Sarah Hawkins Photography

Brooke and Cameron - Gaffney couple photographer

2012-01-27T15:19:00.000-08:00

Brooke is one of those people that I have been Facebook friends with forever even though we never met. We finally got to meet in November when I took Fall photos of her and her husband, Cameron. We met at his family's farm and it was such a gorgeous location! I wish I could use this location for every photo shoot. So gorgeous couple + gorgeous location = gorgeous photos!

Katie and Mark Engagement session - Gaffney Photographer

2012-01-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

I met Katie and Mark at Limestone College in Gaffney, SC for their Engagement session. They also brought along a sweet doggie, Shank. We had a lot of fun and it was right before Christmas so we were able to take advantage of the campus' holiday decorations!

Devin's Maternity Session - Gaffney photographer

2012-01-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

This was my very first Maternity session and I really lucked out with such a beautiful mother to be that was willing to let me do what I wanted. We started out the session inside because it was really cold outside. Once it got a little warmer out we headed outside to finish up the photos. Congrats Devin and Chuck on your little bundle of joy!

My kids! Gaffney Lifestyle photographer South Carolina

2012-01-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

I try to take a photo of my kids every day. It's hard to keep it fun and interesting, but I try! I thought I'd share some of my favorites of them so far this year.

I would really love to do more photos like this for my clients. Please, if you would love real photos of your kids like this mention it to me when you inquire about a session. I may even offer a discount if you let me use the photos in marketing and advertising.

Fall fun! Gaffney children photographer Boiling Springs South Carolina

2012-01-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad I am finally blogging some of these Fall photos. I hardly shared any of these on my Facebook page and they need to be seen! I had such a hard time narrowing down which ones to blog. I think that the final gallery from this session had over 100 images! That's gotta be a record. I promise 25 to 30 images from a session, if that gives you some perspective.

These two were just so fun and we had such a great time running around and laughing.

This is one of the last images I took as the sun was setting in the distance. It is also my favorite so I'll share it first.

Portraits for Christmas! Gaffney, Spartanburg photographer

2012-01-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

I met with Elizabeth on a beautiful Fall day. Her plan was to surprise her mom with portraits for her Christmas present. What mom wouldn't love that!? Both Elizabeth and the scenery were beautiful; the perfect combination for beautiful pictures. Here are some shots that never made it to the Facebook Page's sneak peek!

12 - 12 - 12 January edition!

2012-01-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my first 12 / 12/ 12 post! Most days my husband works and the kids and I stay at home. On the day I took my 12 pics it was Matt's day off. I asked for a new desk for Christmas and it finally arrived this week!

1. kids. Henry playing the 3Ds and Zoe playing with my phone.

2, 3, 4 - Zoe and the dogs "singing"

5. Zoe's legs. she got out of the tub to go potty

6. Me, in the bathroom mirror while the kids are taking a bath

7. My view of the kids in the bath while looking in the mirror

8. bubble girl!

9. bubble hat

10. Zoe laughing at Henry's bubble hat

11. Matt building my new desk

12. the kids.

13. Matt playing with Zoe

Now go see what Kate at Inspired by JB Photography has to share for her 12!

January, 12 - 12 - 12 New project!!

2012-01-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! This year a group of my photografriends and I decided to do a project that will make us take photos of our ordinary life at least one day a month. It will be a glimpse into a day in the life of the women behind the camera.

We have entitled this project 12 - 12- 12. What, you may ask, do the 12's stand for? Good question! 12 photos, on the 12th of the month, 12 months in the year. (the fact that this is the year 2012 kind of played into it as well) At the end of my blog post I will link to the next blog so that you can see their 12 photos, they will link to the next photographer and so on. Watch for my post tomorrow to check out a day in my life. Here's a little preview:

Fall Colors! Ellis Family - Gaffney Photographer

2011-11-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

A lot of the fall leaves have, well, fallen. At the peak of their color and beauty I had to pleasure of capturing some photos for a very sweet family. We had a great time and I hope we get to do it again next year!

I am planning on sharing some of my favorite Fall sessions on my blog over the next few weeks as we get into the frostiness of Winter. Brrrr

Miss R. K. Gaffney Children Photographer

2011-11-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Spent the morning with this birthday girl! She was so sweet, and loved playing dress up in her princess dresses. She wasn't really in the mood to take pictures but I managed to get a few smiles out of her. She has such beautiful hair! I can't believe she is only 3.

Mr. and Mrs. Phillips- Clary and Daniel's wedding day-part two - the ceremony

2011-10-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Clary and Daniel had a beautiful ceremony at First Baptist Church of Gaffney. So many people came to witness this joyous occasion. Here are a few highlights from the wedding ceremony. I hope that they make you feel like you were there.

