Photography by SM

my cousin : denver, co portrait photographer

2012-01-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

What can I say? He's adorable, athletic, friendly... and my cousin. (one of many...)

sarah morgan

the lorica : denver, co photographer

2012-01-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

It is called "Lorica" -named for a Roman coat of armor that is meant for the protection of the one wearing it.

I arise today through God's strength to pilot me.

God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me.

God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me.

God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.

Christ on my right, Christ on my left.

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise.

Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me.

Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I rise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity.

Taken from John Ortberg's book, If You Want To Walk On Water.

announcements : denver, co

2012-01-23T09:52:00.003-07:00

Announcement #1: I'm giving $99 senior portraits through April. Yup. $99 for a 1-hour shoot for your senior photos... if you're interested, email me (sarah@photographybysmblog.com) or call me (303.469.5951)! (you should be interested... I mean really!)
Announcement #2: I am going to be in my favorite place in the world a month from now. ;) If you live anywhere near the Port Huron, MI area, I'm going to be there for a week in February. I'd love to do a shoot for you! (and if you're related to me you get a discount! ha!) So, use the contact info above to let me know!
That's your news for the day. Aaaand, if you're feeling super nice, feel free to share this post to your graduating friends!

sarah morgan

happiness : denver, co photographer

2012-01-21T10:22:00.001-07:00

...carrot smoothie from Jamba
...making my own carrot smoothies (carrots, strawberries, mangos, banana, orange juice)

...reading

...wearing my boots

...getting my photos done by Felicia Rachelle. See her post here!
Sarah Morgan

felicia : denver, co portrait photographer

2012-01-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

Felicia. Fun, cute, an amazing photographer and has a heart for God. That's all it takes to be my friend. Haha.
We did another photo swap (see my side of our last one here), this time in Golden. She mostly took photos of me, seeing that I need some for my senior picture this year. She continually amazes me with her posing skills. Seriously. If you are looking for out-of-the-box poses that still look amazing, this girl has them.
At the end of my shoot, I grabbed a couple of her. Enjoy a peek at her beautiful face!

sarah morgan

at the lake : denver, co lifestyle photographer

2012-01-16T14:58:00.002-07:00

One of our favorite places to go in the winter is Evergreen Lake. I grabbed some photos the past few times we were up there... even though it's hard to be a photographer and play hockey at the same time. Betcha didn't know that. ;)

What's your favorite place to visit in the winter?
sarah morgan

pro bull riding finals : denver, co photographer

2012-01-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ahh. PBR. A highlight of my January last year and again this year. I found a good excuse to spend the money to go (other than I absolutely love it)... it's embracing my Western heritage (we live in Colorado ok!). I mean, it should count as history, right?...
Disclaimer #1: It may look to you like all the bull riders did was fall off the bulls. That is not true. However, the photos of them falling off the bulls are the most interesting...
Disclaimer #2: You may think there are way too many photos in this post. I'm not sorry.

It was freezing and snowy. Perfect.

That place was full of boots and jeans...

It was also quite packed.

Me and some of my favorites :)

This will make a good desktop background photo. ;)

Mr. JB Mauney... one of my favorite riders who unfortunately didn't get a full 8 seconds this time.

Now on to the good stuff...

I don't know about you, but I love looking at the facial expressions of the people in the background... ha.

After getting a high score (91!), one of the Brazilian riders celebrates.

Chance Roberts, who won that night!

Ahhh. Fun times. :) Can't wait for next year!
Favorites? Let me know in the comment section!
-sarah morgan

anna : denver, co portrait photographer

2012-01-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

amazingly beautiful day for January + some old books + my sister + sunset equals a really fun impromptu shoot... enjoy the photos!

sarah morgan

anna (sneak peek) : denver, co portrait photographer

2012-01-10T12:26:00.001-07:00

more to come soon!

sarah morgan

overcome (personal) : denver, co photographer

2012-01-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

let love be without hypocrisy. abhor what is evil. cling to what is good.

be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.

not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.

bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

be of the same mind toward one another.

do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.

do not be wise in your own opinion.

repay no one evil for evil.

have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
taken from romans 12:9-21

belmar : denver, co portrait photographer

2012-01-06T12:46:00.002-07:00

Yesterday two of my sisters and I went out with two of our good friends, Melody and Amy. :) It was a beautiful day (in the 60s!) so we went down to Belmar and hung out for awhile.
Ahhh. So nice to have my camera back. :)

My Good Will boots. I dare you to find a pair like this for $10 somewhere else...

Melody, me, Amy and Anna

Love that girl! :)

Melody very kindly let me take some photos of her. Isn't she the cutest. :)

I don't know if I told you before or not, but Anna and I are behing hired to model...haha

Favorite <3

Self-timers are bomb!

I told you we were going into modeling... ;P

Ah. $20. Nope...but I might buy them if I find them cheap somewhere. ;)

Ended the afternoon with a carrot smoothie from Jamba. Yes, it's goooooood.
sarah morgan

reading : denver, co photographer

2012-01-04T17:29:00.002-07:00

I've been reading a lot lately. I found that watching the movie greatly inspires me to read the book. :P Therefore... the past few months have held (all for the first time),

Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit, Little Dorrit, North & South and Emma.

