Road Trip!

New Print Available!  

I came across this pink-striped building when John and I were on a mini-road trip up the California coast.  Isn't it the cutest? Whenever I finally buy a house, I want to paint it exactly like this!

Chew On This

Speaking of road trips, I am planning (and I use that term loosely) a little New Year's road trip around northern California next week. I want to see Redwoods, lighthouses, beautiful coastlines, the whole sha-bang!  If anyone has suggestions for interesting places to stop, please let me know.  I am open to any and all suggestions.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Golden

There is a new print available in my shop today!  Golden trees are everywhere during fall in Boston, but I thought this one was particularly beautiful.

Golden

Tree of yellow leaves.

They will all fall to the ground.

Crisp and crunchy sound.

"Golden" was taken on a walk through Boston Common. The park is so beautiful. Its one of the things that I miss most about living there.  I highly recommend that you take a stroll through this park if you haven't done so yet.  Put it on your life's to do list.

Quote for the Day:

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything."

--Aaron Siskind

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

...and I was blogging. Ha!  I hope you are all having a Merry Christmas Eve.  I made Christmas dinner, complete with turkey, stuffing...the works. It was quite delicious if I do say so myself! So good that I have been parked on the couch in a food coma for the past few hours.

However, I still managed to add a new print to my Etsy shop.  

California Dreamin'

This image makes me feel like I'm laying on the beach, soaking up the sun circa 1970. Of course, its December and this is just wishful thinking.  But just looking at this picture, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my face.

I also went to an exhibit about the life of Frida Kahlo this afternoon.  There were many portraits of Frida from throughout her life.  She was friends with and photographed by so many famous photographers: Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham just to name a couple. In every photo she looks so intense, focused and serious.  This one is, by far, my favorite. The colors are so beautiful.

This portrait is titled Frida on White Bench. It was taken by Nickolas Muray in 1939.  

I hope everyone did something fun and inspiring today. Merry Christmas!

Quote for the Day:

"A cloud does not know why it moves in such a direction and at such a speed...it feels an impulsion...this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift high enough to see beyond horizons."

-- Richard Bach

Sunday in the Park

My Christmas vacation officially began this afternoon around 4:45 or so. Believe me, I was counting down the minutes. 

Tonight I did all of my grocery shopping for Christmas dinner.  I even managed to do all of the prep work so I can just whip everything together!  Tomorrow I am going to make delicious peanut butter cookies to go along with the fudge that I made a few days ago.  Yum!  I am really excited about Christmas this year!

I also wrote a little Haiku to go along with the new print in my Etsy shop today. 

Sunday in the Park 

Sunday in the park.

What a nice day for a stroll.

Lavender beauty.

Quote for the day:

"A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content."

--Proverb

Off the Beaten Path - New Fine Art Prints Available!

I hope everyone is having a splendid Monday!  I am counting down the days until my Christmas vacation.  I can't wait to sleep in, open presents, eat a delicious meal (that I am preparing, by the way), and watch A Christmas Story for a full 24 hours!

There is a new addition to my Etsy shop today. I took this image while standing on the edge of a pecan orchard at the peak of winter.  My fingers were so cold I could barely even push the button. 

"Off the Beaten Path"

I could wander through these winter-worn trees all day.

Quote for the day:

"If a path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads."

 -- Anatole France

I Fly!

I went to the vertical wind tunnel last night! It was SO MUCH FUN!  I'm planning on going skydiving in February for my birthday and I wanted to get a little idea of what it would be like.  That wind tunnel is incredibly powerful! The staff was so nice, and my instructor, Matt, was fabulous!

I got two turns to fly, but on my second turn my goggles came loose, so I got to go in a third time.  After everyone in my group got their turns, our instructor did a little demonstration of what you can do in there when you are really experienced.  The acrobatics were great! He put on a really good show. It definitely made me want to go back and do it again!

Carousel

This is the most beautiful, dreamy carousel. I love the texture and soft colors in this image. The lights and the mirrors are so lovely. 

My "Merry-Go-Round" print is panoramic shaped.  The image is 4"x 17" printed on 7"x 20" paper. This would look so beautiful displayed in a little girl's room. 