Emily and Tyler - Reception photos

2011-10-18T18:36:00.001-07:00

What a fun reception at Duncan estates! There was dancing, food and fun. Enjoy

Mr. and Mrs. Phillips- Clary and Daniel's wedding day-part one getting ready!

2011-10-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

I was honored to photograph the beautiful wedding of Clary and Daniel at First Baptist Church in Gaffney, SC. It was a beautiful wedding with another beautiful couple. I am so lucky to have met such nice people. I hope to share some more photos from the wedding ceremony soon. For now, here are some photos of the bride and groom getting ready for the big day.

All the bridesmaids signed the bottom of Clary's shoe. I thought it was a cute idea.

Wedding Ceremony Carter / Bagwell Wedding - Duncan estates

2011-10-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

Emily and Tyler's wedding ceremony at Duncan Estates was just beautiful! We feared rain for a while but luckily, mother nature was on our side. Please enjoy the pictures from the ceremony below and leave a comment to let Emily and Tyler know how beautiful their day was. I hope to show pictures from the reception later this week. On Monday I shared pics of the Bride and groom preparing for their big day. Click Here to check them out!

Mr. and Mrs. Bagwell - Wedding - Duncan Estates Spartanburg part two - getting ready

2011-10-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I was able to photograph my first wedding! I was very nervous but Emily and Tyler were so easy going and laid back that it put me right at ease. I shared Emily's bridals last week and she was just a stunning bride. She is beautiful inside and out. I wanted to share a few of the groom and his groomsmen pre-ceremony and the bridal party getting ready for the wedding. As in any bridal suite, it was buzzing with energy, lots of girls getting pretty for the big event. There were tears and laughter all around. I hope to share some photos of the ceremony in the coming week. Here is part one of Emily and Tyler's big day!

Emily and Tyler get married - part 1 Bridal portraits Duncan Estates

2011-09-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the honor of photographing the wedding of Emily and Tyler. They are genuine people, beautiful inside and out. It is so encouraging to see two young people that both love and want to honor God. I know that they are going to be very happy together. I was able to do Emily's bridal portraits back in August but wasn't allowed to show until after the wedding. She is a classic beauty and was an absolutely stunning bride. Congrats Emily and Tyler, have fun on the honeymoon. I will have a sneak peek of your wedding pictures up in the next week or two!

Keel Family - Gaffney Photographer

2011-07-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to update my blog this week! I have done so many sessions this year that have not been blogged and I need to get them all up! This is the Keel family, we had a lot of fun and am so happy with the natural fun pictures I got of them.

Hancock Family - Sneak Peek - Gaffney Photographer

2011-07-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have too many favorites from this session. There are so many more that I'd love to share but I'm saving them for the family. It was one of the hottest days of the year but we had a blast anyway. Miss C. was happy to pose and smile for the camera, what a fun, beautiful family! I hope you like them so far Tammy. I can't wait for you to see the rest!

Announcement: Contest / Model Search!

2011-06-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone. Who wants a free photo session for their child and family? I have some fun ideas that I want to try and I would love some fresh photos for my portfolio. And by fresh, I'm not sure if I mean "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" fresh or Fresh / New. Either way I'll be happy, but I hope they are a little bit of both! I would really love to try some photos with kids between the ages of 4 and 12. I have lots and lots of photos of newborn to age 4 but not so many of the older kids!

Here's the 411 (that means information, I'm trying to learn all the new lingo before taking pics of these cool kids)

I am looking for two specific age groups to add to my portfolio, 4 - 7 and 8-12. If your child is in this age group and you want some "Fresh" pictures of them you should totally enter them in this contest! Ok, now I'm just being silly, but seriously, the winner of each age group will get a free portrait session for them and their family!

To enter, please email a recent photo of your child (no professional photos please) to sarahhawkinsphotography@gmail.com please write a paragraph, telling me a little bit about your child, their interests, personality, etc. Also, include their age so I know which age group to include them in. I will take entries today through Monday, June 20th. The voting will begin on Friday morning, June 17th and a winner will be chosen and announced Friday June 24th at 8:00 pm. To make it easier on the judges, any entries that do not have the minimum of 30 votes by Friday morning at 9:00 am will be deleted from the Facebook album. So make sure to have 30 votes when you go to bed Thursday night!

The rules:

1. The child must be between the ages of 4-7 or 8-12 by the end of 2011. and must live within 40

miles of Gaffney, SC, unless you want to travel here for your session.

2. you must be the child's guardian and give permission to post their photo on Facebook

3. If you win, you must sign a model release giving Sarah Hawkins Photography the right to use their photos in marketing materials, including website and Facebook.

