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Welcome to my Blog!

Thanks for stopping by! I am a portrait & wedding lifestyle/documentary photographer based in Columbia, SC. My mission is to make you smile, laugh, cry, etc... by telling you a story in each picture I take. Here you will find my favorite shots from my most recent works AND posts on bits and pieces of my personal life which I hope is somewhat entertaining. To you grammar & english junkies... Please don't hate. I majored in nursing ;) . Please enjoy and feel free to stalk my blog! And don't forget to visit my website: www.swparkerphotography.com!

The good, the bad, & the ugly: I am a huge nerd. I cannot function without my daily to do lists. My Blackberry has recently made me more OCD. My husband is my hero. Jesus is my savior. Running is my release. Going to the movies is fun. I love details. Chocolate is delicious. I constantly crave jelly beans. I laugh at my own lame jokes. My goofy dog makes me laugh. Buttons are creepy. I am an impulsive shopper-yikes. Birthdays are fantastic. I fall asleep at 11 pm no matter where I am and...I sometimes talk in my sleep. Sunflower fields are beautiful. Green is my favorite color. I am a nurse. and taking pictures of awesome people is my passion! My name is Sara. My husband is Wes. My dog is Oliver. That is my tiny family. We love life and each other. Welcome to our world.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."-Jeremiah 29:11-13

Geoff & Leia: Just Because

I can tell Geoff & Leia have TONS of fun together.  I work with Leia at the hospital and she has mentioned wanting to have some fun pictures done for a while. We finally got to do them! She wanted to take them at the riverwalk in West Columbia, but when we got there the whole thing was flooded, so we went to Riverfront Park instead. We had a blast! Geoff & Leia are SO perfect for each other! Thanks for the good times guys! Hope you enjoy… especially the silly ones ;) ya’ll are crazy!

Leia, your eyes are so pretty!

i love this series… they couldn’t stop laughing! candid shots ROCK!

a little bit of dramatic lighting…

bahaha… this one cracks me up:

I asked them to dance and pretend like I’m not there…. this is what I got in return:

Have a great weekend!!

February 6, 2010 - 4:44 pm leia - WOW Sara!! I luv them. There are some pics that make me LMBO. You did an awesome job. Next...the kids. Thanks Again!!

February 6, 2010 - 11:21 am Karin - Love these- the light is beautiful. And wow does she have gorgeous eyes!

Holla to B-more

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our dear friend Katherine, AKA Tak, who has recently moved to Baltimore. We love you & miss you muy mucho! Have a wonderful bday! Love, Wes & Sara :)

tak1Happy Thursday!!

February 7, 2010 - 7:02 pm Kati - I absolutely love this pic of Tak. It should be an ad for something.

showered with B&W

Another shower for Ryan & Mary! Wes & I and 5 of our amazing friends hosted a black & white themed shower for Ryan & Mary at our house this weekend. It was so good to see everyone despite the nasty, freezing weather outside!! Thanks, everyone, for all the help!!

The hosts with Ryan & Mary in the middle:

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Kati made AMAZING rocky road cupcakes!

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Kati’s mom made these cute and delicious little guys. I’m not gonna lie…I have been eating these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner :) Thanks Mrs. Lou!

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Pictures from their engagement session and Karin’s fabulous invitation made a great centerpiece :)

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haha. Love this shot of Ben & Toler making the exact same face!

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the girls…

753 days until the BIG DAY!!!!!

February 5, 2010 - 11:41 am Kate - Will you make me some of those cupcakes?? Yummy :)

February 2, 2010 - 7:52 pm Mary - YEAH! We had such a fun time. It was great to see all of our friends. Thanks again for everything!

Save the Date MAGNETS!

I could design all day every day! In fact, I had to force myself to stop when I was cranking out these save the dates to use as samples for magnets. I designed 6 to really show the variety, but there are TONS more ideas where these came from! I am so excited to share these with you! The magnets are 4.5×3 in size and the quality is amazing. You can send them to all your wedding guests or just those from out of town OR you can send some magnets and supplement the rest with save the date cards… your choice! Enjoy!!

