Thursday, September 9, 2010, 11:56 AM
It was so nice to be home for a few weeks in August shoot some local weddings here in Seattle. We've been traveling so much this year it is nice when we can be home during one of the prettiest seasons of the year in Seattle, Summer! Theresa & Serimon got married on a beautiful August day at The Seattle Tennis Club. There is nothing greater than outdoor weddings overlooking the water on a perfect day in Seattle. 

This was so fun to be a part of.  We knew most of the wedding party from a wedding we shot last year. It was like hanging out with some old friends :) Theresa & Serimon are tons of fun. Serimon is selfless, caring and so loyal and Theresa is thoughtful and charming. That is why these two are quite the pair.

On a random side note- one of the funniest moments about this day was when one of Theresa & Serimon's wedding guests came up to me and told me that "the other photographer," Chris, had to leave because he got pooped on. I couldn't help myself from nearly falling on the floor with laughter, my response, "What?! Who pooped on him?" Turns out the geese had it out for him that day, and I just happened to get their photo as they were flying overhead so I had to include it in this post. And let me tell ya, they got him GOOD. Right smack dab on the head. People kept telling him it's good luck, I just think it's pretty crappy ;)

Flowers:  Kendra Yaple with Loves me Flowers
Catering: Seattle Tennis Club




Thoughts
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Sarah Danaher says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 06:17 PM

Love, love, LOVE the boat shot!!

stacey kinkaid says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 04:55 PM

so beautiful - as usual, you inspired me today.

matilda says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 03:38 PM

Better Chris got pooped than the bride....or maybe that would have been a perfect "trash the dress" photo op

Shannon Cunningham says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 02:36 PM

how amazing was the light!? wow! I am assuming Seattle has been just as gloomy as it has been here in the Bay? Forcing me to love shooting in the fog. Great photos, beautiful couple.

jess@studio3z says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 12:09 PM

they are all so beautiful, but that pier/boat/sky shot is kickin!

Eric Yerke says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 12:09 PM

That shot of the birds is amazing. Actually they all are.

Lauren @ ELD says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 12:07 PM

Wow! Love the shoes, love the cake, love this whole wedding! Anymore details you have that you could maybe send to me?? :)

mikhail says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 12:01 PM

Wonderful set- love the mood!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 08:12 AM
During our all day mentor session with Wendy, we arranged for a shoot so that Wendy could see us in action. We had a couple lined up for us to shoot, however, they got caught up in some serious traffic so we ended up working with these three fantastic boys, Tristen, Tanek who were brothers & their wonderful friend Sammy. I'm so glad it worked out the way it did, these kids were rad. 

I love capturing people in their element, enjoying the things that make them come alive. So when Tristen, Tanek & Sammy showed up at Kamaole Beach in Kihei, Hawaii with their boards and their cute little freckled faces I was in heaven.

It's not often that I shoot teenage boys. I loved the challenge. It was one of those 'coming of age' moments when I was well aware that I am no longer a fifteen year old. As I fumbled over my words trying to come up with "cool" things to talk about with them I just kept thinking, 'I used to be so with it, what happened to me?' And then alas, I remembered the sad and true realization that I'm nearly a decade older then them and I am slowly morphing into "cool dad". "Cool Dad" is the dad who thinks he's totally with it but really is totally out of touch, we've all seen friends and family fall victim to "cool dad" see video reference :) 

Needless to say, this was a super fun shoot. And I appreciate that these boys reminded me of where I came from a decade earlier. And it seems that they also reminded me of where I will be in another decade.... hanging out with "cool dad," so it seems :)

Thoughts
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Christian says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 11:56 AM

Great gallery! There are some really awesome shots!

Rich Park says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 07:57 AM

your post makes me wonder what you said to them! haha, whatever you did... it worked! the pictures look great!