4. Winners must schedule their portrait session by August 30, 2011.

5. Total grand prize is free session for winner and their family plus a 5x7 spiral bound brag book with 20 images from their session. The winner will also get a discount on a-la-carte prints.

6. HOW TO WIN: This contest will be part "likes" on their picture and part judging. My good friends Jennifer at JellyBean Pictures and Jenn at Sweet Pea Pictures will help me to choose the ultimate winners.

7. Your entry must receive a minimum of 30 "likes" to be eligible for the Judging round.

Send your entries to sarahhawkinsphotography@gmail.com. Good luck!!

Happy Birthday Baby T!!

2011-06-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

T. was my first newborn, and my first watch me grow participant. I can't believe he is already 12 months old. I thought I would post a picture from each of his sessions this year. Newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. He is a beautiful boy and our sessions are always a lot of fun. I hope that we can take photos for many years to come! Happy Birthday Baby T. and congrats to Marie and Jeff on being such great parents to him!

Clary and Daniel Engagement session - Gaffney Photographer

2011-06-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Clary and Daniel are getting married in October. They are the cutest couple and I can't wait to photograph their big day! We had a chance to really get to know each other during their engagement session this Spring and let me tell you they are as beautiful inside as they are out. I am finally getting a chance to share some of my favorites on the blog. We had fun doing some "save the date" photos as well as some sweet couple photos. I am totally jealous of Clary's beautiful hair, can't seem to get mine to grow that long!

Turner Family - Gaffney photographer

2011-05-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

This family is not only beautiful but so much fun. They have a special place in my heart because when I started my photography business they were my very first clients. They took a chance on me and I was thrilled when they came back for more! Here are some of my favorites from their session.

I heart faces - Soft and Sweet - Upstate SC

2011-04-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

I took this photo for Miss "E's" 12 month photo session this week and I thought it fit the "soft and sweet" theme this week perfectly! Head over to i heart faces to check out the other entries or to enter one of your own!

Baby A. 9 month Session

2011-04-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Little A. 9 months old already. Seems just yesterday I was filming her newborn photos. We let her hold the Easter eggs and when we tried to take them she was not having it! So her 9 month session sort of turned into an Easter session as well. I was so happy when mom asked to be in a few pics too. We got some really great ones.

Spring Special!!

2011-04-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry, This sale has ended. Stay tuned for more deals every month.

April 20th, 2011 12:00 am til 11:59 pm. Sarah Hawkins Photography gift certificates will be available for purchase with a bonus! For every $100 in gift certificates purchased you will receive $25 in gift certificates free! Pay $100 for $125 gift certificate, Pay $200 for $250 in gift certificates etc. For every $500 in gift certificates purchased receive $200 free. (pay $500 for a $700 gift certificate) This special pricing is only available for use with my new pricing (in effect since April 1st, 2011) If you scheduled a session with me prior to April 1st then you will not be eligible for this special unless you want to pay my new pricing with your session. Contact me if you have any questions!

This is how you purchase your gift certificates:
choose the amount you want to purchase then click add to cart to choose the amount you want to purchase. Then check out using a credit card or paypal. I will then mail you your gift certificate to use for yourself or give to someone as a gift. Make sure you give me your address!!

Spring Special!!!! Awesome Deal

2011-04-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday April 20th, 2011 12:00 am til 11:59 pm. Sarah Hawkins Photography gift certificates will be available for purchase with a bonus!

For every $100 in gift certificates purchased you will receive $25 in gift certificates free! Pay $100 for $125 gift certificate, Pay $200 for $250 in gift certificates etc. For every $500 in gift certificates purchased receive $200 free. (pay $500 for a $700 gift certificate) This special pricing is only available for use with my new pricing (in effect since April 1st, 2011) If you scheduled a session with me prior to April 1st then you will not be eligible for this special unless you want to pay my new pricing with your session. Contact me if you have any questions!

This is a great chance if you are planning on having a photo session done in the next few months. Gift Certificates are good for up to one year after purchase. Use them for yourself or give them as a gift (Mother's day anyone?)

Look for the purchase link here on my blog and on my Facebook fan page on Wednesday!

I Heart faces - Wind

2011-04-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for wind this week. My beautiful niece. I hope it captures wind. I love the joy on her face as the wind whips through her hair. Go to iheartfaces.com to see other entries.

M and M - Gaffney Children Photographer

2011-04-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

I usually do Sneak Peeks on Facebook but Facebook is not being cooperative tonight! I wanted to get these photos up before it gets too late. M and M were so fun, They made me work for those smiles but it was totally worth it! I can't wait to edit this whole session. Here are a few that I have done so far today.

