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Modern Kids Photography Blog bio picture

hello + welcome

Modern Kids Photography focuses on the wonder, complexity, and joy of childhood.

My name is Sarah Wert and I am the primary photographer and owner of
Modern Kids Photography, San Francisco. While everyone loves a smiling
kid, that's not always what I look for. Children express themselves through many incredible emotions and I'm interested in capturing all their moods and unique personality traits. My goal is to give you not only a fun and enjoyable family photography session but to make unexpected, and indelible imagery you’ll never forget.

I'm on the road many times during the year. Contact me to inquire about my travel schedule, to book your portrait session, or just to say hello. I would love to hear from you!

by email: hello[at]modernkidsphoto[dot]com

Visit us in our new studio: 3150 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 (by appointment only) 415 846 0533

about sarah

a few things about me:

• I live in San Francisco with my husband and my dog, Luna • I grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania • I've fished in the Adriatic Sea • surfed in Mexico • was an Au Pair in Berlin •  received a BFA in Photography in Minneapolis • i love food of all kinds especially Icelandic hot dogs, aged balsamic vinegar, and green tea ice cream • I've shot for companies like Amazon and Wired but still love working for fun, modern families

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vogue family spread | from russia with love | inspiration

I am very much inspired by these images by Francois Halard in this month’s issue of Vogue. Halard documents the home of Charles & Olya Thompson. Their home in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York in my opinion is so very elegant and magical. I love all of the historical elements of the home mixed with very bold contemporary works of art. On top of that I love the perfect amount of chaos that can only be introduced in the home by children. I was also struck by the gorgeous photo of Olya holding one of her children, photographed by her husband. That image alone made me want a studio big enough to shoot only Avedon-esque imagery for families in San Francisco…perhaps one day.

Did you see this article? Enjoy.

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January 14, 2010 - 12:46 pm charleystar - love these and totally agree with you about that B&W image!

January 14, 2010 - 9:07 pm Sarah - Charley, that image is very moving! Thank you very much for the comment! S.

January 14, 2010 - 9:11 pm Sarah - @CharleyStar, that image is very moving! Thank you very much for the comment! S.

$1,000 says Keili can navigate San Francisco better than you can | modern family photographer, Cole Valley, San Francisco

$1,000 says Ms. Keili can navigate the city of San Francisco better than you can. I’m kidding of course but this little lady has some serious “street-smarts”. She is hands down the most outgoing, affable, polite, and down right sophisticated little kids I’ve ever met. Yes, I’ve said it. I don’t always make such grandiose statements but little Keili is so very impressive!

We started our family session in her neighborhood first visiting her favorite French bakery, La Boulange. She gobbled down a delicious looking pastry not because she seemed hungry but she could tell it would make a good photo for me…a natural model! Then after saying hello to a few locals including their garbage man, we jumped on the N-Judah to head down to one of their favorite SF destinations (and one of mine too), the Ferry Building. Along the way Keili called out landmarks and instructed us on which stop to exit. Once we arrived downtown we enjoyed some Ciao Bella gelato, drank a glass of red wine (not Keili of course), and nibbled on some food from Taylors Automatic Refresher. Then we ended our shoot by running across the street to the park and blowing some bubbles. It was the best kind of shoot and Keili was the perfect storyteller!

A gigantic thank you to Susan, Joe and especially Ms. Keili for such a lovely morning. Enjoy some of my favs and let me know your thoughts (my comments below, including technical details for the photographers)!

MODERN KID: Keili + mom and dad

LOCATION: San Francisco >> Cole Valley >> N-Judah >> Ferry Building

keili001Sitting outside La Boulangekeili002keili003

Saying hello to the garbage man…he knew Keili by name!

keili005keili006Riding the train, Keili’s making sure we’re on the right track.

keili007keili008Keili showing us the way.

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keili010A serious moment en route

keili011Making sure I’m not falling too far behind…

keili012keili013keili014Does it get any cuter than this?

keili016keili017Heading straight to the gelato stand.

