You may have seen Steve and Ashlee's engagement photos posted here a while back. We finally made it to the wedding! The wedding was gorgeous. Dan and I have always wanted to shoot at King Estate Winery and they have recently begun to have weddings at their location. It is a great spot for weddings with more locations to shoot in that we even knew about. You think at a winery there would only be the vineyard but here you will see the awesome hammock, pond, garden etc... We couldn't stop shooting. It was a pleasure working with Steve and Ashlee once again. Shooting engagement sessions really helps make the wedding day go so much smoother. It made all of us really excited for the wedding photos. Steve and Ashlee were originally supposed to be getting married in Hawaii but due to a airline going bankrupt they had to switch the wedding back to Oregon. I know its not Hawaii but you guys picked the best location and I hope that Dan and I helped make your day awesome! We thank you both for the opportunity to be a part of your day. Enjoy your sneak peak!

Ryan & Julie had their wedding at The Grotto in Portland. It was our first opportunity to shoot at this location and it was worth the wait. The Grotto is beautiful. Lucky for us it was a really hot day but the Grotto provided the much needed shade and a little breeze that made the day awesome. The reception was held at Columbia Edgewater Country Club which was also a new location for us. It gave a beautiful backdrop for us to shoot some golden hour photos. At the reception we pulled Ryan and Julie away for a break to catch a few more images. A special Thank You to Sue from Ultra Violet Events who was the coordinator for the wedding. It was a pleasure working with you and you helped make the day wonderful for Ryan and Julie. I of course also want to thank my awesome bride and groom for letting us share your day with you. Dan and I had a great time and I am excited for you to see the rest of your images. Enjoy your sneak peak and I will see you very soon.

I might add a few more images later tonight to this post...so check back!

Aimee is not a senior anymore but we shot this session similar to a senior session. I had a great time taking photos of Aimee in and around the studio. She has beautiful eyes that just sparkle when photographed. There is a mix of indoor, outdoor and some indoor with natural light in these. Thanks to Aimee for coming to see me :) Enjoy your sneak peak and I will see you soon!

I know I posted the first image a while back as my Shot of the Day :) But I wanted to officially post for Jonathan and Samantha. Here are just a few of my favorites from the engagement session. We had a blast around the Pearl District of Portland. I always like to encourage people to do engagement sessions. It really gives everyone a chance to bond and makes wedding day photos a breeze. You know what to expect from us and we know what to expect from you. Plus you feel like old friends on the wedding day which I love. Jonathan and Samantha were awesome to work with...We all hit it off instantly and I was a little "too" excited with the shots I was getting. I have to have fun though right? I think they may have thought I was crazy. I am always good for a laugh. Thanks guys for deciding to go ahead with the session Dan and I had a great time and LOVE your photos. Enjoy and we will see you soon....

Just real quick...I am off to shoot a wedding today but wanted to get a couple images of Taylynne posted. I will add a couple more late tonight or probably tomorrow....check back...

UPDATE: I just got back from shooting the wedding and made it just in time to post a couple more photos before tomorrow. So here you go...A few more of Taylynne and one of her and her mom Christel. I love that the are snuggling....very sweet. Taylynne was a little model for me which I am sure you can see from the images. She was beautiful and made my job very easy. I really love the two shots of her against the patterned black and white background. Enjoy your sneak peak and Thanks for coming to see me :)

I just loved this little guy. His name is adorable and he is adorable. He was almost the last one of my free session...Just a couple more to go and I will have everyone posted. Thanks for everyone's patience with me while I work as fast as I can to get everyone a sneak peak....Back to Roman...Thanks to the Cheung family for coming to see me. I enjoyed working with you guys. Here is your sneak peak...

