These shots were taken last October, as a way for Ashley to honor her mother. Linda, who passed away about six months earlier, was born on Halloween and always dressed up as a witch for the holiday. I don’t know how one manages to be both adorable and sexy at the same time, but Ashley nailed it. I can’t wait for this year’s witch themed shoots!
No, you do not have to wear lingerie for your boudoir session.
Emily was so much fun to work with! I hadn’t seen her since she was in elementary school (her older sister was classmates with my oldest son and they did some extracurriculars together), so I was a bit taken aback at how grown up she was. This adorable senior brought some great outfits (and shoes) to her session, which we did this past June. Although these photos are not yearbook candidates (the deadline was long past), she wanted to do some last minute portraits, to document her upcoming graduation. We met up at my studio and walked around to nearby locations, including Riverfront park, an empty dock, the new pedestrian bridge, Minto Brown Park, and of course, downtown. For the last few shots, we took a short drive over to Deepwood Museum & Gardens, which never disappoints.
This day ended up being unexpectedly cold and we found out, upon arrival, that our chosen venue was closed. They were such troopers, though, that they braved the cold and we just shot in a little spot at the entrance of the park in which we’d planned to shoot. You may recognize Ashley and Alina (the couple with the baby), as I’ve photographed them many times in the past (engagement, wedding, maternity, newborn, family, boudoir, etc.). This time, though, we included Ashley’s sister and her family. I can’t wait for fall photos this year!
Not only is she pregnant, but she’s carrying twins! This couple was so fun to work with and hello, look how cute they are! We shot their maternity boudoir session at my studio when she was about 7 months pregnant and I’m happy to report that the babies made their arrival and are as cute as can be!
I love working with this beauty. It had been a few years since I photographed her and she tried to “warn” me that she’d gained weight, but I wasn’t about to listen to any of that. She’s drop dead gorgeous (and she’s an incredible human being too), end of story. Also, can we talk about how jealous I am of her legs?! (note to self: You have GOT to start doing squats.) Anyway, we shot this in a gorgeous custom home that serves as a vacation rental through airbnb. I can’t decide which is more stunning…the architecture or the light. Okay, just kidding…I’m a photographer, so I choose the light, BUT the house really is amazing.
I think these images speak for themselves. This sexy married couple was so fun to work with and the mister was happy because in addition to kissing up on his hot wife, he got to include his whiskey and pipe.
This shoot was so much fun. My beautiful client wanted to do an outdoor boudoir/nude session, so we arranged an early summer morning shoot, on private property. I just love her mermaid hair peeking out in the back. So, if you’ve ever wanted to do an outdoor boudoir session, yes, this is absolutely something I do!
I recently posted the photos we took in downtown Astoria (click HERE to see that blog post), but here are the ones we did on a separate day, at Short Sands Beach (Oswald State Park), near Cannon Beach. Joslyn is SO easy to photograph. Not only is she photogenic and outgoing, but her mom is a photographer too, so she’s fairly used to being in front of the camera. I’ve watched this girl grow up, sometimes close up (like, when I was her childcare provide when she was a toddler) and other times from afar (like, when we moved away and kept in touch with her Mom). She’s been through a lot in her 18 yrs, but my goodness is she resilient! She’s also beautiful (obviously), both inside and out. Truly a great human being.
I think it’s safe to say that if we had not been in the middle of a pandemic, I would have squeezed this little guy’s cheeks! I mean, look at him! I had the privilege of photographing baby Aaron’s parents’ wedding a couple of years ago, so getting to see them again AND meet their baby was AWESOME!
Why, yes, I did post photos of these two in a vintage trailer not too long ago (CLICK HERE to see that session). Well, we also took photos in the airbnb that I was renting out at the time (the trailer was parked right outside) because the lighting and interior of the home was practically begging us to.
