Friday, October 8, 2010, 08:46 AM
We were really thrilled to have so many of our images scattered throughout this version of ETC Magazine for one of our commercial clients at Seattle Pacific University! It was so fun to get the magazine and see one of our images right on the cover nice and big :) Here are a few tears from the magazine.

These guys are one of our favorite commercial clients and they are also our "neighbors" since we live right down the street from the University. Marissa, our intern from last year as well as Dorothy, our current intern both go to school there so we are huge SPU fans :) It's an incredible university that we are always excited to partner with.

One of these shoots was done with a crew of bikers that went cross country (literally) this summer on their bikes. They were absolutely hilarious and I wanted to make each one my new best friend. Each of these shoots with the various students was a blast. There is something so fun about working with college aged people. College is such an important time in life. I'm a huge fan of going to college- even if you aren't sure what you want to do, or how a "major" will help you later on in life. It is a time of growth and discovery on so many levels. I'll let you in on a big secret, it's not really about the "major" and the diploma. At the end of the day, it's about all of the beautiful things you learn about yourself. And for that, college is worth every penny.

Thoughts
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Rich Park says: Friday, October 8, 2010, 12:08 PM

wow these photos are great! you guys seriously have pictures of people of all ages, and the pictures are ALL awesome!

phebe says: Friday, October 8, 2010, 11:52 AM

I just LOVE all your works. You guys are probably my favorite photographers right now. thank you for doing what you do.
:)

Chelsea Patricia says: Friday, October 8, 2010, 10:52 AM

I think you deserve to have every photograph that you take published.

For reals.

Kevin Wrenn Photography says: Friday, October 8, 2010, 09:51 AM

Very nice! Love seeing that you are in print. Next year, Vanity Fair right?

Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:11 AM
While we were in Greece last week I set up some time to test with an agency in Athens. I absolutely loved Rebecca's look. Her freckles had me at hello. We went around The Plaka in Athens which is a fun little marketplace with all kinds of hidden gems.  We really went into this shoot with no agenda other than to shoot for ourselves, have a little fun and be inspired in a new city, and that is exactly what we did. 

I'll be honest, we were pretty exhausted by the time it came to shooting this test. We had just shot a fabulous four day destination wedding on the island of Mykonos Greece and had then been traveling around for a couple of days (I adore traveling but it can also be tiring). However, one thing I've discovered is the ironic thing about feeling exhausted is that we think the way to cure it is to sleep, do nothing & freeing ourselves from obligation. But really the cure to burn out is to shoot more. It's odd, but despite the feeling of being exhausted from shooting so much, something about shooting more makes me come alive again and re-ignites my inspiration and passion for it all. I know at this point in the game, after lots of busy busy seasons many photographers may be feeling a bit of burn-out sneak in. For me, the best way to cure burn out is to go out, shoot more and do some creative projects for myself. Although it may seem counterintitive to take on any more "projects" when your plate is spilling over, this is when we need personal projects and shoots the most. To see more from this shoot you can click the link below.



Thoughts
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Angela Waterberg says: Saturday, October 23, 2010, 11:11 PM

I second Kay's comment about the black and white image with the scarf. Incredible! Beautiful girl and beautiful session!

kay* at from india. with love. says: Saturday, October 16, 2010, 09:39 PM

these are all fantastic but i literally gasped when i saw the 6th to last shot - the black and white with the scarf on her head. unbelievable!

& yes, her freckles are pretty awesome.

Katie Kolenberg says: Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 02:37 PM

My goodness. I would FLIP OUT with all those amazing locations to shoot.... fantastic, beautiful work Sarah.

Pobke says: Monday, October 11, 2010, 03:54 AM

GORGEOUS. gosh. absolute perfection, friend!

Kaethe Richter says: Sunday, October 10, 2010, 09:58 AM

Wonderful work!

joe chong says: Friday, October 8, 2010, 07:15 PM

wonderful set !!! it tells the story itself !

