit with a few great realizations:

1) Nothing good in life comes without blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice. If we want something we have to put in not only the "heart" but the hours of hard work. 
2) Risks are scary, yes. But it is much more frightening to live in a place of mediocrity. This quote by T.S. Eliot says it all, "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." We must push ourselves to the limits to know what we are capable of.
3) Being yourself is the only way to be. No one can be just like you. 


Thoughts
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Ryan Morck says: Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 10:51 AM

All three of those are so very true. thank you for this.

anjuli paschall says: Sunday, December 20, 2009, 08:35 PM

sometimes pain is the only doorway to hope.
sarahrhoads says: Sunday, December 20, 2009, 03:35 PM

@Issabelle wow. thank you so much for sharing that. Lovely. Inspiring and beautiful words.
Isabelle Paille says: Sunday, December 20, 2009, 05:22 AM

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish,
ulterior motives; be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and
some true friends; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people may forget tomorrow;
do good anyway.

Give the world your best anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them .. anyway.

- Mother Theresa
Harmony Loves says: Saturday, December 19, 2009, 09:37 AM

This past June, I quit my full time-salary-job to pursue photography full time. It was probably the most nerve wrecking decision I've eve had to make. I am currently struggling but I know I will succeed :)
I love this image, so beautiful and peaceful.
Andrea Vaughn says: Saturday, December 19, 2009, 12:17 AM

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
191
Thailand/Muay Thai
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Thursday, December 17, 2009, 09:35 AM
I've never been one who is big into sports, but I think I have finally found a sport I can connect with. Muay Thai boxing. Yes, I know, it may seem odd that a 5'3'' little blonde girl would be into a sport as intense as Muay Thai, but there is just something about it that is really captivating. Chris and I went when we were in Chaing Mai and had ringside seats. We were right in the thick of it. The blood, the sweat the sound of hitting skin, the coaches yelling directions at their boxers, being close enough to see the intensity in the boxers eyes. There is something incredible about watching someone push to their physical limits and still fighting through the pain. I found it extremely empowering. The discipline  behind the martial art is pretty insane. Some of these boxers train and compete from the time they are five or six years old. In Thailand, Muay Thai is the national sport so there is a great deal of pride behind the discipline. 

This was one of my very favorite things that we did in Thailand. I'm not sure what I liked more; the energy that I felt all around me being in that crowd cheering, or the empowerment that Chris and I got seeing the underdog end up with his fist held high in the air. There was just something special about it. Chris said he was happy I finally found a sport that I liked ;) So am I. We watched about 2 hours of boxing on television the other night when we both couldn't sleep due to jet lag. I'm pretty much sucked in.



Thoughts
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Paul says: Monday, December 21, 2009, 12:32 PM

Wow! These are great images. Talk about an intense sport. I love the b/w conversions that you've got here. Super cool!
mary says: Friday, December 18, 2009, 02:44 PM

beautiful sarah! such strong images full of so much emotion! i am captivated. So happy you two had such a wonderful safe trip!

john pascale says: Friday, December 18, 2009, 09:12 AM

I'm tired just looking at these. Intense! Energy! Powerful photos!

Alexandra says: Friday, December 18, 2009, 06:52 AM

Awesome photos! Very intense.

imthiaz houseman says: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 09:27 PM

these are so cool! congrats on finding a sport you like. :)
Dennis Bullock says: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 04:30 PM

These are so cool Sarah!
erwinwijanto says: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 10:26 AM

I wanna go to Thailand someday... great captured Sarah n Chris.. There's so many lovely images from your travels.. :) You should plan your next Asia Travel to Indonesia.. I take you around here.. so many beautiful places and real traditional people, food, and places too :)
johnwaire | photo says: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 10:23 AM

...those guys are the most disciplined....strongest....fighters around.
Ryan says: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 10:00 AM

These are excellent. Actually all your Thailand images are beautiful. You have such a gift for composition and seeing what looks good. Not only do you rock at portraits of all kinds, you knock it out of the park with journalistic shooting too. Keep this up. I love seeing your fresh views!