*DISCOUNT*… I will waive my design fee for the first 5 clients to order save the date magnets or cards!!! (starting 1/29/2010)

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I have posted the design of each save the date magnet first and then the actual magnet…

This one’s my favorite of the six :) :

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I designed this one to match my sister’s album and save the date cards:

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Our good friends, Dylan & Karin…. They have actually been married for almost 3 years now (and having a baby in July!!) , but I loved their session from St. Augustine so much:

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The save the dates in action! They make a very ancient refrigerator look stylish ;)

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January 29, 2010 - 5:26 pm Molly McCrary - Looooooove them Sara!!!!

Avery & Cassie: happy love day Daddy!

Meet 8 month old baby Avery!! It would be an understatement to say that photographing her and her momma, Cassie, was an absolute JOY! Cassie called me a few weeks ago to do this shoot for her husband for Valentine’s Day and of course I was super pumped. We had a 2 hour photo shoot out in the country at one of my new favorite locations. Avery did an incredible job- 2 HOURS without fussing!! She smiles ALL THE TIME. Such a cutie. Thank you, Cassie, for a great session! I hope we can do it again soon! :)

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I borrowed some Tot Topper hats from Kate for the shoot– thanks Kate!!…

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…a few shots with beautiful mama… I ADORE these!

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getting festive…

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Miss Priss:

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We borrowed this PERFECT little red rocking chair from baby William. As soon as we put Avery in it she wanted to rock causing her to almost fall face forward out of it, so we put a blanket underneath to keep the chair from rocking. However, it did not stop Avery from continuing to rock. She could not understand why all of a sudden the chair wouldn’t move. Too funny!

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this series is my fave!

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Some Valentine fun :)

bookmarkaveryblogStay tuned for my next fun post… my sample SAVE THE DATE magnets I designed this week just came in!! I can’t wait to share them with you!

January 28, 2010 - 5:23 am Sara Parker - She would TOTALLY win a contest for baby GAP. Hands down.

January 27, 2010 - 5:17 pm Karin - What a sweetheart. Your favorite series is mine, too!

January 27, 2010 - 5:10 pm Kati - beautiful BEAUTIFUL mama and baby! sara- rockstar job!

January 27, 2010 - 3:45 pm Kate - I adore her!!

January 27, 2010 - 1:14 pm Elizabeth - Love these pictures!! Avery is so cute!

January 27, 2010 - 11:30 am kathryn mcgill - Sara ~ What lens were you using for the close-ups on this shoot?? And oh my goodness... that is one of the very very cutest baby girls EVER! Such fun! :)

January 27, 2010 - 9:43 am Anna - That baby is absolutely adorable!!! I love her!!! :)

January 26, 2010 - 9:41 pm jordan thompson - What a precious little girl! I LOVE THESE SO MUCH!!! Great job Sara!

January 26, 2010 - 8:09 pm Michelle Thomas - Oh, Sara! These pictures are just perfect! I'm so sad that you'll be out of town for Jack's 1st birthday, but hopefully we'll be able to book you for something else sometime soon! And where are you in these pictures? I love the location!

The Look.

A while back I posted what to wear  with some tips & color palettes to help you choose the best outfit for your session… here’s an updated one! I will hopefully be posting these as the seasons change, so be on the lookout! ;)

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{On a side note… I am now offering custom designed SAVE THE DATE MAGNETS as well as the cards! These are SO fun and unique. I can’t wait to show you! Sample photos coming soon… Happy Friday!!}

January 25, 2010 - 8:50 am jordan thompson - I love this? Its amazing! Im jealous! I want my own!

Not just hats

Yep! That’s right… Kate from Tot Toppers makes sweaters too! AND this time she had ME model along with her friend Paige (from her knitting group) AND WES was the photographer!! He did a great job capturing all the angles and details to show off these awesome sweaters! I am so proud of him :) . I gotta tell ya though… editing photos of myself is prrretty weird! Without further ado… Wes Parker Photography:

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Oliver came along only to roll around in the muddy leaves and get our mustard pants dirty. But he was just too cute to resist…

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for the record, i hate my serious face

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pondering face is only slightly better…

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a favorite…

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Paige has gorgeous eyes!

