Welcome!

My name is Sara Mellander and I am a photographer in the Charlotte, NC area. I love my being a photographer, getting to meet new people, being invited into their lives (even for a short time), being able to share my talents with them and help capture their memories, and having this opportunity to live my dream..I couldn't ask for more! Thank you so much for visiting my blog and taking a peek into my world. Let me know if you would like me to take a peek into yours... Sara Mellander

Families like this..

2009 November 11
by Sara Mellander

What a fun family! I feel very fortunate to be able to work with families like this. This is why I love my job so much and why it’s so much fun, enjoyable, and rewarding. To families like this..

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Even Tracker, the family dog, got in on the action. :)

 

Free Desktop!

2009 November 7
by Sara Mellander

Do you need a November Desktop for your computer?? Well… I just so happen to know where you can find one.. :)

http://thebrightsideproject.com/2009/11/more-goodies.html

Joey’s First Field Trip!!

2009 October 23
by Sara Mellander

We went on Joey’s first field trip the other week. I know I am getting so slow on getting pictures up to share! ((slapping hand) “Bad photographer, Bad!”) lol!  It was really cute! He really had a nice time and I got to meet some of his friends he ALWAYS talks about. :) Him and Jacob are so different. Jacob would talk about all he did and learned. Joey, It’s all about his friends, he LOVES his friends..  and although I can’t really posts all the pics of his friends I can post a few highlights from our trip to the farm.

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This last one is my favorite! This kid is always punching or kicking, being a Power Ranger or Ben 10 or Batman. He is definitely all boy! :)

I see you!!

2009 September 26
by Sara Mellander

This was taken on July 5, 2009 in Columbia, SC

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Going through pictures I haven’t edited yet for my mom and found this one. LOL! I totally forgot about it! We were at Aunt Gladys’ 100th birthday party and Jacob found this magnifying glass. Too funny!

Flower and Butterfly

2009 September 20
by Sara Mellander

This photo was taken on September 9, 2009

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I’ve watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly!  Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! – not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!
~William Wordsworth, “To a Butterfly”

It is so lovely to sit and watch the butterfly going from one flower to the next. It’s so calming as you feel the cool breeze of fall on it’s way. You almost forget all the troubles that had you so tense, and you take pause and you breath and you say, it will be ok.

Joey’s First Day of PreSchool

2009 September 19
by Sara Mellander

His face says it all!! LOL!

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My poor little Joey was a MONSTER on his first day!! Even getting him into the car took 2 of us!! It was crazy!! We literally had to take him kicking and SCREAMING the whole way! Even going into the school, ” I DON”T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!!!!” You would have thought we were taking him to get shots!! He was grabbing at every doorway, every corner, the handrail going up the stairs to his class, it was INSANE. So insane in fact that we couldn’t do anything but LAUGH. LOL!  It was crazy! The teacher was great and just said, give him to me and GO! So we did.. and ran. LOL! I kept waiting for my phone to ring thinking they would call and say, “We can’t take it any more!” But no call. :) I went to pick him up 4 hours later and she said he did awesome! I was in shock! “Awesome.. really??” And every day now since he goes in just fine, no screaming. :)  I am still amazed. My crazy kid…I couldn’t love him more.

I SOOOO WANT THIS!!!

2009 September 14
by Sara Mellander

This is from Justin and Mary:

I really really want this!! I want it all!! I want them to come here to Charlotte, and did you see those prizes??!!!

 

Announcing the Spread the Love Tour 2010: Choose Our Adventure Contest!!!

“This winter, Justin & I (and Julia too!) will be hitting the road for a 20 city Spread the Love Tour (probably in a Road Rules inspired Winnebago!! :) . But we need YOUR help in choosing which cities those will be!! You, quite literally, get to choose our adventure!!The voting is simple: just leave a note in the comment box with your city of choice to place your vote.But we didn’t want to stop there.We thought we’d up the ante.To help us really start getting the word out and….ahem…Spread the Love if you will, we came up with lil’ prized packed Twitter contest to entice you to help us Rock the Vote!! Here’s the deal:

The voting will remain open for the next 10, count em 10 days. During that time, everyone who votes (one vote per person please!) will be entered into a drawing to win one of our UNBELIEVABLE prizes (no seriously, I still CAN’T believe we got hooked up with these prizes!!). But we wanted to give you MORE ways to enter!

** Blog about the tour and link back to the voting, and you will be entered an additional 5 times! Just shoot us an email at justin@justinmarantz.com with the link and we’ll get you entered.
** Twitter about the tour, up to one time a day, and you will be entered once for each time you twitter up to a total of 10 times!! Make sure to twitter this exact phrase with your city filled in to be eligible: “Spread the Love Tour 2010: Vote 4 (Your City) Here!! www.justinmarantz.com via @marymarantz Please RT!!” ** make sure to leave the “via @marymarantz” so we see your tweet!!!
**Do all three (vote, blog, and twitter) and we will reward you with a bonus 10 entries for going the extra mile!!

The contest closes on September 18th 12pm EST, when we will be announcing the 20 cities and all the winners!! Here are just some of the awesome prizes that you could win!!”

Did I say yet how much I really really really want this!!! I am especially drooling over those dirty pictures!!! ;)

Tamera

2009 September 5
by Sara Mellander

These were taken on August 29, 2009 in Monroe, NC

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This is my cousin Tamera, also known as TamTam by my boys. :)

My cousin is an agoraphobic homosexual, which makes it kind of hard for him to come out of the closet.  ~Bill Kelly

LOL!!!!

That was the only cousin quote I could find! LOL!! It is pretty funny though. :P

All joking aside though, she does hold a special place in my heart. :)

Meet Nancy..

2009 September 2
by Sara Mellander

These were taken in Monroe, NC on August 29, 2009

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The other day I had the pleasure of meeting up with several other photographers for a shoot out. We met on a farm (one of the photographer’s) out in Monroe. We had two models, one was Nancy. We had split into two groups and we had Nancy first so I thought I would share her images first. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to share the other model, Breona, with you. They were both great to work with,  very sweet, and beautiful too! I had a fantastic time! I LOVE getting together like that with friends and colleagues. It energizes me! I am already looking forward to the next one!

 

First Day, First Grade

2009 August 28
by Sara Mellander

First Day of First Grade August 25, 2009

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OK, enough already!! lol!