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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
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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!
237
Jessica & Matt
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Monday, March 1, 2010, 07:17 AM
Jessica & Matt are a husband and wife photo team out of Sacramento, CA. Chris and I had the pleasure of spending a day with them last week on an all day mentor session here in Seattle! I think these two brought the sun up with them from California the day of their session... it was a gem of a day! We also discovered that it was Jessica's Birthday and it meant so much to know that that is how she chose to spend her special day. :)

These two asked lots of great questions and wanted to focus on how we work with our couples on a shoot, managing expectations, building a powerful brand experience, getting published and pushing their business overall to the next level. The shoot we arranged for Jess and Matt will be in a post to follow and it was SOOO much fun! We are so excited because these two are in the process of finessing and refreshing their overall brand experience and launching an updated site so their visit to us was timely. We really wanted to encourage Matt and Jessica to leverage their strengths as individuals and as a husband wife shooting team. I am a firm believer that you should exhaust more effort working on making your strengths even stronger than trying to fight with your weaknesses. And our experience has been that as a hubby wife team each of us should be empowered to do jobs that play to our strengths. That way each of us feels empowered, used and needed. 

We wish these two all the best in their journey together as photographers. They are such beautiful people.

Thoughts
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Feuza says: Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 08:38 PM

I heart blue skies
Napa and Sonoma Wedding Photographer Shannon Stellmacher says: Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 12:07 PM

The last image is just mind blowing.
Lesley says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 05:12 PM

That last photo is just stellar! Thanks for sharing! :)
Jessica says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 02:35 PM

Sarah!! You and Chris are amazing and I know our time spent with you is a significant turning point in our journey. We are super excited and thank you so much for your guidance and for inspiring us! Oh, and the pics, are of course amazing. Ya'll ROCK!
Jessica says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 02:35 PM

Sarah!! You and Chris are amazing and I know our time spent with you is a significant turning point in our journey. We are super excited and thank you so much for your guidance and for inspiring us! Oh, and the pics, are of course amazing. Ya'll ROCK!
Kisha of Sahara Blue says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 02:12 PM

love her red hair (especially combined with that yellow shirt). LOVE the last image. insanity! awesome work as always.
Tracy Carolyn says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 12:14 PM

The last shot is amazing!
Lydia says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 11:59 AM

I met Jessica back in June. She's such a nice person with great photography skills! Love these pictures of her and her hubby!
Aaron Shintaku says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 11:02 AM

that last shot is BANANAS!!!
sebastian says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 08:44 AM

wonderful last image marvelous
AmyPunky Photography says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 08:13 AM

The last pic is just WOW!!

eadwine says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 08:12 AM

the last shot is spectacular!
Melina Wallisch says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 07:58 AM

again, i sOOoo LOVE your style, gets me excited :-)
Millie says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 07:51 AM

I love all of these, but that last shot just blew me away.
I instantly put myself in their shoes and imagined having that art piece hanging as a HUGE canvas in my home.
Well done Rhoads, well done.

Jane Hasty says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 07:43 AM

Just gorgeous!
wrecklessgirl says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 07:38 AM

that last one. GASP.

Jennifer V. says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 07:33 AM

The last one is brilliant!
Lisa Gilbert says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 07:30 AM

I love these Sarah! The last one, in particular, is so lovely. I dig the B&W toning. So cool!
erika verginelli says: Monday, March 1, 2010, 07:22 AM

love the last one!
216
Chatti & Matt
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Monday, February 1, 2010, 08:15 AM
"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein

Chatti and Matt are a photography team out of Colorado. They go by Savady Photography, so any of your Colorado Photographers out there who want to connect with a rad couple, drop them a line.. they rock. They came out to visit us in Seattle for an all day consultation. It was an absolutely PERFECT Seattle day. The sun peeking at us through the clouds, just warm enough to forget your jacket at home and enjoy a nice pot of tea. 

This day was packed full of learning and growth. In most instances, we start out our 6 or 8 hour mentor sessions with a mini shoot (30 minutes) of the photographer(s) we are working with, that is what you see here :). After our shoot with Matt and Chatti we headed to a coffee shop to chat about the dynamics of their team... what it is like to work with someone you love, work/life balance, and playing on each others strengths and leveraging those strengths for good. From there we talked about their brand and really dug into the different parts of their business that they wanted guidance in. Most notably, workflow, to help with the work/life balance piece. Mid afternoon we went out on a shoot with an awesome couple (Rose and Matt) I'll post their shoot tomorrow.  The shoots are a great way that we can all work together on a shoot, chat through lighting techniques, posing, working with our subjects and honing in on and defining each persons individual style. 

