Sarah Patch Color & Photo

Matt & Anna - Engagement Photos

2010-11-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

Matt & Anna are a couple of high school sweethearts from Poolesville, MD. They started dating on the day of their senior prom and have been together ever since. They were engaged last year and will be getting married in June of this next year!

The photos were taken in Poolesville, MD and at Sugarloaf Mtn.

Enjoy!

John & Brittany - Part II

2010-11-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

Make sure to catch Part I if you missed it!

John and Brittany, it was an honor to share in your day. Best of wishes to you both as you begin this journey together.

John & Brittany - Part I

2010-11-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

Meet John and Brittany.

I went to school with both of them in Tennessee. Brittany was in my year and in my sorority. I was asked to co-shoot their wedding by one of my best friends, Kyle Kurlick (who is also an amazing photographer).

Their wedding took place at the New Canton Plantation in East Tennessee. It was such a beautiful house with so many quirky, interesting spots you'll see in the photos.

They opted to do a first look before the ceremony. This was my first wedding where the couple opted for a first look. It was sooooo nicccceee. We had several hours ahead of time to get creative with the portraits. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who would consider.

To hear more of John and Brittany's story, go here.

Enjoy!

Make sure to check out Part II for the rest of the photos. :)

Katie & Anthony - Wedding Photos and Wedding Makeup

2010-09-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

These are the photos from the wedding of my good friend Katie to her husband Anthony.
The ceremony took place at Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, MD.

You may remember Katie and Anthony from their engagement photos I took earlier this year!

This wedding was the first wedding where I did the makeup AND the photos. Whew!

It went well, but I don't think I'll make a habit of it. It's a lot to think about and keep track of in one day.

With no further ado, here are the photos! Enjoy! :)

We got to take some time before the ceremony to take the guys outside for a few shots...

Katie and Anthony learned a choreographed dance that was part swing and part fox-trot for their first dance. So fun! :)

A little cake-smashing action for ya!

Oh, you know, just one of the random couples dancing... hehehehe :o)

Heyyy, it's Mitch and Jackie!

They decided to pull a little switch on the guy who caught the garter and the girl who caught the bouquet. Ok, let me give a little background.

So, Katie may or may not have thrown the bouquet to her cousin's girlfriend on purpose. You know, just for a little good luck. And the guy who caught the garter was about 8 years old, so they gave the garter to Katie's cousin (the guy being blindfolded).

He thought he was getting his girlfriend...

And this is who he was actually getting - their other cousin :)

Katie and Anthony, thanks so much for asking me to be a part of your special day, it was so much fun :) May God continue to bless you as your marriage begins together.

Francie & Aaron - Wedding Photos

2010-08-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

These are a few photos from Aaron and Francie Boker's wedding that I shot a few weeks ago!

The whole day took place at the beautiful Elkridge Furnace Inn in Elkridge, MD.

To read details of their story together, click here! Enjoy!

And thanks to Kristin Solomon for second shooting!

Francie's mom made her dress and bridesmaid's dresses!

On to the reception!

This was the first Jewish wedding I've ever shot. One of the traditions is to raise the bride and groom up on chairs during the dancing. Francie's a brave woman...

Joseph laying down the law on the dance floor! Joe was the first groom I ever shot.

We snuck outside to grab a few more portraits after the reception.

A Few Photos from Matt & Kelly's Wedding

2010-08-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Here are few photos I shot from Matt & Kelly's wedding a few weeks ago in Frederick, MD. I was second shooting for my friend, Paul Barrios Photography.

Enjoy!

Mitch & Jackie - Wedding Photos

2010-07-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

These are some of my favorite photos taken of Mitch and Jackie Davidson's wedding on June 17, 2010. It took place at the beautiful Overhills Mansion in Catonsville, MD.

Mitch and Jackie are such a sweet couple. It was a pleasure editing these photos. You can really tell they're in love in each photo they share. I'm not usually that photographer that "awwws" the whole time I'm going back through the photos, but I was this time. So many sweet moments. :) If you'd like to hear more of their story, you can read how they met here and read the proposal story here. (I'd highly recommend it. Very cute.)

Big, big thanks to Paul Barrios for second-shooting for me and letting me use his rockin-awesome lenses. Mark those as next on the to-do list for Sarah Patch Photography, please.

