295
Laurie
Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 08:38 AM
Meet Miss Laurie Ann, she is an absolute delight. We had the joy of meeting Laurie while we were in Calgary a couple of weeks ago. Laurie did an all day mentor session with us. Laurie is the type of person who is a sponge, she actually reminded me a lot of myself in that respect. She brought along a notebook that was full by the end of the day. She scribbled down anything and everything that she could as Chris and I were talking and teaching and already just a week and a half later I head over to Laurie's site and see so many of the things that we talked about there :) Laurie is a girl that is humble and confident... such a brilliant combination when put side by side. 

We covered a lot of ground in our 8 hours with Laurie. We shot together, we laughed, we had the best strawberry mango mint smoothie of my life, we got honest and we had a ton of fun. Laurie is radiant and I am so excited for the places she is going. Also, if you enjoy cooking, Laurie does a weekly post on her blog- she is an amazing baker and cook and she just did a post on some delish looking mixed berry oat bars... mmmmm! Cannot wait to warm my home by giving my hand at those once our lives slow down a bit. 

And for those that wrote on yesterday's post about my dad, thank you. It was a little scary to put myself out there like that, but it was something I needed to do for myself.  It is nice to know this is a place we can be vulnerable. I appreciate each of you who wrote :)



Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (7)
darla says: Friday, June 4, 2010, 07:12 PM

Laurie, what a fun surprise to see your face on Sarah's blog. You are BEAUTIFUL. And Sarah, brilliant as always.

Alexandra says: Thursday, June 3, 2010, 12:49 AM

These photos are beautiful, I'd love to do one of these sessions with you and Chris. Maybe one day if I'm ever in the states :)

Faith says: Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 11:05 PM

I love the first picture! & I love that she's wearing J.Crew :)
Kim Spears says: Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 05:45 PM

Oh I LOVE Laurie !! She is just the sweetest :) I am sure you had the best time. I just love that first B&W image.
XTof D says: Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 01:11 PM

Amazing work as usual !!

The second picture (first in W&B) is just fantastic and one of my favourite all time !!
Laurie says: Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 10:49 AM

sarah and chris.... thank you so much for everything! it was so great to meet the two of you and spend the day hanging out together. you two are such an inspiration to me and I am so excited to be applying the things we've talked about! oh and by the way.... I'd love to make you some of those berry bars if you lived closer! you'll just have to try 'em out and let me know how it goes! you can do it!! lol

Alice G Patterson says: Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 09:06 AM

That first portrait in particular is so delightful... lovely composition, expression of joy, and amazing colors! Super cute and fun!
267
Anda Marie
Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:00 AM
I was so excited to meet Anda. I checked out her blog before she came out to Seattle for her photography mentor session and I could already tell that this girl and I see the world from similar perspectives. Anda is so very talented, and sees the world as her playground. Nothing is impossible for Anda. She understands the great value of working hard and the joy in pursuing passion- what an amazing combo. 

Anda is currently living in Madison, WI and is blowing up just two years in. Anda is one of those extraordinary people that just jumps out of the boat! Many people are too scared to throw themselves into the fire but that is where we learn and grow the most. It was our joy and honor to spend the day with Anda. Her spirit and energy are captivating- here are a few frames from our mini session with her.

This week is a crazy one for us. I'm hosting and attending Jesh de Rox's workshop here in Seattle. I'm really looking forward to being challenged to think in a new way- that is what Jesh is best at :) Tata for now!

Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (20)
Kevin Wrenn Photography says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 09:18 PM

You did an amazing job capturing her sweetness! I especially love the window shot!
johnna brynn says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 09:06 PM

love love love! thanks for "introducing" me to Anda, Sarah! you girls are too lovely! ;)
Jasmine* says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 01:04 PM

I love me some good 'ol Anda Marie-ness! These photos are perfect of her!
gladys jem says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 10:03 AM

OH MY HECK! Anda is one of my favoritest people in the entire planet and you captured her spirit so well. ANDA you are the cutest in all the land :) So excited for her and that she had the chance to hang out with her idol! Yay Sarah Rhoads and Anda!
gladys jem says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 10:02 AM

