COUPLE: JUSTIN + KATIE

It's a new month!  And I have a new anniversary shoot to share with you today! Hooray!

Justin and Katie celebrated two years of marriage this summer and kindly let me photograph them to mark the special occasion.  We spent a sunny Saturday afternoon strolling through the neighborhood.  First we headed to the local farmer's market and enjoyed samples of the fresh produce and cheeses, picked up some flowers, and enjoyed the lovely warm weather.  Later on, the happy couple had a picnic on the grass, surrounded by some of their favorite reads and fresh treats.

It was a real pleasure to spend a day documenting these two lovebirds.  Katie is a true beauty and as you will see, her husband Justin makes her oh-so-happy. Enjoy!

To Justin and Katie: 2 years of a beautiful union and you are just getting started!  Thank you for letting me share this small glimpse of your sweet marriage.  Kurt and I are grateful for your friendship!

COUPLE: GRECIA + TYLER

Hey y'all!  It's been a while since my last post, but I promise there is a ton of new content coming soon! That means new photos, a recap of my experience at the Making Things Happen workshop in LA, and a little about my summer as an intern for the amazing Meg Perotti, which means... even more photos! You will get to see my work evolve as well. I've been learning a lot :)

Over the summer I was able to do several anniversary shoots, all of which you shall see soon!  The first one I have to share with you is of my best friend, Grecia, and her husband (and college sweetheart!) Tyler.

This August they celebrated their first anniversary!  We choose to do the shoot at their home with a classy little brunch and leisurely reading on the porch, time in their mini-orchard, and some classic board games and cuddles in the grass.  I think it will be neat for them to look back on these photos, over the years, to see how much things change!  And to one day show their kids what life was like back in 2012...

 

To Grecia and Tyler: Congratulations on one year of marriage!  Thank you for allowing me to capture these photos of your young love and marital bliss! Kurt and I are so grateful for your friendship! 

Oh, and a birthday shout-out to Grecia who celebrated her golden birthday this week!  Be sure to leave some love in the comment section!

WHY I WANT TO ATTEND THE MAKING THINGS HAPPEN WORKSHOP

I recently entered a contest to win a scholarship to attend a workshop called Making Things Happen.

The workshop covers many topics, including:

conquering fear, discovering your strengths, eliminating distractions, making bold leaps in life and in turn in business, how your environment and the people around you affect you, living your ideal day, authenticity and action.

Sounds amazing, right?  For me, it sounds life-changing. That list above describes my reasons for wanting to go to a tee.  I know that it would be a great opportunity for me to learn within a creative community and undergo some necessary life changes.  Every time one of the Making Things Happens women post something on social media I am totally inspired!  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to apply for the scholarship.

I am a young woman, an entrepreneur, a wife, a daughter, a follower of Christ, a photography intern, a friend, and hopefully, one day, a mother.  In order to be effective in all those areas, I know I need to learn how to balance!  And I desperately want to reach my full potential because I know life is too short.

If I can learn how to manage my life by crushing my fears and harnessing my passion now, then I know I can make things happen in my future and hopefully inspire others to do the same.  So, here's to hoping that I can win that scholarship! ;)

Source

YASMIN SARAI PHOTOGRAPHY: BRANDING WITH WATERFALL CREATIVE

Lately, I've been learning about the importance of branding.  It's more than just a logo.  And prior to going to the Sitehouse GO LIVE Workshop with Promise Tangeman to create my website, (which I wrote about here!), I knew I needed help with developing my brand. After a little online research, I stumbled upon an up-and-coming graphic designer, whose style I fell in love with and who I felt could help effectively communicate the look and vibe of my photography business.

That designer is Joanna Waterfall of Waterfall Creative.  She is super creative, talented, and totally cute!  Joanna shares her lovely art, recent projects, and fun finds on her blog almost daily, so be sure check her out!  After seeing her art style and reading her blog post, Branding - More Than a Logo, I knew we would be on the exact same page and that she would be a perfect fit for me and for what I needed.

Isn't she cute?!                                                  Photo by Kristen Rogers

Now, what is branding?  Here is my little metaphor to explain: if photography is a gift, then branding is the beautiful wrapping.  Your brand is what gives a client the first impression of your business, reveals your unique style, and sets the tone of your work, in order to hopefully attract your ideal client.

Some of the words I want people to associate with my brand are: classy, cute, clean, sparkly, stylish, youthful, fierce, light, fresh, and fun.  Above all, I want my brand to communicate the most unique part of my business: me!  So the first thing I did was create an inspiration board, collecting patterns, typography, graphics, and colors that scream me! I then spent some time thinking about my personal style and taste, thinking about clothing and accessories that appeal to me and the vibe I want my brand to evoke.  Joanna was able to take all my ideas and create something amazing! Thus, I'd like to officially present to you: my new logo!

When I first saw it, I believe my response to Joanna was "It's perfect! Yay!"  In addition to my logo, I also wanted an emblem/motif that captured one of my favorite things: bows!!!  So she also created the cutest little bow for me.  I love it!

It's just so cute and represents my love of pretty little details.  After settling on the logo, Joanna sent these lovely business cards over, making me feel so official.  Here's the front:

 And the back:

I'm in love!  I also received these cute little stamps: 

 Fun!

I'm so pleased with everything!  The colors, the design, the attention to detail!  And this is just the beginning... I know that as I continue developing as an artist and as a business, it will only get better.  I'm totally inspired!

Now, who wants some pictures?!?!  Let's connect!

Love + Glitter,
Yasmin