| Muirheid Fall Family Limited Edition Session | Decatur IL |

fall, family, portraits, photography, photographer, sarah jane photography, decatur il, decatur il photographer, best photographer, central il, illinois photographer, family portraits, pets, dogs, family photo with dog, family poses, what to wear family photos, red plaid, wardrobe, son, boy mom, chad mitchell photography, teran elaine photography, kathy locke, child's play photography, oreana il photographer, oreana il studio, oreana photography studio, portrait studio, new studio, small business,

It’s time for some ‘bonus blog posts’ since I have LOTS of sessions to share with you from the past few months and not enough days in the week to fit them all in if we don’t start adding in some extras. So our first BONUS post this week is of this beautiful family who lucked out with scheduling and landed perfectly on the best, most beautiful, fall week of our entire year. Just look at that stunning fall color we had for their day!

fall, family, portraits, photography, photographer, sarah jane photography, decatur il, decatur il photographer, best photographer, central il, illinois photographer, family portraits, pets, dogs, family photo with dog, family poses, what to wear family photos, red plaid, wardrobe, son, boy mom, chad mitchell photography, teran elaine photography, kathy locke, child's play photography, oreana il photographer, oreana il studio, oreana photography studio, portrait studio, new studio, small business,

I hear from mommas all the time who haven’t had family portraits taken in a year, 5 years, a decade or more and it always comes with a tone of guilt… ladies, let me be the first to tell you I 100% do not judge you for not having family portraits taken! It’s hard work, it’s stressful and the #1 reason I do it every year is simply so I do not ever forget how freaking hard it is to be on the other side of the camera. I get it! And we all have enough mom-guilt about EVERYTHING (literally I just posted on my IG yesterday about having it about not grocery shopping <eye roll>). Melissa mentioned that it had been quite some time since they’d had family portraits taken and she wanted to be sure to get one while they had the chance to celebrate their family before the next chapters and additions with her son going on to create his own life as an adult.

fall, family, portraits, photography, photographer, sarah jane photography, decatur il, decatur il photographer, best photographer, central il, illinois photographer, family portraits, pets, dogs, family photo with dog, family poses, what to wear family photos, red plaid, wardrobe, son, boy mom, chad mitchell photography, teran elaine photography, kathy locke, child's play photography, oreana il photographer, oreana il studio, oreana photography studio, portrait studio, new studio, small business,
fall, family, portraits, photography, photographer, sarah jane photography, decatur il, decatur il photographer, best photographer, central il, illinois photographer, family portraits, pets, dogs, family photo with dog, family poses, what to wear family photos, red plaid, wardrobe, son, boy mom, chad mitchell photography, teran elaine photography, kathy locke, child's play photography, oreana il photographer, oreana il studio, oreana photography studio, portrait studio, new studio, small business,

As we’ve started along the path as parents recently, I’ve grown more and more fond of photographing families at all stages because I can so appreciate the ever-changing fabric of our families. This guy is grown, he’s venturing out to create his own life but he’s still their baby boy (ok mushy mom moment) and it was important to all of us to create a final family portrait of JUST their family before any future additions.

fall, family, portraits, photography, photographer, sarah jane photography, decatur il, decatur il photographer, best photographer, central il, illinois photographer, family portraits, pets, dogs, family photo with dog, family poses, what to wear family photos, red plaid, wardrobe, son, boy mom, chad mitchell photography, teran elaine photography, kathy locke, child's play photography, oreana il photographer, oreana il studio, oreana photography studio, portrait studio, new studio, small business,
fall, family, portraits, photography, photographer, sarah jane photography, decatur il, decatur il photographer, best photographer, central il, illinois photographer, family portraits, pets, dogs, family photo with dog, family poses, what to wear family photos, red plaid, wardrobe, son, boy mom, chad mitchell photography, teran elaine photography, kathy locke, child's play photography, oreana il photographer, oreana il studio, oreana photography studio, portrait studio, new studio, small business,

I’ve been doing this long enough to have been able to share in creating family portraits for my past senior clients as they welcome new babies and I SO look forward to the day when I start to photograph my senior’s senior kids (boy will that make me feel old), but that’s the dream right?!? I’m a decade and a half into this so bring on the next decade and more.