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The buttons on the sweaters are organic cedar… so fancy!

184194203Until next time… peace out!

January 22, 2010 - 3:53 pm Karin - That Wes, always trying to cut into your business... Sara you make an excellent model. And Kate, you make an excellent sweater!

January 21, 2010 - 2:59 pm Kate - Wes did such a phenomenal job! Can't wait to see his name in print :)

Yee-Haw!

Our good friends Ryan & Mary had their first wedding shower/party (not counting the engagement party) this past weekend! It was country themed with lots of karaoke- so fun! I wanted to share some fun shots from the night, especially since some of our other good friend were not able to make it. Can’t WAIT until March 27th!! By the way, Ryan’s birthday is today… HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!! We love you! {see end of post for another special birthday shout out :) }

Mary got to wear a pink sparkly cowgirl hat and Ryan wore a more masculine black cowboy hat. Here they are playing the “how well do you know each other?” game:

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Cute decorations:

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Ryan & Mary fired up the karaoke while Mary’s dad played the chair guitar…

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K-Rock… this one’s for you :) your sweet daddy:

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the guys… probably singing some song about beer & horses…

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…while the multi-talented Mr. Reading plays the air drums…

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Ryan’s dad. Sweet shirt Mr. Reedy…

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Who talked the bridesmaids into singing “My Humps” ??? Such a bad idea CLEARLY by the looks on our faces…. really didn’t think that one through…

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… more girls sang a much more appropriate “London Bridge” by Fergie…

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We sang “Happy Birthday” to Mary’s great uncle. Precious….

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Then they sang a song… no, not a club song…

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Mary & Ryan sang “Cruisin’ Together”…

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Ryan & Mary with all the hosts:

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Ryan & Wes sang “You’re Beautiful” to Mary…

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Then they moved on to “PANTS ON THE GROUND”….bahaha:

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Mary’s parents:

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After people started leaving the choice in karaoke songs just went down the tubes. It was actually Mr. Reading’s idea to sing “Business Time”. How Wes and  I ended up singing it, I do not know. BUT little did Mr. Reading know, it is one of my all-time faves!

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Some of the bridesmaids:

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….AND A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KARIN too!!! Love you K-Rock!!! Feel better Dylan!! :)

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January 22, 2010 - 3:55 pm Karin - This is Karin (and NOT her husband using her name.) What a fun party- wish we could have been there! Thanks for the b-day shout-out. Now I want some ice cream. And a trip to Florida.

January 21, 2010 - 1:48 pm Addie - sorry i leave a comment on every post...but, this.is.hilarious. miss the gang!

January 20, 2010 - 4:28 am Kayla Wilkes - Mary is just too cute! I love Wes's face as he sings to Mary. You people are crazy, but I love it!

January 19, 2010 - 8:31 pm Mary - YEAH! You're too sweet to share your blog with us. Thanks for taking so many fun pics.

January 19, 2010 - 5:53 am Karin - This is actually NaLyD!! Great stuff ArAs!!! I love all the pictures. Your blog keeps us in the loop. I do feel better but I lost a solid 10 pounds. Time to start eating again.

26.2

On January 10th Wes & I ran the Disney Marathon (26.2 miles)!! We are super excited and super proud of what we accomplished TOGETHER. We trained together from July to January and it was worth every bit of the training. We drove down to Orlando, FL 2 days before the marathon so we could go to Disney World on Saturday (the marathon was on Sunday) because Wes had NEVER been! We woke up Saturday morning and went to get our race packets… at that point it was 30 degrees and raining, so we weren’t sure if we would get to go to Disney, but it stopped raining and we went for it! We were the idiots who went to Disney World all bundled up in 30 degree weather the day before we were supposed to run a MARATHON! BUT we were in fact not idiots because there were NO LINES and we got to ride everything and it was a blast.