I will share more soon!

You Should Be in Pictures!

2011-04-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's just me or if this is true for every mom out there. I don't have enough pictures of me with my kids. I was so sad when my son was 1 month old and I realized that I didn't have any pictures of me with my baby yet. I had a few from the hospital when he was born but for the first month of his life there was no record that I was even with my child when, God knows he was attached to me 24 / 7. From that moment on, I made sure to hand the camera to my husband every once in a while. I really don't do it often enough. I am usually the one behind the camera and I think in our current culture many moms are the family photographers. 30 years ago, maybe even 15 years ago it was different, Dad was usually the one behind the camera.

Last year I took a few self portraits with my kids. Set the camera on a tripod and shot til I got some good ones.

Henry and Me, taken with a remote.

Zoe and Me taken with a remote.

I know that my children will treasure the photos they have of me when I'm gone. They won't care that I can stand to lose 20 pounds or that my makeup wasn't perfect. I hear a lot of women say that they will schedule a portrait session when they lose some weight. I try to tell them, your children won't care what you look like, pictures are our memories when the people we love are gone. They will be happy to have those photos to look at, they will be grateful to have them. Now, please don't read this as me guilting you into scheduling a session with me. I would love to be the photographer for you but what I'm saying is, turn the camera over to dad or a friend once in a while so that you can have some photos of you when you and your children are young.

Here is a photo that Matt took of Zoe and me last month

Here are a few of the photos I have taken of moms and their kids.

This photo of my sister Kelly makes me smile. Multi-tasking at it's finest!

Spring Minis Part 2

2011-04-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

The last 3 sessions of the day were just as fun as the first 3. Miss C. and family had tons of fun hunting for eggs. I loved having all these babies that were hunting eggs for the first time. I was honored to be the one to capture the moment on camera.

Miss A. was so fun. She loved singing songs and showing off her dimples!

The last 2 boys I have known since they were babies and they have certainly grown up too fast! Here are a few of my favorites from their session.

Spring Mini Sessions part 1.

2011-04-12T17:43:00.001-07:00

We had a perfectly beautiful Spring day for the Spring / Easter Mini Sessions. I am going to split these up into 2 blog posts because I had 6 mini sessions and lots of favorites to share. First we had 10 month old baby L. and he loved the camera so much that we were done early with him. He loved the easter eggs and by the time Easter rolls around I think that he'll be a pro!

next up was miss O. and her Little Brother B. Miss O hunted eggs while little brother watched. Next year I'm sure he'll be right out there hunting right along with her.

My 3rd session were two precious little boys. They were more interested in the eggs and bubbles than in me! That is for sure. We still managed to get a few great shots though.

I Heart Faces - Shadows

2011-04-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for i heart faces this week. This week the theme is shadows. Henry was playing with his toy Pterodactyl in the window as the sun was setting and I loved the shadow on the wall.

Go to i heart faces to check out other great entries or to enter your own shadow picture!

i heart faces- best face for March

2011-04-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

I had so many great photos in March! I had to pick this one of my son though, I just love how he is laughing in it. Head over to i heart faces to see the other great entries this week~

Slice of Life! Gaffney, SC Photographer

2011-03-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to take photo of my children every day this year, I have missed a few days to be honest, but I'm so glad that I get to capture moments like this one in the photo below. Every day moments are so important to capture because these are the photos I will truly treasure when they are grown. This week's theme on I Heart Faces is - "slice of life" Head on over to see other entries or to enter a photo of your own "slice of life"

Easter / Spring Mini Sessions - Gaffney Photographer

2011-03-01T08:37:00.001-08:00

Put your kids in their new spring and Easter clothes for a Spring Mini-Session with Sarah Hawkins Photography. We will have an egg hunt for some fun, active shots of your kids / family, as well as a traditional portrait session. Limited time slots are available, so contact me at sarahhawkinsphotography@gmail.com as soon as possible to schedule!

Saturday April 2nd

20 minute session
Password protected Gallery of at least 5 images
Your choice of; Prints {1-8x10, 8 - wallets, and 1 - 5 x 7}
or Digital {1 digital file with printing rights up to 8 x 10}
Every child will also get an Easter treat bag.

Price: $60 (due upon booking to reserve your appointment and is non-refundable)

I heart faces - hearts

2011-02-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

The theme is hearts this week on i heart faces. I decided to use this self portrait. Hope you can tell that I have a heart on my arm!! Head over to i heart faces to check out the other entries this week.

Photography and Me

2011-02-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

I asked for suggestions the other day of things you want me to blog about. My friend Tabitha asked me a lot of questions. I pulled these out to blog about today.

What is your FAVORITE thing to photograph?

