Hi everyone! So I lied just slightly about taking a break from the blog — I interrupt my silence (already!) to bring you this announcement especially for couples who are considering making the investment of bringing me in as their wedding photographer for 2010.

My wedding package prices will take a little jump just after the first of the year, so if you’re considering hiring me, you can lock in the 2009 prices and save yourself some money, as long as you book before the end of the year. It’s late, but definitely not too late — you can book quickly by filling out a contract and putting down a 20 percent deposit to book your date.

Fill out the contact page by clicking here if you’d like to get your hands on specific pricing information and talk more about your wedding!

Today, Eric and I are in Spokane with his family to spend some time and celebrate Christmas together. Because I have lots of family time to spend in the next few days and over the holiday, I’ll be taking a two-week break from the blog. So go, enjoy some family time of your own and check back on January 4 to start the new year with Sara Gray Photography!

Merry Christmas!

I mean James, Audra and Wynter, of course — they came out last week in the freezing cold to an outdoor location to have their Christmas photos taken. Poor Wynter was shivering the whole time.

Good thing James let her snuggle up inside his coat!

It’s been so fun to photograph this family a couple of times as Wynter grows more and more.

Thanks, you guys, for coming out to brave the cold! Merry Christmas!

This is my friend Erika. Usually, she lives far, far away in a fairy-tale land called Denmark. But every once in awhile she ends up here, and last week I got to spend her birthday with her having a sleepover complete with a My Little Pony birthday cake.

The next morning we went on a walk in freezing cold Tacoma, where her sister lives. That’s when I snapped these.

This year, Erika and I spent both our birthdays together. And Eric’s birthday, too. Not bad for living on two separate continents. Happy birthday, friend!

That’s right, today is Eric’s birthday. Hooray! However, Eric’s not a huge fan of being photographed, so in the interest of keeping him happy in the days leading up to his birthday, I spared him. You’ll just have to look at some old pictures of my sweetie today.

This is the oldest picture I could come up with — this is just briefly after I first met Eric, in college. I take no credit for these photos, by the way.

This is us during the first semester we went out, which has now been about seven years ago. Crazy!

And for the sake of currency, the most recent photo of us taken. Happy birthday, Eric! I hope it’s the best one yet.

If you haven’t heard of Crave Portland, you should check them out. Earlier this week, they hosted their first-ever Crave Holiday Shopping Party in NE Portland, and I was there to check it out.

I loved the decor and the vendors at this party — there were free cocktails, fun swag bags and cool sales, all from cool female-owned local businesses.

Some of my favorites: Woolie Originals (offering recycled wool gloves, hats and other apparel), Kate Grenier Designs (with these cool recycled bottle-cap magnets), Fliptography (flip-books made from a video!), Fifty Licks (try the maple-bacon ice cream), Grayling (beautiful jewelry) and Swanky Tables (wedding and event design).

Above and below: some of Grayling’s jewelry. I loved her booth setup, complete with burlap and antlers.

That is just what it’s like to be on the GemKitty site — like playing with jewelry. It’s so much fun!

I’ve been working with GemKitty’s founders (and our friends) Arwa and Todd to get some new product shots of their amazing, handcrafted high-quality necklaces. It was so fun to photograph them all — I got to touch and play with so many different necklaces!

GemKitty is featured on Elfster today, and as part of their holiday shopping promotion they’re offering a complimentary hand-crafted holiday necklace (pictured below). How could you lose? They’ve also got expedited shipping and other holiday incentives — check it out!

I think one of the coolest parts of the GemKitty experience is that you get to design your own necklace, choosing from different designs and materials, so each necklace is exactly the way you want it. Sounds like a great custom Christmas gift to me (hint, hint — ahem, Eric).

We’ve done some chatting about how perfect their build-your-own necklaces would be for a bridal party or attendant gifts. Take note, brides!

Thanks, Todd and Arwa of GemKitty, for making such beautiful jewelry and such an awesome customizable online shopping experience!

Meet Baby Henry — he is Amanda and Chris’ brand-new son. I very rarely photograph newborns, but Chris and Amanda are our friends and he was such a cute little addition, I couldn’t help but bring my camera along when we went to meet him over the weekend.

As I mentioned in the title of this post, Henry was in a rush to enter the world — when Amanda went into labor a couple of weeks ago, it was only a few short hours before Henry was born. He was born before his grandmas could even get to the hospital to help with her labor!

Both new mom and little Henry are doing great and it was so fun to see our friends and their new son.

Congratulations, friends! We like Henry already and we can’t wait to watch him grow.

This is a post I wrote last year about how to go about choosing a wedding photographer. I got a lot of response to the post before, so I figured it would be a big help in “engagement season” for those of you who are currently shopping around. These are my thoughts, both from my experience as a wedding photographer an as a bride, on how to find the photographer that’s a great match for you.

There’s a certain kind of person that is my ideal client, based on what I offer and what I value. So here are the things that I think everyone should consider when shopping for a photographer, and a few things I think you should worry less about.

Important: Style

The style of a photographer affects everything. One photographer may pose you as a couple before taking shots and the other may document you interacting with each other from a distance. There are “traditional” wedding photographers, there are wedding photojournalists, there are those who process their photos in a muted-color, very “Martha Stewart” style and there are some who love the edgier look of a high-contrast photo. These styles and many, many more exist out there. There is no right answer. The right answer for you is the photos you like the most. If you see a photo on a photographer’s web site that you think you’d hang on your wall, that’s a good sign they’re a good fit for you.

Important: Personality

It’s true that on your wedding day, you’ll probably spend more time with the photographer than you will with your new spouse. So it’s pretty darn important that you get along.

Pick someone you’d be friends with otherwise, someone who gets you and who you don’t mind spending lots of time with. If you feel uncomfortable around them, head for the hills. This chemistry between photographer and client really is key – key to great pictures (no one looks beautiful when they’re tense!) and to happy, drama-free memories of your wedding day.

Not-so-important: Experience

I am not arguing that experience doesn’t matter. It does matter. But sometimes clients put too much emphasis on this when searching for a photographer.

You absolutely need a photographer who knows their equipment inside and out and has photographed weddings before. But they needn’t have been shooting weddings for years; in fact, I know some really talented photographers who are in their first or second year in wedding photography. Sometimes they have the freshest ideas, and they haven’t gotten too comfortable in their routine.

Not-too-important: Equipment

Sure, you don’t want to pay someone good money, then have them show up with a dinky point-and-shoot camera. But one of the overarching truths of photography is this: a camera does not make a photographer. Many wedding couples think that since their Uncle Bob bought a big honkin’ SLR, that he’d be a good candidate to photograph their wedding. But they’d most often be wrong. A good wedding photographer is someone who can take a stunning picture with a Polaroid camera if they need to. The tools help, but it’s the photographer’s eye you’re paying for.

In the end, it’s going to come down to what’s important to you and what you really want from your wedding photographer. Sit down with your fiance and discuss these factors before you start shopping, and you’ll know what you’re looking for once you get out there. Good luck!

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my baby sister. This week we had some fun on one of those beautiful, crisp (alright, it was freezing cold) days taking a few new photos for her.

That’s my yellow hat, and maybe my favorite thing I own right now. It keeps my ears warm.

Thanks Em, as usual, for being the best guinea pig ever.