pinkletoes | Sarah Jordan Photography

Pinkle Toes Photography workshop

07.16.14

Way back in 2011, I attended a Pinkle Toes Photography workshop in Austin, TX that changed my life. I know, that sounds really dramatic…but I swear, it’s true! That weekend, I began to put the pieces of my business together, made lifelong friends, and confirmed my decision to transition from my career in Education to Photography. It’s a trip that I hold dear to my heart and will never forget.

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to hang out with a different (but equally fantastic) group of women in Ridgewood, NJ for a new and improved Pinkle Toes Photography workshop! I was amazed and humbled by how much talent surrounded me (seriously, these women are incredible!). Of course, the best part of the whole weekend was the opportunity to visit and learn from my dear friend Michele. Together, we laughed, talked, learned, and, of course, took some photos! Although I actually managed to keep my camera off for most of the trip, I did snap a few images during our time together. I hope you enjoy the photos below, and then take a few minutes to see the images captured by the other attendees!

Now I hope you’ll check out my friend Lena’s photos from the workshop at Live Love Laugh Photos – Ridgewood Family photographer!

Maternity, Newborn

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NYC Photography – The Big Apple with Big Cameras

05.30.14

I love traveling with my kids. I really do. I love seeing their eyes light up as they take in new sights and experiences. Most of the time, I enjoy watching my little ones so much that I only take out my camera to document a few snippets from our adventures. As we walk past scenery bathed in beautiful light, I take a mental picture and wish I had the energy/time/ability to stop and really capture it.

That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to attend the Pinkle Toes Workshop Reunion Trip to NYC! I’d get to tour New York with some fantastic women from all around the world, and never have to worry about holding anyone up by taking too many photos! What I didn’t count on was how wonderfully we would all “click” as a group (pun intended. couldn’t resist!). We wasted no time in getting to know each other, and shared nonstop laughs the whole weekend. Seriously – I don’t think we slept more than a couple of hours each night because we were having so much fun!

Although I grew up just outside of NYC, I had never done most of the touristy stuff until this trip! Battery Park, Top of the Rock, Times Square, a harbor cruise, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, a food tour in Greenwich Village….I still don’t know how we did it all in just a few days! I suppose it’s easier to fit everything in when you don’t have to make time for diaper changes and feedings 🙂

We thought it would be cool to see how different photogs all captured the same trip in different ways. So I hope you’ll follow the blog circle to see images from my amazing friend Michele at PINKLE TOES PHOTOGRAPHY – Austin Lifestyle Photographer! Not only is she an incredible photographer, but she is the one who started it all 🙂

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Kerri says: Sarah, I love the one of Minette and Michele, so awesome! And your shot of the memorial is grogeous. on 05.30.14 @ 1:19 pm
Kelly Hosch says: LOVE the Brooklyn Bridge shot… I need to go back and see that close up! on 05.30.14 @ 2:08 pm
stefanie says: i love these!!!! on 06.2.14 @ 1:44 pm
Tressa says: Wow, Sarah... these are stunning! I really LOVE the color in your images and your fish eye shots are amazing! So great! on 06.3.14 @ 10:57 am
Tressa says: Wow, Sarah… I really LOVE the color in your images and your fish eye shots are amazing! Really beautiful images! on 06.3.14 @ 11:36 am

A room of her own

02.05.13

Well, here it is! My little girl’s nursery is everything I wanted it to be for her – soft, calm, pretty, and filled with meaningful little things for her to enjoy. It’s hard to imagine that just a few months ago, this was my office – green, pretty dark, cramped, and filled with photography stuff! I can honestly say that I don’t even mind that my “office” space is now in the midst of toy central in the family room – I can’t wait to bring my baby girl home to a room of her own!