You can find my "Merry-Go-Round" print for sale in my Etsy shop. This print is also available in smaller sizes, just email me for pricing.

Brand New Big Set Available!

Happy weekend everyone!

I'm so excited because today I am going to a vertical wind tunnel! For those of you who don't know what that is...it is a tube that blows a very strong air current from the bottom so that you float in the air. I can't wait!

My new "Carnival Big Set" is now available in my Etsy shop.  Each print is 5.5"x 5.5" on 6"x 6" paper. Each print has a 1/4" white border to make framing easy. These prints are also available in larger sizes (up to 20"x 20") and individually. Just email me for pricing.

I have several other awesome print sets available in my shop. Keep checking back...there is more new stuff to come!

Quote for the day:

"One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure."

-- William Feather

I was in a Treasury Today!

I was so excited to check my email today and find that one of my images was included in a Treasury on Etsy today!

"Have a Seat" is available for sale.  This photo was taken on The Strand in Galveston,TX this past summer. After Hurricane Ike devastated the area a few months ago, I doubt this table is still there. 

Thank you so much for including me in the treasury!  I hope everyone had a great day!

Triptychs and Ready-to-Frame Mini Prints!

Today is the first day that it really felt like winter in California. We had rain, clouds, wind...the whole bit. I actually broke out my winter coat!

Now I sit all snuggled up in a blanket, trying to stay warm, to tell you that something new and exciting is happening for Sara Norris Photography.  I have been very busy lately cooking up some new ideas for my Etsy shop. I have posted two of my new creations in my shop today. 

Ready-To-Frame Mini Prints

       

 

Ready-To-Frame Mini Prints are 5"x 5" prints that are available already matted in an 11"x 14" bright white mat. They fit any standard 11"x 14" frame or can stand alone on a tabletop or shelf. These make great gifts for your "decor challenged" friends!

Triptychs

I have Mini Sets and I have Big Sets and now I have Triptychs!  My triptychs are made up of three coordinating 4.5"x 4.5" images on a 5"x 14" print.  Each print is also available individually. 

Stop by my Etsy shop soon, there will be many more great new treats to come!  

Mondays

Mondays are the worst for me. No matter what I do, the weekend is never quite long enough. So the alarm goes off and I drag myself out of bed, because its a Monday and that's what must be done.

But, then something happened that turned it all around! My photography was included in a blog today!

www.sophiassweetspot.blogspot.com

Sophia is a great artist who creates adorable, retro-inspired prints and also has a shop on Etsy.

Thank you so much, you made my Monday.

The Tree of Life...

...is in my Etsy shop!

Quote for the day:

"We can learn a lot from trees: they're always grounded but never stop reaching heavenward."

 - Everett Mamor

The Mary Go Round

Mary from Sun2Create included me in the Dog Lover's Gift Guide on her blog TheMaryGoRound today!

I love her throw pillow covers! Everyone should check out her shop on Etsy.

Thanks for including me! She made my day.

I actually got the quote for the day from her blog:

"Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons."

- Ruth Ann Schabacker

My Website!

It is FINALLY up and running!  

I'm so glad that all of the hard work has paid off and the website is finished! Please take a look.

www.saranorrisphotography.com

Quote for the day:

"The one thing that matters is the effort. It continues, whereas the end to be attained is but an illusion of the climber, as he fares on and on from crest to crest; and once the goal is reached it has no meaning."

 - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

My new DaWanda shop!

I am now officially selling my prints internationally! I'm so excited to be reaching a whole new group of people on the other side of the world.

DaWanda is an online marketplace based in Europe. It is designed specifically for artists and crafts people all over the world to sell their creations. 

It is really a great opportunity for me to market my photography to a whole new audience! If you want to check it out click the widget on the right side of my blog.

Quote for the day:

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."

- Conrad Hilton

I'm in Love....with my new camera!

I just got a Polaroid SX70!  I don't think I have ever been this excited about anything that I got in the mail in my entire life!

Imagine my disappointment when I got home to find a little card in my mailbox announcing that my camera arrived, but it required signature confirmation and was being held hostage at the post office! Oh no!

