Family Session-Portland Family photographer

Those of you who know me well, know that modern decor (especially the mid-century variety) makes my heart beat fast. When I walked into this couple's amazing home on the waterfront, my head was spinning. They have the best taste in decorating, and the most inspiring space I think I've ever been in. I photographed Heather in this post when she was pregnant with little "N" and look how much he's grown. He is a truly beautiful child with the bluest eyes! I couldn't get enough of those eyes. I wish I could share all the images from this shoot as there were so many amazing ones. However, until my new blog is up and running, I must continue to contend with the posting limits of blogger. Enjoy your sneak peek! Your full gallery will be up in a couple of days. I so enjoyed this session. Anytime you guys want four roommates, we'll just move right in. I'd even take the laundry room :)

Maternity session/Portland Maternity Photography

Hello! You will be noticing some changes in the upcoming weeks. First of all, I have a new logo and brand for my business! I am super excited to "unveil" it on my webpage. I am trying out different watermarks for my blog images and would love some input. Finally, I am going to be getting a brand new blog. This one will be a lovely custom blog without the lame 5 picture limit that blogger has (although you can see I found a way around that. Ha! I showed them!)

At any rate, on to the session. I think that I may have seen one too many pregnant women wrapped in gauze and photographed by a window. Perhaps this is why I like to get a little bit more real with these type of sessions. Let's call it "Maternity Portraits without the Cheese.":) Pregnancy can be a completely mixed bag for most women. One moment you can be amazed by your changing form, feel sexy, even. The next moment, you can be crying because your pants won't button and you feel like hurling. Crazy mood swings aside, pregnancy IS a beautiful time in a woman's life. I like the idea of celebrating the changing body and embracing it with portraits that capture who you really are. How often are you wrapped in gauze, anyway? I say, "Eat a cupcake!" "Wear something funky that is truly *you*!" Let's make you look like you're in a magazine.

This session was really special. In my own life, I always long to connect with people on a real level. Malia is an amazing woman. I have admired her for many reasons for as long as I've known her. It was a true joy to be able to capture her on the verge of motherhood, staring the unknown in the face with such courage. Malia, you will be an awesome Mama. I can't wait to meet your little one.

My Best Friend's Wedding

Ok, so I am not a wedding photographer, but when my best friend of 20 years called and asked if I would photograph her wedding, I didn't hesitate to say yes. The wedding took place in Tiburon, CA, a lovely little town just north of San Francisco. The setting was one of the most amazingly beautiful places I have ever seen. The light, as you will witness in the slideshow below, a total dream. I have been photographing my dear friend Danielle since we were about 16. To say that I was flattered that she asked me to capture this special day, would be an understatement. She is an artist extraordinaire...her new husband, a serious collector of photography and a talented photographer himself. No pressure, or anything :). Anyways, pick up a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy the photos of this lovely wedding. I am so happy for them!




Make a Smilebox slideshow

Fall Family Portrait Session-Portland Family Photographer

Happy Autumn to you! Here is some eye candy from a recent session. This was a really fun session for me. I went into it wary of the weather, but filled with hope for some sun breaks. The day before it had poured rain the way it tends to do on a typical Portland Fall day. Despite the dismal outlook, I was fully confident that my luck with awesome light would hold out. It did, and then some! I can honestly say that we had a super fun time playing at the park. Little Miss "V" was full of energy and kept me on my toes. We were best friends from the first moment we met. I think she fully read my kid-magnet vibe. Her parents were awesome, totally easy to talk to and felt more like good friends than people I had just met. How blessed were we with this amazing light?! (I hope you enjoy your sneak preview. Let's just say I had REALLY hard time choosing images to blog since I have SO many fantastic ones. Thank you for a beautiful session).