We started out by doing a photo session of just the girls at a park nearby.

Beautiful photos are easy to make when there are beautiful girls in them. Case in point: Jackie.

She's so cute. I told her to do a "diva pose" - the first photo was her reaction, and the second photo was her pose.

Case in point #2: the bridesmaids.

Jackie's bridesmaids were a good mixture of sisters, sisters-in-law, and close friends.

On to the mansion!

I loved the details she put into the ceremony decor! Definitely makes for awesome photos.

Let's get down to business, folks!

And this is Mitch. Waiting.

Both the preacher and the best man are the groom's brothers. Jackie's brother is just on the other side of the best man - you can see him in the previous photo.

Mitch praying over them as a couple :)

Yay! :)

We took a few minutes to grab portraits of Mitch and Jackie out back as the sun was setting.

On to the reception!

I thought this was cute. During the toasts, Mitch and Jackie had almost identical reactions to the things that were said. You can see how alike they've become already :)

I think Mitch can use this same face again whenever his daughter eventually gets married. :)

Love this last shot by Paul -

Mitch and Jackie, it was a pleasure shooting your wedding day - you're such a sweet couple. May God bless your marriage as it continues to grow.

A Few Photos from Michael & Ebony's Wedding

2010-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

These are a few photos from a wedding I second-shot for my friend and fellow photographer, Jenny James. She's one of my favorite photographers and puts out some beautiful work - check out her site here. :)

Here's a few of my favorite shots from getting ready, the ceremony and the reception!

Check this out! Nobody says a preacher can't rock the D&G! :)

Near the end of the ceremony, the preacher laid hands on the couple and prayed over their lives together, over the influences on their marriages, over the children they would have, over their relationships with God...

And the whole congregation and bridal party prayed their own prayers for them aloud with the preacher. It was pretty awesome. I think this should definitely be a more common practice at weddings.

James & Jessica - Wedding Photos

2010-06-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Meet James & Jessica Friley.

They got married on April 24, 2010 at a cute little bed & breakfast in Middleburg, VA. Jessica was one of Mandy's bridesmaids, and Mandy was the maid of honor in Jess' wedding.

Hope you enjoy the photos!

Check out this gorgeous dress! Loved it.

Time for the portraits!

On to the reception!

Loved these shots that my second shooter, Israel Groveman, got of the bride's parents dancing. The bride's father had just given a speech saying how every good quality their children possessed came from her doing, and that their children wouldn't be the people they are today without her. I couldn't get this guy to even crack a slight smile for the formal shots, so it was really sweet to see the real emotion come through when the time was right. :)

Katie & Anthony - Engagement Photos

2010-05-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

These are my friends Katie and Anthony!

Katie is one of the Monday night girls. Every Monday night, a few of us get together and see how many years we can take off our lifespan by watching the TV show "24" every week (if you've never seen it, it's more than a little stressful, but highly addictive! :)

Katie and Anthony met during their time attending Salisbury University. They started dating on Dec. 13, 2007, dated for two years, and eventually got engaged in January of this year!

We took the first set of shots at a soccer field in Germantown. It seemed pretty appropriate - they met on a soccer field, Anthony asked Katie to date him on a soccer field, and they've both played soccer for most of their lives. :)

We took the second set of shots at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

Congratulations, Katie and Anthony! Can't wait to shoot your wedding! :)

Howard University Fashion Show

2010-04-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was asked to help out with the makeup at the Howard Fashion Show by one of my coworkers at Sephora, Maryam Sherif. On April 11th, Maryam, me, our coworker Lauren, and Lauren's friend did all the models' makeup for about 4 hours before the show started. Maryam also hooked me up with a press pass so I could shoot the show. :)

Here are a few of the before-and-afters and shots of my girls on the runway!

(Pre- fake lashes)

Eyes & lips: me. Foundation & blush: Lauren Jillian (I think)

Foundation: Lauren Jillian. Eyes, blush, & lips: me

Foundation & blush: Lauren Jillian. Eyes & lips: me.

And these are a few shots from the rest of the show! Enjoy!

I worked on this girl's makeup too.

This is Keith Wall.. he did a lot of work in orchestrating the fashion show.