I've never read any Jane Austen and am partway into Emma right now. Loving it. And can't wait to get started on Pride & Prejudice...

I'm also reading If You Want To Walk On Water by John Ortberg. Amazing book. Definitely get it from the library and read it if you haven't already!

In other (really happy) news... got my camera back yesterday! It's been fun to actually be able to take real pictures again. Yes, a real shoot will be on the blog soon. I need to hire one of my sisters to model for me... :P

what have you been reading?

sarah morgan

365 project : denver, co photographer

2012-01-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

yes. I am doing it. I don't have my camera yet (I'm starting to really miss it though), so the photos are not top quality yet. ;) but go have a look... I'll be posting for every single day this year. one self portrait and one photo of every day life. I will. I will. haha.

sarah louise

don't laugh.

happiness is : denver, co photographer

2012-01-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

hanging out with these people <3

skyping our Scottish friends and remembering our lovely time with them last summer!

going on walks in the mild winter weather.

and the friendship of these ladies <3

what was your happy today?

sarah morgan

video recap of 2011 : denver, co photographer

2011-12-30T16:52:00.004-07:00

a bunch of random videos I've taken this year.... like REALLY random. I made this video mostly for me to remember certain things about my year, but you can enjoy it too. ;)

have a happy new year!

sarah morgan

"...all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." Col. 1:16-17

rachel : denver, co portrait photographer

2011-12-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

With my camera gone, I have to be sparing in what I post so I don't run out of things... ;) I still have two more posts and hopefully by then my camera will be back (I am getting it repaired instead of buying a new one)! :D
So, I took these photos of my sister Rachel the other day with a rose. It's always fun photographing with props!

So now that I know my camera is indeed fixable for a good price, I won't be selling my grip (yet), but now I know that there ARE people who are interested, so that's a good thing!
sarah morgan

caroling in the snow : denver, co photographer

2011-12-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Christmas caroling party a few nights before Christmas. It was pouring snow and freezing out, but it was an absolute blast. I took my camera along and it got drenched (maybe that's why it stopped working...) but I'm glad I got photos!

The guys had to push this truck... it was sliding like crazy. It was completely dry about 2 hours before this...

Sliding down the icy road!

It was falling pretty fast!

Favorite <3

do you carol at Christmas time?
sarah morgan
p.s. there is a chance I might be selling my Canon BG-E5 battery grip with 3 batteries. Would any of you be interested? (it's the grip that goes with the XS, XSi, and T1i)

a Child is born : denver, co photographer

2011-12-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

sarah morgan

harmony : denver, co portrait photographer

2011-12-22T10:19:00.003-07:00

This is Harmony. I love her and her laugh. She's a cutsie! I got to take a few photos of her in the snow the other day.

ain't she the cutest?!
on a sadder note, my camera died on me yesterday. I'm sending it in, and hopefully I'll be able to get it repaired for not too expensive. I might just be getting a new camera and I'm thinking about the 60D... but we'll see. So this means that my blogging will be a little more sparse. I still have some blogging material which should last me till the end of the year, but if I'm not posting 3 times a week, now you know why. :P
sarah morgan

bold reflection / the morgan sisters : denver, co photographer

2011-12-20T14:37:00.001-07:00

I posted about our little singing band a while ago...we had our Christmas concerts last night and Saturday. They went so well and it was an honor to open for Bold Reflection! Here are some photos my good friend, Leandra, took of us girls singing.

I love singing with my sisters! Check out the videos below!

And some photos I took of Bold Reflection performing:

They were amazing, as usual...

Riley did an impromptu solo in the absence of one of their members. He did great!

Andrew singing a crowd favorite... Jamaican Noel (the video is posted below!)

Rachel doing her solo (she accompanies and had the opportunity to sing with them this time!)

The bass guys singing Go Tell It On The Mountain

and check out these fun videos!
hope you enjoyed! sarah morgan
bold reflection on facebookthe morgan sisters on facebook

eggnog : denver, co photographer

2011-12-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Most people either love it or hate it.... I happen to love it.

what about you? does the mere sight of eggnog make you nauseous, or do you love the feeling of the creamy goodness slipping down your throat? ;)
sarah morgan

jingle bells : denver, co photographer

2011-12-14T13:29:00.003-07:00

My sisters and I sing together... this is just a short video we made in Olde Town Arvada the other night when we were there. We are opening for Bold Reflection on Saturday and on Monday. The concert locations and info is below! If you're in town, stop in!

Saturday, Dec. 17, 3:30 PM

Trinity Presbyterian Church

7755 Vance Drive

Arvada, Colorado 80003

Monday, Dec. 19, 7:00 PM

Covenant Village of Colorado

9153 Yarrow Street

Westminster, CO 80021

Oh, and we are in the process of getting another coooooool video sneak peak of our performance done to post hopefully tomorrow or Friday so stay tuned!

Here is a little list for you to accomplish today:

"Like" The Morgan Sisters on Facebook!

"Like" Bold Reflection on Facebook!

"Like" Photography by SM on Facebook (just for good measure;)!

Have a wonderful day, and if you have any questions about the performances, email me! sarah@photographybysmblog.com!

Sarah Morgan

personal : denver, co photographer

2011-12-12T19:30:00.002-07:00

I've had an amazing week!