The biggest thing Chris and I wanted for Matt and Chatti was for them to have a mindshift about who they are and the things they are capable of. It was so absolutely encouraging to see Chatti's tweet later in the evening saying that during their mentor session they had (and I quote) a mind-shift explosion! ;) There is no greater feeling than to know that we played a small part in empowering someone to take the next step.... to trust their gut... to make them aware of the greatness within them.







Thoughts
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Kayleen T. says: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 10:42 AM

Love the pix of Chatty and Matt! They are good people, so talented and really genuine!

Christine Pobke says: Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 04:20 AM

Stunning couple. Beautiful work. As always. :)

Christine Pobke says: Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 04:19 AM

Stunning couple. Beautiful work. As always. :)

sarahrhoads says: Monday, February 1, 2010, 01:38 PM

@melina thanks so much... That means more than you know to know you leave this blog encouraged and inspired :) Thank you for the encouragement YOU offer ME!
Chatti + Matt says: Monday, February 1, 2010, 01:10 PM

Sarah and Chris,

You two are one of the most amazing people we have met. We are so happy that we invested in you and in turn invested in us. You have given us the confidence to proceed in our business. We won't forget the power of positive thinking and the rule of attraction. = )
Melina Wallisch says: Monday, February 1, 2010, 11:57 AM

thank you for being you...so inspiring and encouraging to others. I have definately grown because of you. thank you.
Hannah Taylor says: Monday, February 1, 2010, 11:25 AM

I also love those trees! I really like the first photo too. Isn't it cold outside?
Hannah Taylor says: Monday, February 1, 2010, 11:24 AM

I also love those trees! I really like the first photo too. Isn't it cold outside?
Ruthie P. says: Monday, February 1, 2010, 10:08 AM

Cute couple! I love those tall trees! Great job, Sarah :)
Marissa Rodriguez says: Monday, February 1, 2010, 08:43 AM

Gorgeous! Her hairpiece is beautiful!

Alexandra says: Monday, February 1, 2010, 08:19 AM

Loooove.

209
Jill Carmel
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 11:01 AM
"Whatever the mind can conceive it can achieve." - W. Clement Stone

Jill Carmel is an extremely talented photographer out of Sacramento, CA who came up to Seattle to see Chris and me for a mentor session. Jill is a rockstar when it comes to shooting newborns, kido's, maternity's and families. When Jill called to ask about booking a mentor session with us I said, "Jill you know our bread and butter is couples right?" to which she responded that she wanted a new perspective on things. I thought that was pretty awesome. 

During Jill's full day consult we really focused on pushing Jill to think outside the realm of what she believes could even be possible. We challenged her to think audaciously. We are what we think about, and I believe that our thoughts shape our reality. We see big things in store for Jill. Jill has a unique ability to pull out the beautiful parts in people and has a passion for making people happy, and as a photographer both of these passions are true gifts.

We talked a lot about building a personal brand that is authentic and honest. We talked about the power that rests within that. When we build a personal brand that is authentic to who we are, there is no one in the world that can replicate it. The bottom line is nobody can be YOU. People sure can try, but at the end of the day we own our own business' because we are seeking a certain level of fulfillment and satisfaction.  Those that merely copy-cat will never access the satisfaction that comes from being authentically you and building a personal brand around you and your personal passion. And they will ultimately be cheating themselves. Jill is just beginning her journey of going through a full identity re-brand and I cannot wait to see all the great things that are in store for her! We are so excited for Jill and the big things she will go on to do! 




Thoughts
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sarahrhoads says: Monday, January 25, 2010, 11:13 PM

@Maureen I just adore you. my most thoughtful encouraging sweet friend :)
Maureen Nikonov says: Sunday, January 24, 2010, 09:06 PM

I really love this set. You didn't even need many backgrounds or locations to get these shots, but the simplicity and the beauty still made me stop and stare.

But most of all, I really love you! :)
Robyn Steward says: Friday, January 22, 2010, 02:59 AM

Jill is beautiful from the inside - out. a calm beauty. You captured that perfectly!
Alexandra says: Thursday, January 21, 2010, 01:50 PM

I always love your work. That's all I can say.

Rachel Absher says: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 02:43 PM

Sarah, have I told you lately that I love your work?! Maybe not, but I do and I say it every time I visit your blog.

anda says: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 12:42 PM

a really great post. again! just love reading your words -- the icing on top of a beautiful photo cake. that sounds gross -- butyouknowwhatimean.
Ruthie says: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 11:14 AM

Great session! I love the pink house! I like their work as photographers as well, very cool :)
Jessica Moores says: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 11:05 AM

I thought I recognized her! How cool!