Agata Majewska says: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 03:55 AM

I love your pictures. They are full of positive emotions, passions. I draw inspiration from them, but I know that a lot of learning still ahead of me.I look forward to the next material. Greetings

Dennis Bullock says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 04:31 PM

Oh man these are so cool!

wendy laurel says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 11:42 AM

Fantastic as I already knew from watching you edit. I love the selection and sequence of them on the blog. And to think this was a superfast impromtu shoot. Watch for mine up on my blog tomorrow.

lroah says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 10:10 AM

I simply must have you photograph our family next year. Are you ever in LA? Please let me know if you are, or we will come up to you at some point. You guys rock.

Dorothy says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 10:01 AM

hehehe ;)

these photos rule.

suzanne says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 10:00 AM

Seriously awesome, really. And when I was looking at these photos I was thinking... GAWSH I wouldn’t know how to act around these guys!!! Then I read your blog and I felt better... seems I’m not the only one who isn’t a cool young thing anymore!!!

suzanne says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 09:59 AM

Seriously awesome, really. And when I was looking at these photos I was thinking... GAWSH I wouldn’t know how to act around these guys!!! Then I read your blog and I felt better... seems I’m not the only one who isn’t a cool young thing anymore!!!

ali says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 09:43 AM

awesome!!!

alana rucynski says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 09:35 AM

I love these shots! You so captured the feelings of unknowing and excited trepidation from these three.
Beautiful boys.
am I biased? You Bet.
But I know from almost 15 years of shooting these faces ...
Mahalo Nui Loa!
Alana
AKA Tristan & Tanek's Mom

Sarah Danaher says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 09:25 AM

Pretty sure this is one of your best sessions ever.

Adam Pratt says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 08:46 AM

If you have time while you're still on Maui I have a few suggestions:

Get down to La Perouse Bay at the southern tip. It's only 10 miles from Kihei. Beautiful all the time, especially at sunrise. Cindy and I like to do a 20-mile out-and-back run form Kihei to the bay and back. The lava fields are especially cool.

Eat a loco moco. Actually, split one with Chris.

Eat dinner at Maui Tacos. I like a wet burrito with fish or shark.

Drive to Hanna and take the southern road back. It will take all day and it's worth it.

There's lots more to see and do, but those are a few of our favs. BTW, sweet photo shoot!

-Adam

Ryan Klos says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 08:29 AM

These are absolutely stunning. Looks like they should be in a magazine. An I totally get you with the "cool dad" thing. Scary realization when we're not as hip as we thought :D

Becka @Studio222 says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 08:21 AM

HAHA! I feel the same way when we hang out with our nephews. They are 9, 15, and 16 and I always feel so lame. I didn't used to be lame. But now I am, I guess. Oh man. HAHA.

Eric Yerke says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 08:18 AM

Amazing energy of youth in these photos. Seems to have been a successful collaboration. You are too good

Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 10:57 AM
Wendy Laurel is a hippy child at heart :) I love her for that. Wendy is a photographer based in Maui and when we posted our travel schedule saying we would be in Maui to shoot a wedding, Wendy reached out about doing a mentor session with us while we were on the island. We had an awesome day with Wendy! What an incredible person with endless potential. 

Chris and I were so excited to dig into Wendy's business with her for an all day mentor session. When we asked Wendy what makes her stand out from other photographers she answered with "my photos are not timid." I am so in love with that answer. Wendy knows who she is and her photos are honest and interesting. So much of this business is not about knowing all the right "rules," (because the truth is that there aren't any), but rather about knowing yourself, trusting your vision and putting it into the world un-apoligetically. 

During our time together we talked about marketing/branding, shooting for yourself, harnessing your vision, getting published, processing, workflow among a gamut of other things. It is so cool to see people get so excited about the new levels that they can take their shooting and business to. After our time together, we went to Wendy's site and blog only to discover she had applied many of the pieces of advice that Chris and I gave her during our critique. I would encourage you to read through Wendy's recent post on why she is a photographer... I found it to be a beautiful peek into her heart as a person and artist. 