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Mom and Dad enjoying a glass of wine and a quick kiss.

keili019keili015A big smile from our model

keili020Running with mom to the park

keili021What a beautiful girl!

keili022Bubbles are great fun for kids and make great images for photographers…they never get old.

keili023Wrapping up our shoot with a mini fashion-model

keili024Big smiles all around and a glimpse of the Bay Bridge

TECHNICAL DETAILS (for the photographers out there): Shot almost entirely in natural light with ISOs between 200-400 outdoors and up to 1600 in the subway. With Keili alone most f-stops were between 1.4-5.6, groups are almost entirely f4.0-f5.6 with my 35mm. I pulled out the 50mm for a few portraits toward the end. Minimal processing: aside from basic RAW processing I applied a few TRA actions at low opacity – been going more and more towards less processing. With a shoot like this make sure to tell the whole story, move around all the time, and take some time without the camera in your face to just watch the fun unfold. Enjoy!

To book a shoot with Sarah and Modern Kids Photography simple give us a shout. Email hello[at]modernkidsphoto[dot]come or call 415.846.0533. We would love to hear from you!

January 12, 2010 - 5:04 pm megan russell - love this entire session... the documentary feel. the great light and tones. the affection between this fam. so cute!

January 12, 2010 - 6:16 pm Joel Flory - great shoot. Noticed that wasn't just any glass of wine. Was that a bottle of Shafer One Point Five? My Fav!

January 12, 2010 - 7:37 pm Sarah - Megan, thank you very much. It was really the best kind of shoot; a wonderful family, great weather, and great location ideas.

January 12, 2010 - 7:38 pm Sarah - Joel, you have eagle eyes. Totally Schafer wine can't recall the grape...or maybe it was a blend. It was delicious.

January 13, 2010 - 7:34 am Lori - The colors were awesome! Great story.

January 14, 2010 - 11:18 am edyta szyszlo photo - OMG! one of my favs of yours for sure!! cuteness.to.die.for family...makes me miss my old neighborhoood, cole valley.

January 14, 2010 - 11:40 am Sarah - Lori, thanks so much. The family had such great style mixed with a really lovely day.

January 14, 2010 - 11:41 am Sarah - Edyta, I love Cole Valley. I'm never ever over there unfortunately. Excluding my fav neighborhood and current area of residence, Potrero Hill...Cole Valley is one of my favs in SF!

January 15, 2010 - 8:30 am marie - ok...I just found you and have totally spent about an hour looking at your blog ( which is isn't a good thing since I have to edit work) and love your style...i want your clients, they are so fun and seem to really enjoy their session...

January 15, 2010 - 8:44 am Sarah - Thank you Marie. I do have really wonderful clients. Thank you very much for the comment. You have such lovely portraits as well!

January 26, 2010 - 7:42 am Hillary - Eek! I love Keili's outfit. She's so cute! Love the shot of her leaning against the red wall.

little miss Arabel, traveling sessions, Chicago | modern kids photographer

I have the wonderful opportunity of traveling to Chicago to shoot a few times per year, among other cities. If it’s a wintertime shoot I am usually a little obsessed with the weather the week before I arrive as anyone who has lived there will tell you winter weather can be unpredictable. On my last trip in late November we lucked out with an unseasonably warm weekend. I have a bunch of shoots to share from that trip that I will intersperse with Bay area shoots over the next few weeks. I’ll be posting more frequently so please stay tuned.

A gigantic thanks to Anne, Ryan, and especially Miss Arabel for a really lovely afternoon. We started at home where I got to see Arabel’s wonderful personality. She was giving me hugs within a few minutes of meeting her which is always a good sign of a great shoot. After we shot for about 45 minutes at home Anne and Ryan took us all to a perfect location nearby. We were greeted by really spectacular late afternoon winter light, mix that with a really handsome and fun family and well that’s my favorite way to shoot. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

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January 6, 2010 - 5:12 pm Lori - So cute! Love the ones with the net and the window!

January 7, 2010 - 10:18 pm Sarah - Thank you, Lori!

