I am in love with her whole look! I mean, it all just works together so well…the lingerie and stockings, the antique jewelry, and even her hair! Okay, maybe not the boots on the floor for that one shot, but everything else works so perfectly together! I had a fabulous time photographing this beautiful woman and because she is a belly dancer, posing was a breeze. In my experience, dancers have more awareness of their bodies, which just sort of makes them naturals, when it comes to posing.
Like many couples planning to get married in 2020 Samantha & Jonathon made some drastic changes to their wedding, due to the pandemic. Instead of a large affair at Willamette Mission Park, they opted for an intimate elopement at home. Well, at the home of Samantha’s parents. Although this is technically a backyard wedding, it was an unusually stunning backyard…and by backyard, I mean the river, as their back patio sat right over it and provided the most beautiful backdrop for the ceremony.
We completely lucked out with weather on this September wedding day. We had MASSIVE wildfires here last year and it was smoky for MONTHS, including every single day leading up to their wedding. Then, low and behold, we woke up to clear skies the morning of! WHAT?!
In attendance were the bride and groom’s parents, siblings, and grandparents. The bride’s sister served as the flower girl, while the groom’s sister was the officiant. Both women did an excellent job in their roles.
Details included touches of blue throughout, including the bouquet, Samantha’s ring, and even their socks! Because the date 3/14 is significant to the couple, they had pie for their wedding dessert, pi decorations, and they were pronounced married at exactly 3:14pm.
After their first look, the couple said “I do” in a short, but sweet ceremony. In addition to some portraits at and around the residence, we also took a quick drive over to Willamette Mission Park. There is a specific park bench that is very meaningful to the couple, so we made sure to get some photos on that bench. They also had their first dance in their special spot (sans music, but also sans audience!), which was incredibly sweet.
We didn’t have very much fall color here in the Salem-Keizer area (too early, plus all the smoke), but I managed to find a teensy little bit and I milked it for all it was worth because I looooove fall!
Oh, you haven’t heard of the retro prom dress challenge? Well, that’s because I just made it up. HA! Anyway, my friend brought her prom dress from the early 90s (that she made herself!) to her session just shits and giggles. So, while we had fun being silly, we also made it sexy…as you can see in the last two shots!
This. Was. Amazing.
This was Porshe’s third baby, but her first time delivering at home. Her last baby was born nearly four years earlier at OHSU, via VBAC. I had the privilege of photographing that birth as well (see some of those photos HERE)! Although this birth was very different from her last, the things that remained the same were Porshe’s extremely supportive husband, her amazing doula, and her own incredible strength throughout labor and delivery.
This birth was over six months ago, so some of the details are hazy for me. If you’re interested in hearing Porshe’s account of the birth, CLICK HERE to check out her appearance on the podcast, Doing it at Home.
Here is MY version of this magical birth…
Around 3pm, Porshe let me know that she was in early labor and was trying to get things moving along, but thought it would probably be a while. About 40 minutes later, she let me know that she was dilated to 6, but that she still wasn’t in any kind of regular labor pattern. She instructed to be on standby, but not to go yet, as her midwives were getting a little concerned about her blood pressure. At around 6:30pm, she let me know that she was heading to the hospital to get checked out, but that she was hoping to get discharged quickly and still have a home birth.
This is where I am going to be brutally honest…
Aside from my first concern, which was Porshe’s well-being, I felt sad and frustrated for her because I just KNEW the hospital was going to keep her. I mean, she was at least 6cm dilated and having blood pressure issues. Due to the pandemic, I wouldn’t have been allowed at a hospital delivery. So, I went about my day. I mean, I had my phone and my bags were packed, but I really didn’t think I’d be going to a birth.
Around 8:30pm, Porshe updated me and let me know that things were looking good and that she might be able to go home. WHAT?I was shocked, but also thinking maybe she was just being overly optimistic.
At 9:15pm, she said it was looking even better for her to go home and that they were just waiting on one last lab to come back. She told me not to head out until she was released from the hospital.
A little after 9:30pm, she was released from the hospital and told me to make my way to her house. I reached their house around 10:45pm and little did I know, she was trying to stall things until I got there!
Everyone was upstairs, in the master bedroom. When I got to the bedroom door, the first thing I saw was Porshe, sitting on the bed, with her 13-yr old daughter supporting her through contractions. It was seriously the sweetest thing ever. Mollia was an outstanding support person during labor…and not just for her age. Also in the room were the two midwives, the doula, and Porshe’s husband, Jeremy. Her mom was in and out of the room, during labor, and eventually her youngest daughter joined everyone for the actual birth.
