salem photographer
Les needed headshots both in the studio and outdoors, as well as with and without his suit jacket, so I booked Studio 22 in downtown Salem. The studio is located near a few little alleyways with some greenery, so it was an easy and quick process.
I am pretty sure this guy is at least halfway finished with college by now (yes, I am pretty sure I will forever be behind on blogging and sharing sessions), but here is a sneak peek from his senior portrait session!
Parker was so easy to work with during his senior portrait session! He was pretty quiet, but easy going and happily did whatever I asked of him. I love photographing read heads, especially on summer evenings with the warm glow of sunset light. The red hair and freckles add some contrast and dimension to each photo and I have fun looking for complimentary backdrops (hello, turquoise walls!).
As usual, I’m way behind on blogging, so Parker actually graduated in 2024!
If you’ve followed me for a while, you have probably seen this face. Erin is a good friend of mine that I’ve known for 20+ years. She has modeled for me countless times and I’ve also photographed her family quite a bit over the last decade or so. Anyway, this beautiful mom of four is now in her career era and needed some new headshots. She wanted something casual, but classy, and I think we nailed it!
This photo shoot was a great way to test out a lens I was renting, while I considered purchasing it. Cheyeanna happened to have a rental dress (from rent the runway) in her possession at the same time, so I think it was meant to be!
Anyway, we spent about an hour at Deepwood Museum & Gardens (yes, I shoot here a lot) on a beautiful Spring morning.
Did I purchase the lens? Despite the images turning out great, no, I did not. For my fellow photo enthusiasts, these were taken with the 85mm f/1.2. I already had the f/1.4 version and in the end, I just didn’t feel that there was enough of a difference in image quality to justify the added expsense.
As I sit here, listening to the winter rain outside, I can’t help but wish for some summer warmth and sunshine (even though I hate the heat and will regret saying this in a few months). Ainsley knew she wanted to do part of her session in this type of grass, wearing her cowgirl boots and sundress, and I knew just the spot! So, we met up shortly before sunset to get these fun shots!
We had a field trip last week, for a class that I teach, so I took it as an opportunity to practice with my Lensbaby lens. It has a fun swirl effect, but I haven’t had a chance to use it much yet and there is a bit of a learning curve. It is challenging, but such a fun lens. Anyway, here are the photos I took down at Riverfront Park on that field trip!
I would like to give a big thanks to my model, Katherine, for making this such a fun shoot! Just a couple of witchy gals, cackling amongst the trees. I haven’t been able to do a Halloween themed shoot for a few years now, due to my schedule, but I’m so happy that it worked out this year!
I’ve been photographing Tiffany and her boys for over a decade now and I have to say…it’s like they were MADE for the Autumn! I mean, look at them! Even their hair and eyes match the season.
This is the third (of four) mini sessions with this family, celebrating a major milestone. Right before one of their kids leaves for their first year of college, the family dresses up in that school’s merch and we do some photos at their house. The oldest went to Oregon State, the second oldest is currently at Grand Canyon University, and Miss Ellie is currently enjoying her time at Montana state (these photos are old, as usual). Anyway…GO, BOBCATS!
Anna wore the cutest 90s inspired outfit for this shoot. It had sort of a Catholic school nun meets Wednesday Adams.
We did this session shortly after SheeAnna lost her grandmother. They were very close, so the loss hit her especially hard. The tattoo on her arm is a memorial tattoo, in her grandmother’s honor, so I decide to create special photo for her.
I know I say this every time, but I looooove working with the same families year after year! It’s such an honor to be chosen as their family photographer and it’s really incredible to watch these families grow and change. This family is a special one, though, as I’ve been photographing Anna & Ken since they got engaged, and I’ve watched them deal with some really hard things (like Anna’s metastatic breast cancer). Little miss Asha has brought so much joy their lives and I just love seeing that.
Anyway, thanks to all of my clients who keep coming back. Your loyalty means more than you can imagine in a business like this!
Joseph loves to read and asked if we could do a few shots at The Book Bin, in downtown Salem. He got an immediate yes from me, of course!
Asha took hardly any time at all to warm up during their family session. Within a few minutes she was laughing, playing, and enjoying here time with Mom & Dad.
I always have a good time photographing Ember, who happens to be the younger sister of my son’s fiancé. I don’t think I’ve seen her with the same hair color twice, and she has some really fun outfits! We usually shoot outdoors, but decided to do a quick studio session as well.
Side note: Ember actually graduated high school in 2023 and has been a licensed hair dresser for 2 yrs. She specializes in vibrant hair color, so if you’re looking for someone, she’s your girl (@erahhair on IG)!
I shared most of Sam’s senior portraits a while back, but these black and white shots are some of my favorites. We were fortunate enough to have access to Salem’s historic Grand Theater, as Sam is an actor and was involved with a production there at the time.
As usual, I decided to decorate my little vintage trailer (Honey) for the holidays!
While I enjoy shooting in a studio, I looove photographing people at work, for their business headshots! These photos of Ka Rin were taken in her downtown Salem office, where she does therapy sessions. Not only does it allow the subject to be a little more comfortable and relaxed in their own environment, but it gives the viewers a little peek into where they’ll be hanging out. Thankfully, she had some beautiful window light in her space, which meant I didn’t have to bring all of my cumbersome lighting equipment.