Got to spend a day at Ellerslie (for two of my brothers' graduation from their program), and learned so much from the teachings there.

I got to go out to coffee with one of my best buds, Tori. Her shoot is in the post just below this.

I also got to go to a candle-lit dinner with my reenacting buddies whom I adore. God has blessed me so much.

sarah morgan

tori : denver, co portrait photographer

2011-12-10T11:32:00.001-07:00

For a while now, I've been wanting to do a winter/Christmas themed shoot... and I knew just the right person to do it with. :) My friend Tori offered to model.. or maybe I asked her, I don't remember. ;) It was freeeeeezing out, but we had a blast!
Here are some things I like about Tori:-she shares my obsession with Lord of the Rings. -she got me a piano book of LOTR music. I love her forever now.-she is sooooooooo FUNNY! best sense of humor.-she is one of the best models... she happily does whatever you want. -she has great sense of style. just look at that hat she's wearing. ;)-she's just plain cool!
Here are some of our favorites!

I kind of ransacked our house for anything that would fit in with the style of the shoot.

Candy cane hearts.... cliche, but hey. Cute. ;)

Isn't her hair blowing amazing?!

I literally just walked through the house to grab things. These cookies were sitting in the kitchen and I was like "hey. those have candy canes in them. I am going to bring them." haha

Isn't she the cutest?

Loooove. Definitely one of my favorites.

Look at those eyes. Stunning.

Pomegranates are bomb. No joke.

She loves throwing things. ;)

Another faaavorite. :)

Aaand that's it my friends!
Hope you enjoyed. Thank you, Tori, for being amazing!
sarah morgan

'tis the season : denver, co photographer

2011-12-06T21:29:00.001-07:00

for Christmas light bokeh

for concerts galore

for snow covered roads

for little lanterns burning away in the 0 degree weather

for red christmas ornaments
-

morgans : denver, co family portrait photographer

2011-12-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving weekend I did family photos for my very own family. :) My brothers were home for a few days, so we took advantage of that and went to our nearby park.

This is Anna. We're going in reverse age order here, folks. ;)

Me... thanks to Michael for getting these two!

Rebecca

David

Ryan

Rachel

And my wonderful parents who I greatly admire for putting up with all of us. :P If I were my parent I don't know what I would do.

Then we were on to the family photos...

I have to say this is definitely one of my favorites. I need to do a little bit of editing on the good one before I post it though. lol

The siblings!

The sisters.

This picture is hilarious to me for some reason. :P

Mom and her girls!

The boys.

My dad and the guys.
My favorite of us all.
hope you enjoyed!Sarah

happiness is : denver, co photographer

2011-12-03T10:26:00.001-07:00

...Cinzetti's with the fam after our family shoot (photos to be posted soon).

...Bold Reflection singing outdoors in Olde Town Arvada last night. (go like their Facebook page!)

...Christmas decorations

...snowy weather which calls for hoodies and hats and big black coats.
what's your happy this weekend?Sarah

davidsons : denver, co family portrait photographer

2011-11-30T10:27:00.001-07:00

I was contacted a few months ago about possibly doing a 60's themed shoot (with a twist of modern in there too). I was absolutely stoked and I'm so glad everything went through so we could do it!
This was definitely and without question one of my favorite shoots so far. Number one, you just can't beat a good styled shoot. Number two... I think this family wins the photogenic award. Seriously. So sit back and enjoy these... a few of my favorites from our shoot!

Miss Natalie... who is a cutie and definitely has some model in her. ;)

This handsome little guy is Cohen. I dare you to find a cuter 2-year-old.

I mean seriously...beat that hair. Nope... not happening :)
This is Amberly. She's quite obviously very fond of her father. ;)

We started our shoot at a cute little train station in Littleton. Loved it!

Favorite...I think this should be their Christmas card picture. Everyone's doing their own little thing...

Another favorite.

Cohen givin' some love to Mommy :)

Agh! I keep having more favorites! ;)

Sisters <3

Love how clueless Cohen looks...

The masterminds behind all of this ;) Seriously though...they're pretty cool people. :)

We headed over to a field nearby for the extended family shots with the old cars...

love!

Nate's sister and her family...

Their little girl's name is Summer Sunshine. Adoooorable.

Favorite of their family!

The grandkids :)

Favorite group shot!

thoughts? leave a comment!sarah

langemanns : denver, co family photographer

2011-11-28T09:44:00.001-07:00

I got to get a few photos of this lovely family on Thanksgiving Day. They live in Canada and are down for a few weeks while Josh (the daddy :) goes to Ireland.

The light was so lovely!

Joy... isn't she the cutest!

Hope

Love that smile :)

aren't they the cutest?Sarah

personal : denver, co portrait photographer

2011-11-27T16:22:00.001-07:00

Taking a break from the photo posting here for something a bit more personal - I've been thinking about this for awhile... trying to come up with a blog post but it's taken me some time to actually get it down.

I got my camera in the summer of 2009 and had my first paid job early the next year. My business slowly started growing and this summer I took an internship with Jessica Shae for some business tips and such. It was amazing, and I was expecting my business to sort of kick up and make me rich in the next month. ;) God had other plans and I had absolutely no business for almost exactly a month. I prayed and gave it up to God... and within a few days I had booked about 4 shoots for the next 2 months and had several potential clients for the near future. I got a Facebook page, renovated my blog a bit, and have started to get more business.