The room was darrrrrrk , with only twinkle lights on. It was absolutely beautiful and peaceful, but also a challenge for photographs (for my photographer friends, we are taking 25,600 ISO, wide open, and as slow as I could manage for SS…and it was still dark). If you know me, though, you know I love shooting in challenging situations like this. Around the room were handmade signs of encouragement and strength, as well as music playing throughout the night.
After laboring on the bed for a while, Porshe and Jeremy went outside to do some rocking/slow dancing. It was freezing cold outside, but I am sure it felt amazing. Once the birthing tub was ready, Porshe and Jeremy climbed in. I don’t think it was more than just a few minutes before the baby was born. A contraction or two and a few pushes was all it took. So, less than two hours after my arrival and Mo’orea Rae was here! She weighed in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21 inches long. A big baby, yes, but almost a whole pounds smaller than the last baby Porshe delivered! Fun fact: Mo’orea was born with a tooth!
Someone got Monroe (formerly the baby) right in the nick of time, so both her and Mollia were present when their little sister was born. Not only that, but Mollia was holding Monroe during the experience. Immediately after meeting Mo’orea, Monroe offered her a rubber ducky! I mean, she was in the tub after all! The sweetest, and most unexpected thing, though, was when Mollia was just overcome with emotion and started crying. It made ME cry. I mean, I’m tearing up right now, just typing about it!
Shortly after the birth, everyone moved to the bed, where the placenta was delivered and Mollia cut the cord. Everyone popped champagne (okay, it was sparkling cider, but that doesn’t have the same right to it) and toasted to their newest family member . The next few hours were spent in that bed, loving on their new little miracle, feeding her, and just soaking up all the love.
I still cannot believe that they were released from the hospital. Funny thing is that her blood pressure dropped back down to normal after she got to the hospital. The best it had been all pregnancy, in fact! It was as if she WILLED it to happen. I mean, if anyone could do it, it would be her.
These were taken over a year ago now…literally days before the world shut down, due to Covid-19. As you can tell from my smile, I was blissfully unaware of what the next 15 months would hold. Anyway, my friend River took all of these and I love them a ridiculous amount. I don’t even care if it’s vain to say that. We had fun, we laughed our asses off, and I look good.
This is just a little sneak peek from Jenna and Richard’s recent wedding at Navarra Gardens in Willamina, Oregon. This is what I’m currently working on and I can’t wait to deliver their gallery!
I met this adorable senior, when she was just a baby (literally)! I hadn’t seen in her, though, in years, so was surprised at how grown up she is now! Congrats on graduating high school and good luck on all your new adventures!
I’m not big on props…unless they’re hats. HA!
I actually took these photos last year, but today seemed like a good day to share, since they’re wearing red, white, and blue!
This is my friend, Loui’s, family - Her, her husband, their four kids, her adult siblings and their families, and her parents. Loui was one of my roommates in college, as well as a fellow cheerleader and eventually cheer coach. So, I’ve known her and her husband for a long time. She was pregnant with her oldest, when I was pregnant with my middle son. They were born about a week apart.
Anyway, we did this session at Loui’s home near Salem. We lucked out with perfect weather and a beautiful sunset. This was at the height of the pandemic, so I shoot everything from quite a distance, but it was still a good time with lots of laughter. Everyone was very cooperative…even the dogs!
Happy Father’s Day to my amazing husband, Ben!
Oh, and yes, I did pose my ginger husband with my orange VW bus…named Ginger.
I’ve done a few boudoir sessions with this sexy mama, so it was really fun to include her husband this time! These two are both very easy going and um, hello…hot as all get out! The mister only had two requests: the pose on the left and drinking some whiskey. Um, done and done!
I met up with Joslyn and her mom, in Astoria, for half of her senior portraits. I’ve known this beautiful human since she was born (I met her Mama when she was pregnant with her). I used to babysit her when she was little, and have photographed her several times before, so this was easy and natural for both of us. The weather was great and allowed us to walk around on the riverfront and in the downtown area, before getting too hot. We even stopped at the food trucks to get some breakfast!
This is Wanda, a 1960 Aloha camping trailer. I purchased her in the summer of 2019, with plans to convert her into a mobile photo studio/ photo booth. It took a little over a year to complete, but it turned out every bit as cute as I had imagined!
Before she looked like the above photo, though, she looked like the photos below. Wanda was in BAD shape! Two of the windows were broken, the inside was disgusting, the outside needed a paint job, the door was full of rot, and the whole back end was flapping in the breeze, as we dove it home. We also learned later that the axl, hubs, and wheels all needed to be replaced (cha-ching!). Good thing I only paid $1100 for it!