OH MY HECK! Anda is one of my favoritest people in the entire planet and you captured her spirit so well. ANDA you are the cutest in all the land :) So excited for her and that she had the chance to hang out with her idol! Yay Sarah Rhoads and Anda!
heather saunders says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 10:00 AM

She is just soooooo adorable isn't she! YAY for you Anda, and Sarah these photos are killer!! xoxoxo
kristine atienza says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 09:37 AM

Yay Anda!! LOVE LOVE these shots of you!! so glad you're having a blast in Seattle! miss you ! xoxo
Robert says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 09:37 AM

I love it. Fresh, natural...nice pics.
Michelle O says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 09:21 AM

It's the wonderful ANDA!!! Love your pictures girl and I'm so happy you had the opportunity to hang out with the lovely Sarah Rhoads! :) You are going far girl...enjoy the ride!
julie h says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 09:20 AM

although i don't know her, her personality shines through these. I'd totally trust to be in front of her lens. :)
Radelle says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:54 AM

Anda, not only are you the sweetest thing, but the cutest as well.
LOVE these images...they ARE YOU!
Lindsey Joy says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:53 AM

Anda, you are beautiful! These images perfectly reflect your personality! I am so happy for you my friend :)
Lindsey Joy says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:49 AM

Anda, you are beautiful! These images perfectly reflect your personality! I am so happy for you my friend :)
Emily Steffen says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:44 AM

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE these photos. Anda, you look stunning, fun and sooooooo darn playful! :) Gosh, your personality shines through your smile and these photos are just FAB! :)
Alexandra says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:41 AM

I love Anda, Sarah and Chris. Awesome shots!!!!

Dan O'Day says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:32 AM

Sweet frames Sarah... I actually feel like i was there... rock on
anda says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:32 AM

THANK YOU, Sarah and Chris!! For everything -- for rocking my world hard; and for capturing ME so well in these shots. I love them :)

Spencer says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:24 AM

You do a great job at capturing people! Love it! keep up the great work you two!
jamie delaine says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:16 AM

so she is just the cutest thing. ;)
Jessica says: Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 08:05 AM

love this session, you did a great job of capturing her personality.

258
Rensche
Thursday, April 1, 2010, 07:36 AM
Rensche is a very talented photographer who came all the way from South Africa to come spend the day with us for a Mentor Session here in Seattle! We fell in love with her natural charisma, warmth and charm. Not to mention her accent is absolutely captivating! I only wish I could talk in an accent with that much grace and beauty. 

Rensche has a successful photography business in South Africa called Picksee. She came to us seeking a better understanding of personal voice in her work.... you see, Rensche is a photographer who fully understands the "what and how" of everything she is doing. She knows "what" to do with her camera, "how" to work lighting, "how" to process her photos and take and process beautiful images. But what we really wanted to point her towards was defining her WHY. Defining why we do what we do as artists is essential to everything. It leads us toward a greater understanding of self and ultimately leads us to create better images and experiences for our clients. Our "why" is what essentially sets each of us apart. Chris and I are passionate about people finding their why, so Rensche's mentor session was totally empowering for us. She left and Chris and I looked at eachother and were pumped... we were totally energized because Rensche "GETS IT." We are so excited to see the amazing places this girl is going! Put her on your google readers folks, Rensche is a rockstar.

Here is a little bit of the sweet thank you note Rensche sent us the day after the mentor session:
"The session was AWESOME and totally blew my world away- I knew it was going to be a great session, but to put into words how awesome would be ridiculous. You guys are my idols! I will update you on my progress on things when I have everything under control, but THANK YOU, this was something I really needed to do, and it was soooooo worth every penny I spent."

Spending the day with Rensche was an absolute honor for us, it was humbling to have a photographer of Rensche's talent come halfway across the globe to learn from us. We ended up learning a lot from Rensche in the process. That is the way these things always work... You can learn something from anyone and everyone, and Rensche has A LOT to give.

