Remember the baby we took pictures of in this post from a year ago?

Well, now she can walk! And point! And make animal noises! My, how time flies.

This year’s Sadie holiday photo session took place at Wilder Ranch State Park, where there were at least two other photoshoots happening with other photographers, one of which involved a whole family doing a line dance in the doorway of a barn. (I wonder if we’ll ever get a family to dance for us at a shoot. Seems like an great idea, now that I really think of it.)

This year, instead of dressing in a Santa-themed costume, Sadie went for a more rustic-chic look. She was, as usual, adorable. In fact, we agreed that Sadie is steadily making the transition to outright beautiful. She loves Wilder Ranch, especially the hay and the farm machinery. And the bikes she found in a meadow. And the dirt, and the plants, and the goats and the chickens. We just followed her around and watched her enjoy herself.

Below is a movie of some of our favorite photos from that afternoon. The soundtrack is by Land of the Loops. This movie file is larger than last year’s, so it may need a bit of extra time to load.

At the end of the show, you can see Sadie crawling rapidly away in terror, in response to a sheep noise that was louder than she expected. Poor Sadie burst into tears at that point, and thus our shoot was concluded. It was one of those times when a toddler is crying and the adults are trying not to laugh. Aw, Sadie, we’re sorry you got upset, but that was pretty funny.

I’ve got more stuff to post from 2009, but it will have to wait until 2010. Anyway, Sadie photos seem like a good way to end the year. Enjoy the show, and Happy New Year!

This post is part 3 of a 3-part series. Read part 1 – Read part 2 - Read part 3

This fabulous couple’s wedding reception was held at 515 in Santa Cruz. Talk about a challenge for these photographers! It was dark in there. I couldn’t have gotten the shots I did without the Lightscoop, a small, inexpensive piece of equipment that made it possible to shoot in those dim rooms without the awful results that happen with forward-facing flash.

The newlyweds treated us to an hauntingly sweet duet, with Peter playing the guitar and both of them singing. They claimed that this duet would replace their first dance, but then they gave us a sort of first dance anyway, and everyone was utterly charmed by them for the hundredth time that day. Here are 32 (!!) photos of the first evening of their married lives.

As a special bonus, I’ve included another behind-the-scenes Red Bat shot, about halfway down in this post. It’s Patrick, helping to test the lighting in the area where we expected the first dance to be. By dancing with an invisible partner. Because at Red Bat Photography, we know how to use our imaginations.

Hooray for Crystal and Peter!!