My favorite thing to photograph is people. Especially people that are being really real. Cheesy fake smiles make me sad but there does seem to be an age at which children see a camera pointed at them and cannot do anything but the fake smile. I try to do everything I can to combat that and get them to give me a true, genuine smile. Sometimes it works, sometimes they just look at me like I'm an idiot. Which, in all honesty, sometimes I do look like an idiot when I'm trying to get a child to laugh. I never want to see a video of me at a photo shoot, I'd probably die from embarrassment! I love photographing all sorts of people but usually children from the age of 2 to 6 are the ones I really connect with better than any other age. I guess my humor is Pre-school, Kindergarten at best! :P

Would you ever want to open your own studio?

Actually, this is one of my goals in the next 5 years (hopefully sooner)

While my style doesn't really fit in with using a studio, I can see where I would definitely want to own a studio eventually. If for nothing else, just to have a storefront where customers can come to view their galleries with me instead of on my website and to come pick up their prints so that they don't have to come to my house. I'd probably do newborn shoots in the studio and mini-sessions. It would definitely be helpful in the cold winter months and on rainy days too.

Is there something other than photographer (your current job) that you want to be when you grow up? :)

Anything where I can be creative. I love to paint, act and cook. I seem to be better at the photography thing than anything else though. I'm pretty good at acting but I really don't think I could handle all that rejection!

What is one thing that you DON'T like about being a photographer? (Is there anything?)

The only thing I don't really like is the business part of it. I'm not good at asking people for money and sometimes I can be a little disorganized (OK, a lot disorganized). Paying taxes is always a bummer. I love the meeting people, taking pictures, editing pictures part of it and I do like being paid for my work so the business side is a necessary evil since I can't do it for free!

I hope that answered your questions Tabitha!

Personal Blogs

2011-01-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

I am going to start writing some blog posts on here that have nothing to do with photography. Some personal stuff that will help you get to know me better.

What do you want to know about me? Ask me anything. I need some ideas!

Who is Sarah Hawkins?

My favorite food is my mom's Spaghetti. There is something she does that makes it oh so good!

My favorite Ice Cream is Heavenly hash

I can't function without coffee in the morning

My favorite tv shows of all time: Lost, The first few seasons of Survivor (don't watch anymore though), The Office, Seinfeld, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.

Favorite Music: This is a really hard question for me because I really love all types of music top 6 off the top of my head are The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Black Eyed Peas, Toby Mac, Elvis, Lady Gaga

hobbies besides photography: Painting, cooking, starting diets

What else do you want to know? Go ahead, ask!

Baby T. South Carolina Newborn Photographer

2011-01-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

I love this family. T. is such a cutie and also part of the Watch Me Grow Program. T. was my first real newborn session. I had done a couple for practice but this was the first one that I really felt like I knew what I was doing. I was so happy when Marie agreed to let me be the photographer for such an important moment in their lives. It was a hot summer's day but T. loved it, he slept the entire time (babies do like it warm after all!) I can't wait to see how much he changes in this first year!

Baby A. Gaffney Newborn Photographer

2011-01-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

hThis Summer, I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful newborn girl. She is also in my Watch Me Grow Program and recently had her 6 month session. (I'm really behind on blogging!)

Sarah Hawkins Photography Referral Program

2011-01-26T05:17:00.000-08:00

First off, I want to thank each and every one of my clients that I had the pleasure of photographing last year. I appreciate your business, more than I can express and I sincerely hope that we can continue to work together for years to come.

I am very excited about rolling out a referral program this year. The biggest compliment I receive is a referral from a client. I want to reward my customers for suggesting me to their friends and family who are looking for a photographer. The sky is really the limit when it comes to referrals.

For every regular, full, paid session* that was referred by you:

1. First referral; you will receive $20 off your next session fee.
2. Every referral thereafter you will receive a $15 print credit off of your next session's print order.

Just make sure that your friends know to tell me, when booking their session, that you referred them to me so that I can give you proper credit on your next session.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the referral program. If you need some business cards to hand out let me know and I will put some in the mail to you.

*Mini sessions and Watch-me-grow sessions are not eligible for this discount.

Melissa and Chad - Carolina Photographer

2011-01-25T09:23:00.001-08:00

Melissa and Chad met with me on a beautiful fall evening. I'm sure they thought I was crazy when I asked them to trek through the woods with me to start things off. They were awesome to work with and boy, what a gorgeous couple! I love that they were willing to sit around for about 20 minutes to chat while we waited for the sun to set to get some really pretty pictures against the orange sky.
I usually do family and child portraiture but I hope that I get the opportunity to work with more couples because it lets me explore different poses and ideas. I had a hard time choosing which images to blog from this session because there were so many great ones!