In case you missed part 1 of this session, you can view it by CLICKING HERE. We broke Kassie’s senior portraits up over two days. The first portion was done at Short Sands beach, right before sunset. We then met up the next morning in Manzanita, where we walked around the little downtown area, as well as went to the beach. Doing a session over two days has a few major benefits: Different lighting, change of hair/makeup, and you give your face a rest (smiling for an hour or two can really make your mouth sore!).
I was scheduled to photograph Monica and Khyler’s wedding in April of 2020, but due to the pandemic, they eloped in their backyard during a family BBQ, with plans to have their big celebration when things opened back up. Well, fast forward a few months and surprise, things still weren’t open, but they were expecting! Eventually they decided to skip the big wedding and just settle in to their new home and family life. A few weeks after little Clayton was born, I paid their family a visit for an at-home family session! Monica’s teenaged son was also kind enough to bless us with his presence for a full family photo. I mean, he DID get to “skip” class for a few minutes (online learning was quite convenient for this day!). Anyway, we’re planning another family session this fall and I can’t wait to see how big the little dude will be!
I’ve been using sheer fabric like this since college. I did a lot of black and white nudes back then (shout out to my kickass friends who were willing to model for me!). I love how it’s so simple, yet elegant and sexy. It skims the skin so perfectly.
I shot this image through my sheer curtains and I just love how it turned out. It looks like an old movie still or something to me.
I am in love with her whole look! I mean, it all just works together so well…the lingerie and stockings, the antique jewelry, and even her hair! Okay, maybe not the boots on the floor for that one shot, but everything else works so perfectly together! I had a fabulous time photographing this beautiful woman and because she is a belly dancer, posing was a breeze. In my experience, dancers have more awareness of their bodies, which just sort of makes them naturals, when it comes to posing.
Like many couples planning to get married in 2020 Samantha & Jonathon made some drastic changes to their wedding, due to the pandemic. Instead of a large affair at Willamette Mission Park, they opted for an intimate elopement at home. Well, at the home of Samantha’s parents. Although this is technically a backyard wedding, it was an unusually stunning backyard…and by backyard, I mean the river, as their back patio sat right over it and provided the most beautiful backdrop for the ceremony.
We completely lucked out with weather on this September wedding day. We had MASSIVE wildfires here last year and it was smoky for MONTHS, including every single day leading up to their wedding. Then, low and behold, we woke up to clear skies the morning of! WHAT?!
In attendance were the bride and groom’s parents, siblings, and grandparents. The bride’s sister served as the flower girl, while the groom’s sister was the officiant. Both women did an excellent job in their roles.
Details included touches of blue throughout, including the bouquet, Samantha’s ring, and even their socks! Because the date 3/14 is significant to the couple, they had pie for their wedding dessert, pi decorations, and they were pronounced married at exactly 3:14pm.
After their first look, the couple said “I do” in a short, but sweet ceremony. In addition to some portraits at and around the residence, we also took a quick drive over to Willamette Mission Park. There is a specific park bench that is very meaningful to the couple, so we made sure to get some photos on that bench. They also had their first dance in their special spot (sans music, but also sans audience!), which was incredibly sweet.
We didn’t have very much fall color here in the Salem-Keizer area (too early, plus all the smoke), but I managed to find a teensy little bit and I milked it for all it was worth because I looooove fall!
Oh, you haven’t heard of the retro prom dress challenge? Well, that’s because I just made it up. HA! Anyway, my friend brought her prom dress from the early 90s (that she made herself!) to her session just shits and giggles. So, while we had fun being silly, we also made it sexy…as you can see in the last two shots!
This. Was. Amazing.
This was Porshe’s third baby, but her first time delivering at home. Her last baby was born nearly four years earlier at OHSU, via VBAC. I had the privilege of photographing that birth as well (see some of those photos HERE)! Although this birth was very different from her last, the things that remained the same were Porshe’s extremely supportive husband, her amazing doula, and her own incredible strength throughout labor and delivery.
This birth was over six months ago, so some of the details are hazy for me. If you’re interested in hearing Porshe’s account of the birth, CLICK HERE to check out her appearance on the podcast, Doing it at Home.