However... that's not the end of the story. :) One of my past shoots was pretty difficult. Things seemed to keep going wrong and I was really discouraged. BUT. Through a series of events, I had with me not one, not two, but THREE other shooters to help me that day. He also saw fit to provide us with open Wifi in the church so we could download some software I needed on my computer right then. I learned several lessons about photography that I obviously needed to learn, and I am thankful that they all got learned in one day. Saves a lot of trouble for me. ;) It all ended well, but it was a good reminder of this:

God is always there. He knows what will happen. He has it all under control and in HIS hands. and if it weren't for His work in this, I wouldn't have a business. He has provided me with parents who have encouraged my business. He's provided me with amazing deals on equipment. Amazing friends to mentor me and to hire me to get my business going. And I want to strive for excellence in everything that I do, but for His glory.

All that to say this: all the glory goes to God. I don't want to take the glory for my photography. He's blessed me with what talent I do have. The glory is all His and rightfully His.

And finally: if you are reading this and have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, that is the most important thing you could ever do in your life.

John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

Thank you for taking time to read this. :) I'll hopefully have Josh & Erin's photos up in the next few days!

Sarah

sneak peeks : denver, co photographer

2011-11-26T14:29:00.001-07:00

Here are a few peeks from recent shoots... full posts will come soon!

I got to shoot Josh, Erin and their little girls on Thanksgiving Day...

And I got to shoot Nate, Joslynn and their littles the day after Thanksgiving! :)
Have an amazing day -Sarah

ben & lesley : lincoln, ne, wedding photographer

2011-11-23T12:19:00.001-07:00

I got an email last month from one of my dear friends in NE saying "When can you be in NE next?? 'cause I think it's time we get some pics!" with a picture of a gorgeous engagement ring on her left finger.
I responded with the usual congratulations and said I probably wouldn't be able to come out until the wedding...well a few weeks later I get an email that says "You know there's this cute couple that's getting married in Nov. And they just so happen to need a photographer..." And that's how I got hired to do Ben and Lesley's beautiful wedding.
My sister Rachel and I got there a few days early (after flying for my first time! woo!) and helped with set up, sewing, decorating, ect... and planning for photos of course. The wedding day dawned bright and early (like 5am early...)
We got Les ready early to do some bridal portraits when the sun rose. Well the sun didn't exactly rise. But we still got some pretty rocking images. ;) Now sit back and enjoy!

Lesley's shoes (which are actually her twin's)... you would believe her family's resourcefulness. This was one of the most beautiful weddings I have attended... and they hardly had to buy anything.

Ring shots... I am addicted to them. Slightly.

Yup... I am lucky... this church was amazing!

These might possibly be my favorite dress photos ever.

Getting ready eeearly to go take photos!

Ashley, the maid of honor, buttoning Lesley up. Ashley is also Lesley's twin. Yes, they look alike... but I only got mixed up once when they were both turned the other way. ;)

We went to a lovely place called Wedding Island (ironic, right...) for the bridal photos.

What can I say... I get all the beautiful brides!

It was pretty dead still that morning (especially for NE...) so I had another friend help me by throwing the veil in the air. ;)

Definitely one of my favorite shots from the day!

Nebraska has cool trees. I know.

I stood on a tree branch and took this. It was slightly scary...

Pretty sure she's thinking about her Ben... ;)

LOVE that veil!

More favorites!

Skipping on the stones! ;)

And here the handsome groom is getting ready to see his bride for the first time that day. :)

The flowers. The groom's cousin did a fantastic job with them!

The tears hit... the ceremony must be ready to start ;)

My second shooter got this photo. Love it!
When the groom sees the bride for the first time...

We headed over to Wedding Island to take some bridal party photos. It was about 20 degrees, windy, and humid which makes for a pretty chilly shoot.

Lesley and her beautiful girls!

Ben and the guys!

My fingers were literally numb by this time so we had to speed through the couple photos.

Twirling his bride... ;)
My second shooter got the above photo.

Favorite!
Haha...wiping the lipstick off so he doesn't get so much on his lips maybe. ;)

leave a comment and let me know your thoughts-sarah

ben & lesley : sneak peek | november 2011

2011-11-20T21:11:00.001-07:00

can't wait to share more of this beautiful wedding with you!sarah

trip update | november 2011

2011-11-18T22:45:00.001-07:00

It's late and the wedding's tomorrow... but here are a few photos from my first day here. Or more like on my way here... :P If you think of it, be praying that everything goes smoothly tomorrow! Thank you! :)

Rachel and I grabbed some ice cream in the airport.

My first time flying! Exciting stuff! ;)

Reading Little Dorrit on the plane.

So fun! Got a toooon of pictures for you in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
Sarah

leaving | nov 2011

2011-11-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! :) I thought I'd leave a note to let you know that I'm out of town until Sunday... when I get back be prepared to see sunrise bridal photos, wedding photos, and some other fun stuff!

sarah

sisters | november 2011

2011-11-12T09:44:00.001-07:00

My sisters (Rebecca and Anna) and I sing together, and yesterday we sang for a Veteren's Day banquet. Afterwards, we came home and did a little photoshoot in the yard. :) Here are my favorite shots! (I used a tripod, by the way...)

