Oh no! I'm in front of the camera! Haha! I love the behind-the-scenes pics my client grabbed during our shoot. :) The image I was capturing is on the right...
Happy Day!
Just to make you smile. :) Can't wait to share more of Marlowe and his sister, Millie.
Beautiful Day
Man. It's a gorgeous day out today. I really hope Spring has settled in for realz this time! This weather - and this cute little munchkin - have really made my day! :)
Miller
What's this? A baby on my blog?!?! Before you get too confused or wonder if I'm moving into baby photography, let me explain. :)
My sister came up for a visit on one of the most gorgeous days of the year and we just had to take advantage! She was wanting some pictures of her baby boy, Miller, and I was happy to be of some assistance. :) We literally just walked across the street from my condo and were able to capture some of the beautiful evening light in the newly budding landscape.
I hope you enjoy a quick peek of my sis with my new nephew. They are a lovely pair!!!
Home Makeover - Guest Room
I have quite a few hobbies and interests but I'm not necessarily very good at them. For example, I'm very interested in architecture but I would never step foot inside a building I designed. It might collapse. Ha! That being said, this post is based on one of those interests that I'm not especially fantastic at - decorating. As some of you may know, we recently moved into a tiny condo in Uptown Charlotte. It was previously a rental and wasn't in the best shape ever. It needed paint, added storage, and some kitchen and bathroom updating. We've slowly been working on all of that and we are *this close* to actually completing one room - the Guest Bedroom.
To give you an idea of what the room looked like before, I dug up some photos from when our condo was on the market the past two times. Evidently, in 2010, the room was a baby room with a seriously green wall. When the condo was listed when we purchased, the walls had been painted a neutral color but they still needed freshening up. We liked the concrete floors so we decided to keep them. However, the lighting needed an upgrade and, because there is no closet in this room, we needed some storage.
Before...
As we brainstormed about the bedroom, I began to put a storyboard together. I was really starting to like this makeover! The only thing that varied from the storyboard were the curtains. We already had linen-colored ones on-hand and they ended up looking great too!
And here is the *almost* final room. A few caveats first... 1) these are quick snapshots with no added lighting (because I felt lazy today) so sorry if they aren't the best quality; 2) The landscaping in the backyard is an upcoming project and I didn't move our bicycles (see #1) - sorry; 3) I still need to add some cool decorations to the mini nightstands I made. Anyway, you get the idea!
I LOVE this light from West Elm! It really makes the room!
I got these gorgeous watercolor prints from a fantastic artist on Etsy. I highly recommend checking her work out!
A few more shots. 
And, because this is a pet photography blog, I had to include an animal in a couple of the shots. Here's Teton (who is celebrating his 13th birthday this week) getting ready to decorate the room his own way...with cat hair.
Quite the transformation, huh? If this stuff doesn't bore you guys, I'll try to share more as we move along in our home. If you want to know details about where some items are sourced, I'll list them below. Thanks for reading about my side hobby! ;)
Paint color - Nimbus Cloud by Martha Stewart (color-matched with Behr paint)
Curtains - Ikea
Cabinets - Ikea
Chandelier - West Elm
Grey Quilt - Target
Rug - West Elm
Red/White Duvet Cover and Shams - West Elm
Throw Pillow - West Elm
Watercolors - Etsy
Frames - Michael's
Picture Ledge (also used for "nightstands") - Ikea
Vinyl "wood" tile accent wall - Home Depot
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Goodbye in 2013
At the end of each year, I like to honor those 4-legged family members that have crossed over rainbow bridge. I like to think their spirit lives on and they are still by our side - just in a different form - secretly giving us slobbery kisses as we sleep... Rudy - Rudy crossed the bridge just days after our session. However, her shoot was filled with laughter and smiles - the perfect way to say goodbye...
Rhett Butler - Rhett had been living with a heart condition that finally took him over the bridge. His family now misses his signature slobber marks.
