Salem Family Photographer - mixing it up, downtown

I’ve been photographing this family (friends of ours) for years and we’ve always done their photos at a park or somewhere outdoorsy. This year (well, last year, as this was actually their 2018 session, lol) they opted for one of my urban session locations, where my studio is located. Jenn took the muted colors of the location as her opportunity to incorporate more color than she usually does, with their outfits. Now, had this been against the yellow and oranges of fall foliage, it would have been too much, but downtown it’s just great! Hopefully I will get around to posting their 2019 session, which includes their oldest who happened to be home on winter break (he graduated high school a few years ago).

Salem Engagement Photographer - early morning session with Kasha & Kris

Okay, I know that “early” is defined differently, depending on who you ask. For someone, like me, who is not a morning person, I’d say anything before 9am is an “early morning” shoot. It’s not quite sunrise, but it may as well be for those of us who aren’t fully functioning until almost lunch. LOL! Having said that, I looooove early morning light in the summertime. It’s still cool outside (I avoid the heat at all costs), but sun is all warm and magical.

Kasha and Kris are a very busy couple and the only day they both had off on a regular basis was Monday. With an hour drive, they also didn’t want to have to worry about fighting evening traffic, driving back home, so morning seemed like the best option. We shot this at a park near my home, which I love for two main reasons: proximity to me and variety. The park, with all of it’s glorious trees, changes with the seasons, which means my winter sessions and my summer sessions will look drastically different, despite being at the same location. It also has a lot of little hidden spots for photos and offers a lot of different backdrops.

Salem Family Photographer - mini family session, urban style

Michiko, who was one of my very first clients, is now one of my really good friends and photo assistant! I’ve been photographing her little family, since her youngest was in preschool (she’s is high school now) and we have fun every year. These photos are actually from their 2018 family session…because I’m that far behind on blogging. I will be posting their 2019 session soon, though, so be on the lookout!

Corvallis Wedding Photographer - Beth & Matt's Vue Reception

Beth and Matt eloped privately, months earlier, but wanted to celebrate their marriage with family and friends. They booked space at Vue, which is a unique event venue in Corvallis, Oregon. They weren’t originally planning on hiring a photographer, since it was such a casual event, but our mutual friend (and florist), Amanda, sold her on the idea and I got a call a few days before their reception. Beth just really wanted some nice photos of her and her husband, as well as document some memories with their guests (they got a lot of photos of guests, but I think those are probably boring to everyone else, so I generally don’t share them). As a bonus, I even got a couple of shots of Beth’s kids, in their adorable ties!

Venue/Catering: Vue
Florist: Morning Glories Floral

Salem Oregon Engagement Photographer - fall session at deepwood estates

Amanda and Keegan recently got married in the UK (sadly, I was stuck here in the states) , but I had the pleasure of doing their engagement session last year, while we still had some beautiful fall color. They were happy to drive down to Salem to take advantage of one of my fall mini session days (fall minis aren’t exclusively for families) and I was happy to see Amanda again (I’d photographed the birth of her youngest, five years earlier) and to finally meet Keegan.

Salem, Oregon Senior Portrait Photographer - A splash of sunshine, in the midst of winter

This is one of my favorite senior sessions from a few years ago. I know I’ve said it before, but I love that I get to revisit all of these old sessions, as I re-blog after my website crash (#silverlining). Anyway, Grace, who was a joy to work with, graduated years ago and is totally adulting now.

Portland Oregon Headshot Photographer - Bre, on film

When someone books me for a single headshot, I shoot digital because the turnaround time is faster and I don’t really want to waste a whole roll of film for one shot. If you’re interested in having your portraits done on film, though, just ask me about mini sessions!

Bre is an adorable photographer that I met at a workshop a few years ago. Seeing as we met through film photography, it only made sense that I shoot her portraits on film. These were shot on my Canon EOS-3, using Kodak Gold 400 film, which was processed and scanned by The FIND Lab.

Salem Oregon Boudoir Photographer - golden goddess

I love it when the stars align. Makeup artist, Taghelor Kaye, and I came up with this nature-themed bodypaint concept and then everything else just fell into place. Kate Miles created a one-of-a-kind skirt and Lilacs & Lillies provided us with this handmade crown.

This gorgeous woman is one of my VIP clients, meaning she has booked multiple sessions with me (both boudoir and family) over the years. She’s always told me that if I ever wanted to do anything out of the ordinary, to let her know, as she might be interested in booking such a session. So, I gave her a call to see if she was interested in this very “non-traditional” idea. Not only was she interested, but it came at a time in her life where she NEEDED to do a session like this. She was going through a lot, but also growing into who she truly is, so it was just perfect and the shoot took on a whole new vibe.

Silverton Oregon Boudoir Photographer | outdoor session with a wolf!

Okay, he’s technically a wolf-dog, meaning he’s half wolf and half dog. Ashley is obsessed with wolves and wanted to book a session with Faust for her birthday. So, we got in touch with Wilamette Valley Wolfdogs, as well as the coordinators at the Silver Falls Event & Conference Center to set up this one-of-a-kind photo shoot!

PLEASE NOTE: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS (subtle) NUDITY.

