Squirrel Chasing In The Park

What do you get when you have three young boys, a new puppy and a park full of squirrels?? You get everyone moving in their own direction. It was great! This is EXACTLY how my life feels most of the time and is part of what I love about it. It was great seeing all of these independent minds running through the park. This family was a blast! We had a great time at the park, even though it was a bit chilly! I could not believe how many squirrels there were. These boys loved seeing all of the squirrels, actually I did too...even though this one almost ran right up my leg!!!These three brothers are going to be heart breakers! They all have the most beautiful eyes!!Everyone knows I love black and white photos.... BUT with these great colors, and these amazing eyes, I had to leave some in color too!
Their new Australian Sheppard puppy has some pretty amazing eyes as well!Isn't this is a gorgeous family. After we hung out in the park we snuck into the Wright Park Arboretum to explore and warm up!
Another great holiday session.... I have had so much fun this year meeting all of these great families! I want to send a special "thank you" to this family for coming out in the chilly weather to get these shots!

A Brisk Morning, A Cold Nose and A New Puppy

Last year I was leisurely driving up to a Sunday holiday shoot when I realized that I had my husbands Seahawks tickets in the seat right next to me. UGH... I really HATE to be late, and on this day, I had no choice but to turn around... drive home.... drop of the tickets to a slightly irritated but grateful husband... and then head back up to the session.

When I FINALLY arrived at the session, I met a completely amazing and kind family. They had a beautiful little girl, a wonderful dog, and smiles full of forgiveness for me! How lucky I am to meet families like this!

This year, I was so excited when they called me for another holiday session. We went out on a brisk fall morning, and had a wonderful time. Zia is not even two but she is sweet as can be and one of the best little talkers I have ever heard!Zia carried around little bear and big bear all morning! I loved her soft hair and her beautiful brown eyes... what a sweet girl!
One of my favorite types of family photos are the ones that come after the "perfectly posed everyone smiling at the camera" shots. I love seeing the natural smiles, the love, and the emotion when you catch people being themselves and loving their family.Earlier this year, this family lost a very important member of their family... their amazing dog that I mentioned earlier. Well, while Nala (their new Labrador) does not take the place of their amazing doggie, she is an amazing addition to this family.Isn't Nala beautiful?! The morning did not warm up at all, and by the end... all of our noses were a bit chilly, but Zia, she remained happy as ever! I love this toothy little grin!Zia was so sweet... at the end of the session she ran up to me, gave me a big hug and a cold nosed kiss and said, "Thank you Sawa" in her adorable tiny little voice!Thank you again to this wonderful family... for your forgiveness and for sharing your family with me! It has been wonderful watching Zia grow! It has been a complete honor for me!

Three Weeks of New Life

Meet Mason.
Mason is three weeks old, and recently I had the honor of spending an afternoon in his home with his family. His parents selected the WATCH ME GROW package, and I had a great time taking these images at our first session. If you have ever looked through any of my images, you know that my favorite thing about a newborn session is the detail shots. So without further ado.... here is Mason!
His perfect lips....His pudgy little feet and toes....That beautiful swirl of hair on the top of his head... and his tiny little finger brushing up again his daddy's hand.Mason had the coziest, softest, blanket I have ever ever felt. I would LOVE to have one like it for myself... especially if I could be as comfortable as he is in it. Mr. Mason loved being wrapped up tightly in his new little blankie, almost more than I loved seeing his beautiful mama staring down at him. It was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with Mason his family. Thank you for letting me into your home and into your lives and I CAN NOT wait to see Mason grow through out this year.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I hope that you and your little ghouls and goblins have a wonderful Halloween full of tricks and treats! At our home, we have one stunning Vampire....And a little orphan Annie who is ready for Broadway! If you want some GREAT tips for taking Halloween photos of your kids, check out Me Ra Koh's blog. I love her blog and follow it regularly for photo tips and encouraging words for daily life. Check it out!

I wanted to share a few of the images from our Pumpkin Patch Photo Shoot that we had a few weeks ago at Maris Farms in Buckley, WA. First off let me say, WOW.... that is quite a farm. They had pony rides, monster truck rides, a HUGE jumping pillow, tons of pumpkins, pig races, tractor rides, corn cannons, pumpkin shooters.... we could have spent the entire day there!I LOVED watching one of my favorite little kiddos trying to pick up pumpkins. The determination, the strength, the humor.... so funny!Who ever said you can not get great portraits at the pumpkin patch. This shot of Courtney is gorgeous, and just wait, in a few weeks, you will get to see more of Courtney.... after we finished at the pumpkin patch, we headed out for her senior portrait session.Her little sister snuck in a couple photos as well. These girls are beautiful!I have known these two twins since the day they were born and now they are 7! Yikes, time flies! Here is a link to one of the photo sessions we had when they were 5.... Click Here...I love the toothy grin!
It is so hard to choose the right pumpkin! Have a wonderful, safe, spooky and hopefully dry Halloween!