A few of my favorite things:
*The dresses above the crib were mine (thanks to my mom for saving them all these years!), and I love how sweet they look on the wall.
*The little plate on the tall dresser with the last stanza of the poem “Song for a Fifth Child” by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton. My mother had the same words displayed on her her wall when I was a child, and I remember reading them every night while getting my hair blown dry before bed.
*The small Beatrix Potter bank on top of the stack of books on the shelf was saved from my own nursery
*The dressers that I found on Craigslist fit with the feel of the room perfectly! I love that they work well in her nursery, but they can also grow with her in future rooms.
*The framed pink flower photo on the shelf is a j.imprint taken by my fabulous friend Michele, of Pinkletoes. Check out the link to see how you can contribute to a great cause by purchasing your own j.imprint!

Baby girl shouldn’t be coming home to this room for at least a few more weeks now, so in the meantime I am enjoying reading, rocking, snuggling my boys and daydreaming in here. Soon enough, it will be filled with the sounds of a newborn, and I doubt it will ever be this neat and peaceful again!

Baby, My Family, Newborn

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My kind of town

06.26.12

Last March, I attended a Pinkletoes photography workshop in Austin, TX, and it changed my life.

That may sound a bit dramatic, but I assure you – it’s true! Being a part of that workshop gave me the confidence to really follow my dreams, and certainly helped shape my business from that point forward. Not only did I grow as a photographer, but I also met some amazing women whom I’m lucky to call my friends.

So, when I heard about a reunion trip to Chicago, I knew I had to go! Not only did I get to reconnect with some of the ladies from the original workshop group, but I was also incredibly lucky to meet lots of other attendees from different workshop sessions. It was almost eerie how quickly we all connected and bonded. Even the cab ride from the airport to our hotel was filled with comfortable laughter! By the end of the first day, it was as though we had known each other for years. Amazing! The weekend was a blur of cameras, girl talk, being tourists, and, of course, EATING! Wow – there are some unbelievable restaurants in Chicago! The hot dogs and pizza were amazing, but I’m still salivating over the sushi and steak! I have a gazillion pics to go through when I have some real time, but thought I’d include a few of my faves here now 🙂
Thank you, ladies, for a fabulous weekend. Now I’m already looking forward to the next one!

Michele with Pinkletoes Photography – Austin, TX

Carol with Freckle Face Photography – Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada

Shona with Shona Reid Photography – Ottawa, Canada

Lena with Live, Love, Laugh – Northern New Jersey and New York, NY

Janie with Janie Jones Photography – Kansas City, MO

Leah with Leah Cook Photography – Dallas, TX

Minnette with Minnette Demafiles Photography – Houston, TX

Stacy with Anastasia Marie Photography – Peoria and central IL

Heidi with Heidi Drexler Photography – St. Louis, MO

And, last but not least, Michele’s mom and our group comedian, MeeMaw 🙂

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Leah Cook says: Sarah!!! these are so amazing!! I'm really thankful we got to connect and loved shooting with you at the Navy Pier - I'll always remember our "golden hour light" experience that we shared =) until next time.... on 06.26.12 @ 10:43 am

The real Us

05.17.11

It all started about a week ago, when I saw this quote on the Pinkle Toes Facebook page:

“If you have not had family pictures taken within the past 3 years, promise me right now that tomorrow morning, you will find someone to do it. I don’t care if it’s a neighbor, I don’t care if it’s a portrait studio, I don’t care if it’s a tripod and a remote. Just do it. We have no guarantees in life, but at least we can have the photos to prove that we were here, we were together, and we were happy.”

I started thinking – for all of the gazillions of photos I take in a given week, we have NEVER done a real, true, family photo session. I have lots of pics of my boys; some of them with their dad; a few of myself with the kids….but only about 2-3 photos of all of us together. And those are your typical “all sit together and look at the camera” images. What I *really* wanted was a few photos that captured what our family was all about – loving, goofy, active…and very, very happy. But where to start?

That brings me to the field of flowers I blogged about the other day. I loved that field. Which is funny, because it’s actually on top of a landfill next to a jail…but it’s just so pretty! Pretty enough that when I drove by the other day and saw that they were mowing it down, I actually got out of the car and pleaded with them to leave it until the flowers died! AND THEY DID! They must have thought I was nuts, but hey – it worked, right?

