santa claus is coming...and more

i looooooooove Christmas! (still, ask me if i'm ready and even on the day before the answer will be "no.") either way, i've had a great time so far this year filling my fridge with christmas cards, many of which include photos from some of my beautiful beautiful clients. thanks for thinking of me at the mailbox!

i had the pleasure of spending tuesday night this week at the capital city club in downtown raleigh with santa al and a few families who came in for dinner. santa al was great company as always. he's one jolly man with a passion for making people of all ages feel the spirit of the holiday season. if you're ever in need of a visit from santa himself, i highly recommend giving the triangle santa buddies a call. here's one of my favorite shots of my favorite rosey-cheeked fella.

as i wind down my first full calendar year in business, i can't help but to think about where i was at this time last year. i was nervous, excited, hopeful, and honestly...scared to death of starving for my art. :) thanks to some incredible clients, friends, and family, 2008 has been a wonderful year for sandfoot photography. i've grown in ways that i couldn't have imagined back then, and i can make a promise to you now that i will continue to do that in 2009 and beyond. so thank you for your support, your encouragement, and your prayers. i feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to turn what i love into "what i do."

sandfoot photography isn't the only thing that's experienced a little growth this year. once upon a time in 2007 i photographed this little gift from above.

this year, she's all grown up and still knows how to work the camera. happy belated birthday miss mackenzie! can't wait to play again next year!

i'm still here...promise!

whew! with the end of my '08 wedding season, i expected to have more time on my hands to catch up on other things - i couldn't have been more wrong. i'm not complaining, just leading up to a big apology for neglecting my blog. SORRY! i'll be posting a series of images to make up for it. here's the first.

when my crazy friend and favorite wedding planner, nikol murphy of chantoosie events called me before her session and said her boys had been feeling kinda icky that morning, i wasn't sure what to expect. i like my kids wild and smiley, but this session taught me that it's not always such a bad thing to catch 'em on a day when they're mild...nikol swears that the angels i saw in our session don't always show their wings. :)

this is my favorite. not that i like to make kids cry, but i think it sums up the day and i hope that one day when the boys bring home dates to mom and dad, this will be one treasured photograph that comes out with the embarrassing bathtub pics.

i'm in love with downtown apex! thanks so much to the apex fire department for having us, and to conner and tucker for hanging in there. murphy's, let's do it again soon!!!

amanda & kenji

i cannot get enough of this wedding. amanda and kenji are a carolina golden couple, and their wedding day was nothing short of amazing. the ceremony was held at the gorgeous north raleigh united methodist church and was followed by an awesome evening at 1705 prime. imagine a room full of beautiful people, ALL of which have voices of angels and more rhythm than michael jackson...or at least, they'd like to. ;) you can't beat it.

amanda is a unc loreleis alumna, and her crew of lady a-cappella geniuses was right there to back her up on her big day. it just so happens that kenji is a clef, and his boys were also front and center - not to be outdone by their lovely counterparts. if you've never had the honor of being part of a loreleis or clef hangers audience, you have no idea what you're missing. if you have, then you can imagine what an incredible thing it must have been to have all of these cool kids in packed into one reception.

congratulations to mr. and mrs. brantley for the life you've shared so far, the friends you've made and the families you've joined, and please, please don't you dare forget to call me when you throw your next party!

christina & brandon

christina was referred to me by our mutual friend (and my former co-worker at mmi), michelle. it's always fun to get a friend of a friend - it's almost like "connection clients" come with their own disclaimer based on who they know. with the understanding that this bride was lifelong bff's with one of the most awesome and down-to-earth ladies i've ever known, i couldn't wait to get to know christina and brandon. (i miss you michelle!!)

i've been waiting for so long to do a fair session, and when one of my favorite new brides, christina, told me that she and brandon had some special nc state fair history, i jumped on the chance to make it happen. thankfully, they were gutsy enough to brave the craziest fair crowd i've ever seen!

so, post fried pecan-pie and demolition derby, there we were - a ridiculously photogenic and fun couple and an overly excited photographer in the middle of the madness. i had a blast! THANK YOU christina and brandon for one of my favorite engagement sessions yet!

angela & mike

i went back to chapel hill for another fun engagement session last week with angela and mike - both carolina grads who love their old stomping ground as much as i do. :) they'll be married memorial day weekend of '09, and i can't wait to be a part of their day. (if the groom makes as many crazy faces on his wedding day as he did at this session, i'll have lots of laughs to look forward to...let's just hope no one splits their pants!)

thanks angela and mike! can't wait til may!!

hinton

i've wanted to post these for some time now and apologize for taking so long to share it. i want to say a special thank you to melissa and kevin meyer for allowing me to document this very important time in their handsome little man's life. hinton turned 2 in september!

for those of you who know this family and those of you who may only know their story, i hope that you have found as much inspiration in their incredible spirit as i have over the last year. it's been said that it takes a very special family to raise a child with special needs, and in the short time that i spent with melissa and hinton last month, i was most definitely in the presence of something special. one thing is for sure, this little boy loves his mommy.

of all the miracles in life that most of us take for granted, there is nothing more beautiful than a child's smile.

kyra & gene

wow. that's all i can say about this beautiful couple, their wonderful families, and their entertaining friends. this time i'm going with less talk, more images. these shots describe themselves. what a wonderful day! best wishes to mr. and mrs. cook!!!