Thoughts
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Kristina says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 01:56 AM

your pictures are wonderful. love each and every single one of them. you are really a great inspiration and a wonderful source on new ideas and ways to improve my own photogprahy skills. thanks :)
viele gruesse, kristina

stacey kinkaid says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 04:33 PM

your photos always tell the story - I look at your images first (before reading your words) and I always feel that I know a lot about the person before reading.

Marissa Rodriguez says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 02:12 PM

You do such an such amazing job at capturing a persons true essence. Amazing.

wendy says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 01:39 PM

At first I just looked at the photos but I just went back and read what you wrote. Wow. Wow. Wow. Thanks you guys.

Rich Park says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 01:21 PM

you guys truly do an amazing job bringing out the personality of the people you mentor through photos! really awesome work!!

Spencer says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 01:20 PM

That first one rocks my world!!

alana rucynski says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 12:22 PM

Wendy is amazing :)

wendy says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 12:21 PM

you are just absolutely amazing sarah. I always hate my photos but love these.

Sarah Danaher says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 12:14 PM

Mmmmmm, she is beautiful.

delphine says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 11:05 AM

I really like your session ! so lightful !

Anna Kim says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 11:04 AM

I couldn't agree more, Wendy is such a beautiful person--inside & out.

Thursday, September 2, 2010, 02:50 AM
At the end of July we took a trip with our good friends Mark, Candice and the cutest baby in the world, Wyatt. Mark & Candice invited us to hang out at their family estate in Speculator New York. When Candice said it was right on a lake we were there. These two have become great friends of ours over the past couple of years. You may remember their cute little faces from when we shot them here in Seattle last year.

Mark & Candice are also photographers and the four of us (plus Wyatt :) decided to do the unthinkable and get away for a week in the middle of crazy busy wedding season. The goal of the trip was just to relax and be together with no cell reception in the middle of no-where-Speculator New York. We played games, slept in, stayed up late talking, went sailing, read, took naps, had a couple camp fires, saw the most beautiful sun-sets and laughed A LOT. These two are our perfect travel-couple. Around them, things are easy and effortless and I am reminded of how sweet sharing life can be. A true friend is one that can pick you up during times of struggle, but also celebrate you in your successes. That is Mark & Candice. They are absolutley beautiful people that we feel so grateful to call friends. 

To be honest, we didn't get our cameras out much this trip because we just wanted to soak it all up, but I just thought I would share a few random captures of our sweet time on the lake with one of our favorite little families, The Brookes :) 

We're off to Maui today... anyone have any suggestions of things to do? We're shooting Saturday but are staying a couple extra days to explore :) Any suggestions welcomed.




Thoughts
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Antony Hands says: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 04:55 AM

These are a great collection of holiday snaps...I wish I could get in the habit of just shooting for shootings sake....I miss it!

sarahrhoads says: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 11:00 AM

Thank you so much everyone for all of the wonderful Maui recommendations! We had a blast. Road to Hana was the best/worst drive of my life lol :) Thanks again everyone who had suggestions. Those we didn't get to we will be hitting up when we are back in November.

Ryan Gladstone says: Friday, September 3, 2010, 10:31 AM

There is an eBay board game??

Rich Park says: Friday, September 3, 2010, 09:54 AM

so glad you did take out your cameras on the trip! love the relaxed nature of these photos. looks like you all had a ton of fun!

Rebecca says: Friday, September 3, 2010, 07:20 AM

Hey. Maui is the best island ever! if you like wine, you should drive up to the wine country, walk around, and go to Tedeschi Vineyards at Maui's Winery at Ulupalakau Ranch (http://www.mauiwine.com/directions.html). Lahaina is such a cute and beautiful town with amazing shops, restaurants, and views. For the more adventurous, you need to, absolutely must, take the curvy drive to Hana. It is one of the best drives I have ever been on and you arrive in a beautiful, non-touristy town that is so tropical. Enjoy your trip. You are going to one of my favorite places on God's beautiful earth.