January 7, 2010 - 10:19 pm Sarah - just got this from the mom. i especially love my job when i know my clients are happy: Sarah, THANK YOU! we have had many compliments on the pictures. It goes without saying that Arabel warmed up to you so quickly because you are such a kind, approachable person. You have such a good rapport with children and a talented eye for taking unique, memorable photos. Please let us know when you plan on coming back… we have many interested friends.

slowing down, at home with family | modern family photographer, san francisco

If you’ve emailed me recently or follow me on twitter you’ll know that Joe and I had to extend our stay with his family in Southern Illinois. My mother in law, Marilyn is very sick with brain and spinal cancer that developed after a year long battle with Inflammatory breast cancer. It’s been a sad holiday for us but we’re ultimately thankful to have this time with her to say goodbye. We’re finding that slowing down and just being with family has been a wonderful gift. We’ve been playing in the snow, warming up by the fire, watching tons and tons of movies, cooking, and just being together.

Marilyn moved back home with us yesterday and we are thankful to have her here. She is not suffering. Instead she’s teaching us all that life is very short and it’s important to follow your dreams and love with all you’ve got.

I hope you’re all enjoying a lovely holiday season with your families, much love from our family to yours. Enjoy a few images from our time together below. I am online here and there but responding to emails a little slower than normal. If you have an urgent request from me please give me a call.

xo,

Sarah

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when i was a kid we didn’t have these clever devices for snowballs. I prefer the home-made variety (these snowballs hurt!)thekids001thekids003

Woolrich John Rich & Bros. Ad Campaign | influences

I’m really loving this simple and straightforward ad campaign by WP Lavori in Corso for Woolrich. The photographers are Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, fine art photographers based in London. I read a short article about the shoot in the Dec 09 issue of pdn but you can see more imagery from the shoot here and I’ve included the behind the scenes video below.

Even though my business is based on kids and families my background is in the fine art photography world so most of my influences lie there. If you’re a fellow photographer where do you find your influences?

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CLIENT: WP Lavori in Corso/Woolrich John Rich & Bros.

ART DIRECTION: Luca Caccioni

PHOTOGRAPHY: Broomberg/Chanarin

December 30, 2009 - 2:28 pm chris - thanks for stopping by our blog today and for leaving a comment;) Your work is great, very clean and simple, love it. As to the shoot above, I'm with you, this is fantastic! Not self conscious at all, very much speaking to the brand of clothes the photographers were representing. I find inspiration mostly from shoots like this, clothing and lifestyle catalogs. Also from polaroid blogs;)

an afternoon with Jin | modern kids photographer, Oakland

Naturally, I meet quite a lot of kids. One of my favorite things about them is that their personalities differ wildly in kids of the same age. I was reminded of this when I met Jin and his family recently in the East Bay. Jin has a wonderful personality. My first impression of him is that he’s a happy little man who is both outgoing and shy; a funny combination as kids tend to be either/or. He’s also introspective but confident. He was quick to share some of his yummy Korean cakes and hot apple cider with me after our shoot and I heard through his mom that he wanted to tell the story of “Sarah coming to take pictures” before bedtime…i love that!

Enjoy a few images from our shoot – we actually did two of them because we lost the light too quickly in our first attempt. Thanks so much to Jiyoung, Patrick, and especially Jinwoo!

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Interested in doing a portrait session with Modern Kids? Email us. We would love to hear from you: hello[at]modernkidsphoto[dot]com. See the rest of our portfolio by clicking here.

December 26, 2009 - 7:54 pm Jiyoung - Thanks so much Sarah for the wonderful images. You have an amazing talent!

December 29, 2009 - 2:15 pm Sarah - Thanks so much for the comment, Jiyoung! You guys were wonderful. :)Say hello to Jin for me!

holiday cards, fun, fun, fun…

One benefit of working so many late nights this winter has been the flood of holiday cards coming through my door featuring Modern Kids images. It’s been so much fun to see them all; from the kinds we made together, or through minted and mango ink, to the DIY kind.

Modern Kids Photography is a sponsor over at the excellent blog by Liz Stanley, Say Yes to Hoboken. Here’s her DIY variety made with a gocco printer. So fun, Liz! Check out her full post here.

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little Eve at home in San Francisco | modern baby photographer, San Francisco

Hello again. I’m sitting in my sister-in-law’s house in Southern Illinois, having finally come up for air after an incredibly busy season. Thanks again to all of the amazing families and kids I worked with this year. I can’t believe the year went by so quickly. It was way more exciting, challenging, chaotic, and fun than I could have ever imagined. I re-branded in the beginning of the year to Modern Kids Photography, got a tiny but totally sufficient studio of my own, worked with tons of great assistants, spent long nights in the studio (apologies to my husband), and had so much fun photographing on dusty roads, city streets, beaches and family hikes all over country. I can hardly wait for 2010.