fall, family, portraits, photography, photographer, sarah jane photography, decatur il, decatur il photographer, best photographer, central il, illinois photographer, family portraits, pets, dogs, family photo with dog, family poses, what to wear family photos, red plaid, wardrobe, son, boy mom, chad mitchell photography, teran elaine photography, kathy locke, child's play photography, oreana il photographer, oreana il studio, oreana photography studio, portrait studio, new studio, small business,

I’m so excited for a fun year of family portraits this year including families of brand new babies and families with their babies headed out of the nest! If you’d like to join us this year I’d love to work with YOU to create the portraits that celebrate the ones you love.

| Chelsea + Trey | Hickory Point Golf Course Wedding | Decatur IL |

Chelsea and Trey have been nothing short of amazing to work with. Not only is Chelsea just the sweetest human being but her now husband Trey is hysterical and always kept me on my toes with his sarcasm. Plus….. a little tiny detail of their wedding who stole the show was their little yorkie Squirt. I mean what’s not to love about a wedding day with a dog ring bearer in a tux?!!?!

Even a bit of a rainy windy day could not spoil the fun and joy of their day and I am so so so excited and pleased to share with you all a look inside their wedding album which is now being hand-crafted in Italy to be on it’s way to us very soon.

decatur il, wedding, wedding photography, best wedding photographer decatur il, central il, illinois, hickory point golf course, golf course wedding, rainy day wedding, rain, dog ring bearer, yorkie, pets in weddings, chelsea trey miller, sarah jane photography, s j photos, sjanephotography, sjp, oreana il, outdoor wedding, indoor wedding, wedding flowers, wedding ideas, wedding dress, wedding album design

Note to 2019 brides… our 2019 wedding schedule will be very limited so that I can ensure plenty of time to give my very best to each couple and we have some exciting new collection options with wedding coverage starting at just $1400 and fully customizable collections ranging from $1900-5000. Give us a call today to schedule your consultation and reserve your wedding date.

| Abigail | Warrensburg-Latham High School Senior Portraits | Class of 2019 |

Today I get to share the lovely Ms. Abigail with you all. We had a beautiful day at Allerton for her session (doesn’t that sunshine look inviting this week!?!?) and she was so great in front of the camera, aren’t her blue eyes just stunning?!?! Her and her mom were such a pleasure to work with and I’m so glad they loved so many of her images.

decatur il, senior portraits, senior photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur, illinois photographer, best senior portraits, senior photo ideas, senior photos allerton park, allerton park, allerton, monticello, central il photographer, photography studio, senior photos, warrensburg latham high school, yearbook images, best photographer, central il

One of my favorite parts about senior gal sessions is that most ladies bring their moms along for the experience (many of our senior guys do too!). It always warms my heart seeing these senior’s mommas help with this big milestone session and I remember my momma coming along for my senior experience too. I can still remember sitting down with mom for the first meeting with my senior photographer and being so excited that I was going to have him create my portraits (Childress Portrait Design was the go to place in my home town for senior portraits!).

decatur il, senior portraits, senior photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur, illinois photographer, best senior portraits, senior photo ideas, senior photos allerton park, allerton park, allerton, monticello, central il photographer, photography studio, senior photos, warrensburg latham high school, yearbook images, best photographer, central ildecatur il, senior portraits, senior photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur, illinois photographer, best senior portraits, senior photo ideas, senior photos allerton park, allerton park, allerton, monticello, central il photographer, photography studio, senior photos, warrensburg latham high school, yearbook images, best photographer, central ildecatur il, senior portraits, senior photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur, illinois photographer, best senior portraits, senior photo ideas, senior photos allerton park, allerton park, allerton, monticello, central il photographer, photography studio, senior photos, warrensburg latham high school, yearbook images, best photographer, central ildecatur il, senior portraits, senior photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur, illinois photographer, best senior portraits, senior photo ideas, senior photos allerton park, allerton park, allerton, monticello, central il photographer, photography studio, senior photos, warrensburg latham high school, yearbook images, best photographer, central il

Be sure to head over to our facebook page to give Abigail some love!

| Executive Portraits | Network Solutions Unlimited |

Last month I partnered with Network Solutions Unlimited to host an executive portrait event at their office. This meant, courtesy of NSU, we offered FREE headshots to the community!!!