LOVE the BLUE eyes! I know I have a thing for blue eyes...Lucky for my husband :) Or I guess that would be lucky for me that he has blue eyes? hmmm.... These two did awesome for their session. Here again we are seeing brother/sister love that I adore. Most kids are not up for snuggling with their siblings but when they do it....It is sweet. The last image is one of my favorites. It was the last shot we took and the kids actually posed themselves for it. I said "its a wrap" and they said "one more". And there it was. Thanks to the Majerus kids and their mom Jodie for coming to visit! I had a great time. Enjoy my faves...

I wanted to do a quick post of the Plummer's. I loved this series. I will post a few more soon.....

UPDATE:

Here are a few more images from Hannah and Caleb. I had been shooting a lot of two year olds prior to the Plummer kids so once I got to their session I was so excited about kids that couldnt run away. Well I guess they could but they wouldnt. They were perfect angels...Yes Angels. They did whatever I wanted them to and put up with me for quite a while as I shot. I love the images we got....They are so cute together. I know if someone said to snuggle with my brother when I was a kid they would have got a dirty look from me and an EWWW from my brother. But these two snuggled and were adorable. I have known these guys since they were little so I think it helped us get some great shots. They were both very comfortable with me. I also play volleyball with their mom, Nancy. Thanks to all of you for driving up from Salem to see me. Enjoy your sneak peak and I will see you soon...

With a smile that makes you melt. Addy was full of energy and full of personality. Taking her photo was a blast. It was a challenge to keep her on my paper as we were shooting but that is part of what made it so fun. It was a little work-out for mom as she helped chase her. I love the blue paper with her cute little outfit. I also liked that mom (Becky) brought a couple of things from when she was a baby to put Addy in....So CUTE! Thanks to the Krist's for coming to visit! A joy as always! Enjoy your sneak peak...

You may have seen Brett's little brother a few posts back :) Brett is actually in collage now but his mom wanted a few good shots of both of her son's so we went ahead and had a session with Brett as well. Brett was wonderful to work with. He made my job easy. I know guys dont always love to be photographed but Brett hung in there with me and made it fun for both of us. I took a few indoors and also right around the studio. Thanks Brett for coming to see me! Enjoy...

Such a cutie! I know little Will's mom, Amanda, has been patiently waiting for her sneak peak...I hope this was worth the wait! Will's photos turned out awesome. His big eyes and wide smile were wonderful to photograph. I have taken photos of his big sister a couple times and it looks like Will is just as photogenic. This time we only took photos of Will so his sister, Ella, couldnt steal the show as she likes to do :) Will kept me captivated for the session and was a perfect angel! Thanks to Amanda for bringing Will to see me....Enjoy your sneak peak!

We are working on an album for Brady so you will see several session from him as we capture his first year. I have posted a few in the past with Brady so you may recognize the little guy. He is a little flirt. Every time I get to see him I get to listen to him coo at me and give me big smiles. Brady was awesome for this session and I love the shots we got. Thanks to Brady and his mom Leslie for driving up from Cottage Grove to come see the new studio! Here are my favorites...

Fifty. Wow. A milestone? I thought it was until I said that to my Dad. He thought it made him sound OLD. Isn't fifty the new forty? At least that is what I told him to try and make him feel better :) If you haven't figured it out already today July 19, 2008 my Dad turned the big 50! There was a surprise party (only sorta a surprise as he had already figured it out) in his honor held this evening but I was unable to attend due to some prior commitments. I did get to spend the morning with him where he made US breakfast (thanks for breakfast dad!) and then proceeded to kick my butt in bowling...Thanks again DAD....Although I was only letting you win since it was your birthday...I demand a rematch! Anyway...I wanted to give a little blog love to my dad. People were asked to say something nice about Dad at his party. Since I couldn't make it I thought I would write here so my dad could read it....So now that you have all the scoop here I go....

Dad,

When I think of you I think of so many things its hard for me to put them on paper but I am going to try and explain what I see in you. One of the first things I think of when I think of you is your laughter...the BIG boustorious laugh that can be heard from miles away but is completely contagious (yes I have inherited your wonderful laugh...thanks for that) . I see you as the life of the party. I see your competitiveness but also you know when to fold em. I see how hard you work to provide for your family. I see your soft side and kind heart even though you act tuff. I see you in your office....with the biggest "organized mess" ever. If anyone touches anything you will kill them...because you know just where everything is. I see you as you live life to its fullest.