This is Maryam Sherif and Jasmin Ryals... they did most of the work to put the fashion show together.

Congratulations to the designer who won!

PS- I've posted a complete set of the photos from the show online - shoot me an email if you'd like the info!

Nate & Lindsay - Engagement Photos

2010-04-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

So. This story is kinda long, but it's REALLY good. If you don't have time to read it, here's the summary: I set them up, and now they're getting married! Yay! :D But you should read the long story - it's way better.

First of all, meet Nate & Lindsay!

I've known Nate since high school. We were both involved with Young Life at two different high schools that went to camp together. He spent many summer nights sleeping under the pool table in our basement along with a few other guys - they were always over hanging out with my brother. We both started going to a young adult ministry called Intermission and remained friends.

Lindsay was born in South Africa and spent most of her life there. She came here with an au pair program & spent the last few years caring for the Dobbyn girls. Although her program was temporary, she planned to find a way to stay in the States for good. I met her when we were at the same membership class at Covenant Life - we started hanging out and became close friends!

It occurred to me fairly early in my friendship with Lindsay that she & Nate would make a really good match. The most obvious (but probably least significant!) reason was height: she's 6 feet tall, and he's 6'7! Most of the reason was their personalities. I felt pretty sure that they'd be a good fit, but there was never really a moment when I thought, "Oh! Now's the time that I should tell Lindsay & Nate about each other."

Then one early morning in September, I received a distraught call from Lindsay. "I have some news for you," she told me. "I have to go back." As she began telling me about a meeting with an immigration lawyer and how none of her previously made plans for staying were holding up, all I could think about was how I hadn't told her about Nate yet. I couldn't decide if I should still say anything. She only had three months left in the States. Was it too late? If he wasn't right for her, wouldn't it just be even more stress for her to have to think about some guy in the last few months she had left here? I eventually decided that I'd be more likely to regret NOT introducing them than choosing TO introduce them.

Lindsay was well-aware that one of the easiest ways for her to stay in the country would be if she was to get married. So one morning at church, she joked with me, "So! How many guys have you got lined up for me??" I told her, "Just one - but this is serious!" I told her about Nate and how well I thought they'd fit together. She was very hesitant at first, as any normal person would be if they only had three months to get to know a potential future spouse, but eventually agreed to at least meet him if I would come along with a few other people.

Now it was time to tell Nate. One night at Intermission, he ironically said something about au pairs and South Africa. I pulled him aside and said, "Speaking of au pairs and South Africa, I have something to tell you afterwards!" After the meeting ended, I began to tell him about my friend Lindsay and how well I thought they'd fit together. He seemed a little overwhelmed thinking about it, but he was coping pretty well. Then I proceeded to tell him that she was from South Africa and would need to leave the country in about three months (implying that the only thing that could keep her from going would be the two of them getting married). His eyes got very wide, he grabbed his stuff, and started walking towards his car. I chased at his heels, increasingly speeding up the last few details about when and where they could meet. I think I just barely got the last few words out before his car door shut. At that point, I assumed it was over. I had done my duty, but he wasn't interested.

So the event where they were supposed to meet had already been set up - I had invited a bunch of people to get dinner at the Cheesecake Factory that Friday night. It looked like it was only going to be me & Lindsay and a bunch of other girls. But about an hour before everyone was supposed to meet up for dinner, I got a text from Nate: "So... are you guys still doing something, even though I decided not to come?" I told him yes, that we'd be meeting at the Cheesecake Factory in about an hour. He texted back, "Ok. I'm coming."

So they officially met that night (they had been in the same environments as each other a little before that). It was fairly awkward, as it's bound to be when two people meet for the first time and are told they're supposed to like each other. They didn't talk to each other a whole lot; it was mostly just a normal night of hanging out. By the end of the night, it still didn't seem like much was going to happen.

A couple weeks later, I had a birthday party at my house that they both came to. After a while of both of them passing in and out of different conversations, they ended up in a conversation with each other - and it clicked! They talked for the rest of the night. Their conversation was filled with laughter and jokes and playing off of each other's personalities. It was obvious how much they liked each other already. :)

And Nate took it from there. After that night, they started hanging out a LOT. They got to know each other very quickly. During this time, I got many a call from Lindsay babbling, "Oh my goodness Sarah, I like him soooo much! I've never liked anyone so much in all my life! I mean, there's nothing I don't like about him! The other night, we talked for three hours, but it only felt like five minutes! And..." ...so on and so forth. :)

It didn't take long for them to begin dating! They knew it would be a tough situation, but liked each other so much they knew they couldn't just let it go.

