.just got back from having lunch (or as my daughter calls it…a “snack party”) with Evie and the hubs at PF Changs….um, yum!  i am busy editing today and trying to get things ready for the new wedding portion of my site before the little one arrives, so i thought i would give you a taste of what i have been listening to while editing.  i am pulling out the stops today to try and have this kid…raspberry tea, eggplant parm, a little bedroom action….this kid is coming whether he likes it or not :) if you have heard of any natural labor inducing methods feel free to let me know :).  anyway, i am also trying to pick out some tunes for the wedding galleries, that are a bit funky and fun, while not being too distracting…if you have any suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments below. ooh and i won a contest over at Blu, i can’t wait to see what the prize is!
.anyway, i’ll be updating as often as i can before the baby arrives and hopefully soon there after. thanks to Fred Egan for the iMix idea…had no clue this existed…you do learn something everyday :)

…still i am patiently waiting for the arrival of our little man…i am officially due on Monday, though by now i thought he may already be here.  I am most definitely ready and long for feeling like myself again.  i have a plan ready to get myself back in shape and back in action and i can’t wait to get started :) i’ll be sure to update here with any breaking news, most likely via Twitter, so keep your eyes on that little blue box above.

. i am working on some long over due edits for a slideshow i am going to try to impliment on the blog. rather than having a bunch of images for you to scroll through to see, i am attempting something a little more user friendly and fabulous :).  the above image is a sneak peek from an engagement session back in May and the rest i hope to feature in the new format.  i hope to have it ready tomorrow or the next day, unless there is a baby on the way.

. my website will soon be separated into two parts, one for portraits and one for weddings - which will have some new features like a featured wedding section where you will be able to view images from an entire wedding -  as well as larger images and a fresh new look.  there are some other changes i am working on and will be sure to post when i have more information. i also see some of you have stopped to take the poll below…thanks! it’s interesting to see who is visiting and will help me tailor posts in the future.  i love to hear what you have to say too so feel free to drop a comment here and there.

.thanks to all who took advantage of the sale i held on my actions this week.  i may have another one closer to the holidays, but we’ll see. i am working on some fun new textures i hope to have ready soon.  if you have any requests as to what you would like to see in the store please let me know.

. on a more personal note…my daughter at bedtime tonight, just before falling asleep told me that she didnt like her baby brother (whom she has yet to meet) , i asked her why and she just said “because”… i am in for some interesting days ahead :) hope you all are well :)

*** UPDATE*** SALE EXTENDED UNTIL MIDNIGHT 07/25!!!

SALE! www.sarahsmithphotography.com/store

buy one get one free until 6pm est on 07/25/08.

email me at sarah@sarahsmithphotography.com with the items you would like to purchase and i will send you an invoice via PayPal reflecting the discount (equal or lesser value items).

As soon as your payment is processed i will email your products!

Cheers!

. i met Tina & Jeremy in back in March to discuss their wedding photography. immediately after our introduction i knew that they were a couple who was going to be awesome to work with.  they had been dating for quite a few years and much to thier happiness and their familes were tying the knot in May.  their wedding was along the Husdon River in Coxsackie, NY in a beautiful park overlooking the water on the outside of town.  i had never been to Coxsackie before and driving up to their ceremony location i knew that if they were up for it there were some great places for some photo opportunities.  luckily, both of them were up for anything, hence the reason why their pictures are posted all over my site, and now finally, on my blog.  the photos below are just a few of my favories from their wedding and because i couldn’t post all my favorites here, i am working on creating a feature gallery of their images from the time i arrived through their reception and will be sure to post when it is ready, for now i hope you enjoy these sneek peeks. 

.thank you Tina & Jeremy for allowing me to capture your special day and for trusting me and my crazy ideas.  i am so glad you like your pictures and thank you for your kind compliments regarding my work :).

