Dirk and Danielle are two extremely exceptional individuals. They are filled with life, promise, kindness, and have recently discovered their ability to make really ridiculously cute babies. It is truly overwhelming to think of the promise and potential this little man will have to behold living his life with such amazing parents.

Bringing a little one into this world brings with it the most unbelievable ability to shape new life. With it the challenge to raise a loving, genuine, intelligent individual.

One that will care deeply and love fully.

One that will think and learn.

One that will contribute and give.

I am confident that Dirk and Danielle will rise to the challenge and bring little Jaxson James to become a person that will make them humble and proud. I was honored just to be able to document some of the beginning of that journey.

D&D- Congrats! I can’t wait to watch your little one grow!

xoxo,
SAW

How would you feel if Celine Dion asked you to sing her a lullaby?

Or if Rachel Ray wanted you to bake her cookies?

Or most terrifying of all, Michael Jackson asked you to bust a move (assuming you wouldn’t be wrapped up about the whole resurrection part)?

Well, then you can only imagine how flabbergasted I felt when this insanely amazing photographer, Jessica, asked me to take some snaps of her and her snazzy new hair-do. Ummm, seriously… have you ever seen anyone rock a pixie cut like this??? Didn’t think so. If it weren’t for the fact that I consider her a dear friend, I would have assumed when SHE asked ME to take her photos that she was playing a nasty April Fool’s Joke on me in the middle of June.

Jess is honestly one of the kindest, most genuine people I have the honor of calling my friend. She has been so immensely supportive of me in this little photography journey that I am on, and honestly if it were not for her generosity with words and advise I may have had a few more Goldfish binges.

Jess my dear, I know that this doesn’t begin to repay you for all you have done for me, but at least it captures a tiny bit of your fabulousness. And thanks for putting up with my dinosaur noises and all of my funky shooting quirks.

Stay classy Sacramento.

xoxo,
SAW

There is something oddly surreal about watching someone you hold fiercely dear to you grow another human being inside of them. A sense of normalcy is gone, and yet it has been replaced with a deep longing and growing anticipation to meet the little one… to witness her personality develop, to watch her grow, to see her learn, to experience the world through the eyes of an innocent little one.

I love my cousin more than life itself, and despite the fact that I never even wanted to enter the “competition” into who could enter motherhood first (I’m convinced Jessie tends to like to make up competitions just so that she can win), I am so incredibly thrilled to witness her transform into what I am convinced will be one of the world’s greatest mothers.

Jessie just wanted a few photos to document the progress of her pregnancy, so we were fortunate enough to be able to slip away from Easter dinner for a few minutes. Tim was a champion on his crutches navigating into the brush…. if what you are willing to dedicate for photos is a millionth of what the kind of dedication you will have as a father, then this little girl is one of the luckiest alive already.

Little Madeline Mae Sprinkles, I can’t wait to meet you!

Love,
Aunt Shanni

My family has this fairly heinous game they like to play while looking at our old family photographs. The object of the game (in my opinion) is to solidify a permanent reminder of what side of the camera I belong on. This is all accomplished while reminding me that my “awkward years” were more like “awkward decades”, and of course that my family really had no hope of me becoming a child model.

When playing this game, my mom will pull out an “Arnett Family Album” that contains photos of the aforementioned “awkward decades”. She will then open to a random page, quickly slide her finger across the plastic that encases the photo and land it pointing at my sister’s face. The whole family will then suck all of the air humanly available to them into their lungs and proclaim like a trumpet announcing the arrival of royalty, “Dooo dooo duuu loooo dooooo DOOOOOOO!!!!”. They then smile at the glory and joy that adorably posed TraciLyn brings to all humanity.

It’s truly a wonder she wasn’t the Gerber baby of the 80s with the pure and utter glee her blonde hair, blue eyes, tiny body, adorable poses, and her off the charts adorable factor bring to all who know her.

If you’re thinking my mother’s finger then glided across the plastic to land on me, you would be correct. My momma then slowly and extremely dramatically slides her finger across the photos to awkward, slightly obese, stretch pants wearing, permed Shanni. All of the air again draws into everyones lungs and with utter satisfaction my entire family shouts, “HONK!!!”, as if the noise that came from a novice trombone player when attempting his first note mated with a goose honk. Laughter erupts, and a deep analysis of how awkward and angry I look ensues until the family is thoroughly entertained.

Flip to the next page in the photo album, repeat.

While not seeking sympathy from any of you fine friends in cyber space, I am certain you can begin to understand why it is that my gorgeous sister belongs on one side of the camera and I on the other. My shea is one of my favorite people on earth to photograph, not only because of her external beauty but also with the interactions and laughter that always ensues. I was lucky enough to go and spend some quality time with her this weekend in Sandy Eggo, and we had a marvelous time at Hotel Indigo which is a fabulous little hotel in downtown that is Lady Godiva- friendly (i.e. dog). I took photos of my she for about ten minutes, and I’m fairly certain her future husband will one day thank me.

I love you she.

doo doo duuuu loooo dooo dooo,
SAW