With our digital world we’re able to make connections with potential employers, colleagues and fellow professionals all over the world through social media sites like LinkedIn. Plus, a photograph included in your email signature can add a personal touch to correspondence that would otherwise be faceless.

network solutions unlimited, decatur computers, decatur il, professional portraits, executive portraits, headshots, executive headshots, studio, on-location studio, headshot event, professional, sarah jane photography, best photographer, central il, illinoisnetwork solutions unlimited, decatur computers, decatur il, professional portraits, executive portraits, headshots, executive headshots, studio, on-location studio, headshot event, professional, sarah jane photography, best photographer, central il, illinoisnetwork solutions unlimited, decatur computers, decatur il, professional portraits, executive portraits, headshots, executive headshots, studio, on-location studio, headshot event, professional, sarah jane photography, best photographer, central il, illinoisnetwork solutions unlimited, decatur computers, decatur il, professional portraits, executive portraits, headshots, executive headshots, studio, on-location studio, headshot event, professional, sarah jane photography, best photographer, central il, illinoisnetwork solutions unlimited, decatur computers, decatur il, professional portraits, executive portraits, headshots, executive headshots, studio, on-location studio, headshot event, professional, sarah jane photography, best photographer, central il, illinoisnetwork solutions unlimited, decatur computers, decatur il, professional portraits, executive portraits, headshots, executive headshots, studio, on-location studio, headshot event, professional, sarah jane photography, best photographer, central il, illinois

It’s often easy to put off scheduling an updated portrait for yourself. Most people aren’t fold of time in front of the camera, especially solo, but it’s my job to make you feel comfortable and to create images that show off who you are. We make these sessions quick and simple with immediate viewing and selection of your images. Plus, in our off-season January – March we offer on-location executive portrait events like this for a great rate to create your images for your entire office staff at your office!

| Black Friday | Deal Day, Even HERE at SJP | And Some BF Memories! |

I have to admit every year I get bit just a tad by the sale bug and get the urge to brave the crowds and lines and dive into the chaos that is Black Friday. Getting this itch is a bit of a tradition but the actual Black Friday dash is NOT in my family. Though Ryan and I once, in high school or college, decided to brave black Friday in the early AM hours to stand in line for something (I cannot even remember what) which they ran out of 2 people in front of us in line so we stuck around for a portable hard drive because we were there and were NOT going home empty handed.

Another year, we braved what I recall was a late NIGHT Thanksgiving day (ahhh I know where were my holiday scruples) to get my momma a $200 HUGE TV (that one is probably the best one I’ve done yet since it was all about giving and not getting for us, I also introduced her to the Cassava Bingo which she ended up loving).

And each year we do venture out we inevitably leave the store after hours of line waiting to get in, to get the item, to pay and then to get out of the parking lot and we swear to never, ever, do that again….. well, another year is here and ya’ll I have the itch! I’m not sure if we’ll do it, but I’m looking for a reason to get out and about for some crazy BF deals this year again.

IMG_4787-1

Anyways…. Black Friday shopping at SJP is a bit less hectic (though still full of CRAZY deals – like really I nearly always wonder if I’m nuts for offering this!). I have nothing but GREAT news for you with this year’s sale. For one, it’s SIMPLE – one BIG % off for anything you’d like in 2018! That’s 40% OFF EVERYTHING!!!!!  Two, it’s not just for 12 or 24 hours. Nope, shop at your own pace whenever you can NOW through midnight on Cyber Monday 11/27.

So what’s on sale? Your entire portrait experience of 2018 is on sale! Shop small or load the cart full to save even more. Our most popular full experience sessions are on sale: Senior Art Session (reg $195 only $117) or Classic Family Session (reg $95 only $57). Plus, our quick and simple Limited Edition sessions are on sale too for something short and sweet. Personally, I think the LE sessions make the BEST gifts! These sessions are 15 or 30 minutes and are the perfect way for your friends, family, employees, etc to try on the SJP portrait experience for their kiddos, family, pets, seniors, etc. And starting at only $27 (ya that’s not a typo) for the sale it’s super easy for you to give the gift of portraits to everyone on your list.

And lastly, GIFT CARDS are on the BF sale too! Yes, that means you can stock up for yourself and for everyone to buy everything they want in 2018 for 40% OFF (see, this is where I wonder if this is just completely nuts). But hey, it’s out there now so we’re doing it, crazy or not!

Just a reminder, the sale is for 2018 sessions/orders. Gift cards may not be used on already completed or booked sessions/weddings or toward existing balances. Happy Thanksgiving and happy shopping!

SHOP NOW HERE