…i love you :) oh goodness i am in love with my new camera and am off to play.  i have more new gear to purchase soon, but for now i am simply loving my new toy.  i am hoping to make it though the weekend without delivering…we’ll see :) check out my new Amazon A-Store where i have listed my current gear, gear i want, favorite photobooks, music movies etc and you can puchase them directly though my list at Amazon.com.  wedding sneak peeks on Monday….have an awesome weekend everyone!

 p.s. - sorry for the crappy picture, i wanted to make sure i got a post up today before i got lost in playing with this bad boy and falling asleep from pure exhaustion :)

.i know i still have to post some wedding and session sneak peeks but i am in the mood to start up my favorite things list on here again. so here goes…

1. Mojitos - currently i am sipping on the non-alcoholic version, which is still mighty delcious, but there is just something that yells summertime when you drink these things.  My husband must have a secret recipe for these bad boys because for the last week i have been making him cook one up for me every night.  i just can’t wait to enjoy them with some rum again ;) if i can get it out of him, i will see if my hubs will be kind enough to share his secret on how to make these as good as he does…stay tuned!

2. Pierre Bensusan - my husband played guitar at a wedding recently (oh yes, i am pimping him out now! ha!) and was told about Pierre Bensusan and how some of his style of playing, especially since since my husband plays some tunes in DADGAD tuning, was similar to his.  We looked up his website, www.pierrebensusan.com, and found out he was coming to our favorite little venue Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs.  We took the opportunity to see him before Baby M arrives and were treated to some of the most amazing acoustic guitar playing.  there was one song where he preformed a scat throughout and was just amazing, not to mention anyone singing music to me in French is a hit in my book :) if you are a fan or world music or just beautiful acoustic guitar stylings be sure to visit his site and give him a listen. i hope to have some of his music on my site soon. 

3. i know that i had mentioned this book in a previous post, but the more time i spend flipping through the pages, the more i adore it.  it is the perfect bathroom read and each lesson or tip is just something i am trying to incorporate into my life to make things a bit more simple, yet streamlined and organzied.  i picked up my copy in the sale section at Barnes and Noble, but if you can find it there or order it online i highly recommend it. i’ll be sure to post a tip here and there that i have found revelant and helpful not only in terms of life in general, but also something that might project into a photography buisness.  all good things!

4. Wallies - just about the greatest invention ever for quickly decorating a room or wall space.  i spotted these at my daughers favorite play place and just had to pick some up for Baby M’s room. if you have kids or are about to have kids, i totally recomend these.  they are pre-pasted die cuts that you soak in water for a minute and then apply to the wall like wall paper….instant fun and color….they have some chalkboard one’s too i think i may get for Evie’s room…check out their designs here: www.wallies.com

5. Tazo Blossomberry White Tea - this is sooooo yummy iced! i have been drinking it all summer.  you can pick this up in Starbucks, but i have found it hard to find other places that carry Tazo.  all around yumminess!

.anyway, that is all for this installment of my favorite things…i am patiently awaiting my UPS guy to deliver some goodies i’ll be sure to blog about, i know i am the last on his list of stops….seriously, i dont get UPS deliveries until 7 pm….blah.  i am also patiently awaiting the arrival of this baby…i’ve been getting Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy, but as long as he holds out until after i get the chance to see Richard Shindell - my all time favorite folkie,  this weekend i am happy.   hope you are all well! oh…and feel free to list some of your most recent favorite things in the comments below!

…my little princess Evie.  since our new baby will be here in the coming weeks and I am sure there will be more newborn pictures than you can handle, i figured now would be a good time to offically introduce the almost new big sister in our family.  my little girl truly does ham it up for the camera, and generally requests to have her picture taken, so how can i not. 

.unfortunately, i did not snap one shot of our fourth of July party at the cabin this year, i was so busy watching Evie during the day and finally when it was her bedtime i passed out right beside her.  i missed the fireworks, he food…everything! i was pretty bummed out about it, but at the same time didnt feel too bad about missing the beer and sangria that i could not have had anyway :( oh well, there is always next year.

.all of the DVD’s  for my recent clients have been shipped out…except for Zack and Christine (yours will be ready by the end of the week)…so keep an eye on your mailbox!

.i now have a business screen name for you IM fans…you can IM me (via AOL Instant Messenger) at PhotoSmith NY.  i’ll be online to answer session questions, say hello etc. the little indicator below my banner will let you know if I am online, away or offline.  if you are interested in knowing what i am doing in between blog posts be sure to follow me over at Twitter, just click the little link under the Twitter box above and you will be on the way to knowing the ins and outs of what goes on over here.

.i am patiently awaiting the arrival of our little man and upset that as of now I won’t be photographing any more sessions until after he is born.  i will be sure to keep things updated as to his delivery and when i will be back in action for portrait shoots.  weddings I am takling as of September 6 and still have several weekends open this fall and winter, it’s never too late to book your wedding or portait session with me, i still am able to meet with clients to discuss future sessions :).

