As I sit here in a beautiful cabin in the mountains somewhere North of Boone, NC I am uploading this post via my sister-in-laws computer connected through a verizon phone connection at 2:00 in the morning.  Technology is so awesome these days.  What was really awesome was photographing Jackie and Marks wedding at the Lake Lure Inn and Spa.  It was a gorgeous day and the horse and carriage made for some great shots.  Jackie and Mark have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of others and the theme of their wedding was “be the change you desire in the world.”  You guys rock and I am really blessed to have shared your wedding day with you and I hope I have been able to capture your memories in a way that reflects the beauty inside the two of you.  Love you guys!

We set up a bluebird house this Spring and after much deliberation a Mama and Papa finally moved in. And we have 5 little blue eggs in the nest. They are so much fun to watch. Enjoy the pictures.

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I am so blessed to have such wonderful and good-looking couples to work with.  Jackie besides being beautiful has worked as a model and Mark kept us all laughing and having  a fun time.  Even though it was a bit cloudy and we had a few little showers the pastoral setting with magnificent horses was more than I could have hoped for.  I am so looking forward to photographing this wedding.  Enjoy the slideshow below.

Ok I’ll admit it we are wimpy parents…   Our little girl Carina has been asking for a cat for a while now and while I love cats I guess I was trying to hold out for a while.  Well Mia and Carina came home one night and Mia had arranged a sleepover with her friends Alexi and Priscilla.  Carina was feeling left out and upset that Mia had a sleepover but she wasn’t able to have one because her friends weren’t available.  Soooo we said we would take her to look at kitties.  I know, I know it was all over at that point and Lisa and I just looked at each other knowing that we were coming home with another pet no matter what.  So we got to the Humane Society about 1/2 hour before they closed and started looking at the cats and kittens.  Carina held a few and almost decided on one until it bit her a little bit and then I noticed this beautiful grey cat just stretching out the full length of his cage and sticking his paws out through the bars as I came up to him.  Not paying much attention to the name on the cage we took him out and he just melted in our laps.  Lisa looked up and noticed his name was Desi…  Well that was it.  With Lucy the dog waiting at home we knew we had found the perfect match. Lucy and Desi.  So we brought Desi home and gently introduced him to Lucy and the house.  After about an hour it was like he had lived here his whole life.  What a beautiful mellow cat.  He is laying behind me on the office chair as I type this.  Desi has even taken over Lucy’s dog bed and I think Lucy is a bit peeved, but she now has some one to play with once in a while and is dealing with the newcomer as best she can.  Here are a few portraits I did today using some of the knowledge from the Sandy Puc seminar I went to in Charlotte last night.  Great seminar, I highly recommend her workshops.

Warren Sander Photography is participating in the National Charity Model Search to select “America’s Cutest Kid” and to raise funds for charity.

We’re looking for cute children ages 18 months to 14 years old to model for a portrait to be entered into the contest.

Models Search Special:
$29 entrance fee, which includes a 40 minute model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. Anyone may vote. Each vote is $1, and all proceeds from votes benefit the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. (NILMDTS.org)
Grand prize national winner will be determined from the 50 city finalists. Winners selected by photography and modeling industry experts.

If your child is selected the national winner, you’ll receive many prizes, including a $5,000 US Savings Bond and a Canon PowerShot G10 digital camera.

If you’re interested in entering your child(ren), please call the studio at 828-254-4159. For more information about the contest, go online to www.sandypucmodels.com.

I feel totally blessed to have my children going to a school where they are completely supported in finding their joy every day. They can’t wait to get to school every day and bug me if I am running late! How cool is that? The school is such a wonderful space of learning, experimentation, friendship, play and growth. It is drawing people from throughout the community that come to volunteer just to experience the environment and be a part of the community whether they have children at the school or not. Most of the staff is “working” without compensation at this time and their dedication is an inspiration to us all as parents. I just photographed the staff this week and put together this collage. The joy in their glowing faces is a testament to the love that abounds in the Katuah Sudbury Family. It is much more than a school for kids. It is truly an inspired community that I am so proud and happy to be a part of. Thank you Kristin, Peter, Maureen, Natalie, Jessie, Katrina, Tom, Lloyd, and all the others that have been a part of this great adventure. Love you all!