My parents and sister came to cheer us on (and take care of us after the race) and I don’t know what we would have done without them there. It was 28 degrees on race day in ORLANDO and my family stood out in it from 5am-9am to support us… that’s LOVE! I gave my sister my camera to grab some shots of us and she did a great job considering the fact that there were 17,000 runners and tons of spectators. Finding us was like finding a needle in a haystack. We basically had to find them at the designated mile markers. Wes and I carried a disposable camera with us on the run and were able to grab a few snapshots (see end of post).  The race was great despite the cold (the water from the water stations was actually freezing to ground!). We finished in the top 25% with a time of 4:27:12. After about mile 22 my body pretty much stopped doing what I wanted it to and I was in some serious pain, but somehow we pushed through. Okay! Enough talk… here are some pictures!

Some details shots of the medals, shoes, bibs, etc…

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we love the shirts that came in our packets:

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the medals are so heavy-duty! So awesome!

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my mom gave Wes this pin and he wore it ALL DAY the day before the marathon for his first time in Disney World. Precious:

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SO many people. My only complaint was that there were so many people that if we wanted to pass anyone, it was a challenge in itself (thanks to Katie for the next 4 shots):

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There I am in the purplish-blue:

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… and there’s Wes taking a picture of my sister taking a picture :)

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It was hard to run side-by-side due to all the people. Here’s us waving…

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Here are the shots we got from our disposable camera:

Disney World still had everything decorated for Christmas complete with Christmas music!:

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We ran through all the Disney World parks:

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We stopped a few times to get some shots with some of the characters cheering for us:

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Our good friend Susan was at one of the physical therapy tents toward the end of the race (she is in PT school in FL). She was a LIFESAVER because she gave me Tylenol just when I needed it! Thanks SuSu!!

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Us right after we finished… you can tell I am in some serious pain by the look on my face:

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I know this is so gross, but I bled through my shoe… lost a few toenails… Nice shot, KT!

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Us with our amazing fans (my mom, sister, & stepdad- I love how he even carried my girly camera bag! What a trooper!) Thanks so much, you guys, for the support, place to stay, cake, and spaghetti! We love you!!

182192Check back in a few days for more fun festivities!!

January 18, 2010 - 11:40 am Kate - That is just soooooo impressive! Kudos to both of you!

January 18, 2010 - 9:37 am Addie - WOW! y'all are awesome! i'm so proud :)

January 18, 2010 - 9:20 am Susan - It was wonderful seeing y'all through your journey, and I love that I gained 20lbs of clothing in all pictures taken because it was SO freezing - literally. We even had one man from Boston (who obviously runs the Boston marathon, among others) say that it was the coldest he's ever experienced for a marathon. Incredible, especially since it was in FLORIDA!

January 17, 2010 - 6:46 pm Karin - So fun! We are so proud of you guys. The medals and shirts are so cool- makes me want to run Disney next time. Also, I love Dr. John with the bag.

Colin & Amy: Part II

I hope you enjoyed part I from Colin & Amy’s wedding. Here’s PART II… !!

Newlywed session:

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Colin’s brother giving a speech:

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BEST idea ever! Homemade cookies at the reception, each made by a different family member/ special guest. They were out of this WORLD!! directly below are the cute ties for the cookie bags.

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First dance…

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Father/ Daughter:

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Colin & his mom:

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Amy dancing with Colin’s dad… I just love his PROUD & HAPPY expression!

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I HAD to get some ring shots with the saber :)

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Colin’s parents gettin’ DOWN! I LOVE these! You guys are so great :)

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doin’ the hokey pokey!

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beautiful cake:

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haha… one of my fave bouquet toss shots.

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dead cockroach?

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you can’t do the robot without bodyguards.

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a little soul train:

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last dance complete with lit cell phones…

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YMCA

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Okay so this is the shot I got of them leaving:

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…and here is Wes’ point of view: SO GREAT! Colin’s mom is bootin’ them out while Colin’s dad gives him a high-five! Makes me happy.

5253Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Barth!!!

January 13, 2010 - 4:38 pm Kayla Wilkes - Wow! These are AWESEOME Sara! It looks like they had a great party!