Don't you love our outfits? :P It's so fun to coordinate but not match!

Haha...

I wish I could bring that little couch with me when I photograph that wedding in Nebraska... it would make bridal portraits so awesome!

I did some individual portraits of the girls and Rebecca took some of me.

And my favorite... :)
what do you think? Sarah

happiness | november 2011

2011-11-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

First of all - it is 11/11/11. And I should just be awesome and post this at 11:11 tonight, but I'm not too awesome right now so I'm going to post it at 2:30 instead. :P
Secondly - It is Veteren's Day. And I want to thank each and every one of you who has served and is still serving in our military. I am so, so thankful for all of you. Our country is going through an interesting time right now... but the loyalty that these men have in fighting for our freedoms, giving their lives for ours... it's just amazing.
Thirdly... In my previous post, I asked each of you to vote for your favorite picture. Photo number 8 won (with 8 votes)... which happened to be my least favorite. Weird, huh... :P But there's a room in my house that I have a bunch of black and white photos in. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to take all of the b&w photos from the previous post and put them up for the winter season. :)
And at last - happiness is....

...a photoshoot in the snow with my sister (a few posts down if you want to see!)

...getting back in reenacting clothes after over a month and hanging out with my reenacting friends. love them. :) (oh... shooting pistols is pretty fun too :P)

...and being able to watch the cutest kids. I know I say this all the time, but it's true. :)
what was your happy this week?sarah
p.s. I just did a shoot of me and two of my sisters... (yes tripods are amazing), and when those are ready I'll have them up! :) They're super fun!

rebecca pt 2 | november 2011

2011-11-08T17:48:00.005-07:00

So these are my Starbucks mug photos from the shoot with Rebecca (which is two posts down, if you're interested!).
Look at the number under each photo, and comment with which one is your favorite. Whichever one wins, I might just print out and frame...

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8
don't forget to comment with your favorite!Sarah

photo of the week | nov 2011

2011-11-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

taken at four-mile park in denver, co
-sarah

rebecca pt 1 | november 2011

2011-11-05T18:01:00.002-06:00

Sooo, since we've been getting snow, I was deeply inspired to do a winter themed shoot with someone. At about 2 in the afternoon the other day... I was like, "hey, I want to do a photoshoot today..." and it happened that the sun was beautiful, my sister was willing, and the snow was pretty, so off we went!

Taken at my favorite location...

The light was incredible, as you can see!

^favorite!

Love this one.

Three cheers for pom-pom hats and Starbucks mugs. :)
Part two of the shoot will be up in a few days... and they're some of my favorite pictures ever. So keep an eye out. :)
Sarah

the girls | november 2011

2011-11-03T08:34:00.000-06:00

So we have these cool friends, who happen to be twins. Mary and Trish. And they are adorable, and so naturally I wanted to take pictures of them. Then my sister, who is also adorable (some of the time anyway haha), wanted pictures with them. So they got into their coordinating (but not matching) shirts and we took some pictures. :)

We had literally minutes before the sun was completely down... but we caught it just in time!

This sequence makes me laugh... haha

Oh Mary... we love you ;)

Cute girls, huh. ;)
Enjoy the snow!!Sarah

happiness | november 2011

2011-10-31T19:59:00.002-06:00

...getting to hang out with some of my favoritest people this past week.

...snow! We got our first big snow last week and are expecting more this week. :D

...Chipotle + photoshoot + hanging out with our reenacting buddies.
what was your happy this past week?Sarah

note: I am going to be in Lincoln, Nebraska in a few weeks and I will have slots open for shoots on the 17th and 18th. If you're at all interested, contact me about it at sarah@photographybysmblog.com! :D

peter & meredith | second-shooter, castle rock, co | october 2011

2011-10-30T17:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of second-shooting a wedding with the lovely Jessica Shae. Here are some of my favorite shots I grabbed... :) For Jessica's blog post, go here!

I have quite a weakness for ring shots...

Meredith's reaction to her flowers was absolutely priceless.

M looked absolutely stunning. The dress, jewelry, make-up, everything... just stunning.

She was excited too... every 15 minutes or so it was "I'm getting married! I'M GETTING MARRIED!" It was positively adorable. :)

The bride with the beautiful bridesmaids...

Yes... it snowed. a good deal. so. pretty.

one of my faaavorites!

The groomsmen didn't look half-bad themselves... :) I was happy to grab these shots! Love how they turned out.

This sequence is absolutely the cutest ever. Love love LOVED her reaction to the kiss.

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Serven!

Now to the reception. First of all - the details were amazing. Props to whoever came up with these ideas...

Here they come!

My dear friends and their papas during the father/daughter dance.

And - there we have it! Hope you enjoyed these photos... again, I second shot for Jessica Shae - go check out her stuff!
Sarah

golden, co | october 2011

2011-10-28T14:18:00.000-06:00

While I was in Golden for the Chartier's lovely shoot, I grabbed a few photos of the beautiful fall scenery. I got them just in time, as we got a pretty big snow storm on Wednesday!

have the most amazing of days-Sarah

chartier family | family portraits, golden, colorado

2011-10-26T17:19:00.001-06:00

I've known the Chartiers for pretty much my whole life... and right from the get-go of my photography business, they've been in full support of me. They're like family to me and I was so privileged when Mrs. Chartier asked me to do their family photos again this year! So here you are... the Chartier family in 2011!