.shoot sneek peaks on the way…

. my grandfather came up from Florida this past week for a visit…what makes this amazing (to me) is that he is 94! 94!!! goodness, i hope i last that long and with the same amount of spunk and wit he still has.  he lives on his own in a condo/apartment overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and flew up here on his own accord.  i swear he hasn’t looked a day older from as far back as i can remeber :)  it was great to see him on his visit, and for him to see my little one too - not too many people i know can say they met at least one of thier great grandparents .

. this weekend is our annual 4th of July celebration at our  cabin in the Adirondacks.  this year looks as if it is gearing up to be just as great if not better than last year, as long as the weather holds up.  you better believe i will be back with lots of pics! hope you all have a lovely weekend :)

.goodness, i really have been a bad blogger! i’ve been busy catching up with client orders, meeting new clients, preparing our house for the arrival of baby M and feeling pretty tired in the process…i don’t know how i am able to muster up all the energy to get it all done, but somehow it’s getting there.  i am truly looking forward to having this baby and feeling like myself again :)

.in other news - i have a new website! I have been coveting a Blu Domain site for quite some time, and they came up with a template that I love so I snatched it up while the getting was good! i am still adding photos and information to the site, and tweaking things here and there…evetually I will have some cool videos to add as well, but that will be a bit further down the road, but lots of goot stuff to stay tuned in for. Don’t get used to the squares or logo…all is changing, i just needed something to post up quick :) Be prepared here too for a few changes in the look of my blog. Oh, and the fabulous Blu has featured me in their Daily Life section on their blog!!! Go check it out…i’ve heard some bad hype about Blu, but I must say my expereince with them has been nothing but wonderful, i am soooo happy I made the switch!

.my webstore for my actions and textures is temporarily down.  it was on my old server/host which i cancelled and i am in the process of making it look new and fresh as well as adding some cool new products.  i will be sure to post an update when it is offically ready, though if you are interested in purchasing an action or texture set you can still do so by emailing me your order and I will send you an invoice via PayPal and email your order to you ASAP.  i am also trying to figure out if there is a way to make the downloads automatic so my fabulous customers don’t have to worry about remembering to check that darn download button before adding a product to your shopping cart. the news address to the store though is going to be www.sarahsmithphotography.com/store  …yeah…much easier :)

.i am currently looking for a graphic designer to help me figure out who i am…in terms of branding my image.  right now i am basically looking for that logo that will help define my overall style that will eventually spill over into other apsects of my business.  if you know someone who has worked on your logo or graphics or someone you have seen around the web that you would recomend, please email me or leave me a comment with a link to their site.  i have tried to figure it out myself and realize that sometimes you just have to outsource :) i would also love to hear your suggestions about my site, design and blog…what would you like to see more or less of, what design elements work or what would you suggest i change? Feedback from clients and fellow photogs is important to me and i would love to hear what you have to say….so long as it isn’t too harsh ;)

. i have lots and lots of pics and sessions to post…i have this thing where i am really anal about posting things in order which is why i haven’t gotten around to it yet, but i realize i need to get on the ball with keeping this blog a bit more updated not only with session sneak peeks, but with more personal info so you have the chance to get to know me a bit better too! i also have photo tips and info to share and lots of good stuff coming in the future as soon as things slow down a bit…i hope ;)

.in pregnancy related news…all is well, the little one moves around like crazy…you would think there was a miniature performance of Cirque Du Soleil going on in my belly! i have about a month to go, though my doctor said i could be two weeks early since my daughter was a bit early, so you could be seeing a ton of newborn images here pretty darn soon.  we have been working on rearranging our house to make the best use of our space when the little one arrives…it is amazing the amount of junk one accumulates without even knowing it…i had no idea how much stuff i had until we decided to rearrange rooms…i must have either thrown away or donated close to 20 bags of clothes and knick knacks…seriously, it was quite a liberating expereince to just get rid of the clutter! but all is well and i will be sure to update on the progress :)

.dont forget you can stay updated with my blog automatically through Bloglines.  I adore bloglines and use it to stay updated with all of the blogs i love to lurk around.

.ok…so back to work so I have time to write again tomorrow…hope all of you are doing well and that you have a fabulous week should I happen to slip off the blog wagon again ;) Cheers!