Sara Montgomery Photography Holiday Special 2009!

The holidays are coming, and without further ado.... let me announce that the Holiday Special is available. Last year I had so much success with it that I am really excited to do it again! Make sure you email me, sara@saramontgomeryphoto.com, or call me to set up a holiday session today! Lets get those family shots or maybe just images of your kiddos. You will be ready to make your holiday cards in no time!

I am thrilled to announce that this year $50 from every holiday session , and regular portrait session, booked before the end of 2009 will be donated to an AMAZING foundation, the SAFI SCHOOL PROJECT. The Safi Foundation was started right here in Washington state, in Olympia, and is reaching children and families all the way in Tanzania Africa. The Safi foundation builds schools one at a time... helps children get books, sponsors children, pays teachers, provides water purification systems, builds gardens, and more. Click on this link to read more about the projects that this amazing organization does to help the people of Tanzania.

We are working with this organization within our family through our LIVE WITH GRACE program. LIVE WITH GRACE is a program we started in our family to help teach our children about the importance of being grateful and the joy in giving. It is a fun way for us to all become more aware of the situation in the world around us and even in our community. Please take some time and read more about LIVE WITH GRACE , and find out how you and your family can become involved too!

The girls will raise money penny by penny for The Safi Foundation, and I am going to do my part as well. That is why I am going to donate $50 from each holiday session (and any regular portrait session for the remainder of 2009) to this fabulous organization. The price of the holiday session is going to be $125. For this price, you will receive:

• 30 minute session at the location of your choice.
  
• 10 images on disc with copyright release.
• All of the images will also be available for you on www.pictage.com (the on-line professional developer that I use) for you to view, share or purchase prints or products.

I am really excited about this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people in Tanzania, the lives of the people in my family, and my own life! The holiday special will expire at the end of 2009, so don't wait.... space is limited and the clock is ticking! I hope to hear from you soon!

Photos of Your Pumpkins with their Pumpkins!

This time of year is so much fun. I love the brisk air, the crunchy leaves, the hot chocolate.... and of course the PUMPKINS! I love, love, LOVE going to the pumpkin patch each year. I think I may enjoy it just as much as the kids. This will be the third year that we have taken Sara Montgomery Photography to the pumpkin patch, and I am just as excited as always to see you all down there!I am going to change it up a bit this year. This year we are going to be at Maris Farms in Buckley, Washington. I will be there for two hours from 1000-1200 on the 17th of October to shoot photos of your little pumpkins! I am so excited to visit this farm. Peak through their web site and you will be too! All you need to do to join us is email me at sara@saramontgomeryphoto.com or call me to let me know you want to come. That is it!
There is a minimal entrance fee to Maris Farms, but it looks like it is well worth it. Click here to see more information on their prices and schedules. There is no session fee for the photo session. I will place all of your photos online at Pictage for you. You can view them, share them with friends and family, and order them from Pictage directly.

Come hang out with us.... come eat caramel apples with us, get lost in the corn maze, visit the courtyard for children, go on a hay ride, tip a cow, watch the pig races (which benefits St Jude's Children's Hospital).... come play! Remember.... make sure to email me or call me to let me know you will be there.

Need directions? ***Click Here***

Come get photos of your little pumpkins with us... while they still look sweet and adorable like this.....Don't wait until it is too late.... you may end up with this...One more thing..... as I say each year.... this event is weather permitting. Should we be having one of our lovely rainy, wet and muddy northwest fall days we will have to reschedule .... SEE YOU AT THE PATCH!

Beautiful New Life

This evening, after I forced some squash and peppers in the kids.... after Olivia pulled the cat in the bathtub while simultaneously beheading her favorite Ariel mermaid bath toy.... and after a one hour snuggle due to monsters under the bed, I sat down to edit these images. These images were taken this morning in Olympia. Going through some of these images was the perfect way to end my night. Meet Toby.
Toby is the son of a friend on mine.... someone I have known for nearly 20 years........He married a beautiful woman that we went to college with. They are a great couple and nearly 12 weeks ago, they were blessed with their first child.Life has changed for them. It was fun to visit with them and to watch them with their new son. Even though my girls are only 4 and 6 years old, they seem light years away from this newborn stage of life. We exchanged some "lack of sleep" horror stories and played with Toby all morning.I was so excited to get these great shots of all of Toby's tiny features....like his little piggies....And his sweet hands....And of course his bum....Toby's parents are totally in love with him... it is easy to see why... This next image is what we worked all morning for.... this amazing smile! What an absolutely handsome little guy they have on their hands. Thank you Scott and Kim for inviting me into your home, I had a great time meeting Toby and catching up!