Rich Park says: Thursday, October 7, 2010, 06:42 AM

great shots and natural poses! i definitely think shooting is an energizer - something about getting out there and experiencing more that's very refreshing.

Scott Stater says: Thursday, October 7, 2010, 05:31 AM

What a really fun session. So many unique locations, really cool. And the freckles are over the top :)

Lisa says: Thursday, October 7, 2010, 03:05 AM

I just adore your model shoots and these images are amazing! I especially love the shot with scarf and all those gorgeous rings. You guys just rock....like all the time! ; )

Marie says: Thursday, October 7, 2010, 12:11 AM

Those are beautiful photographs! :) Your blog is tremendous inspiration for me. I love your photos, your words, and your style!

Nashville Wedding Photographers says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 10:51 PM

HOLY CRAP!!!! Love it sooooo much! seriously love the poses and the skin tones! great eye once again. we have to learn about this "test" stuff you speak of and how we can do it here in Nashville. Rock on.

Laura says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 09:50 PM

Awesome photos!

alyda says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:04 PM

gorgeous work Sarah!!!! the black&white one with the scarf over her head phwoarrr :)

Tracy Wallace says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 03:20 PM

Shes got the hole LILO thing happening. I love her freckles too

Annie says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 02:51 PM

Simply adore this :) Love her freckles.

Lexi says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 02:31 PM

I LOVE this!! Maybe it's because my family is from Greece!!

Amanda says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 02:14 PM

I love your eyeballs. They capture the moments worth remembering, like in a dream.

johnna brynn says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 12:14 PM

thank you for the words of wisdom in this post! :)

Micah & Megan says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 10:35 AM

Nicely done, Sarah and Chris! Beautiful work.

Cortney says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 10:03 AM

Incredibly beautiful! Love the quality of light. You create such magical images.

Anda says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 09:44 AM

I love every single one! Agreed about burn-out and personal shoots. I'm going out on a personal shoot tonight!

carlie says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 09:18 AM

You bring so much movement and life to your imagery. You and your work are the antithesis of stagnant...the antithesis of burn out.

Jenn Stark says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:57 AM

These are stunning Sarah & Chris!! The one with the scarf over her head....hello amazingness!

Kris says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:55 AM

I love and love this!! You're spot on about her freckles, they add a wonderful uniqueness to the whole shoot! As always, I'm inspired by your shots, and by your words as well! Time to go have some fun!

Micah Emily says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:41 AM

really inspiring and fun! and I completely agree on when you feel burnt out to go shoot some more and be crazy outgoing creative with it for spunk and excitement. It gets me back into the game

Paige Butcher says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:34 AM

Oh, so delightful.

Lindsey Joy says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:29 AM

You make a really good point... curing burnout by doing the exact thing we think we shouldn't. I need to make time to shoot for myself more often. These images are naturally beautiful and so real. love.

Francis says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:29 AM

Your model.. she's awesome. Thanks again. For inspiring a lowly beginner.

Bianca Valentim says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:28 AM

ahhhhh!!!!!!!
i'm in love with these images!!!
she is really gorgeous and the locations are very exotic!
love it all!
you always inspires me Sarah! :)

michael says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:26 AM

These are amazing! Nicely done!

Briony says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:25 AM

all of your work is always inspiring but i especially love your personal shoots...they have a organic feel to them that just makes each shot a living moment. beautiful work. thank you for always sharing your knowledge and passion.

Brett Arthur says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:21 AM

So good! Love the environment and, of course, everything else about these. Nailed it, once again!

Amanda Daniels says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:21 AM

These photos are so gorgeous! Makes me wish I could be back in Europe right now.

Kai Yambao says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:20 AM

Beautiful!

Kristine Neeley says: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 08:19 AM

Brilliant. I love it.

