salem portrait photographer

Salem Oregon Portrait Photographer - curvy & colorful

This was such a fun session! Aly is obviously beautiful on the outside, but she was also an absolute sweetheart to work with! We spent some time, just walking around and chatting in downtown Salem, while also getting some updated shots for her modeling portfolio. It felt like I was catching up with an old friend, even though it was the first time we’d ever met.

Salem Portrait Photographer - holiday self-portrait!

Last month, I rented the Gray Lab (a public use studio, near mine) for some holiday mini sessions. The space works SO much better for families/groups than my own studio, plus they have awesome furniture and I didn’t have to do any Christmas decorating! Since I had some extra time leftover, I decided to do some self-portraits. I’m not a fan of being in front of the camera and I’m even less of a fan of sharing photos of myself, but here we are. I force myself to do this every so often, though, both for the practice and to prove my existence, since nobody else in my family ever seems to take any photos.

Anyway, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Salem Oregon Family Photographer - formal fall portraits

This family are longtime friends and clients and I adore working with them. This year they decided on formal attire and I was SO there for it. I mean, hello…they look amazing! Mama Bear did a great job choosing colors and now everyone has something to wear to a formal event, if needed.

Salem Portrait Photographer - If you love her, leave her wild.

Tiffany is basically my muse now. She started off as a client about a decade ago and quickly became a friend. At first it was just a few boudoir sessions (she’s sort of addicted to them), but then we started doing family sessions and every now and then she models for me as well. This session, for example, was very spontaneous (i.e. less than 12 hours notice), as I wanted to shoot in this field before my neighbors mowed it. The “flowers” had never been this tall, in the 12 yrs we’ve lived here, so it HAD to be done. I’m so glad I did because they flattened the field (to reduce fire danger) a day or two later.

I knew Tiffany would have just the right outfit for this shoot, as she’s a country girl and loves the outdoors. I also knew she’d be 100% fine with traipsing through a field full of burrs, dirt clods, rocks, and holes. She’s a bit of a wild woman…in the best way possible. She’s been through a lot the last few years and one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen is her fully embracing who she is and letting it shine! Someday, she’ll meet a man who loves her for exactly who she is and he won’t try to tame her. ;)

Salem Oregon Boudoir Photographer - holiday inspired studio session

I met this beautiful woman about 7 yrs ago (I think?), when I did an in-home boudoir session for her best friend. I think it was the following year, when she booked her own session with me at my old studio. Fast forward to December of 2019, when we did another boudoir session, but in my current studio. Since this session, she got engaged, married, and is now pregnant! I usually run a holiday boudoir event each year, so if this is something you’re interested in, keep an eye out for announcements in November!

Salem Family Photographer - mixing it up, downtown

I’ve been photographing this family (friends of ours) for years and we’ve always done their photos at a park or somewhere outdoorsy. This year (well, last year, as this was actually their 2018 session, lol) they opted for one of my urban session locations, where my studio is located. Jenn took the muted colors of the location as her opportunity to incorporate more color than she usually does, with their outfits. Now, had this been against the yellow and oranges of fall foliage, it would have been too much, but downtown it’s just great! Hopefully I will get around to posting their 2019 session, which includes their oldest who happened to be home on winter break (he graduated high school a few years ago).