This is Ryan - the geek of the family who just got back from a few weeks making a film!

Robin, who works construction and is known for his great driving skills. ;)

Heidi - she is so so pretty. Every photo I took of her turned out amazing because she's so photogenic! She's an amazing cook, too...
Riley - crazy about working out (pretty good at it too) and makes the best spaghetti sauce other than my mom's. :P
Hope... her laugh is absolutely contagious. She's pretty cute too... ;)

My buddy girl Harmony. We're braces buddies and she's so awesome!

Raymon... I love this kid. Aside from being cute (sorry... I just had to say it;), he has a really funny sense of humor and a really sweet personality (most of the time...).

Robert...haha. I laugh every time I see the picture on the right. He's so full of energy and he loves his little sister!

Reagan... cutest most mischievous kid you'll ever find. :P He can wiggle his way into a lot... ;)

My little Reese buddy! He is so sweet, and although he has a streak of naughty in there (but what boy doesn't!) he still loves to cuddle with you. LOVE him. One of my many reasons for loving him is that in order to get a real smile out of him you have to have him say cheeseburger multiple times.

Aaaand... last but certainly NOT least! Hazel. I think the photos speak for themselves. :) (yeah... cute, adorable, spunky, fun...)

Mr. and Mrs. Chartier are such a fun-loving couple... and their love for each other and their love for God is so obvious. They really like teasing each other. ;)

Cute huh. ;)

Sisters... :)

And the bros. ;)

See Hazel and Reese holding hands? They're the cutest.

One of my personal favorites - on the church steps. :)

No, I do not get credit for this idea. But I think it's adorable. The advantages to having a big family... ;)

These five little kids are just awesome sauce.

Last photos in the creek... love these!

And so ended our beautiful shoot! Comment and let me know what you think... or don't comment, that's fine too. ;)
have an amazing day!Sarah

sneak peek - chartier family | october 2011

2011-10-24T10:04:00.002-06:00

Just a peek of the beautiful family session I did yesterday... more to come! :)

Sarah

life | october 2011

2011-10-22T14:30:00.001-06:00

It goes by way too fast. fall family portrait session to be posted soooon! :)

Sarah

happiness | october 2011

2011-10-19T12:25:00.002-06:00

...being able to babysit two of the cutest kids in the world. :)

...rain boots. sigh. :)

...a huge flower plant still blooming by our creek

...freshly grilled chicken for dinner and an absolutely perfect evening. The weather here has been incredible!
okay... so I've been posting an awful lot of just life/personal stuff lately... not too many shoots going on right now! :) I've got a fun family shoot and a wedding coming up, though, so stay tuned. :)
Sarah

smile | october 2011

2011-10-17T11:27:00.003-06:00

I'm smiling right now because it's raining and I just got to wear my rain boots outside. It's cozy inside and I'm thinking about a month from now when I'll be getting ready to photograph a dear friend's wedding in Nebraska.

So much to smile about.

Sarah

fall | october 2011

2011-10-14T16:01:00.002-06:00

It's fall. Summer's over... as much as I hate to say it. This summer was arguably the best summer of my life... filled with reenactments with friends, a family vacation to the great state of Michigan, and plenty of sunshine to go around. :)
Buuut, now that it's fall, I've decided to make the most of it. It leads to winter - which means hockey... skiing... sledding... the whole deal. Can't wait. :) But of course fall with it's colored and falling leaves, hot cider, evenings with friends fitting in some last sports before the snow flies... that's pretty special. :)
I went out this morning to get a couple photos of the colors in our yard...

Happy Autumn!Sarah

happiness is | october 2011

2011-10-11T14:15:00.002-06:00

...adorable kids with stunning eyes

...crazy games with friends

...photography opportunities

...SNOW! Yes, it snowed! :D
what's your happy today? oh...and you might be noticing just a few changes around the blog... I was thinking it was time for a new header. :)Sarah

photo of the week

2011-10-08T22:57:00.004-06:00

Sort of in recovery mode from our reenacting event...haha. Haven't done a whole lot of shooting lately other than today - which was a long 11 1/2 hour wedding with Jessica Shae Photography! Photos from those will come sooner or later... probably later. ;) Planning on getting some fun stuff to post this week though, so stay tuned!

Sarah

happiness is | october 2011

2011-10-05T12:16:00.000-06:00

...finding pictures from our reenacting even that I had forgotten about... (read more about that in the below post...)

...finding beauty in the morning light.
...helping build this big baby for our reenactment
...photos like these that make me smile every time I see them. Love these kids...

...getting to hang out with my very best friends for 3 days in a row... and making memories that will last a lifetime. :)
what's your happy today?Sarah

living history days | september 2011

2011-10-03T08:38:00.001-06:00

The long-awaited, much-anticipated post is here! Last week, Vision Heirs held their reenactment that happens twice a year. I am the official photographer, which is the best job ever. Here are some of my favorite captures...
Here are the posts from previous Living History Days:April 2011September 2010April 2010

The drama was incredible as always.

We were privileged again to have our drama coach from Arizona join us for a few days!

