I had originally planned on writing two separate posts for today: one for my second day in Portland and one for International Women's Day. But because the celebration of feminism is a lifestyle and not an annual festivity for me, I thought it more appropriate to combine them. Now, if you're thinking of closing this post because I just said the word "feminism," perhaps keep an open mind here for a minute and see what I have to say.
Read MoreIf I spent any significant amount of time on my hair, I could not live in Portland. From the moment I walked the girls to the bus stop until I drippingly returned in the late afternoon, water fell from the sky in varying degrees of intensity until I gave up and put my now-birds' nest in a bun. Mind you, I do have a rain coat with a hood but I can't manage to get the thing to stay on. Oh well, small price to pay! My first day here was about as "Portland" as I could get. I woke up around 7 (hooray for going back a few time zones!), walked my cousins to the bus stop where we said hi to the resident ducks, then set off to figure out the transit system into downtown. Though taking the MAX significantly increased my travel time compared to driving, its pros far outweighed the cons as all I had to do was figure out where to make a couple connections.
Read MoreI love getting to watch my clients open their wedding albums for the first time. I don't always get to - sometimes I have to ship them or my couples want to go through them by themselves to quietly savor the moment. But when I do get to be there, the reactions are priceless! And Savannah and Kevin were no different. They were blown away by just how big the 12 x 12 inch heirloom album is, especially the breathtaking their beautiful images look as full page spreads.
Read MoreThanks to the power of the internet, I got to work with this fabulous couple from Florida last November capturing their engagement. Actually, not only did I get to shoot their engagement session, but I got to document the very moment she said "yes!" Matt had emailed me a couple months previously saying that he was planning to propose to his girlfriend at the Biltmore Estate and would love to have some photos to remember the whirlwind event and as a lover of proposals, I jumped at the chance.
Read MoreAll the time I get the question "What is your favorite subject to photograph? For the first couple years of my career I would waffle between "Oh, I just really like photographing people" and "Well, I don't think I can choose - I love everything I shoot!" But that's not entirely accurate. I shoot everything from weddings to athletic events to product shoots to landscapes to maternity sessions professionally - sometimes all in the same week - but over and over again the shoots that I enjoy most and specifically the images I am happiest with are those that include laughter.
Read MoreThrough our planning process, I knew Jodie and Surain were looking for simplicity in their day - to focus on their union and their new family. They were a perfect couple for me to work with because this gave me the freedom to focus on their emotions; their excitement at seeing each other in their fancy wedding outfits, their happy tears through the ceremony, their content smiles during portraits and their giddy excitement during the reception when the realization of their new life together had started to set in.
Read MoreI cannot say enough how much I love intimate weddings! Morgan and Mike met while Morgan was studying abroad in Ireland (more on their sweet story in their full blog post in a couple months.) With so many unknowns surrounding the visa process, they had to plan their wedding rather last minute as they had 90 days to get married once Mike's visa request was approved; we only began discussing wedding photography a few weeks before their ceremony!
Read MoreThe name of the game with their wedding album was creating lots of full-page spreads to showcase their many beautiful portraits. The best part of these full-page images (aside from gorgeousness!) is they give me plenty of space to add in text, like the Bible verses Janel and Corey included dedicated to creating a happy marriage.
Read MoreWhile this album is perfect for leaving out on the coffee table now and looking through anytime someone walks by, I can just imagine the family years from now looking back at the images and reminiscing or even retelling baby stories as Abby looks through the photos with a child of her own.
Read MoreOne of my very favorite subjects to photograph is love and what epitomizes love better than two parents with their 10 day old newborn? A few months ago two of my good friends brought their beautiful daughter into the world and instantly fell in love with this sweet bundle of joy. Because we all know that kids grow up entirely too fast, Parker and Kendal wanted to capture this first part of their journey so that when Abby takes her first steps or goes to her first class or has her first child of her own (Parker and Kendal - don't read that part, it's years away, don't worry!), they can look back and remember this quiet (or not so quiet?) time with her.
Read MoreWe're a week in to the new year so it's about the time that outrageous new year's resolutions have run their course and realistic goals begin to take shape. For me, I spent the week (when I wasn't working on clients' work) crunching last year's numbers, analyzing what worked and what didn't and especially journaling about the direction I would like my company to go. As this long term vision is starting to take root (I'll keep the details to myself for now, wouldn't want to spoil the fun!) I've narrowed down a few of my goals for 2017 to get me on my way:
Read MoreAs one of my favorite shoots of the fall, I've been meaning to sharing this album for a while, but wedding season certainly kept me busy. Now that I've got some time, here's a look at The Rogers' album from their couple's session around Waynesville.
Read MoreI've said it before and I'll say it again: a man who gives his wife a photo shoot and album for her birthday is a man who knows what he's doing! I met Ashleigh at Kudzu Brands so I had actually photographed her before, but it was fun to do so in a more relaxed setting.
Read MoreAs I'd photographed for 12 hours on their big day, narrowing down the images to fit into 50 spreads was quite difficult (and luckily not my task as Kim picked out which images she liked best!) My goal was to weave together the images in a way that would showcase their vibrancy and attention to detail while highlighting the importance of family and this newly-combined family's love for each other.
Read MoreThe day after Thanksgiving, I got to witness Terri and Jodi promise their lives to each other. While I get to see this quite often, their genuine happiness to make their vows and the pure outpouring of love from their families and friends brought more than one tear to my eye.
Read MoreAfter splashing around in the creek, we spent the rest of the shoot walking through the gardens (and avoiding the decidedly snippy annual flower market people), stopping sporadically when I found nice light to snap more happy photos. I'm fairly sure these two laughed the entire shoot and their merriment glows through all of their images. Tomorrow I get to document this loving couple making their vows to each other and I'm so excited to capture their happiness and love once again!
Read MoreThrough either ridiculously good luck or really smart branding I've somehow managed to shoot weddings exclusively for people with whom I feel sure I could be friends. Katy and Mark were certainly no exception and I was actually sad when leaving their wedding because I would more than likely not get to see them again as they live in New York City. They may sound strange to an outsider, but as a photographer (and a wedding shooter especially) you scrutinize people waiting for the most "them" moments - moments that will capture their essence and tell their story - so I felt like I knew the lovely pair incredibly well even though I'd only spent roughly 10 hours in their presence.
Read MoreNeither sickness nor cold air nor wildfires could keep Savannah and Kevin from making the most of their special day. Their deep love and admiration for each other shone through in every look, every touch, every stolen smile as they celebrated their new life together. This autumn day called for some beautiful festive fall details from vibrant shoulder wraps to warm-toned flowers to pumpkins. Thank you to all the friends, family and fabulous local vendors who helped make this couple's day even more special! Stay tuned for Savannah and Kevin's full wedding blog post soon.
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