Monday, December 13, 2010, 11:28 AM
My dear friend Marissa is going to be launching her album in the coming months so she asked us if we would take some images for album and promo purposes. Marissa is what I like to call a Renaissance woman, she is brilliant at whatever she puts her mind to and her EP is going to be nothing shy of greatness.

I discovered Marissa had an incredible voice after months of singing way too loud to music while I edit... me? I am the person who wishes I was a singer, but alas. One day Marissa was singing right along with me and I noticed she was hitting really beautiful harmonies... something I have never been able to do. Marissa is so the type to not mention the fact that she has the voice of an angel and just let me casually sing my heart out in the worst way possible. She is just sweet like that. I suddenly felt a little silly with the new knowledge that I was singing among such talent.

Her songs are full of heart, soul, quirk, humor and a little romance.... very much like Marissa herself. They are simply beautiful. The record should drop sometime in the next couple of months and I'll do a post about it when it does so you can all get your hands on one. Just thought I would share a few frames from our shoot with Marissa a couple of weeks ago. She was the first person we ever shot in our home... it felt appropriate since she has such a special place in our hearts.









Thoughts
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Arya Ng says: Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 09:00 AM

What a brilliant *story*. Well done!

victoria says: Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 01:50 PM

absolutely love the last frame.

kally says: Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 08:52 AM

stunning! (as always.)

Alice says: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 05:38 PM

These are incredible! I especially love the way you captured her laughter--beautiful.

applem00n says: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 03:51 PM

love 'em!

Alex says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 11:03 PM

You rock times ten million gabillion. I am seriously so in love with your work and style. Keep it up

Annie says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 03:20 PM

Love how soft and beautiful the second and last images are. Just perfect :) Can't wait to hear her music :)

Melissa Womack says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 03:12 PM

Cute cute! I pray Marissa Does well. I can't wait to hear her work. Great combo your photography & her music (as you describe it)should be a hit.

Nuh Sarche says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 12:16 PM

Just awesome!

jarrod says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 12:13 PM

awesome shots. very authentic. may i ask what film your pulling through your cam? the grain and color on some of these are amazing. dont tell me its all digital:)

Mel says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 11:50 AM

These are stunning, I love them all.

Rich Park says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 11:47 AM

this set of pictures is amazing - they perfectly fit your description of marissa "full of heart, soul, quirk, humor and a little romance". Really really awesome job!

Tonhya Kae says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 11:46 AM

Lovely. : ) Can't wait to hear it!

Joel Flory says: Monday, December 13, 2010, 11:44 AM

love the last image.

Friday, December 3, 2010, 10:15 AM
My beautiful friend miss Amy Seeley had a big announcement this week. Her new record, Plum Coulee dropped a couple of days ago on November 30th. We are so excited for her over at the Rhoads abode. I love collaboration with other artists, so this was an especially project for us to be a part of. We were so excited to be able to photograph the album art associated with Amy's new Plum Coulee Album. We have loved Amy's music for a long time. Chris played bass on her past album Eight Bells and that album will always remain a staple for us at the Rhoads. 

I will never forget the first time I saw Amy play.... her hair was flying and it wasn't her fingers, but rather her heart that was playing the piano. You get lost watching Amy play. There is nothing more powerful than seeing someone do exactly what they were created for. It is a beautiful gift to see that kind of radiance ebbing from someone. Her music is soul food. It's full of honesty, heart and soul. It's tea-on-a-rainy-day type music, it's music that makes you connect with parts of yourself that you sometimes forget. 

Our dear friends Jesse & Tyler were the art directors and designers behind much of what you see in terms of the album design. It was such a killer team of people... all of which we call dear friends. Now do yourself a favor and run over and pick you up one of Amy's albums... you can look at pretty pictures by us, pretty art by Jesse & Tyler and more importantly have your ears graced by pretty music by Amy :)

Thoughts
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Rich Park says: Monday, December 6, 2010, 10:13 AM

great great concept and photos! great job all around!

Lisa says: Sunday, December 5, 2010, 04:17 PM

Beautiful photos of an amazingly gifted woman. : )

Yana says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 09:32 PM

Absolutely love every shot. The atmosphere is pleasing and delicate. Well done!

ardean says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 04:29 PM

so beautiful and soft and real :)

caroline says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 03:19 PM

absolutely stunning, my friend. it can be such a challenge to come up with creative photos for artists/albums, but you've totally nailed it. anthropologie only wishes it could be this glorious!

Annie says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 03:13 PM

So so beautiful! :)

erika says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 01:20 PM

fantastic!!