I commute everyday and work a full time job, so 6:00 AM was the only time I could make it to the post office. For all who know me, I do not have to explain that I AM NOT a morning person. However, I made an exception for my new Polaroid friend and managed to drag myself down there at the crack of dawn.

My sleepy eyes perked right up as soon as I got that little box in my hands. I practically skipped back to my car! Of course I opened it right there in the parking lot! I had to use my car keys and a ball-point pen to tear through the packing tape. I must have looked like I was crazy.

Finally! There it was. In the early morning light, my new Polaroid and I met for the first time.  It was love at first sight. 

Fall Leaves

John and I took a little stroll in Berkley last weekend and saw the most beautiful fall leaves. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures. 

Pretty soon all of the beautiful golds and oranges will turn to brown and fall away leaving the trees all bare and twiggy. 

Winter is on its way to California...

This print is now available in my Etsy shop.

Quote for the day:

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

- George Eliot

Where Were You Going

Sitting in traffic I noticed this empty suitcase lying open on the side of the road. Where was this person going? Where are all of their things? And how did this end up here? Honestly, its one of life's little mysteries.

This print is now available in my Etsy shop.

Quote for the day:

"Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity."

 - R.I. Fitzhenry

Sisters

These are two really sweet little girls!  They brought a kite to fly at the park, but the wind died down not long after we arrived. So we abandoned the kite and blew bubbles instead. They had a great time chasing and popping the bubbles.

As the sun was going down, the day ended with them making a "cake" with "sugar" on top in the sand.

Thank you girls for letting me take your pictures! I had a great time!

Quote for the Day:

"A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."

- Marion C. Garretty

What a Great Way to Start the Day

I checked my email this morning to find that not one, but TWO of my images were included in a treasury today!

I'm so excited to be included in this beautiful, dreamy treasury.

Thanks for making my day!

A Little Flower

The day after I photographed Samson and Sedona, I got the chance to photograph their little sister also!

She showed up with a flower in her hair and in a fabulous little pink tutu that her mom got on ETSY.  I'm a sucker for anything pink! 

This was the happiest baby I have ever seen.  As long as you were talking to her and making silly faces she was loving it!  There was not one pouty face until we decided to change her outfit.  As soon as her mom took off her tutu she cried.  If I looked that cute in a tutu I wouldn't want to take it off either! But that only lasted a second.  She cheered up not long after and the shoot went on.

There were so many great shots from this photo session! Her face is so expressive when she smiles and laughs and I even caught a few great serious faces in there.  

Thanks again!

Samson and Sedona

When I agreed to photograph two boxers at the same time, I thought for sure this was going to be an exhausting and exciting photo shoot.  Anyone who has met a boxer knows that they are sweet hearts, super friendly and FULL of energy. 

 

But, when I met Samson and Sedona, I was really pleasantly surprised at how well trained they are!  They know so many commands and are really great at listening to their owners.  

When their pink flamingo came out of the toy box they were so excited. This would be my favorite toy too! It squeaked, rattled, crinkled and when you shook it, it made the strangest noise. Plus, its pink!

I got some really great shots and by the end of the photo session we were all exhausted!

Thanks so much for letting me play with you guys!

Quote for the day:

"Indeed our lives have been enriched beyond measure because of the love of a dog.  We have been adopted by that most irrepressible of clowns, the most intuitive of comforters, the most selfless of companions - the Boxer."

- The Boxer: Family Favorite

Pretty in Pink

Not long ago I spent a great afternoon playing with Sadie's big sister.  (Sadie is the Great Dane that I photographed not long ago.)

I loved her pink patchwork dress and UGG boots! I didn't realize that they made UGGs that small!

She started off a little shy, but before I knew it she was running around and having a great time at the playground. 

Thank you guys so much for letting me play with you!

I'm starting to work on getting a website soon!  I'm so excited!  I have been working so hard on building my portfolio and creating marketing materials.  I feel like I'm finally making progress in the right direction.

I'll keep everyone updated on the website progress and hopefully it will be ready to go really soon!

Quote for the day:

" Don't wait until everything is just right.  It will never be perfect.  There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions.  So what.  Get started now.  With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful."