And then I see you there... watching me grow up. I see you teaching me to stand on my own two feet and to not take crap from anyone. I see you teaching me to be a hard worker and to be independent. I know that you are proud of me and the path I have chosen but more importantly I am proud to have you as my father and I don't think I have told you that enough. Parents always brag about how wonderful (at least I hope) that their kids our but kids forget to sing the praises back to their parents. It is because of you that I am who I am today. If anything I hope that makes you proud to have your children be one of your biggest accomplishments. I thank you today for everything you have taught me and the support you have offered me. I thank you for being my Dad. I wish you the happiest Birthday! I love you Dad! Hugs and Kisses!


*The cute photo is my dad age 1....wasnt he cute!*

Little blond CUTIE! Briana just keeps getting cuter every time I see her. I love her little pig tails. I am sure you can see from these photos she has quite the personality! I actually love the shot of her screaming at me...cracks me up! I know its not your typical image....She was not throwing a fit...just telling me how it was. Briana did great for the session and posed quite well for me. There are many more cute photos but here is just a few that really stood out to me. Thanks to Briana and her mom jenny for driving up from Eugene to see me! Enjoy...

It's that time of year for Senior Sessions to begin. Derek was one of my first seniors for the 2009 year. I dont usually shoot seniors indoors but with the new studio I wanted to give it a try. We also took some time to wonder around the grounds for some outdoor shots. I was happy to do a mix of indoor/outdoor. Gives the session a fun variety. Derek is the uncle of little Claire (scroll down to see her pics). I also shot his older brother this past week and will post a few soon :) It was wonderful to be able to work with the Adams! Thanks to all of you! Here are my favorites from the session...

I have been photographing little Anika for the past two years. It has been a joy watching her grow into a little lady. She is a cutie. I am always excited to take her photos just so I can see her and see how she has changed. We always get some great shots and this shoot was no exception. Thanks to Anika and her Mom, Sophia, for coming to see me. Enjoy my favorites...

A Baby AND a Dog? Am I nuts? I remember when I was in High School I did a job shadow with our local photographer Michael (Heritage Studio). He thought it would be "funny" to have me try and photograph a baby and a dog....I cant remember the exact age of the baby...but it was either a 6 month old or a one year old...so a little bigger than Rylee. But Michael figured if I could survive the shoot I was destined to be a photographer....and as we all know here I am. Rylee was a bit easier because she couldnt run away but we did have to be careful that the dog did not step on her if he decided to get up. It took a couple tries but we got a couple great shots. Not too long back Dan and I also shot Andy and Katherine's wedding. And almost everyone of their friends. I have been told they are running out of friends (un-married ones that is)....So I think I need to find them some new ones. Just kidding! Thanks to Andy and Katherine for making the drive up to see me...I will see you guys soon. Enjoy my faves until then...

Twins! I had to twin shoots in a row. What a fun day :) Shalla and Shannon were very cute. They were a bit shy so it took a bit to get them to warm up and I think we got some great shots. The Gray's had a bit of a drive from Washington to come and see me so a big Thank you to you guys for making the drive. Here are a couple of my favorites. Enjoy...

More twins :) Always fun and always a challenge! I have taken photos of Madison and Makenzie once before in my old studio. The girls had grown up quite a bit since the last time I saw them. Why do kids grow so fast! Just kidding. The girls were cute as ever but made me work for the session! I love the shot of the girls playing peek-a-boo. That got the two of them to light up for me. I also really like the shot of dad reading to the girls..Very Sweet. Thanks to the White Family for making the long drive to come see me. I look forward to shooting again in the fall. Enjoy...