Having a dog act in the drama definitely gave it a new flavor. :)

The set this time was amazing - so much work went into it.

The boat was designed and mostly put together by one of our good friends...obviously he's a genius because who else could come up with something like this? :-o

Love the facial expressions going on here!

The Count and Buster.

"They were supposed to help us!" Quite possibly one of my favorite pictures...

Oh wait, I forgot... this is my favorite picture. :)

The ladies hug with a satisfied child looking on... ;)

Outside, the boys work to chop firewood.

Bekah churning butter.

Aw, Garrett...

Love that the whole family is enjoying it!

This photo shall give me inspiration to do school this week. :P

Loved the bit of swordplay that they put in the battle.

My brother talking with a bunch of kids. :)

It was so fun hearing all of the questions that kids had to ask!

Love all of the action going on in this photo!

On his way to a surgery...

Nathan having a surgery.

Tori and Harmony... in their curled hair. :) Isn't it adorable?

Working the bellows at the blacksmith station.

Some of the ladies enjoying General Washington's company.

At woodworking...

The amazing medical team!

My favorite photo of Levi!

Part of the line for one of the dramas... :)

Ryan locked up a little girl. :( Actually she asked to be locked up, so...

Codi before his surgery started... I have to say his was one of the best.

Anna helping and Andrew operating.

This little guy took everything so seriously...

Another battle...

The British charge...

...

And the Continentals charge back...

Cheering for Michael... :)

The officers.Don't have a group picture yet, but I'll post it once I get it.
I'll probably still post a random smattering of pictures on Thursday for my happy post... because all my happy from this past week has been from this. It was definitely the most fun I've had in a loooong time.
My friends are the most awesome ever.Sarah
P.S. I have a facebook album of even more photos - if you're interested in seeing those, go to this link.

photo of the week

2011-10-02T13:58:00.000-06:00

I'm working on editing my pictures from our reenacting event right now... it was so much fun and God really, really blessed us with great weather and a lot of people! Be on the lookout for a good long post.

Sarah

living history days - sneak peek | september 2011

2011-09-29T19:28:00.000-06:00

Yeah... that was one of those lucky moments... ;)
So much more to come! Got one more day of reenacting to go. And by the way...I have the best friends ever.
Sarah

bold reflection | september 2011

2011-09-27T14:25:00.003-06:00

A couple of years ago, my brother got some of his guy friends together and started a singing group called Bold Reflection. The group grew until they had 14 guys. Then they wanted pictures. The end. ;)
Andrew (the new leader) got all of the guys to come in their suits all at the same time, which is quite a feat...

We didn't have much time to fit in all our shots before the sun went down, but I still like how they turned out.

This one's a favorite :)

Had fun getting in the water for these shots... :P

Pretty sure this is my very favorite!
Amazing sunset that night... :)
Let me know what you think of these! And go "like" Bold Reflection on Facebook...Sarah

photo of the week

2011-09-25T07:52:00.001-06:00

more to come!
Sarah

jed | september 2011

2011-09-21T19:31:00.001-06:00

I happen to be blessed with the opportunity to babysit some pretty adorable kids... here are my favorite shots I grabbed of one of the little guys, Jed, today. :)

No editing done on his eyes... they're that amazing. :)

Doesn't this just melt your little heart?!

Had to throw this in there... one of my favorite Ellie :)

He's not my child and I'm pretty sure I need like all of these framed. haha.

Precious little hands...

So, yeah. That's your cuteness dose for today... :)
Sarah

happiness | september 2011

2011-09-19T16:01:00.000-06:00

...adorable munchkins that I get to see twice a week. :)

...hanging out with my Rachel friend for her birthday!
...cool run-down buildings, and beautiful friends. :)
what's your happy today?Sarah

becca & tori | september 2011

2011-09-17T14:29:00.000-06:00

I've known Becca and Tori and their family for quite a while now... and I was so excited when they contacted me and said they wanted sister pictures done! I'd never done sister pictures before, so it was a new experience, but I loved it. :) It was so hard picking a moderate amount of pictures for a blog post!
They were just adorable and did everything perfectly! :)

We found this amazing bush with berries that matched their shirts...

Of course we had to put it to good use. :)

I made them lay down on the grass. ;)

Aw, don't they have the prettiest smiles ever :)

I got to take some individual shots of them too! This is Tori... she's such a spunky little woman with an awesome sense of humor. ;)

Her eyes are amazing...
..and her laugh is so awesome. :)

This is Becca... the crazy adorable musician ;)

Her eyes are amazing too. ;)

Ain't she purty? :)

Haha I love this one. <3

So we were shooting and this totally random black cat comes... naturally Becca and Tori got distracted.

They named him "Ebony". :P

One of my favorites!

After the outfit changed, we went for some more formal looking pictures. :)

Beautiful girl...

Oh! This is a favorite too! ;) Isn't she the cutest ever?!

I thought about stealing this...

Becca and Tori - Thank you so much for letting me do you photos! I had an absolute blast... hope you did too! :) Love you both.
Sarah

baseball | september 2011

2011-09-15T14:56:00.001-06:00

My brothers and a bunch of their friends played a baseball game not too long ago... they had it in a super nice field - it was super fun to watch! Here are some of my favorite shots. :)
Andrew T up to bat.