Carly - Carly said goodbye a few months after her first human sister was born. Carly left happy knowing her baby sis made it into the world safely.
Shelby - Shelby fought a long, hard battle with cancer. Her Angel Session captured her while she still felt good and her perky ears and long tongue showed off her personality.
Andora - Andora said goodbye very quickly, leaving her dad and mom heartbroken. They've since gotten a new puppy and Andora is keeping them all protected from above.
Luka - Luka went out with a bang. He was the ambassador for the 2013 Bark For Life Lake Norman event and represented all the dogs out there battling cancer.
Lacey - Lacey crossed the bridge soon after her brother, Luka. This sweet, ol' gal was ready to reunite with her brother and play free.
Griffin - Griffin was in remission when we had his session hence the HUGE smile on his face! Sadly, the cancer returned shortly after. He's now playing ball over the bridge...
Scooter - Scooter's mom did each. and. every. thing. she could possibly do to keep Scooter comfortable before he said goodbye. He really didn't want to leave such a wonderful mom.
Pepper - I've photographed Pepper a couple times - the last being at the beach. I hope she is now chasing the seagulls leash-free.
Our pets come and go faster than we could ever imagine and they certainly never leave our hearts. Many hugs to all the pet parents out there that have had to say goodbye in 2013. {{{hugs}}}
Studio Mini-Session Promo
With Christmas just around the corner (just over a week!!!), I know there are tons of people out there still looking for that perfect gift. Well I have the solution for the dog-lover in your life (hey, or for yourself - I don't judge)! Introducing a very limited-time offer. These special gift vouchers will only be for sale until Thursday, December 19th and there are a limited number available. So what are they?
As some of you may know, I'm in the process of settling into a new office space that will have the capabilities for me to start doing studio work again. I'm super-pumped and I'd love to get everyone else excited too! Hence, this very rare opportunity for mini-sessions.
So here are the details...
STUDIO MINI-SESSION VOUCHER
- $150 -
includes:
20-30 minute session with 1 dog (or cat if they like to travel!)
2 - 8x10 mounted prints
3-day online viewing gallery
In-person ordering consultation
Limited products available for purchase after session
Because this is a limited-time offering, the voucher must be used by March 30, 2014. However, the purchase price never expires and can be used toward other services/products if wanted. An appointment is required for the session and the studio is located at 621 McNinch Street, Charlotte, NC 28208.
If you are interested, please contact me at sarah@mcgrawphotography.com and I'll get you all set up. Gift Vouchers will be mailed at the end of the week just in time for Christmas delivery.
Don't delay!!!! These won't be for sale after Thursday, the 19th!!!
The fine print... Studio Mini-Sessions are part of a limited promotion. Therefore the voucher will expire on March 30, 2014. The amount paid never expires and will be honored by McGraw Photography after the promotional period ends. The amount paid may be applied toward any services or products offered by McGraw Photography.
Before and After
A photographer's job would be so much easier if the files were perfect and ready for print straight out of the camera. Well, just like in the film days, there is quite a bit of *digital* darkroom editing that needs to be done to each image afterward. Here is a great example... This "before" image is straight-out-of-camera. Because I needed a fast shutter speed to stop the action, the image ended up being a couple stops underexposed. Because I shoot in RAW format, I knew I could up the exposure some in post-processing. A quick note on this - I don't rely on "oh, I'll just fix that in Photoshop". In fact, I'd rather not. However, sometimes you don't have a choice. I had to trade off a perfect exposure in order to have a crisp action image.
Along with increasing the exposure, I warmed up the color temperature, removed some distracting elements, increased contrast and sharpened it overall.
This is a perfect example of how a photographer's work continues way after the camera clicks. Edits like this occur with every final image. Often times, leashes have to be removed, eye goobers need to be cleaned up, shaved fur and/or tumors are asked to be covered, etc.
I love seeing this transformation happen and I think it's important for clients to see all of the hours of work that go into each image that is presented in the final gallery. I hope they enjoy it as much as I do!