How fast they grow.  I am amazed every day at the changes I see in my little girls.  Carina has been loving cooking with Mom in the kitchen, so for her birthday we had it at the Young Chef’s Academy.  The girls had a wonderful time making individual pizza’s and the parents enjoyed a nice mellow birthday party.  Very nice. Watch the slideshow below.

Had my first session with Gauge Walk a local hip hop group headed to the big time. We had a great shoot and got some awesome shots.
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We had a little Christmas construction project last week as we built our first Gingerbread house. I think it came out pretty nice. The snowman is a little droopy, but maybe it’s because the weather warmed up and he is melting a bit. What are you doing for Christmas?

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Kristen and Greg are from Virginia, but they came down to the Biltmore House for their engagement session because this is where Greg proposed to Kristen. We had a great time walking around the grounds on this gorgeous fall day. They were so comfortable and natural together which made for a very enjoyable session. Enjoy the slideshow!

The wind was blowing pretty good making it a bit chilly at the dizzying altitude at the top  of old Chimney Rock.  But the warmth of the sun breaking through to illuminate the valley below and the warmth of the love between these two special people made it easily bearable.  Donna was absolutely radiant as you can see in the slideshow below. Brad was going with the flow as the challenge of getting Donna’s brother up to the top in his wheelchair was handled and the Montana crew found their way to the site just in time.  On the way to Larkins on the Lake for some delicious prime rib I was looking forward to some crazy shots of Donna scrambling up the climbing wall in her dress and cowboy boots, but dang the wall was all closed up and secured.  Oh well have to settle for the beautiful romantic shots on the lake.  The food at Larkins was excellent and take a look at the awesome wedding cake by Tiffany Good.  It was the talk of the night as everyone tried to figure out how she created it.  Hope you guys had a wonderful honeymoon in Costa Rica!

We just had another visit from the bear family as they passed through our yard.  Strange to see them out in the middle of the day so much.

And this just in from Alaska:

A  family that lives on the outskirts of Anchorage, Alaska decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3 and 4 year old sons. They lined the bottom with smooth-stone gravel all around to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries.   They finished building it one Friday evening and were very pleased with the end product.

The following morning, the mom was about to wake up the boys and have them go out to play in their new play center.  This is what she saw from the upstairs window:

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Gives a whole new meaning to “build it and they will come!”

We were in for a big surprise as Carina looked down the street and excaimed, “DADDY I SEE BEARS?!” We went outside and there was Mama Bear with 4 cubs crossing the road.  These cubs are almost as big as Mama. So as they rambled across the road into the neighbors we got in the car and went around the block and caught them tearing open another neighbors trash and having a little snack.  They came within 10 feet of the car which we of course never left.  At one point they were startled by something and it was amazing to watch as one of the cubs jumped about 4 feet up onto a tree trunk and hung on.  As you can see from the closeup they have huge long claws.  So we followed them to another house where they ate sunflower seeds from the bird feeder finally bending over the metal pole as they pulled it down to the ground.  It was quite an amazing sight especially to see how fast they can move.  The girls loved it. Enjoy the images!

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Our hearts and prayers go out to our dear friend Pam whose daughter Rinnie made her transition last Sunday. She was a joy and beacon of light for all in our community and will be deeply missed. We love you Pam.

Had a wonderful time with a walk through the botanical gardens with Brad and Donna and then dinner at Wasabi downtown.  They are getting married at Chimney Rock next month and it was great to get to know each other better and have some fun taking some images at the Botanical Gardens and walking around downtown.  You guys did great and we got some great shots.  Looking forward to a beautiful fall and a gorgeous wedding!