So I planned it all out…got us dressed up, loaded the car, packed up my tripod, and headed to the field with my camera. Except when we got there, I realized that I had left a critical part of said tripod at home. So typical. That’s when my friend Erica came to the rescue! She listened to my lofty plans, patiently sat through my brief technical instructions, then proceeded to snap 605 photos. Yes, that’s the actual number she took. I just checked. And what she captured was EXACTLY what I was hoping for. Even better, if that’s possible. I will treasure these photos forever, Erica. Thank you.

I am getting ready to place an order to plaster my living room with a huge collage of these images. I can’t wait to come downstairs and see them every day!

My Family

Elaine says: beautiful! I think we need a family reunion so I can meet these adorable little boys! on 05.17.11 @ 1:21 pm
dana says: LOVE the pics Sarah...and the dress : ) on 05.17.11 @ 6:22 pm
Joan Straw says: Unbelievably beautiful flower field and the family "shoot" is LOVELY. Enjoy seeing your posts/blog/website. (Hillary Stasonis' Mom ) on 05.18.11 @ 12:07 am
Cathy says: What a beautiful family! There's so much love and joy in these photos. Thanks for sharing them. on 05.18.11 @ 9:43 am
Lauren Reynolds says: Ok, only a photographer would stop and plead with the grass mowers, I love it! And I love the photos -- they are beautiful and such a great reminder of how important family photos are! Well done! :) on 05.21.11 @ 11:33 pm
Liz Ferreira says: OMG those came out gorgeous! I absolutely love the first one.....Erica could have a career in photography :) on 05.26.11 @ 1:50 pm

Pinkle Toes: Behind the Scenes Part 1

05.02.11

It’s been a little over a month since I got home from the amazing PINKLE TOES professional photographer workshop in Austin TX, and I’m finally finding a little time to go through all of my behind-the-scenes images. To say that I learned a lot would be an understatement. Not only did I get to talk shop with other talented photographers for 3 days straight, but I also had the opportunity to observe Michele (Pinkle Toes herself) in action at an in-home photo session. As a self-taught photographer, it was awesome to be a fly on the wall while Michele worked her magic.

Another one of my favorite parts of the workshop was urban location scouting in Austin. Since we didn’t have any models with us, we all took turns being on the other side of the lens. Let me tell you, I have a whole new appreciation for my clients after that experience! Apparently, telling someone to “just relax” is a lot easier said than done…

Later, we all headed to the blue bonnets to get some shots of each other in the wildflowers at sunset. I was lucky enough to get to work with Lauren Reynolds, of LAUREN REYNOLDS PHOTOGRAPHY…and yes, she is as kind as she is beautiful!

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Hannah says: Wowzers. That first photo is beautiful! Great job :) on 05.3.11 @ 4:13 pm

The Purple Couch

04.07.11

I’ve admired the “Pinkletoes Couch” for a long time now. It’s appeared in meadows, back alleys, and lots of other random places where one wouldn’t expect to find a couch. Especially a purple one. So when we got a chance to use this fab prop for our model sessions in Austin, I was a little giddy. Luckily, so was this beautiful girl 🙂

Oh, and if you have a purple couch laying around that you’re looking to get rid of, I’d love to give it a new life.

Kids

Starlit Nest Photography Props says: OH my gosh, what a gorgeous girl and an amazing couch! Both are elegant and lovely. :) on 04.7.11 @ 9:28 pm
Shona says: so sweet!!! on 04.13.11 @ 5:00 pm

I’m back!

03.30.11

Did you miss me?

It’s been quiet on the blog lately because I spent most of the past week in Austin, TX, where I attended a 3-day photography workshop put on by Michele Anderson of Pinkle Toes Photography. I have followed Michele’s work since before I ever even dreamed of Sarah Jordan Photography, so it was a bit surreal to be there learning from her in person! The workshop was exhilarating, exhausting, enlightening, and, most of all, FUN! I met an incredible group of talented women with whom I bonded over cameras, blue bonnets and some fabulous meals 🙂

During the workshop, we got to work with several different models. And I took a lot of photos. I mean, a LOT of photos. I’ll be sharing them little by little over the next week or two once I finally get through them all!

Since I love working with babies, I thought I’d start out with this little guy. Check out those baby blues!