I know it’s still more than 2 months away, but I’m already excited for Spooky season! I usually do a few Halloween sessions (boudoir & regular), but I’m not sure if I’ll have time this year. Fingers crossed!
Ashton wanted an excuse to wear her prom dress again, so this worked out perfectly! Happy Sweet 16, Ash!
Sam’s senior portrait session was so much fun. We did the entire shoot in downtown Salem on a warm August evening. Sam is an actor and was rehearsing for a performance at The Grand Theater all day, so starting there made perfect sense! For the remainder of the evening, we just wandered around the streets and alleyways downtown. Our final stop was Archive Coffee & Bar, so Sam could order his favorite drink. All in all, I think we captured Sam’s personality with this casual urban session!
At-home “lifestyle” sessions are my favorite way to photograph families with little ones. When I go to a client’s home, they have everything they need right there (diapers, change of clothes, snacks, etc.). They don’t have to worry about forgetting anything or plan for the unexpected. Toddlers and small children are usually apprehensive about a stranger photographing them, but being in their own home makes them feel FAR more comfortable. By the end of the session, they’re usually showing me their toys and telling me funny stories about their pets. Plus, it’s just so much easier for me (a woman whose children are all adults now) to hop in my car and drive to the client!
I do very little posing with lifestyle sessions. I may say, “everyone sit over there.” or “Let’s put the baby here.” Beyond that, though, I just let everyone do what they want…especially babies and toddlers! THEY ARE IN CHARGE! This cuts down on the stress of trying to get that “perfect” family photo and results in shots that are way more authentic.
I’ve been to Ashley and Alina’s house a few times now and in addition to getting to see their adorable family, I get to see the changes they’ve made to their first home! They’ve done quite a few DIY projects and they look SO good!
This is one of my favorite spots to do senior portraits at the Oregon Coast. Yes, this location looks stunning in color, but I love these dramatic black & white images too.
I always tell my boudoir clients that I have “layering pieces” in my studio closet, so I love when I have an opportunity to actually show those pieces on my blog. Aly wore a simple navy bra/underwear set, which looked beautiful with both of these robes.
This is such a perfect session to share during PRIDE month! Maisie, who had recently come out at the time of this session, wanted some updated portraits of herself for her online dating profile. She wanted something that showcased her personality and I think she nailed it!
If you are interested in some new photos for your online dating profile, simply book a branding session with me! We can shoot indoors, outdoors, in your home, etc.
Anna went through chemotherapy while she was pregnant with baby Asha, so the two of them had matching hairstyles for their first family photo shoot. This session was two years ago, so they both have a lot more more hair now.
Boudoir doesn’t have to be light and airy and you don’t have to wear pretty lingerie. Sometimes it is dark and moody, with combat boots, funky tights, tattoos and piercings.
Boudoir clients are often overwhelmed, when trying to decide what to wear. Sometimes it’s best to just stop overthinking it and keep it simple. Grab a button down shirt from your closet (or your partner’s) and call it good!
If this family looks familiar to you, it’s probably because I’ve photographed them a lot. I mean, I’ve known Loui (the mom) for 30 years and Travis for nearly as long. Anyway, they have the cutest tradition for their family. Whenever one of their kids goes off to college, they all dress up in that college’s swag and do family portraits. Kyle is the 2nd oldest, but I’m so behind on blogging that he’s almost a junior in college and they sent another off last year!
Anyway, these were the photos we did (at their home) for Kyle’s sendoff to Grand Canyon University!
I posted about this on Facebook last month, but wanted to post here as well, as today would have been Rachel & Hao’s third wedding anniversary.
I met Hao about six years ago, when he moved in a few houses down from us (with my son, actually). He was full of energy and personality and talked about Rachel every chance he got. I couldn’t wait to meet her and when I finally did, I could see exactly why he was so smitten’. She has one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen and she just radiated kindness.
I was absolutely honored, when they asked if I would be their wedding photographer. We had a great time during their engagement session, so I knew their big day would be fun. And I was right. It was an amazing day, at a beautiful venue, with a couple that was madly in love. The way those two looked at each other…you could FEEL how in love they were.
On February 29th, Rachel was in a fatal car accident, on her way to work as a kindergarten teacher. She and her family moved back to her hometown of Glide, Oregon, a few years ago. So, not only are her husband and family missing her, but there’s also a group of kindergarteners, a school, and an entire community feeling her loss.
This is not the first bride of mine to pass away, but this one is definitely the hardest and seems the most unfair. She was only 27 years old.
Although I shared Rachel and Hao’s wedding photos back in 2021 (you can view that blog post HERE), I thought I’d do something different for this blog post. Instead of sharing the photos that essentially show a summary of the whole day, I wanted to share photos that focused specifically on Rachel and her beautiful smile.
Hao, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I cannot even begin to imagine what you have gone through or what you will continue to go through. You and Rachel will forever be on my mind and in my heart.
RIP, Rachel.
I have photographed a few surprise proposals, but this one was the most special, as it was my own son doing the proposing! Karson and India met in high school, through piano lessons, so this was a long time coming. Because India and her sister have modeled for me in the past, it was easy to “trick” her into this.
Karson and I got everyone up to Silver Falls, under the guise of doing a Spring themed photo shoot. We even ordered some vibrant bouquets from Morning Glories Floral! Only, we didn’t realize there would still be snow up there until we arrived! The girls were FREEZING in their spring dresses, so we had to be quick about it. Thankfully, the hike to the spot was short.
Having India’s mom there seemed totally normal, as she’d been to all of the girls’ previous shoots (senior portraits, modeling, etc.). Karson was there to carry everything for me (and I made sure he actually did, of course).
We planned it out so that at one point Karson would walk India’s bouquet over to her, and when he did he gave her a quick kiss and then dropped to one knee. As you can see from her face, she was VERY surprised. Mission accomplished!!
Afterwards, both families met up for dinner and we had a great time celebrating their engagement! I’m so behind on blogging that it has actually been over a year since this happened!
This session is from a few years ago, but I love it so much that I wanted to share it again!
My husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary at the Oregon coast on December 19th, 2023. While we were there, we put on our fancy clothes and did some self-portraits at our airbnb, which was an amazing cabin in the woods, with a view of the ocean.
We did take a trip to Hawaii back in October, as that was when the weather was best and when we could get the time off, but we didn’t do any portraits while we were there. I mostly just took photos of flowers, but will share those (and more from our coastal portraits) one of these days.
Hope (she/her) and Asil (they/them) decided to book a couples boudoir session for their 10th wedding anniversary. They had planned a weekend getaway to the Oregon coast and asked if I would be interested in photographing a woodsy outdoor session. I don’t think Asil even finished the question before I blurted out, “OMG, yes!!” Haha.
I took a day trip to the coast ahead of time to do some location scouting and found the PERFECT spot! It was woodsy and mossy, with a Twilight vibe.
We were all mentally prepared for some horrible Winter weather, but we totally lucked out! It was really cold, BUT the sun was shining! With no wind or rain, we didn’t have anything to complain about (and eventually we got used to the cold)
If you missed part 1, you can CLICK HERE to see those photos.
I’m a sucker for a sundress and jean jackets with cowgirl boots, so when Makayla showed up in this adorable outfit, I was thrilled. We shot this mini session at a park near my house, which gave us a little bit of greenery AND a little bit of fall color, plus a variety of backgrounds.