Sunday, September 26, 2010, 09:42 PM
The alarm buzzed on the bedside table this morning for our 7am wake up call to catch our flight home from Greece. We rolled up and around, packed our suitcases and left just enough time to grab a freddoccino coffee (greek coffee drinks are amazing btw) before hopping in a cab to head to the airport. When we pulled the blinds up expecting the morning light to fill our room, we were a little shocked to see complete darkness- which caused us to double check the time via googling "time & date in Athens, Greece" only to discover our 7am alarm was actually a 4am wake up call. Awesome! :) Definitely one of our finer moments! hah! 

I suppose I will look at it as a blessing since I now have some time to gather my thoughts on this wonderful experience in Greece.
These are a few of my favorite things....
- No one keeps a watch, time is of no consequence here... it was terribly refreshing
- In Greece they have no room in their lives for unnecessary rules- I love that, I personally think we live in a world with way too many silly rules in the U.S.
- There are kitties EVERYWHERE! And everyone in the community just takes care of them... they leave food out and the cats follow you home. Being a total sucker for most any animal, Chris and I loved that part about Greece.
- I loved the subtle simplicities, the clothing hanging on a wire to dry...the old men playing backgammon in the streets.
- And oh my the food and drink here! The yummy espresso, the wine, the crepes (especially the nutella ones!) and this place is a cheese lovers (me!) paradise. Let's just put it this way... we didn't miss a meal.
- The people here are dark, olive; everything I am not :) I loved that.
- Freddoccino coffees.
- slouchy pants. 
....
I could go on and on. Greece has been delightful, cannot wait to share some images from the wedding we shot out here. But for now I'll leave you with one frame from our test shoot yesterday in Athens with Rebecca. Farewell beautiful Greece!

Thoughts
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Truc says: Friday, October 1, 2010, 11:10 AM

Greece sounds amazing. I'd love to go someday.

Chelsea Patricia says: Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 01:51 PM

Ahhhh! Now I need to go to Greece. Period.

Amanda VanVels says: Monday, September 27, 2010, 10:19 AM

Can't wait to see all of your pictures! Glad you enjoyed it!

Rich Park says: Monday, September 27, 2010, 07:53 AM

wow, greece sounds like an amazing place to visit! can't wait to check it out myself! hope you guys have a safe flight back!

Sarah Danaher says: Monday, September 27, 2010, 07:34 AM

It's DEFINITELY on my places to visit list. =)

Robin says: Monday, September 27, 2010, 05:01 AM

Greece is one of the places I'd love to go, can't wait to see.

Alex says: Monday, September 27, 2010, 12:10 AM

I love Greece, too, and I love this photo :) Can't wait to see more!

Annie says: Sunday, September 26, 2010, 10:30 PM

Oh my - I want to go. I've always loved photographing clothes hanging on a wire - I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds it so simply sweet :)

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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Rosina says: Monday, October 25, 2010, 02:33 PM

Holy moly. You guys are UH-mazing. I've been a long time admirer but first time to comment. I just have to tell you this is probably one of the BEST lifestyle sessions I've ever seen. I just study each image and my mouth was opened the whole time. Seriously awesome.

Truc says: Friday, October 1, 2010, 11:26 AM

I love your non-wedding posts just as much as your wedding posts! These are awesome!

gee says: Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 05:20 PM

these photos are awesome sarah! I can totally tell that your creative juices were flowing because it's not something you're used to shooting. I'm seeing a lot of new composition in this shoot...maybe cause you're shooting 3 subjects instead of the usual 2 :P
i can totally get the mood.
good job!

bongopix says: Tuesday, September 14, 2010, 11:25 AM

Wow, unbelievable! You can really adapt to a different kind of subject very easily.

Rachel says: Friday, September 10, 2010, 05:02 PM

So AWESOME! Love these shots
!

Paige Butcher says: Friday, September 10, 2010, 06:52 AM

Ahhh. So SO gorgeous. That's all I can say. Gorgeous.

Jordanne Fallon says: Friday, September 10, 2010, 06:19 AM

I love these! As I was scrolling through, I realized, wait, I need to read the story behind this, because this is unlike anything I've seen you do before. Awesome shots.

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