It wasn't too long ago that I shot Molly and Yancy's wedding. Now I have had the opportunity to meet and photograph their one year old little girl Claire. Claire was full of energy and was great for the shoot. She was a blast to chase around. I really love the shot of her little bloomers. Not your typical shot of a little child and Yes I meant to chop of her head...It was all about the bloomers. Thanks to Molly for coming to see me :) Claire was wonderful and I look forward to meeting your new little one soon :) Enjoy...

Love this shot :) I just finished taking Jonathan and Samantha's engagement photos in downtown portland. The entire session went awesome but I had to post this shot now. Its going to be at least a week before I have an official sneak peak for these guys but they both know how excited I was about this shot so I thought I better get it online. Check back for the rest soon....Enjoy!

My first wedding that I was actually sitting in the audience enjoying the moment rather than scurrying around making sure I capture every second of the day :) Yes..the first wedding I have attended and not been the photographer. It was awesome. I can not remember the last time I have been to a wedding and was just an attendee? hmmm....I have been a photographer for 11 years so it must have been before that? When my best friend Jamie got married I was pulling double duty...a bridesmaid and a photographer (well technically my hubby was the official photographer but I "had" to help). My mom got married..I was the photographer...My grandma got married I was in the wedding and the photographer...Okay...This is not a bad thing. I am well loved for my photography skills. However it was wonderful to be able to have a little fun and be a guest. So BIG thanks to Dan and Ann for the invite! It was great watching you guys share your love on your big day. I of course could not attend with out my camera (that would just be WRONG). So I brought it along and just took a very limited amount of pics. No formals. We took a few outside with our friends Jessica and Jeff who were attending and Jeff was a groomsman. Thanks to Jessica for taking the silly shot of Dan and I! I want to say congrats to Dan and Ann! Welcome to the other side! Married life is full of surprises!

Another cute one to add to my growing collection! Ha ha....But really...I did say I was honored to photograph so many cute kids this past week. Ethan was no exception. He was super cute! I decided to take him outside for a few so I could chase him around. The series of him showing off his tummy I love. I also loved how he used his hands in "cute" posed. Notice the crossing of his fingers and also pointing. CUTE! Thanks to Ethan and his mom and grandma for coming to the studio to see me. Enjoy my favorites...

Can you believe how cute these two kids are? They were awesome to photograph and both of them had killer eyes! They both also had so many expressions I could hardly chose my favorites. I think mom and dad are going to have a tuff time choosing :) I love the shot of Micah covering his eyes...Now I know that may not be your favorite but that was what I got when I asked him to give me his eyelashes. Micah had the longest eyelashes (why do the boys always get the best eyelashes?). He did not want to share with me...it was cute :) I have to give a huge thank you to their mom Andrea for bringing the kids to see me. They made my day. I hope you enjoy your sneak peak and I will see you soon to view the rest...

I will add to this post as soon as I edit the images a little more. I was just taking a quick peak at the photos and came across these three that I wanted to go ahead and post. I will try to add a few more images tonight or tomorrow. Ava is the daughter of Gabe and Lindsey Spencer. Dan and I shot their wedding and now had the opportunity to meet their little girl. Ava was wonderful for me. She really liked the lights (or maybe it was just me she liked? hmmm). Lindsey drove about 6 hours to come visit and have me take some photos. So a HUGE thank you to her! I hope the images will make the long drive worth it! Stay tuned for a few more images from this session...


***UPDATE***
Couple more images added :)

I had a blast taking photos of the Sullivan's. I had the opportunity to shoot Erin's senior photos so we had worked together before. I do not typically shoot families indoors but decided to give it a try. Although I did of course snag a few outside my studio. I am really excited with the images we captured. I took the classic black and white family portrait to a little bit more untraditional. The Sullivan's also decided to stick their tongue's out at me (their idea!)...I promised them that shot was making the blog! Thanks to the Sullivan's! I hope you guys enjoy your photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. Here are just a few of my favorites...

