hey sandfoot, WHERE are you NOW?

i understand that it's kinda ridiculous for me to create a post without images. i'm a photographer. photographs are what i do. i know, i know. the photos are backed up and waiting in line to hit the blog and i can promise that i've got some great stories and beautiful faces to show in the next couple of days. hang with me - first thing's first!

i've already dubbed 2009 as "the year of change." (hopefully not the kind that jingles in your pocket, but the kind that brings excitement, challenges, growth, and new opportunities for us all.) i just made my first change of the year last week, and i thought it deserved some quick recognition of it's own before i dove back into the good stuff.

on february 1, i moved to roxboro. for those of you who know me well, you might be thinking, "what's the big deal about that? you've moved once a year since 2002. what's the difference?" but you see, this time there IS a difference. for the last 6 years i've moved from home to college, from dorm room to apartment, from apartment to house, from house to apartment, from apartment to apartment, and so on. everytime i moved, i moved with the knowledge that i'd be moving again soon...probably to another corner of the triangle. hey, i'm young and flexible, why not try it all, right?

i've loved parts of chapel hill, raleigh, cary, and durham, and had i not found such a fun and handsome best friend to marry me and drag me out of there, i probably could have continued to be content in whatever corner of the triangle world would have come next. but then, i didn't say 2009 was the year of content...i said it was the year of change.

i've been in roxboro one week now and i could not be happier with the thought of living here for the rest of my life. i didn't realize how much i'd missed home cookin', sunday afternoons, completely southern accents, and being part of a tight community until i found it again here. so thanks roxboro, for welcoming me into your family. my camera and i are here to stay!

and finally, to answer the number 1 question of all of my triangle friends and clients - it changes nothing. sandfoot photography will still operate in your area - you're not getting rid of my face (or my camera) anytime soon. ;)

xoxo all around,
allison

just traci

now that the groom has actually seen her in the dress, i wanted to post a few of my favorites from traci's bridal session. :) love her.

traci & david

it's not often that i find myself in the presence of a truly and completely calm, cool, and collected wedding day. every bride deserves at least one meltdown. maybe she had one somewhere along the way, but from where i stood on january 3rd, traci monroe (now weaver) handled it like a pro. maybe it was the fact that she was marrying her best friend david that kept her smiling. maybe it was her wonderful family and friends. maybe it was the support of nikol from chantoosie events. then again, maybe it was the shoes. :) here's how it happened.

the beautiful bride got ready for her big day at her parents' home.

then headed to church for the final touches.

david and his crew were ready and waiting.

traci killed time with her bridesmaids before the ceremony and practiced the dance she had choreographed for the ladies to perform later that night. (see traci's mom on the far left. she served double duty as mother of the bride and matron of honor. how cool!)

traci's dad looks on.

here comes the bride.

the couple joins traci's entire dance school for the first reception of the day. these students adore her. you'd think these two were celebrities in that room!

finally, the first dance.

sugar entertained the crowd all night long. (i must say i don't have a bad gig either. i get to do what i love while listening to some gooooood music. i love sugar!)

here goes showtime!

this bride was in high-demand as a dance partner, and her brother made sure he took a turn.

what a day! thank you traci and david for allowing me to be a part of it!

kristi & billy

drumroll please...it's my first engagement session in my soon-to-be hometown of roxboro! i had such a blast doing this session with kristi and billy. it may not have been the most beautiful day, but not even clouds and the threat of rain could make billy's family's gorgeous farm any less photo-worthy. i love it!
stealing a kiss in his childhood treehouse. :)

congratulations y'all! can't wait til september!

taitem

THIS might be the tiniest, most precious baby i've ever laid eyes on. weighing in at a little more than 5 lbs, i'm convinced that this doll baby will be an angel for the rest of her life - although just for fun, i hope she gets into just enough good trouble to drive her daddy crazy. she already has him wrapped around her itty bitty finger, and after all, that's what little girls are made for. :)

taitem's proud parents are chad and trisha, a couple of too-long lost friends of alan's from his days in wilmington. we dropped in on them for a quick lunch while in asheville over the holidays visiting the biltmore estate (wow by the way, if you haven't been to the biltmore, GO), and had so much fun over lunch that we made it last overnight. thanks chad and trish for having us! we can't wait to see y'all again at the wedding!

happy happy new year!

now that i'm back from the wonderful madness of the holidays, i'm so very excited to welcome 2009 - i'm calling it the year of change. aside from the millions and millions of weddings coming up this year (half of them friends, half of them clients, and one of them...well, me!), it seems like everyone else i know is either anticipating the arrival of a new baby, changing jobs, or moving...wait, that's me too (just the moving part, not the baby or the job this time thank goodness).

so, in the spirit of another wild and crazy whirl around the sun, happy happy new year to you and yours! i hope it's filled with as many wonderful memories as you can fit into 365 days. don't forget the CAMERA!

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!