The L. Family - Gaffney Photographer

2011-01-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

My good friend Amanda asked me to photograph her children and I was so honored. Her kids are so funny and sweet. We had a great time playing in the woods on this chilly fall morning. Amanda was partial to the black and whites so I made sure to include one in the blog post. :)

Brothers - South Carolina Photographer

2011-01-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

It was a very chilly fall morning when we met to take some pics. These two boys were certainly troopers! My feet were so cold and wet after this session but we certainly got some great pics that morning! I'm going to try to update my blog this week with all the awesome photo shoots I got to do in November and December!

Innocent wonder - Upstate, SC photographer

2011-01-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Zoe in Wonderland - Gaffney Photographer

2011-01-16T21:09:00.000-08:00

This week's theme on i heart faces is Winter Wonderland. I think that Zoe looks like Alice in (a Winter) Wonderland. She loves eating the snow, I hope it doesn't make her grow (or shrink) :)

Head over to i heart faces for more entries or to enter one of your own!

Smile! Gaffney Photographer

2011-01-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

This week at i heart faces the theme is smile. I have several pictures to choose from after all part of my job is to try to make people smile! This one I love though because I am not the one making her smile it is her man. Head over to i heart faces to check out the other great entries this week!

Snow Day! Gaffney Children photographer

2011-01-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

It was so exciting to get some snow to play in today! We woke up to about 5 or 6 inches of fresh white powder. The kids loved playing in it. South Carolina is not known for getting a lot of snow so every time we get some of the white stuff it is a nice treat! I grew up in New York where snow was a regular thing. I'm glad that we don't get as much snow here but once a year is perfect.

Here are a few pictures I took of the kids and my husband, Matt today. What do you do on days that it snows? Do you sit inside and cozy up by the fire, go out and build a snowman, eat snow cream or drive a snow mobile?

Thanks for looking!

In the Spirit of Giving

2010-12-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

I want to use my talent that God has given me. I want to use it not only to make money but also to help people that are less fortunate. These days there are more and more people out of work that can barely buy groceries or pay for their electric bills let alone purchase a portrait session. I know there are also families out there that have a mother, father or even child who is sick maybe with Cancer or another debilitating illness. I would love to photograph one of these families. Is there a family in your life that would really love to have some pictures taken but really can't afford it right now. Tell me their story. Why do you think they are deserving of a free session? I will choose one family that will receive a free session, a CD of at least 30 images from their session and one 8x10 print of their choosing and a 4x6 of every proof from their session. Please send your nominations in to sarahhawkinsphotography@gmail.com. There will be no voting, these people will not be exploited in any way. There really is nothing in this for me except the feeling of joy I will have from giving to a deserved family. Please send me your nominations by December 31st. The winner will be chosen by the middle of January. Please nominate someone that is within 25 miles of Gaffney. If you have any questions ask in the comments below

2010 was a great year!

2010-12-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

I challenged myself this year to do something I have always dreamed of, start my own business. I am so grateful for each and every person that helped make that dream a possibility, namely, my customers!

To show my appreciation I am giving one lucky session an 11 x 14 gallery wrap canvas of their favorite picture from their gallery. I have chosen my favorite picture from each session I have had this year (believe me, it wasn't easy!) Each picture is numbered below. Everyone can vote for 2 pictures in their comment. Tell your friends and family to come here and vote for your pic and one other that catches their eye. One vote per day per person please!

If I have a good response to this, I will have a second place prize of an 11 x 14 print. Voting will end on Saturday, December 18th and the winner needs to let me know their favorite picture by Christmas otherwise I will just order them my favorite!

Gaffney baby photographer - Watch me grow program

2010-11-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

I started a "watch me grow" program this fall and if you haven't heard about it, check it out.

Babies change so much in their first year of life, it's so important to capture them at their different stages.

Creative Fee: $200

What you get: 4 Sessions with Sarah Hawkins Photography. One at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. After the fourth session, you will also receive your choice of either a 4 panel storyboard with your favorite picture from each session or an 8 x 10 of your favorite picture from each session. You can also order additional prints through my a la carte pricing.

The creative fee can be paid in 4 installments of $50, payable before each session, None of the included prints (storyboard or 8 x10) will be received until the $200 has been paid in full.

Here are the sessions I've done so far. I can't wait to see how these little one's grow in the coming year!

Baby T. 3 month:

Baby A. 3 month

and Baby E. 6 month

Gaffney Family Photographer - Owens Family

2010-11-14T11:25:00.000-08:00

This was a family shoot and couple's shoot all in one! Amy and Kevin were so much fun and little M. was as cute as could be! She just LOVED my parasols! I have so many sessions that need to go on the blog! This was done back in September so, I have quite a backlog. I will be updating the blog a lot in the coming week (I hope!)