The last shot in this set was shot in Rensche's 14mm 2.8 lens I had never used one of these puppies. The distortion on the edges is pretty crazy but it is a pretty fun lens to do shots like this one :) We love you Rensche have fun in the U.S.!




Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (11)
Schantel Van der Merwe says: Saturday, April 3, 2010, 10:35 AM

I have a tendency to make friends with people I look up to, and for some reason, my friends always become famous? If they aren't the first white female to win the all All African games, they become actresses who win the award for best newcomer. I had no doubt that my friend Renche was going to become a rockstar photographer. I'm so proud of you Renche, and I have to mention Sarah, Renche led me to your blog months ago, and I have been following it religiously. You may have another South African attending your mentor session soon, have to work a little more though. But it is definately on my wish list.
kyle says: Friday, April 2, 2010, 09:59 AM

Sarah + Chris... seriously.. are your eyes really that blue!! awesome! love the mentor session as usual... so great! cheers.. kyle @s28
Lisa says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 03:24 PM

She is gorgeous and totally looks like Selma Blair in that first pic! Don't you think?! I went straight to her blog and her photos are wonderful too. Love the last shot of ypu three together...instant classic!
Hannah Taylor says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 03:19 PM

Both of your eyes are so blue!!

Lance says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 01:03 PM

Ha, that last one is great. Almost as weird as our pics from last night! Thanks again for a rockin' dinner.

Tonhya Kae says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 10:12 AM

Haha that last image is the best :)
Jennica Wallis says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 08:38 AM

She's adorable! I'm SO happy you finally put a personal photo along with your mentor client - this is awesome & hilarious! :D I'd love to see inside your cute house too!
Adele Cabanillas says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 08:26 AM

I'm so happy Rensche got to do this mentor session with you guys. She was so excited before and I can see how she is anxious to get back to SA and apply your advice to her business. :)

Alexandra says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 08:20 AM

You guys rockkk.

Rensche van Dyk says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 08:19 AM

Thank you for being AWESOME! Hope to see you guys soon in South Africa.
Candice {The Beautiful Mess} says: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 08:02 AM

Rensche you are SO cute! :)
250
Kinsley
Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 08:04 AM
Kinsley is such a sweetheart. She is a photographer from North Carolina who came out to Seattle to spend the day with us in Seattle for a full day mentor session. We were so happy to spend time with her. Kinsley is just beginning her photography journey and had a lot of questions about how to push herself to the next level, develop a voice in her work and a variety of other topics. It was one of those days that just flew by. 

One of the biggest topics that we chatted about was artistic exploration. We talked about how important that process is and how necessary it is to shoot for ourselves on a regular basis. We challenged Kinsley to set up at least one shoot a month for the next 12 months that was entirely for her and her exploratory journey as an artist. Kinsley is working to find her creative style and voice. There is no better way to hone in on your personal image style than doing test work so I'm excited to see what she comes up with when we check in with her over the coming months :) 

I love this last frame of Kinsley. It was taken outside our house in front of these amazing cherry blossom trees. It was snowing beautiful pink cherry blossom petals! We ran outside and I snagged my camera and I caught this moment... It is officially Spring and I love it!





Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (6)
Feuza says: Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 11:39 PM

me wants some cherry blossoms, love them and how cool she got to fly out there I so wish,
Hannah Taylor says: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 12:22 PM

That sounds like a good idea for me to do too. Thanks for the suggestion! :) Anyone can answer this: what is the best way to find people who are willing to just be photographed for a shoot for the photographer?
melina Wallisch says: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 09:20 AM

the cherry blossom shot is magical...finding my voice, tapping into creative stores, being original/authentic, sounds like my present journey. Cheers and a BIG thank you for all of your inspiration.
Kristine Neeley says: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 08:59 AM

Beautiful as always.
april walker says: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 08:55 AM

great shots & i'm pretty sure i went to high school with kinsley. small world :)
Laura says: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 08:11 AM

Gorgeous photos! There have been tons of cherry blossoms here in Vancouver as well. I would love to come to one of your mentor sessions sometime if I get the chance!