Family Session-Portland Family photographer

Oh man, where has summer gone! It has been incredibly busy around here...Since I last posted, I have been in the process of re-branding my business, have been to San Francisco to photograph an amazing wedding (blog post coming soon), and have just been shooting and shooting. Here are a few from a recent family session. Needless to say (as is apparent in the images), Amy has an awesome personality, her joy just bubbles out. AND, her family is totally gorgeous. If you need a designer of any kind, you can contact her at www.rarebyrdcreative.com. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy your little preview you rockstars!

UMMMM: For some reason blogger is doing weird things with the color. I will try to fix it. The images do not look that wonky on my monitor. It's only when I uploaded them that they shifted all funky. But for now, here they are. I am just too tired right now. :) Goodnightsleeptight.

Portland Senior Portraits

If my son grows up to be half as cool/handsome/smart/talented/hardworking as this young man, I will consider myself extremely successful as a mother. I have no doubt that "T" is destined for whatever great things he can dream up. As always, I had a really great time shooting this session. Every single location that we found became my favorite. It was pretty hot that day but other than being chased down by some vicious wasps, it was a perfect session. I am always "On a Quest for Light" and that day, we definitely found it. Thanks for a fun session! Enjoy your sneak preview. Your full gallery should be up by the beginning of next week. These are just a few of my MANY favorites. "T" if all else fails, you can always call GQ...

Music portraits, Portland Child Photographer

Last week I was fortunate enough to fulfill one of my creative visions with this session. I've had this idea in my head for a while now: a golden haired girl, playing cello in a field of grass during the Magic Hour, that beautiful moment just before sunset. Well, how lucky am I to have found Miss "E," a lovely young cellist who allowed me to bring this vision to life! The light was oh, so perfect. And Miss "E" has a lovely Mama as well, with whom I felt an instant connection. It's so wonderful to meet like-minded people with strong values and admirable parenting skills. I am beyond thrilled at how this session turned out. I will let the photos just speak for themselves, as I have said too much already!

Tigard Senior Portrait photographer

Senior portrait season is in full swing. Last week I had the pleasure of photographing this young man, "K." I had a really great time doing this session because he was up for anything, and was also extremely photogenic, obvious in the photos. He could model! Seriously. The light was perfection in every way. And the photo with the trees is a total album cover should he ever pursue his digital music as a career. "K" thanks for being a great sport, and for choosing me to document this special time in your life. Enjoy your sneak preview of a few from the session.

Family Session in California

I was recently in California for a little visit and I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph this awesome family. I have known Alisa since the second grade and Erik since the fourth grade. We were members of a very small class until we graduated from high school together in 1992. Erik and Alisa went on to get married and have two stunningly beautiful girls. The love in their family is really strong and I was super honored for the opportunity to (try to) capture it. We did the session in one of my favorite places, Pt. Mugu state park, in the shadow of Mt. Boney, which we always called "Old Boney." A perfect spring day, a beautiful family, so much love...it was one of my favorite sessions ever. This is just a sneak peek for them to see. The last photo is so perfect because it reflects exactly what kids this age do when their parents kiss..."Ewwwww, GROSS! Mommy and Daddy are kissing!"

(I hope you guys enjoy your sneak peek. I have to save my favorite images for the gallery, coming soon. Thank you for "letting me in" to your awesome family dynamic.

I'm back with a sneak peek

Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year...Ok, I think I'm caught up now. Yikes. It has been a busy last few months. Something about having little kids, the holidays, etc. At any rate, last week I had the opportunity to shoot a senior portrait session for an awesome girl, Miss "A". The session had been postponed several times due to weather (we had 20 inches of snow hanging around for a couple of weeks...) and then rain, totally expected this time of year. Still, we held out for a sunny day and last week we finally got one. "A" was a total rock star braving the 39 degrees in a strapless gown. We found a perfect location with some nice rusted out farm equipment and a faded barn (which also doubled as a changing room). I had the greatest time shooting her. In addition to being super cute she had a killer personality and a sweet style. She is also an aspiring photographer so I had to bust out some mad skillz. There were so, so many good ones that it took me forever to choose what to blog. Hope you enjoy your sneak peek "A."