I'm Moving House!

Yep. That's right. Not even one full month on blogger and I've decided to switch blog homes.

So! Come visit me at:     http://sarahmica.wordpress.com/


Cheers!

Snowtree

I'm not a landscape or nature photographer by any means. While I do notice beautiful or interesting landscape/nature, I have a very difficult time getting into this type of photography without a human subject to focus on. For me, landscape/nature is usually nothing more than a great backdrop for a portrait.

But I thought I'd give it a go.

I'm totally out of my comfort zone here, and it probably shows. But I figure, if you're open to trying new things - whether or not they turn out well - you'll have a greater chance of improvement, and at the very least, you'll have learned something.




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The Best Compliment I Can Ever Receive...

...is to receive letters like this:

Dear Sarah, 

These photos are absolutely fantastic and brought tears to my eyes. You have totally captured the essence of Gracie’s personality from moody to mischievous, happy to cheeky and in her element doing her favourite thing – dancing!

It is so hard to chose favourites! But I would have to say that I would love to arrange to have the following ones printed, framed then hung in pride of place in our home.

Thank you again for capturing some great memories!

A Quick Rewind of 2009

I should probably post few photographic highlights of 2009, no? And quick-like, before January is over! This month is already wooshing by so fast. Which is fine by me. I hate January and the chilled-to-the-bones hibernation effect it has on me.

Anyway! Without further adeu:

Here's to a wonderful, productive 2009! What's in store for 2010? Well, you'll have to wait and see. I hope this next year will be brimming with more creativity and out of the box type thinking as I continue to push myself and hone my skills in this magical art form.

Cheers!

So, there's this little city called Edinburgh...

...and it's dreamy.
Hubby and I were in the UK over the Christmas and New Years {we go every other year to spend time with his family}, and we took a long, romantic weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland. I'd never been to Scotland before, so I had no idea what to expect. As soon as we stepped off the train and ascended the train station stairs into the heart of the city, I fell in love. It was snowy and cold {freezing, actually!}, but no colder than any of our Boston winters. The people were friendly - of course, everyone outside Boston and NYC seems extraordinarily, FREAKISHLY friendly to me. Anyway, I drank the BEST beer I think I've ever tasted in my life {Caledonia and St. Andrews...if you're ever in Edinburgh and love beer, give those two special local brews a go!}. I'm a huge fan of beer. Some would call me a beer snob of sorts and that's fine. I'll proudly claim that label.

It was a wonderful, surreal weekend. Basically, we did the typical tourist things. We wondered the cobbled streets, visiting cozy, warm pub after cozy, warm pub, went on a haunted tour of the city, visited the underground vaults, tried some haggis {sadly, I'm not a fan - ah, well.}, had the best sausages-n-mash I've ever tasted, spent hours at Edinburgh Castle, and visited more lovely pubs. Did I mention the lovely pubs? And the beer?

We were both extremely sad to leave. But the real sad part? I. DIDN'T. HAVE. MY. CAMERA.

I know. I suck. Boo.

It was breaking my heart, so we went and got the ONLY disposable camera we could find, which was an old school Kodak film disposable. The kind you have to wind up to get to the next exposure. The kind that gives you only 24 exposures. I was very  much annoyed by this at first, but you know what? I kind of liked being forced to enjoy my time there without being completely obsessed and CONSUMED with the need to try to take "amazing" photos at all times and in all situations, no matter the cost. I was able to actually experience a new city without constantly looking at it through a lens and thinking about composition and lighting...and it was lovely. And the Hubby was very appreciative {and dare I say relived?} that I gave the photog thing a rest for a bit. In fact, he actually did quite a bit of the photo-taking!

 Edinburgh Castle {breathtaking!}

Me, at the entrance to the castle.

Entering Edinburgh Castle.

Views of the city from the castle.

It's funny. I kind of  like these photos. I mean, they're noisy and grainy, and the compositions aren't anything to write home about. Yet those imperfections seem to give them a real sense of time and place and gives them a bit of character, no?

I feel like I now have a slightly different perspective on {perceived} aesthetics as it relates to photography, and I can honestly say that I am grateful I didn't have my own camera in hand...

That being said, I must also say that we will definitely be returning to Edinburgh {as well as other parts of  Scotland, I'm sure!}, and I will have at least one more chance to take a proper crack at this city!!!   ;)

Hello, 2010. I'm Sarah. I take pictures.

Hello, out there! {out there!...out there!...out there!...}. That's the echo I'm hearing as I cast my lot into the vast Sea of Photography Blogs. But as this is my very first post and I don't know anyone yet, the silence and the echoes are expected. 


This is a momentous occasion. See, I sort of have a love-hate relationship with bloggery; I get a kick out of reading other people's blogs, yet I've always felt a little too self conscious to create and keep up my own. But this is a new year - a new decade, nonetheless - and so it's time I took sometiny courageous steps, put myself out there and made some new friends. 


So, hello! I'm Sarah and I take pictures. Mostly of people - because photographing people makes my toes tingle. I just recently started small portrait photography business and I'll definitely be posting photos from those sessions as well as photos from my personal projects. However, I don't necessarily intend for this blog to exist for the strict purpose of generating more business...although, more business is ALWAYS welcome! I'd like to be free to write what I feel, to rant or rave, to prose, to praise, or to ponder - to be me. Not a business, buttoned-up version of me {although there is a time and place for that, to be sure}, but me me. It's a little terrifying...what if I suck and you don't dig me? What if I don't suck and you still don't dig me? What if you dig me as a person, but you think my work totally sucks? Yeah. I think about these things. It's the reason I hesitate to blog at all. It's much easier to be quiet and hide behind a regular website. 


But it can be awfully boring, hiding. So I'm outing myself...and away we go!


I'll end this first post with one of my favorite photos thus far. It was taken in a bar here in Boston {with the subjects' and bar manager's permission, of course}.  :)

 Cheers!