When the time drew nearer for her to return to South Africa, they had plans in place that they would still continue the relationship after she went back. They would talk on Skype all the time, and he would fly over to visit her every three months or so. Of course it wasn't ideal, but it was the best plan they could come up with. At this point, they already knew they wanted to get married!

Right around the turn of the year, closing in on the time when she was scheduled to leave, I got another call from Lindsay with some big news. "I have some news for you," she said. "I'm not going back!" She went on to tell me how they had met with the immigration lawyer again and found another option - she could get a six-month extension where they would need to get engaged and married within that time.

So that's what they chose to do! Since they already knew they wanted to get married, it only made sense for her to not have to go back and risk not being able to get back in the country. It's been crazy-busy for them trying to get everything done in that time, but it's going to happen - they're getting married! :D

Lindsay and Nate, I'm so so so happy for you both. I can't WAIT til the wedding! :D

PS- The wedding is on May 1 - keep an eye on Lydia Jane's blog for the wedding photos!

*~*~*~*~*

On to the photos!

We took all the photos at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. There is a never-ending supply of beautiful spots surrounding that building.

Half the shots were fun, crazy shots in casual clothes; the other half were more sophisticated shots in dressy clothes. We'll start with the fun ones. :)

Lindsay paying homage to her home country :)

Both such goofballs :P

On to the dressier shots! I think this group of shots sums up their relationship pretty well... :)

Stacey - Wedding Makeup

2010-03-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

This is Stacey! I did her makeup for her wedding to John David Maresco on February 27th. She was also one of Kate's bridesmaids.

Keep an eye out on Carissa Gallo's blog for the rest of their wedding photos!

Kate - Wedding Makeup

2010-02-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Kate. She was married to Josh Etter on New Year's Eve of this past year! This was my first official time doing a bride's makeup for her wedding.

Thanks to Lydia Jane for the photo! To see more photos from the wedding & more views of her makeup, go here!

Lindsay - Portraits

2010-02-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

These are a few portraits we took of my friend Lindsay! We wanted to make them a little more edgy/fashion-oriented than typical portraits. They were all taken in downtown Washington DC, in Georgetown.

Lindsay & The Dobbyns - Family Shoot

2010-02-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

My friend Lindsay was an au pair for the Dobbyn family for the past 2 years. Since the time she arrived in the States from South Africa, they have been just like a real family to her. Though she's now serving as an au pair for another family, these girls will always be so close to her heart.

The girls are Pippa, 13, and Annabel, 9.

Enjoy! :)

Julianna - Head & Body Shots

2010-02-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Julianna. She is just beginning to get into some modeling and acting, and needed head & body shots for an upcoming audition. These are the shots she used!

Both she and her sister, Larissa, booked the jobs they were trying out for! Congrats girls!

Mandy & Joe - Wedding Photos

2009-12-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

These are the photos from the wedding of Joe & Mandy Malanowski.

Mandy is my wonderful first bride! The first lady to entrust me with capturing her wedding day in photos. I know her through my long-time friend Kelly, who was the maid-of-honor in the wedding.

Mandy approached me a while back and asked me to shoot her wedding. I was definitely nervous to accept, since it would be my first time as the primary shooter at a wedding. But Mandy was the perfect first bride! She was so sweet about everything, and probably had more confidence in me than I had in myself! I'm so grateful to her for having the faith in me to give me my first shot.

Hope you enjoy the photos! I also included a few great perspective shots from my awesome second shooter, Lauren Lotinsky. Look for the "LL"!

To see more of Joe and Mandy's story, check back in my earlier posts for their engagement photos!

All of her shoe options for the day! Can a girl have too many?? ;)

Ready!

Ready? :)

They actually had these sun rays painted on the wall! They ended up right behind their heads in a number of shots. I think it was appropriate for this one :)

Despite a super-chilly day, lots of rain & summer-style dresses, I think we came out with some great portraits. Thanks for sticking with me ladies!