Kate H says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 12:53 PM

oh my goodness, are you kidding me? I LOVE these. amazing work!! Also, I want to be in that room. such a well curated mix of things!

Melissa Blue says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 12:03 PM

Uggg....SO GOOD!! Great job guys!

Amanda VanVels says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 11:08 AM

wow, i really love these

Sarah Danaher says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 11:04 AM

I'm in LOVE with this shoot. Wow.

Katie says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 10:56 AM

Fantastic! love these images!

wrecklessgirl says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 10:52 AM

pretty pretty pretty ... love the white white white. and the amy amy amy. mmm.

Steve says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 10:31 AM

That makes sense now! Wow, I knew there was something gorgeously familiar about these photos on that album. They're fantastic! Goes really well with her album, her style. Great job Sarah :) The album is especially great as well (of course).

Nirav says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 10:30 AM

Ooooh. Lovin' it Sarah. 1st frame is my favorite.

Roberto Ramos says: Friday, December 3, 2010, 10:28 AM

Creat pics¡¡¡ but today, my heart is broken¡¡¡ amazing sarah¡¡¡ Amazing Amy Seeley¡¡¡ i love your songs. Best regards from Barcelona¡¡

Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 08:37 AM
A couple of months ago we were contacted by EMI CMG in Nashville about photographing one of their artists, Shawn McDonald for his upcoming album. We were totally excited about the project because we love Shawn's music, his heart, his honesty and his story. Shawn is the type of guy who is 100% authentic and down to earth. Plus, he's originally from Seattle which makes him extra amazing :) 

Shawn now lives in Ohio and came out to Seattle for the shoot with us. Chris shot all the film frames in the set with our hassie and Leica M6 and I shot the digital images. Tiffany Lowry did her magic on hair and make up and offered some of her styling expertise as well. We spent the day together going all around Seattle capturing different parts of Shawn's three-dimentional personality and style. I'm really excited about this upcoming record for him, I see and hear so much freedom in his voice and the few songs I heard from the album are just beautiful. It's definitely worth a good listen. 

Record Label: EMI CMG 
Make up/Hair/Styling: Tiffany Lowry

Thoughts
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Brandon Kidd says: Monday, October 25, 2010, 05:03 PM

WOW!! Super jealous! I love Shawn's music! great photos to represent him as well! We dig you guys!

Judith of Felicity Crew says: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 11:21 PM

I love how you captured the many faces of the artist. Very inspiring photo series!

Alex says: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 07:45 AM

Love these!!! :)

Annie says: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 01:57 AM

Love the ones on the docks and the yellow beanie. Love the story-telling :)

Jackie Lovato says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 09:19 PM

LOVE these. BRILLIANT.

Branden Harvey says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 06:49 PM

One of my favorite shoots of yours!

April Russell says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 05:27 PM

WOW what a privilege. The shots are amazing. He is a beautiful soul. My favorite is the second shot. The colors rock my world. Thanks for sharing Sarah!

Michelle Palmer says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 05:12 PM

Incredible, Sarah!
The one in front of the fridge is my fave. It's sort of effortlessly retro. Good old fashioned feel without trying to hard. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but point is that it's gorgeous and I love it.

Michelle Palmer says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 05:12 PM

Incredible, Sarah!
The one in front of the fridge is my fave. It's sort of effortlessly retro. Good old fashioned feel without trying to hard. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but point is that it's gorgeous and I love it.

Davin natanael says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 04:59 PM

your tone always be my favorite.. they are amazing!

Katie Kolenberg says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 01:51 PM

Your creativity is spectacular, as always. :-)

Caroline Fontenot says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 01:37 PM

Brilliant! I am in love with everything about this shoot. Shawn's raw music and your talent together. Golden.

Jenny says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 11:56 AM

Mmmmm HELLLOOO Shawn! Great pics too :)

Jenny says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 11:56 AM

Mmmmm HELLLOOO Shawn! Great pics too :)

Melissa Petri says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 11:18 AM

Great shoot guys. Would love to see which image(s) are chosen for the album!

Chanique says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10:47 AM

These photos are fantastic!

Megan Welker says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10:40 AM

absolutely amazing. you rhoads rock it! Love these images!!

emily says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10:39 AM

the ones at the dock really resonate to me. love shawn's music so much and these photos are exceptional!

Christina Moodie says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10:22 AM

Love Shawn McDonald! Great shots!

Dustin says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10:13 AM

I love Shawn, I love your work, best day ever!

rog says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10:13 AM

He has nice muscularisms.