I should probably make a BIG clarification, before I go any further…. Although my blog post title says to look at what --I-- did, the majority of the work was done by my husband. I helped wit the tear out, the painting, and then the finish work at the end (i.e. making it pretty). Ben, however, did all of the re-building of the walls and ceiling (which were torn down to the studs), as well as the sub-floor. He completely re-wired the entire trailer, installed new lights (inside and out), as well as installed a new power hookup (to plug it in to a generator or an outlet). He even laid the luxury plank vinyl I picked out.
We didn’t waste any time tearing everything out, as we had it done by the next day! As you can see from the photos below, it also got worse, before it got better!
I forgot to take photos during the re-build process, but here she is, all prettied up!
Last fall, I rented an airbnb out in Scio, Oregon. The owners were kind enough to let me park the trailer on their property (and hook it up to power), in order to do some photo shoots with Wanda (the photos right above this were taken at that location). I did a a few boudoir sessions, as well as some family sessions, and an engagement shoot. When all was said and done, I decided to set up my tripod and take some self-portraits.
I’m really glad I took the time to take some photos with the finished trailer, as I ended up selling it a couple of months ago. It was a difficult decision, but I just knew she was destined to do more than sit in my driveway most of the year. Plus, I had just purchased an old VW bus that we are now fixing up (Click HERE to see it!), and we needed the room in our driveway! Wanda is now living her best life with Lexi of Wild NW Goods, which is a mobile boutique based out of Eugene, OR!
This was my one and only couple whose wedding actually went as planned in 2020! Everyone else had to make some kind of major change, like re-locating or downsizing, but most just pushed their wedding to 2021. Jonny & Rubi insisted on keeping their original wedding date, even if it meant getting married in someone’s backyard. They kept their reservation with the venue and just hoped for the best. As luck would have it, they got married in a county where, at the time, they were allowed to have a full guest list for their outdoor celebration.
This was my first time at O & L Gardens, which is located in Albany, Oregon. The outdoor venue is quite large and absolutely beautiful! It is out in the country and has a great rustic vibe, with a variety of locations to use for a wedding ceremony and/or reception.
We started the day with a First Look, which took place under a huge tree with the summer sun shining through. Ruby was stunning in a strapless ballgown, a simple veil, and some fabulous sparkly heels. Jonny looked quite dapper in his simple suit and pink tie. After their first look, we did a few portraits before the ceremony, where Jonny was escorted by his parents and Rubi was walked down the aisle by her brother and her mom.
After their nuptials, we did a few more portraits and then the newlyweds enjoyed their reception festivities. Their first dance, which was really sweet, was followed by a lot of fun fast-dancing by guests. The sun went down, as the reception came to a close, and the couple ran through a tunnel of bubbles on their way out!
I’ve known Kassie’s parents since before she was born. In fact, I knew each of her parents, before they knew each other! Ha! Although she is homeschooled in the Portland area, she is a beach girl at heart. Suffice it to say, I was more than happy to do this senior session at the Oregon coast. For the first portion of her session, we met up at Short Sands, which is one of Kassie’s favorite beaches, on a gorgeous August evening. In addition to photos in the sand, we also took photos on the trail to and from the beach because it was just so pretty!
Stay tuned for part 2, which took place in the adorable town of Manzanita, Oregon!
This stunning woman was SO fun to work with! She brought a few vintage pieces from her personal collection, including a fur jacket, some jewelry, a scarf, and a gorgeous two-piece number that was perfect some impromptu belly dancing in the studio (she’s actually a belly dancer, so it’s not as unexpected as it sounds). Oh, and her super-cute haircut? Her boyfriend (who is NOT a hair stylist) cuts it for her!
I have now photographed these two in just about every capacity…engagement photos, wedding, hospital newborn session, end of life celebration (for Ashley’s mother), baby photos, family photos, and now boudoir! I’m sure we’ll think of new ideas…like political candidate headshots, maybe?
Anyway, it’s always an absolute pleasure working with these two. They’re smart, funny, adorable, and hello…they’re also smokin’ hot! Ashley and Alina drove all the way out to Scio, Oregon (from the Portland area) to do a couples boudoir session in this little vintage trailer (which I used to own, but have since sold).
This senior’s adorable style made my 90s teen heart so happy! I’ve known her mom for nearly twenty years and while I have watched Madeline grow up online, this was my first time actually meeting her in person. She’s as sweet as can be and like I said, I love her style! From her hair, to her outfit, to her shoes…so cute!
My friend had been wanting to do a “trash the dress” session for years and we finally made it happen this past summer, when she was in town for a few days! We knew we would only be doing this once, so we went all out…cutting, ripping, and painting the dress, and then “decorating” the bottom of her wedding shoes. Boudoir sessions often offer some form of healing or closure for clients and although she had already moved on with her life since her divorce, I think this session was like putting the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.