I am sure I am going to be saying this a lot but CUTE! I only shoot cute kids and that is that! Of course Little Nicholas was no exception. This was his first official photo session. He was born a little early and spent some time in the NICU. So mom kept him close to home for the first few months to keep him from catching any bugs. I was excited to have him in my studio and even more excited when I saw his big BLUE eyes. I must say my favorite of all of these is the silly face shot. It cracks me up! Thanks to Nicholas and his mom Joy for coming to see me...Enjoy your sneak peak....

Katie, Matthew...and now little Luke! The last time I took photos of the Welsack's little Luke was not quite here. The kids were the first session of my free session week. This week has been CRAZY! I have about 25 sessions that I booked....I was overwhelmed at the response from the giveaway. Today is the final day of free sessions and it will be time to start getting orders together for everyone. I want give a BIG Thank You to everyone that participated. It has been a blast. I will do my best to get a sneak peak posted for everyone so check back often for the whirlwind of blog posts. Thanks to the Weslack's for coming to see me once again! The kids were awesome and it was great meeting little Luke! Here a couple of my favorites...

Last session from Reno....Some of you may recognize the Bonaldi girls, Mia and Maddy as I have been taking their photos for a few years now. This time I got to meet their step brother and sister Khyber and Jadyn. The four of them were so good for me! I loved how they were all about the same size. Khyber was very brave to hang out with the girls and snuggled with his sister whenever I asked. Thanks to the Bonaldi's and all four kids for letting me take your photos....You guys were awesome. Here are a few of my faves...

I had a great time shooting the Baldridge's. We went for a more casual take on the family formals. This is of course much easier to do outdoors but you need a fun and crazy family to be game for it (thanks guys!). I love the informal "poses" we got. These were all shot at the University of Reno last weekend. I have one more session from Reno I will be posting soon and then a ton of shoots from my free session giveaway so keep checking back with me. Thanks to the Baldridge family for coming out to "play". I had a great time! Here are my favorites...

I think I have about 5 sets of twins I have shot over the last week :) Its been a blast! I shot the Vossen's in Reno last week at UNR. I took photos of the boys two years ago and I was looking forward to taking their photos again. The boys did great! I really love the foot shot of the family as well as the shots of the boys on the brick/roll up door. Thanks to the Vossen's for coming to see me again! Here are a couple favorites...Enjoy!

You know how I love quotes :) My friend Genny sent this to me yesterday. She gets a daily quote from realsimple.com and some of them are just too perfect. Here is yesterdays quote...


"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." -Henry David Thoreau

I took the Czyz boys in Reno this last weekend. Boys will be boys! They were a lot of fun to shoot. It was a bit challenging to get all 3 boys looking good...but I think we did it. Thanks to the Czyz Family for giving me the opportunity to take your photos. Here are a couple of my favorites....Enjoy!

My favorite age. As we chased Gracie around UNR I really started thinking about Why is it I love this age so much? I mean...Here I am running around trying to catch this girl who does not want to smile and is busy being two rather than paying any attention to me. And by the end of the session I am exhausted...So what is it I love so much? Well, its the personalities of this age and it is the chase that I love. Once I finish and I start editing the real reward is what I captured. That is the real love. No matter if the session is a piece of cake or the two year old makes me really work at it...I always manage to capture the personality of them. And when I nail that shot....that is where I get all the warm and fuzzies :) Gracie was no exception. I have been taking her photos since she was born (and even before with a maternity session). Each time is such a joy to see how much she has grown...she has a smile that makes you melt! Here are just a few of my favorites from the session. Thanks as always to the Manit family for bringing Gracie to see me. I enjoy working with you guys!

Everywhere I turn these days it seems I see BLISS! I think everyone is copying me! Have you guys seen the new Bliss Chocolates (I must be on a chocolate kick lately..ha ha). I have them in my studio. I believe they were made just for ME! This flower had the name Sheer Bliss and one of my clients spotted it while we were shooting at the University of Reno. I thought I would snap a quick photo to post on my blog! I have many sessions to post so stay tuned....Also I am back in town...so if you need anything please email me.