Logan says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10:11 AM

Brilliant! I love your composition in this set. Wonderful use of space and lines.

Hannah says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 09:52 AM

Wow, Shawn is able to achieve so many versatile looks! Every style change I had to do a double take. Awesome shots and each look was perfectly styled with great wardrobe choices!

Emma Robertson says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 09:43 AM

Wow Sarah, this one really caught my eye. Such variety throughout the whole shoot. Great colors and great sense of personality* Overall, Bravo!*

Benjamin says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 09:40 AM

amazing photography of an amazing musical artist! all of you (in front of and behind the camera) are absolutely awesome at what you do!

Amanda Watson says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 09:11 AM

LOVE these!! His music is so good and inspiring -- so amazing you got to shoot him!

Lori says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 09:03 AM

great....i love every single picture...!!!!

Stephanie Lyell says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 08:58 AM

I love his music, and i love your photos, so that is a pretty rad combo :)

Patricia E says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 08:58 AM

Awesome. Great photos. Love his music and now can't wait to see your work on his cd.

kristen says: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 08:44 AM

very cool. really like his tunes ;)

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 09:52 AM
As I mentioned in my previous blog post yesterday, Barcelona is an incredible band based in Seattle. Yesterday I posted a few Polaroid frames from their shoot, and today I'll post a few digital favorites. It was raining for the entirety of this shoot and I love the viby'ness we got from it. As photographers I think we can make the rain "work for us." I've learned to do that as I shoot through the fall and winter months in Seattle. I call all of my California photographer friends wimps because it is always rainbows, sunshine and butterfly's over there :). But the truth is you can't always re-schedule a session and their are times when you just have to roll with it and make it work for you... and sometimes it can truly make your shoot even better. This would be an example of how we let the foggy/wet mist set the tone for the entire shoot and it really worked for what we were going for. The band's music kind of has an introspective-rock feel to it so this weather aligned perfectly. A lot of photographers ask us what we do when it is raining too hard etc. Often times we will just pop in a local coffee shop/restaurant/store/bookstore/pub etc. and work with the window light that we have available to us. It's important to get out of our comfort zones sometimes and take life as it comes. If it rains... so what! You've got to have the confidence to know that you can still rock a shoot and deliver with excellence. So next time it rains, go for it... get out of your comfort zone and shoot anyway... you'll make amendments to make it work for you because that is inevitably what we do when we're uncomfortable... we ADAPT. This is a great example of that. If you want some happiness today check out these guys on iTunes... you wont be disappointed.



Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (18)
Heather says: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 03:28 PM

Love this band! Amazing work. Love your style!!!

Mark Brooke says: Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 10:20 AM

WOAH! KILLED IT.

Tina says: Monday, November 9, 2009, 08:17 PM

My husband plays bass for Copeland and they just finished a tour with Barcelona...how crazy that I just stumbled onto your blog this week for the first time and saw these images! They have a great sound and your images capture that feeling!

Michelle Engvall says: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 08:14 PM

I am always inspired reading your blog. This shoot is amazing and love the music! Will be downloading their album this week!

ryan flynn says: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 04:42 PM

that is a beard to be proud of. i'm in envy.

Lesley says: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 06:56 PM

It's always fun to see what you'll get when it rains. We definitely have our challenges here in the Northwest, but it's worth it! I love cloudy gray days! :)

Kristen says: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 03:44 PM

that's too cool. chris led worship at my past church for a while.

sean says: Friday, November 6, 2009, 09:00 AM

your photos + their music = BRILLIANT

Bianca Valentim says: Friday, November 6, 2009, 08:26 AM

I LOVE to come here!!!
there is always something fresh and unique!
Sarahhhhh, you rock!!!!!!!!

Jane Hasty says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 07:27 PM

Awwwwwesome! Great advice on the weather too. I have had a lot of rain here in Chicago lately!

Alyssa Barajas says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 01:39 PM

Sarah, these are great. They are a perfect compliment to Barcelona's music. Very captivating photos. Well done!

Alexandra says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 01:12 PM

I'm loving these :)

Candice says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 12:55 PM

not a thing i don't like about these photos. fabulous. for real.

Lori says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:37 AM

LOVE these shots!!!!

Darby Cahill says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:17 AM

I love this band and these photos are fantastic. You rock, Sarah!

carl zoch says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:06 AM

these are awesome!!! everyone should own their album.

Also, Rhett's beard is all that is man.

carl zoch says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:04 AM

YES!

Everyone download their album. Love them!

Photos of awesome once again!

benj haisch says: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10:02 AM

that last one is sick.