Parents of the bride

Love this one of maid-of-honor Kelly and her boyfriend Matt. They're so photogenic! Every photo they were in turned out amazing.

We sneaked out of the reception to grab a few more portraits!

Love this shot from Lauren! You can tell she works in architecture.

Larissa - Hair, Makeup and Headshots

2009-11-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Larissa. A few weeks ago, she asked me to do a couple headshots for her that she could hand out at an actors' fair. We did her hair, makeup, and a little coaching for the shoot. This is the final shot we decided on!

A few weeks later, she went to a modeling audition and got booked for the job! Congrats, Larissa! Hope there are many more successes to come! :)

Mandy & Joe - Engagement Photos

2009-11-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

Meet Mandy & Joe!

Mandy and Joe met each other in college when they attended Salisbury University. They only attended college together for one semester before Joe went to another school, but the seeds of their relationship had been planted. :) As Mandy put it, "I just couldn't get him out of my head!"

They began dating a little while later, and got engaged 4 years after that!

They seem like such a nice couple from what I was able to witness! Mandy is kind, charming, and thoughtful... a real lady. Joe is sarcastic and playful, always finding a way to make jokes from any situation. But when it comes to talking about how he feels about Mandy, there are no more jokes. He's unapologetically crazy about her, and will state his affections in front of anyone who may be present. It's very sweet :)

Hope you enjoy their engagement photos, and make sure to scroll to more recent posts to see the wedding photos!

Andy Ross - Photoshoot Makeup

2009-11-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

Andy Ross is a model for commercial photoshoots. She came running into our Sephora one day on the way to a shoot, said that the makeup artist had cancelled and she needed one of us to do her makeup. My coworker Pam had initially been starting the consultation, but asked for some help and I ended up doing her makeup. This is one of the photos from the shoot!

Thanks for the fun opportunity Andy, and good luck in your modeling endeavors!

Daniel & Emily - Engagement Photos

2009-11-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

Yay!

I love them both. But especially Emily.

Emily is my fabulous little sister from our fraternity in college, Zeta Tau Alpha at Union University. I had the privilege of attending college with her for 2 years and rooming with her for a semester at the end of that time. Emily is one of my favorite people! She is spunky, fun, loyal, kind, and blunt. I'll limit my doting to that list for now. :) I love her dearly and miss her tons.

Dan & Emily are a perfect match for each other. They are not perfect PEOPLE (don't go shopping for one of those for yourself, you'll be single forever!), but they compliment each other so well. I was blessed to witness the beginning and growth of their relationship together. Besides the more serious aspects of fit, they fit so well in how they have fun together. They're so quirky and weird. Many of their fun times are shared over fart jokes and sarcastic, non-PC discussions about the world. I enjoy them very much.

With no further ado, here are the photos!

Umm, so: is my little sis GORGEOUS or what?? If you chose the first option, then yes, you are correct.

Just a little reenactment. :)

Um, I just needed to post this photo to reinforce how pretty she is. Is that okay? Okay good.

I'm so happy for you both, and so excited to hear about how you continue to grow together as your marriage progresses. <3

Yosemite

2009-11-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

These are a few of the photos I took on our family vacation to San Francisco & the California coast this summer!

Yosemite was unbelievably beautiful. It was probably the most beautiful place I've ever been.

It's amazing how big everything was! Actually, rather than everything feeling bigger, it felt like someone had shrunk us down to be much smaller. We were the only things in that environment that were disproportionately sized.

All this beauty wasn't crafted in Photoshop, folks! Only our Creator could make something this beautiful.

Welcome To My Blog!

2009-10-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Soooo, I've finally made a blog to display my photos! My photography portfolio has been building, as well as a number of photos from various makeup jobs I've done, so I figured it was time for my work to have a home on the web. :)

My blog will be mostly made up of photos, although where there is a story to go with them, I will tell it!

Thanks to all the friends who have been such a great help to me lately in various aspects of photography, makeup artistry, and working all the bugs out of my blog!

Joe Moss

Alainka LaChance

Also, please leave any suggestions you may have in your comments along with the encouragement, whether they concern the blog, photos, editing, etc. I'd love to learn from all of you!

Thanks for visiting and enjoy!

~Sarah~