salem family photographer
How cute is this little munchkin? Baby Mo’orea makes the best facial expressions, so photographing her is always a joy. I just loved her little mustard colored onesie!
How cute are these two (three, if you count the bus)?! Porshe is a longtime client-turned-friend and it has been such an honor, watching her family grow. Mo’orea (8 months old here) is her third baby and she is just as sweet as can be!
I adore this mama and and her three girls. This is her youngest (whose birth you can see photos of HERE) and she’s just a sweet as can be. As you can see, she adores her mama and makes the best facial expressions. As if that wasn’t enough, she decided to stand up on her own for the firs time DURING the photo shoot! Check out that very last photo and look at how surprised they both look!
More to come very soon!
I had the privilege of photographing this extended family last year at Deepwood Museum & Gardens (yeah, yeah, I know I’m always behind on blogging).
My, with my two favorite Gingers…
This was my first time photographing this family, but I did senior portraits for their oldest daughter (seen in the cream sweater below) a couple of months prior (I still need to share those…oops!). Anyway, they’re very easy to work with and hello, look how pretty they are!
This family is a hoot. They like to have fun with their family portraits and I am totally here for it. in the past they’ve worn giant googly eyes, super hero t-shirts, and latex animal head masks, so when Erin told me they were doing an 80s TV sitcom theme, I couldn’t wait to see what they came up with. After a trip to a local thrift store, they were all set. From the giant glasses, to the Dad slippers, to the blacksheep of the family… I love it all! They even made a cute little video to look like the full house intro, featuring their “cast members.” I also felt the need to create a truly 80s inspired image, using photoshop, which I’ve titled, Mother. Haha!
This past fall I offered indoor mini sessions, in addition to my usual outdoor option. Although my own studio is located nearby, the Gray Lab is better suited for families and groups, due to the size. It’s about 3x the size of my studio and they have quite a few different furniture options to choose from. This is the first time I’ve photographed Michiko’s family indoors, so it was a nice change of pace. Plus, we didn’t have to worry about the unpredictable weather (and it was all over the place this day) or getting cold. The sooner we could get her busy teenagers out the door, the better, so this worked out perfectly.
I know I do this all the time, but I love mentioning all of the times I’ve photographed someone. I am just so honored when those continuously choose me, as their photographer, to document their family’s milestones. My first time photographing Ashley and Alina was at their engagement session. Since then, I have photographed their wedding, their pregnancy, their hospital newborn portraits, baby and toddler sessions, multiple family sessions, a boudoir session, and even a celebration of life for Ashley’s mom. I adore this little family and truly love watching them grow.
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.
The Gray Lab was one of two locations available for this year’s fall mini sessions. Although I have a dedicated studio space nearby, I find that this public studio is better suited for family sessions and/or larger groups. The background is neutral, the light is lovely, and they have a variety of couches and furniture pieces to choose from.
This tween & teen sibling duo belongs to my best friend, Molly, who is also an awesome real estate agent (https://mollyedwards.salemoregonpropertysearch.com/)! If you know me, you can probably see why Molly and I are best friends (hint: It’s her shenanigans).
I always try to get at least one photo of “just the parents” (or parent, in some cases) , when doing family sessions. I usually take individual shots of just the kids, or at the very least group shots of just the kids, and while parents may not change as quickly as the kids do, they DO change over the years. I think it’s just important to document how the adults looked over the years. I mean, think of how few photos we see of our parents and grandparents, especially in adulthood.
I know I always say this about my clients, but I am often blown away at how much the kids have grown! Some families, like this one, have been in front of my camera for over a decade! When I met this group, the youngest was not even a year old, the middle kid was in pre-school, and the oldest was a first grader. They’re now in middle school, high school, and college! Yes, I have kids the same ages , but for some reason it always surprises me more to see how fast OTHER kids grow. They’ve been doing this for so long that we are usually done with photos in less than 10 minutes!
How cute are these photos?! I could not believe that Dolly, their 5 month old puppy, was so cooperative and well behaved during their session! And yes, I made sure to get lots of puppy kisses! Anyway, we did this session in the nick of time, as their little bundle was born just a few days later (a little earlier and smaller than expected, but they are all home and doing well!).
I met these two a few years ago, when I photographed their wedding. They’re very sweet and laid back, so working with them is always a breeze. Their recent maternity session was no exception and I can’t wait to share the rest of their photos!
This day ended up being unexpectedly cold and we found out, upon arrival, that our chosen venue was closed. They were such troopers, though, that they braved the cold and we just shot in a little spot at the entrance of the park in which we’d planned to shoot. You may recognize Ashley and Alina (the couple with the baby), as I’ve photographed them many times in the past (engagement, wedding, maternity, newborn, family, boudoir, etc.). This time, though, we included Ashley’s sister and her family. I can’t wait for fall photos this year!
I think it’s safe to say that if we had not been in the middle of a pandemic, I would have squeezed this little guy’s cheeks! I mean, look at him! I had the privilege of photographing baby Aaron’s parents’ wedding a couple of years ago, so getting to see them again AND meet their baby was AWESOME!
I was scheduled to photograph Monica and Khyler’s wedding in April of 2020, but due to the pandemic, they eloped in their backyard during a family BBQ, with plans to have their big celebration when things opened back up. Well, fast forward a few months and surprise, things still weren’t open, but they were expecting! Eventually they decided to skip the big wedding and just settle in to their new home and family life. A few weeks after little Clayton was born, I paid their family a visit for an at-home family session! Monica’s teenaged son was also kind enough to bless us with his presence for a full family photo. I mean, he DID get to “skip” class for a few minutes (online learning was quite convenient for this day!). Anyway, we’re planning another family session this fall and I can’t wait to see how big the little dude will be!
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!