With a little more time these days and a hard drive full of imagery I’ll be sharing more frequently on the blog. Please check back often and let me know your thoughts. Are you interested in seeing more of my shoots or perhaps a few photography tips? Don’t be shy.

Without further ado, enjoy some images from little Eve’s shoot in San Francisco. While you might have noticed I love finding fun and unique locations, sometimes just being at home can be an effortless and magical place to photograph. This was the case when photographing Eve. I absolutely adore this little lady. For one she has an amazingly sophisticated haircut for her age and I’ve never seen the range of expressions in one little person before. If “acting is reacting” then I think Eve has a future on stage.

Thanks to Misty, Justen, Papa Don, and especially Eve for a lovely morning….and for the yummy breakfast (I love photographing for fellow foodies).

Again, stay tuned for more posts this week and next.

Happy Holidays!eve_selects120109129eve_selects122209130eve_selects122209131eve_selects120109132eve_selects122209133eve_selects120109134eve_selects120109135eve_selects120109136eve_selects122209137eve_selects120109138eve_selects122209139eve_selects122209140

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December 22, 2009 - 7:53 am Joe (biggest fan!) - Wow - amazing shots! Eve is so expressive and I continue to be blown away by your ability to magically capture all these great moments in peoples' lives...

December 22, 2009 - 8:20 am Sarah - Thanks so much Joe (biggest fan). :]

December 22, 2009 - 11:03 am Eric - Congrats on all your success Sarah. You have such a beautiful gift. Merry Christmas friend!

December 23, 2009 - 3:34 pm Lori - I love your pictures and this shoot is no exception! Can't wait to see more pictures and tips would be awesome!

why i love photographing kids, sneak-peek petaluma family shoot | modern family photographer san francisco bay area

I have so many shoots to share I don’t even know where to begin. I always feel super guilty this time of year for not sharing more on the blog. I think I’ll start with the most recent shoot and work my way backwards (I have enough shoots for blog posts through the Spring!). Forgive me if your shoot has not been posted yet…I’m getting there.

Yesterday, Eugenia (my lovely assistant) and I headed north to Petaluma to photograph Ava & Roman and their handsome pony, Fletcher. We had amazing light, great kids, and a unique location…you don’t need much more than that. While I downloaded images last night I was reminded why I love photographing kids so much. They are unpredictable, dramatic, a little crazy, complicated, serious, endearing, energetic, sweet, and adorable (most of the time). Naturally, they make photography pretty easy. Just as long as you love and respect the nuances of kids and I certainly do.

Enjoy the sneak peek of Roman & Ava’s shoot. I love the Where the Wild Things Are, mom-pile below. I think that image sums up being a mom pretty well.

A big thanks to Roman, Ava, Kate, and Michael for a great shoot! Please stay tuned for more!

p.s. I’m proud of myself that neither Eugenia or I managed to step in horse poop!

kids, petaluma, winter light, www.modernkidsphoto.com

mom pile, petaluma www.modernkidsphoto.com

Modern Kids is on the Say Yes to Hoboken blog today! | modern family photographer, san francisco

I’m excited to say that we’re on Liz Stanley’s Say Yes to Hoboken blog today. I stumbled upon Liz’s lovely blog a few months ago and have really enjoyed all of her content from vintage kids clothing to modern furniture, recipes, and so much more. Add her to your rss reader, pronto.

I loved her style so much that I contacted her about producing a shoot together here in San Francisco. Fast-forward a few months and we finished shoot 1 of 2. Her little man, Hank had a tiny meltdown (as so many 2 year olds are prone to do) so we’re doing a second shoot this week. Please check back for our second round of shooting in the meantime, enjoy some images from Round 1!

Quick shoot notes: we shot at the museum concourse between the deYoung and the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. The early am winter light was really amazing. Thanks to Eugenia for assisting. Liz was wearing a J.Crew sweater and Anthropologie dress. Her shoes, belt and Hank’s shirt were all vintage.

p.s. We are also sponsors of her blog, check out our little banner…

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