Rebecca says: Friday, September 3, 2010, 07:19 AM

Hey. Maui is the best island ever! if you like wine, you should drive up to the wine country, walk around, and go to Tedeschi Vineyards at Maui's Winery at Ulupalakau Ranch (http://www.mauiwine.com/directions.html). Lahaina is such a cute and beautiful town with amazing shops, restaurants, and views. For the more adventurous, you need to, absolutely must, take the curvy drive to Hana. It is one of the best drives I have ever been on and you arrive in a beautiful, non-touristy town that is so tropical. Enjoy your trip. You are going to one of my favorite places on God's beautiful earth.

Jackie Lovato says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 03:48 PM

Kanapaalli Beach Hotel if you're in the area--the bar is small and towny--but great! Locals play music and dance. Hopefully Dale is working.

Rent bikes and ride down Mt Haleakola. Don't do it with the tour. Pay a local dude to drive you up and drop you off so you can ride all the way down from top, and away from tour group. Dress warm.

Explore Lahaina by foot.

Napili Bay.

Sasha Behrens says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 11:41 AM

Sara,
Maui is beautiful. We drove across the island to Paia, a beautiful, cute town with fun energy and little places to tuck in and eat.
One thing you truly have to experience is the sunrise at Haleakala. We rose at 2:15am and drove up to the top to watch the sunrise -it explained all of the beauty in the world. I was left with a humble spirit after knowing God created such a beautiful renewal each and every day.
Enjoy your trip!

Sarah says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 09:22 AM

Big Makena beach for an awesome day in the sun and you have to eat pizza at Dollie's Pub & Cafe in Kahana. Enjoy your trip, Maui is an amazing place!

Mark Brooke says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 09:01 AM

WAAAAAAAAAAAA! these are perfect!!! love you guys have an awesome time in maui!!!!

John Sharpe says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 08:05 AM

Wow, beautiful photos as always! For some odd reason...your photos make me want to go play checkers...big time!

Nicole says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 07:58 AM

Olivine Pools!! Just before the 16 mile marker on Hwy 30. Looks like a steep hike off the road, but is really easy (lava created natural steps). AMAZING swimming and views! (Btw, turn around and go back towards Lahaina after this unless you're really brave b/c the road becomes one lane on a cliff. I did the drive in grade school and was too scared to repeat it :|) Also, if you're going snorkling, Makena Beach just south of Wailea has TONS of turtles - some people said they saw more there than Molikini :)

Amanda VanVels says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 07:55 AM

I love these! I would love a break like that in the middle of wedding season. Hope you enjoyed it!

Tracy says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 07:26 AM

Hit up the Hana Highway on the east side of the island. It is a beautiful, curvy drive along the coast through amazing, lush scenery. And if you're up for a scary one-lane road, continue south through the barren, desert landscape (instead of turning back and coming back Hana Highway). I highly recommend the book MAUI REVEALED!

Paige Butcher says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 07:19 AM

This trip sounds like perfection -- I'm completely jealous! The photos are gorgeous, as always :) Have fun in Maui (jealous about that too)!

Johntographer says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 06:41 AM

Hey Sarah,

First of all - I absolutely love your blog and your photos. You are amazingly talented.

Second - I haven't been to Maui, but my wife and I are going there for our honeymoon in November. I've been researching extensively, and it looks like sailtrilogy.com is the "must-do" activity on the island. Their day-trip sailings feature snorkeling, whale watching and all kinds of other fun stuff. I'd encourage you to check 'em out. Please, please, please blog about your trip! I'd really appreciate some Maui advice when you get back!

Regards,
John

Christine Pobke says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 06:31 AM

YES! go check out the olowalu plantation estate - it's tiny and beautiful and might be private. :) pobkes got married there! :) and climb mt haleakula! and snorkeling in kaanapali beach! have fun rhoadsies! xoxo

Sarah Danaher says: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 05:18 AM

Looks pretty much perfect, if you ask me.