Not a baseball picture but I thought it was cute. ;)

Nate at 2nd.

Scoring our first run!

Andrew G scoring...

..David scoring.. :)

Michael off to steal second. ;)

Tyler hitting his almost-home-run! It bounced off the fence. :P

They played until the lights turned off!

Loving the cloudy and chilly weather we're having... makes it so cozy inside. :) Hope to have a shoot to post within the next few days... :)
Sarah

leandra | september 2011

2011-09-13T21:17:00.001-06:00

One of my really good friends, Leandra, started a jewelry business awhile ago. I thought it'd be a nice thing to take some business photos for her website! In return, she gave me discounts on some jewelry... I thought it was a pretty good deal. ;) It was a short shoot with limited areas to shoot, but we made the most of it!

My beautiful friend! <3

Love the light in her hair :)

Yeah, that was my idea. ;)

Favorite. :)
Aren't her eyes amazing?! :-o
Adore the bokeh in this!

She made her necklace - isn't it cute?

She also made her bracelet. :)

It was so fun to find these wrinkled flowers on the ground!

They made for a great prop. ;)

Check out Leandra's website! She does AMAZING work... I have quite a few of her pieces and they're so unique and fun!
Sarah

will | september 2011

2011-09-12T11:15:00.000-06:00

So last week I got asked to do my first shoot for the cover of an album! I was super stoked...I'd never done it before, but I knew it'd be awesome. And of course... it was. :)

This is my favorite!

I heard a sample of Will's piano music and it is amazing. I'll definitely let you all know when the CD is released so you can go buy one!
Thanks, Will, for letting me do your pictures... it was fun! May God bless you in all your future endeavors. :)

Sarah

happiness is...

2011-09-10T13:36:00.001-06:00

...new shoes. jeans. baseball games with friends. more photography work. :)
Sarah

amy | september 2011

2011-09-06T20:53:00.004-06:00

So... here are the long-awaited sunrise photos. Amy and her mom were awesome and drove all the way up here before the sun rose just for me!

We headed out to the tracks near our house.

Rachel let me use some of her very many old books for props!

I also used some of our flowers for props. Yes, they're fake. But I love them. :)

Aren't her eyes stunning?! ;)

We found some random sunflowers!

My friends are the cutest ever. :)

So, guess what... a train came by while we were down there! I wasn't really expecting it since I had just heard one come by before we got there.

Love this one.

Yay!

It reminded me of Narnia... the wind blowing, flipping the pages, and blowing her hair. It felt like magic. ;)

Don't you love her dress? She wore it to her sister's wedding last year. :D

Miss cutie pie!

And theeen the magic started. As soon as the sun came up the light was suddenly magical.

I wish the light was like this all the time...

It adds so much color and character to the photos!

I think sunrise is even better than sunset... I just wish it came at a more convenient time of day. :P

Thinking this would be a good one to put words on.

Another favorite.

Do you understand now why I was soooo excited about this shoot?!

Gotta love random things sticking out of the ground. Ha. ;)

With the sunflowers again.

I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on these photos!
Sarah

rachel & kristin | august 2011

2011-09-06T10:12:00.003-06:00

So while we were in Nebraska, I got a couple of pictures of my sister and her friend who she's known for a looong time. ;) We went exploring and found some cool photoshoot spots!

Somehow they always manage to bring coordinating clothes by accident. ;)

Cutie pie Kristin! :)

Don't you adore her necklace?

Rachel

This one is my favorite. :)
Looking out over the lake.

Oh here's one of Heidi! :) Isn't she adorb?

:)
Ok... I'm almost caught up with blogging. Can you believe it? :P My next post is definitely one of my favorite shoots I've done...sunrise, cute girl, old books, and train ...ready to see them yet? ;P
Sarah

nebraska | august 2011

2011-09-05T08:55:00.001-06:00

My sisters and I took a trip out to the barren lands of Nebraska for a few days! We spent some great time with our friends and it was so relaxing. :)

The cabin we stayed at was right on a lake!

Fresh wild plums...

Yum!

There were a lot of interesting...things...

Spigot!

They have so many weird creatures out there :P

This spider we saw was about 2 inches long... it was absolutely disgusting. :P

Cute squiggly branches. :)
Did a photoshoot of Rachel and Kristin while there... those will be posted on Wednesday! :) Aaaand, today I did a sunrise shoot with a good friend and those will also be posted soon. :) I'm sooo excited about them...

Have an amazing Labor Day! Sarah

air show | august 2011

2011-09-02T14:44:00.003-06:00

Last week, we went and saw part of an air show that a small airport near us puts on. Here are some of my favorite shots...

Basically I'm in love with the 70-200 and that's the end of the story. :)

Amy enjoying the show :)

Michael taking photos with his newly-revived camera. ;)

This is my favorite. :)
Hope you all are having an awesome summer! :) My sisters and I went on a short trip to Nebraska to visit some friends, so photos from that are going to be coming shortly. :)
Sarah

Happiness is...

2011-09-01T13:24:00.002-06:00

...free Yogurtland! (they said to go crazy on the toppings...)

...watching part of an airshow with friends (some cool photos from that coming soon)

...celebrating birthdays with friends

...a restful few days in a cabin on a lake with friends :)

...fresh wild plums.
what's your happy today?Sarah