Death by Oranges

2010-11-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is a self portrait I did a few months ago and I thought it fit in perfectly with this week's theme at i heart faces. Go over and check out the other entries this week. Orange you glad you looked?? har har har :)

Pink!

2010-10-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

This week is Pink week at i heart faces in honor of Breast Cancer awareness. I took this one of Zoe last week and there is definitely a lot of pink in it.

Go to i heart faces to check out some of the other entries this week!

Fresh face contest!

2010-10-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

I am having a fresh-face contest this month. What is a fresh face contest? Well, it is a contest in which someone who has never had a session with Sarah Hawkins Photography enters a picture of themselves or their child to win a free session (and other goodies). For those of you who have purchased a session before, I will be having a referral contest soon so hold onto your seats!

To enter:

Send a picture of whomever you want a photo session for to sarahhawkinsphotography@gmail.com. This contest is open to contestants of all ages! You must be at least 18 years old to nominate yourself, and you must be the legal guardian of anyone under 18 to nominate them. I would love to take pics of anyone, young or old. The deadline to enter your photo is Sunday October 10 at midnight. I will upload the photos to a gallery on my fanpage on Monday and whichever photo has the most "likes" wins! It's that simple.

What is the prize? A photo session (up to 2 hours) with Sarah Hawkins Photography, a $50 print credit, a disk of low resolution proofs from your session (perfect for online sharing) and 30% off a la carte items, if you wish to order more pictures from your session.

The "fine print"

The photo must be a non-professional photo (this is because of Copyright)
Any photos of minors (under 18) must be entered by the parent or guardian of the minor.
The prize is non-transferable.
The session must be scheduled within 30 days of winning.
Winner must sign a model release giving me (Sarah Hawkins) the right to use your (or your child's) image to promote my business.

So, now that we got that out of the way, send me some pictures!! I can't wait to see all the beautiful people out there!

The Pelletier Family - Boiling Springs Photographer

2010-09-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

This family looks like they stepped out of the pages of a magazine! But, this family was not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside as well. They are in the ministry, travel around the world teaching people about God. I admire them so much for that. I am so glad to have been able to capture them at this time in their lives. I pray that God blesses them and their ministry!

Little Miss M. Gaffney Child Photographer

2010-08-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

We started off this session outside but unfortunately the rain started pouring down so we had to move inside. This was something very different for me but we got some very cute shots anyway. The session ended up being very photo journalistic in feel. The first 2 sets of pictures are from outside and the last set are a few from inside. I had the opportunity to capture this precious little girl last year for her 1 year portraits and she is still as cute as ever. She was just learning to walk last year, this year she made me chase her! What is it about 2 year olds that makes them like to see someone with a camera in their hand chase after them?

Christmas Card Mini-Sessions - Gaffney Photographer

2010-08-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm excited about some things I'm going to have coming up soon. I am planning on having a cute kid contest in September for someone to win a free session. I also am trying to finalize dates for Christmas Card Mini-Sessions in October. Start thinking about whether you want to sign up for one. If I get enough response for the October mini sessions I may schedule another one in early November. They will be 20 minute sessions, the cost will be $50 and you will get a CD with one High Res. photo for you to use on your Christmas cards. There will be an option to purchase more digital files and / or prints from your session. I also have Christmas card templates available if you want to get your cards printed through me. Just let me know at your session if you would be interested in that. I look forward to the months ahead and the beautiful images that are just waiting to be created!

I heart faces - Surprise!

2010-08-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

This week i heart faces photo challenge is surprise. I decided to see if I had any pics that fit the bill. I saw this one of my daughter, Zoe. I took this at a little petting zoo right after a cow ate out of her hand. Genuine surprise, delight and a little bit of shock I think!

Go over to i heart faces and check out the other great surprise photos!!

Price Family - Gaffney Photographer

2010-08-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

What a big, beautiful family! Editing these pictures almost made me yearn to have 5 kids myself!! These kids were so much fun and I can't wait to take pictures of them again soon! Check out more pictures from this session on the Facebook page!

I heart faces - fix it friday

2010-08-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

This week we edited this picture for "Fix it Friday" Isn't he cute!! This is the original:

And these are my edits:

Go on over to I heart faces and show us your edit or just look at other people's edits!

Gaffney Family Photographer - Wilson Family

2010-07-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

In the Spring I photographed my neighbor. She has 2 beautiful daughters and we had a lot of fun. I know this is so late. I'm going to try to update the blog more often!

Gaffney child photographer - Sweet little girl!