- Mark Victor Hansen

Sadie

At only ten months old, Sadie is definitely the biggest puppy that I have ever photographed!  She was so much fun and surprisingly well behaved for a puppy.  She has a ton of personality and her photos came out great!

YAY! Its Moving Day!

We are finally moving out of this moldy, flooding apartment and into a Condo! I'm so excited to be in a new, clean place to live. Its such a relief!  Wish us luck! 

Hey There Cupcake!

I'm so excited that I was included in the Photographer's of Etsy blog on Monday!  Yay!  My picture is on the top left.

It's always a great feeling when your work is appreciated! I'm so glad to be included!

Hurricane Ike

Below is the historic Balinese Room in Galveston, TX before and after Hurricane Ike.

This is Crystal Beach, TX before and after Hurricane Ike.

This is Murdoch's Pier in Galveston, TX before and after Hurricane Ike.

Although I now live in California, I am originally from Port Arthur, TX.  All of my family still lives in South East Texas. This area was recently demolished by Hurricane Ike. My family was lucky enough to escape with their homes and thier lives, but most people weren't as lucky.  

I am raising money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to help the victims of Hurricane Ike.  There are images for sale in my Etsy store that were taken in Galveston and Crystal Beach, TX on my family vacation in July 2008. I am donating 75% of sales from these images to help the people who were effected by this disaster.  

Thank you in advance for your kind donations!

Quote for today:

"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can."

- Sydney Smith

A day in the park

I had the best picnic in the park with this adorable little girl and her family. I can't wait to photograph her with her twin little brothers!

Thanks for the great lunch!

Check out Giani!

Giani is the cutest little Maltese! What a personality! 

He was so much fun to photograph. Even when he was totally distracted by the other dogs at the dog park we were still able to get some really great images of this little cutie.

The Week Everything Went Wrong

Did you ever have one of those weeks where everything just went completely wrong? That was this week...or this month I should say. 

My apartment flooded, there was a car accident right in front of my office, the internet stopped working , a transformer exploded, the phones went out, I tore a hole in one of my favorite shirts this morning and then spilled a cup of coffee on it, I went down to the park to take a break and sat in the grass...when I got up my butt was all wet!

What is going on in the universe right now? Despite all of this, I posted some new images on my Etsy site today.

New Pictures and the Flood

I haven't posted anything in a while because my apartment flooded!  A pipe exploded in the apartment upstairs and, because gravity is what it is, my apartment was flooded too!

So, everything is almost back to normal now and I have added some new images to my ETSY shop for you to enjoy.

Quote for today:

"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be."

- Abraham Maslow

Cutest Little Boys Ever!

I couldn't resist posting a couple of my favorite images from a photo shoot I had last week with these adorable little boys.

Thank you so much for letting me photograph you guys!

"We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans.  And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate.  It's just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there.  Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn't have expected."

- Ben Okri

Itsy Bitsy Prints and Mini Sets

Happy weekend everyone!  There are exciting new things happening in my ETSY shop.

I am now offering my prints in new sizes! I've decided that not everyone wants 8x8 square prints, so now they come a little smaller.  I also have Mini Sets for sale.  These are collections of images that are 4x4 on 5x5 paper at a reduced price.  

Hopefully I will soon be offering Post Cards and Greeting Cards with my images on them also!

I had a photo session with two adorable boys this week! I can't wait to get a couple of images up to show everyone!

Quote for today:

"Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow."

- Doug Firebaugh

WOO HOO!!!

I had a sale on ETSY today!  I'm so EXCITED!! Yay!

And now I am rhyming...so I will stop there. 

Quote for today:

"The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.  The sure-thing boat never gets far from the shore."

- Dale Carnegie

I Already Broke my Promise!

I just realized that I had dedicated myself to including a quote with every post I make and I didn't follow through in my post before last! 

So.....here it is. As promised.

"I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman."

- Anais Nin

Take your Pick!

I am now selling sets of images in my ETSY shop.  Decorating your space is easy now that the images are already grouped together by theme!

There will be an option soon to create your own set of images! Pick any four images that you love and purchase them as a set!  Just make sure that you tell me which four images you want.

I am trying to stick with this quote for every post thing.  So here is the one for today:

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams."

- Ashley Smith