New babies!!!

For a little while I had the privilege of photographing the new babies in the hospital, only hours after they were born.  This was fantastic and oh so challenging at the same time. Most of the time the new family had no clue I was coming and they were so tired, then there was this stranger in their room asking to take pictures! I've delivered two wonderful boys and know the exhaustion from that, it was hard being there sometimes.  However, I got my baby fix. I prefer this much more... at home when I'm actually invited into the home to celebrate with the new little one and whatever family they want there. I got to travel to Portland, Oregon to do these images and LOVE them! 

Sweet little rental in Redmond Oregon

I met Sally when I came to photograph her vacation rental in Redmond, Oregon. She's such a wonderful lady and her place was so cute!! 

Day of fun in the Columbia River Gorge Oregon!!

Amber and I met under the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks, Oregon, she had several changes of clothing and I had a general idea of the image I would like to create and where I might want to go. I hadn't been to an area yet that I knew had the background that I wanted to capture but we both were up for an exploring adventure!  She loaded her clothing into my RAV4 and we were off to go find locations! 

I knew I wanted to get a few images with the Bridge of the Gods in it since it was in the movie Twilight and the movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon, I love both of those movies and I love the architecture and lore of the bridge itself.  We went down to the water and found this cool dock with a bunch of swimmers and fisherman to keep us company. The wind in the Gorge never failed to disappoint us! 

 The next stop was the Starvation Creek Waterfall because, duh, we were in the Gorge and I promised Amber a waterfall!! Since it's summer in Oregon I knew things were going to be packed, so any of the other waterfalls I would have liked to get to were going to be swamped with people, especially on a beautiful Saturday in June!!  Starvation Creek is farther away from Portland and not as well known or "picturesque" but we still made the best of it... and I lost ANOTHER pair of sunglasses!! This is why I buy my sunglasses from Target!  Now I have sunglasses in the bottom of Timothy Lake, Benson Lake and now Starvation Creek!! My son, who loves to swim, has almost convinced me that we need to go back so he can try to find them. :-)

After leaving Starvation Creek we went to turn around (because the exit from Starvation Creek only goes eastbound on I-84) and the next exit held the location I was looking for!!! The majestic beauty of the famous cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge!!! I could not have asked for better company than Amber, we had a complete blast, she was a pleasure to work with and I absolutely LOVE her smile and laugh!! 

She's so new!

I love sweet new babies... you know... less than 48 hours old... still in the hospital... Even though I've had two children of my own and photographed countless others... it still gets to me... the miracle of birth, of creating a baby inside a body and then giving life... Welcome to the world sweet Baby A... you have a bright future ahead of you!!

Mini shoots!!

Moving to Michigan has been a transition to say the least! We had some mini sessions scheduled and I love outdoor photo shoots, I love the natural light and I just love nature.  When it came time to do the shoots the weather didn't cooperate with what I had initially had in mind! I love the final result however! We rolled with the punches, grabbed some coats and blankets and had a blast!

Let's go for a drive

Pregnancy shoot at Smith Rock last week, the weather is starting to warm up here in Central Oregon!! Yay! I can't wait to meet Kelly's little man in March!! 

Spork in Bend Oregon

Have you been to Spork in Bend Oregon?!  I have to admit that I had not been before I did this shoot, we don't get out much. :-) I love the vibe in here! To top it off the food is AMAZING!! Piper Lucas of Piper Lucas Design and Gary Halbrook of Halbrook Design did a wonderful job!! 

Cute little rental in Bend Oregon...

I photographed this cute little house yesterday in Central Oregon, the host is such a great woman and she loves her home, she put so much work into it. We talked about all kinds of things, she just vaulted her living room ceiling last year, what a great idea!

Real Estate and Vacation Rental Photography

I've been a Real Estate Photographer and Vacation Rental Photographer in Oregon for over 4 years now and I've photographed over 300 properties.  I really love architecture and all of the places I get to see as well as the amazing people I work with!  I have worked with Stones Throw Cottages and Piper Lucas Design to name a few. 

A day for fun

A few weeks ago I got a new camera, which of course meant I needed practice with it! I sent my friend Kirissa text and asked her to join me on a fun day of adventure at a local abandoned house here in Central Oregon! We had so much fun! I think its about time for another day of fun though! 

Family session in Portland

I live in Central Oregon but I travel, I really love to travel! I have many friends in Portland, Oregon which is about a -34 hour drive from me currently. When I set up a date to do photo shoots in Portland I can't wait to meet up with friends and have fun! This session was with a friend of mine I use to be very close with.  We moved farther away and sometimes distance makes things more difficult, getting together for a coffee becomes a little harder.  We both accept that and have remained good friends because we both put in the effort it requires to stay friends across the miles. However, seeing each other on a regular basis is more of an endeavour.  Life happens, between school and work and weather and family time slips by... It's hard to actually SEE it until her daughter walks out and I remember the last time I saw her, she was little.  It's been about 4 or 5 years since I've seen her and I almost started to cry when I saw the amazing woman she's starting to become. 

We had a fantastic time, walking through Tyron Park in Portland, taking pictures, talking and laughing a lot. 

The older I get and the longer I have my business I realize it's less about the money and more about the people, the relationships, the lives. What I do, being a photographer, is important and I'm truly blessed.

Cannon Beach Wedding

Surprise wedding in Cannon Beach Oregon!! This fantastic couple came down from the Seattle area to surprise their family with their wedding on the beach! 

We had so much fun! Thank you again for choosing me to capture your wedding! 

Adventures of a Photographer Mom

Yesterday I took one look at the sky and decided I needed to head out with my camera! My oldest didn't want to go, he said he's had enough adventures for his 16 years. He will learn when it's his adventures vs me dragging him along on mine. While I photographed this homestead my 8 year old had my smart phone and made a few amazing zombie videos!

 We stopped at Smith Rock on the way home and I was just amazed at the sky and my youngest had the most wonderful time. We had some good bonding time and I'm so glad I left the dirty dishes and laundry in order to go on an adventure. We only get one shot at parenting our children, it goes by so fast, enjoy it, and take every single opportunity to show them how much we love them and cherish them and really care what they have to say.

Lets Elope!

In June my friend Sarah sent me a message, she was eloping! I was so excited for her and she was going to do it in my all time favorite place, the Columbia River Gorge! I told her I would be there, all she had to do was name the time and place! :-) I'm super flexible most of the time with being able to help out with things or details etc. We got there and found a quite little spot for the ceremony and then we traveled down the Gorge to find a few spots near waterfalls and in the woods for pictures.  We had so much fun!