2010-07-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

This session was a photographer's dream. Beautiful location, and a beautiful subject! This precious girl was so much fun! We picked blueberries and apples. She "rode" her horse and we had a tea party. She is going to be a big sister this fall and we are planning on doing newborn pics when he arrives! I am so excited, newborn sessions have recently become my favorite. Check out the Facebook page for more!

Gaffney Child photographer - dance pictures

2010-07-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

I got to take pictures of my beautiful nieces in their dance costumes again this year. They were a lot of fun (as always)! Here are a few of my favorites from their session! Check out my Facebook Page for more.

I love Spring!

2010-06-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

After being cooped up inside all Winter it's so nice to get outside in the warm spring weather, It's fun to play dress up and push your doll stroller,

It's nice to go in the backyard and harass the neighbor's goat, trying to feed it grass and leaves that it clearly doesn't want to eat. Or, if you like to, hit trees with sticks! (poor tree)

It's fun to run in the rain

or water the garden, there are several techniques, straight out, up high or one inch at a time.

We love the spring!

Gaffney Child photographer-Sweet Zoe

2010-05-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

some sweet pics of my little Zoe Girl!

Gaffney Child Photographer - Zoe's Two Year Portraits

2010-05-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

I traditionally like to do a photo shoot with my kids every year around their birthday. This year my camera was broken on Zoe's. A few weeks later I finally got my camera back and took Zoe out on the town for her photoshoot. She is such a precious little girl. I love her so much!

I heart faces - Yellow

2010-05-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

The theme this week on i heart faces is yellow. I immediately thought of this picture I took on my most recent shoot.
Head on over to i heart faces to see all the wonderful entries this week!

Gaffney child photographer - The P. Family

2010-05-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful family. I have a lot of black and whites here but I just really liked the look of the black and white edits on these images.

Gaffney Family / Child Photographer - T Family

2010-05-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm finally updating my blog with some of my recent sessions. I got to photograph this beautiful family a few weeks ago. Here are a few of the many wonderful shots I got.

Gaffney Senior photographer - Lauren

2010-04-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

Lauren is such a fun girl, she goes to my church and I have known her since she was little. It makes me feel a little old that she is now graduating from High School! We had a lot of fun taking her senior pics at Thompson park and downtown Gaffney. Here are just a few of the shots we got, including a collage I whipped up.

Gaffney Child Photographer - Charlie's 2 year photo session

2010-03-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

My sister asked me to do 2 year portraits of my nephew and of course, I said 'yes'! He is so cute and always happy. I got some really beautiful captures of him playing in the backyard.

I also got a couple cute ones of his sisters that I thought I'd share.

I love this one in black and white too!

Gaffney newborn photographer

2009-12-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

My sister Kelly had her fourth child on Dec. 10 and I had the privilege of photographing her yesterday. I also got a few shots of my nieces and nephew and my sister and brother-in-law.

This last one was just for fun. I thought I'd try something different! :)

All the kids. Aren't they a beautiful family?!

Katie and Andrew -Couple Photographs - Gaffney Photographer

2009-12-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

My sister Katie asked me to photograph her family for her Christmas cards this year. I took pictures of her "fur babies", my first experience with dogs! Here is a little sample of the great shots I got. They were so much fun, We laughed a lot! Aren't they a good looking couple? Especially my beautiful sister!

Family Portraits - Gaffney Photographer

2009-11-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

Last week I photographed some friends for their Christmas Card Photo. I also took some of their beautiful Children. They were so much fun and I think it's the quickest session ever because they were such willing models. Here's a preview!

Band - Jupiter Wind - Gaffney Photographer

2009-11-08T11:30:00.001-08:00

My husband's band, Jupiter Wind is releasing their first album in 2010 and they needed photos for promotion and for their CD insert. Here are a few of my favorites from the session.

and one of Matt, my wonderful Husband by himself.

1 year photos - Family Portraits - Gaffney Photographer

2009-10-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the nicest people yesterday. Baby A. is such a delight. Here is a preview of some photos from our session yesterday. I have edited some with a "vintage" feel to them. Let me know what you think.

3 year Portraits - Gaffney Photographer

2009-09-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

While Henry is not technically 3 until this Saturday I took his portraits yesterday. We went out to Lake Welchel, the same place I did Zoe's 1 year portraits.

One Year Portraits - Maggie - Gaffney Photographer

2009-07-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

ABC Book Photo Project - Gaffney Photographer

2009-07-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from a friend of mine on Facebook (thanks Diana). It's the ABC's of Henry. I hope to finish the alphabet and have it published in a photo book by his birthday in September. I have a few letters to share so far, I can't wait to share all 26! It's really easy and fun to do. Let me know if you give it a try!