Salem Family Photographer - urban session w/ teens

Family portraits are something most of us think about pretty often, when our kids are babies and toddlers. As they get older, though, it seems we do family portraits less and less often. Maybe it’s because the changes we see in them aren’t as quick as when they were young or maybe it’s because life is busier or simply because it’s more work as they get older. Whatever the reason, though, I am here to remind you that it’s important to photographer your children (and your family), even as they get older. As a mom with three teenagers (they’ll be 14, 18, and 20 within the next few months!), who definitely slowed down and capturing photos of her kids as they gold older, I can say that I wish I had kept on shooting, like I did when they were two.

Photographs are important to this family and I’m honored to have been photographing them for years and years (I even did an amateur maternity session when Mama was pregnant with the oldest)! They’ve been through a lot, but they just keep on going…with smiles on their faces!

salem photographer - moody b&w portraits

Ojai Family Photographer - that's a lot of kids!

SEVEN. That is how many children my friend, Sarah, has. She is raising them by herself, I might add. She’s been through a LOT over the last few years, but especially the last six months or so, and her strength is truly remarkable. She’s doing an impressive job with a family this large, including one that is special needs. Congrats to her oldest daughter (pictured below on the far left), who recently go married!

Anyway, I had the privilege of photographing her seven awesome kids (they really are, I swear!) last year, when I was down in Ojai, California. I stayed in the most amazing airbnb, which also made for the perfect portrait session backdrop! I am hoping to get back down to California (Los Angeles/Malibu) sometime in 2020, so if you’re interested in booking a wedding, elopement or portrait session with me (boudoir, family, headshots, etc.), email me ASAP at kelwardphotography@gmail.com!

Salem Boudoir Photographer - Oregon girls are tough and that's all there is to it!

These photos were taken in December. Outdoors. No, not on a rare, warm December afternoon (we don’t have those, haha), but on a typical (i.e. cold!) winter morning here in Salem, Oregon. Not only was this gorgeous Mama willing to strip down in public (secluded, but still public) for her outdoor boudoir session, but she did it without so much as a single “brrrrr” or even a hint of complaint. I kept assuring her we were almost done, but she was all, “Oh, I’m fine. Don’t even worry about it!” She’s not my only client like this, either. You know who you know, my outdoor boudoir clients! I love all my clients, but these outdoorsy girls are something special.

Salem Senior Portrait Photographer - India, Class of 2020 (part 2)

India, a senior at South Salem High School, wanted to do some of her senior portraits amongst the fall leaves, but of course the yearbook deadline is weeks before the leaves even turn! Side Rant: Why do high school yearbooks have such early deadlines for senior portraits these days? Back in my day (insert bitter old man voice here) we didn’t have to have them in until spring and we still got our yearbooks on the last day of school! ANYWAY…In order to get some photos done in time for the yearbook, but also embrace the autumn colors, we broke India’s session up into two parts. The first was held in early fall, against both the urban backdrop of downtown, as well as the “we are still holding on to summer” color palette of Deepwood Estate (Click HERE to see part 1). This session (part 2) was held at Bush Park, near the art barn, later in the fall. Another bonus, aside from seasonal color changes, from breaking your session up? Two different hairstyles!

Scio Wedding Photographer - Jackie O. inspired bridal portrait

This was just a candid shot of Riane, on her wedding day, but something about it just has this awesome, vintage vibe. She’s naturally elegant and I think her posture and all of the little details just remind of of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on her wedding day.

Salem Boudoir Photographer - we can make magic anywhere!

I love shooting in my studio, of course, but I also love to shoot in new (and often challenging) places. These two photos were taken in my teeny tiny guest room, late in the day, with very little light, but we still made some magic!

Model: Rachel Goland

Oregon Fine Art Photographer - silver falls outdoor boudoir (sneak peek)

Here is a sneak from an outdoor boudoir session I did near Silver Falls. More to come very soon, from this very unique shoot!

Portland Wedding Photographer - urban elopement inspiration on film

This styled shoot, which is still one of my favorites, took place a few years ago in the Pearl District of downtown Portland, Oregon. It was a very minimalistic shoot (translation: I didn’t feel like hauling a bunch of props and crop all over downtown Portland), but thanks to the location and amazing models, it turned out beautifully. I shot the entire session on medium format film, using my Bronica ETRS and Fuji 400h film.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Yesterday marked 21 years of marriage with my seriously amazing husband, Ben. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US! I had planned on writing out a long blog post, but time got away from me and here we are.

Anyway, we had some photos done by River Wynn Photography when we were in La Grande recently and I’m basically sharing them every chance I get because I love them so much. Ben and I both attended Eastern Oregon University, so the college is a sentimental place for us. For that reason, we knew we had to do some photos on campus. River also took us a few minutes out of town, up to a gorgeous location with a view of La Grande. It was perfect.

Salem Boudoir Photographer - modern day super hero

She’s not wearing a cape, but this woman is a real life superhero. And no, not just because she’s wearing Captain America undies. Sarah recently donated a kidney to a stranger! Yep, true story. Anyway, bragging on her seemed liked a good enough reason to re-share this session, which was shot on square format film (Bronica SQ) in my studio. Keep being your badass self, Sarah!