Here is MY version of this magical birth…
Around 3pm, Porshe let me know that she was in early labor and was trying to get things moving along, but thought it would probably be a while. About 40 minutes later, she let me know that she was dilated to 6, but that she still wasn’t in any kind of regular labor pattern. She instructed to be on standby, but not to go yet, as her midwives were getting a little concerned about her blood pressure. At around 6:30pm, she let me know that she was heading to the hospital to get checked out, but that she was hoping to get discharged quickly and still have a home birth.
This is where I am going to be brutally honest…
Aside from my first concern, which was Porshe’s well-being, I felt sad and frustrated for her because I just KNEW the hospital was going to keep her. I mean, she was at least 6cm dilated and having blood pressure issues. Due to the pandemic, I wouldn’t have been allowed at a hospital delivery. So, I went about my day. I mean, I had my phone and my bags were packed, but I really didn’t think I’d be going to a birth.
Around 8:30pm, Porshe updated me and let me know that things were looking good and that she might be able to go home. WHAT?I was shocked, but also thinking maybe she was just being overly optimistic.
At 9:15pm, she said it was looking even better for her to go home and that they were just waiting on one last lab to come back. She told me not to head out until she was released from the hospital.
A little after 9:30pm, she was released from the hospital and told me to make my way to her house. I reached their house around 10:45pm and little did I know, she was trying to stall things until I got there!
Everyone was upstairs, in the master bedroom. When I got to the bedroom door, the first thing I saw was Porshe, sitting on the bed, with her 13-yr old daughter supporting her through contractions. It was seriously the sweetest thing ever. Mollia was an outstanding support person during labor…and not just for her age. Also in the room were the two midwives, the doula, and Porshe’s husband, Jeremy. Her mom was in and out of the room, during labor, and eventually her youngest daughter joined everyone for the actual birth.
The room was darrrrrrk , with only twinkle lights on. It was absolutely beautiful and peaceful, but also a challenge for photographs (for my photographer friends, we are taking 25,600 ISO, wide open, and as slow as I could manage for SS…and it was still dark). If you know me, though, you know I love shooting in challenging situations like this. Around the room were handmade signs of encouragement and strength, as well as music playing throughout the night.
After laboring on the bed for a while, Porshe and Jeremy went outside to do some rocking/slow dancing. It was freezing cold outside, but I am sure it felt amazing. Once the birthing tub was ready, Porshe and Jeremy climbed in. I don’t think it was more than just a few minutes before the baby was born. A contraction or two and a few pushes was all it took. So, less than two hours after my arrival and Mo’orea Rae was here! She weighed in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21 inches long. A big baby, yes, but almost a whole pounds smaller than the last baby Porshe delivered! Fun fact: Mo’orea was born with a tooth!
Someone got Monroe (formerly the baby) right in the nick of time, so both her and Mollia were present when their little sister was born. Not only that, but Mollia was holding Monroe during the experience. Immediately after meeting Mo’orea, Monroe offered her a rubber ducky! I mean, she was in the tub after all! The sweetest, and most unexpected thing, though, was when Mollia was just overcome with emotion and started crying. It made ME cry. I mean, I’m tearing up right now, just typing about it!
Shortly after the birth, everyone moved to the bed, where the placenta was delivered and Mollia cut the cord. Everyone popped champagne (okay, it was sparkling cider, but that doesn’t have the same right to it) and toasted to their newest family member . The next few hours were spent in that bed, loving on their new little miracle, feeding her, and just soaking up all the love.
I still cannot believe that they were released from the hospital. Funny thing is that her blood pressure dropped back down to normal after she got to the hospital. The best it had been all pregnancy, in fact! It was as if she WILLED it to happen. I mean, if anyone could do it, it would be her.
These were taken over a year ago now…literally days before the world shut down, due to Covid-19. As you can tell from my smile, I was blissfully unaware of what the next 15 months would hold. Anyway, my friend River took all of these and I love them a ridiculous amount. I don’t even care if it’s vain to say that. We had fun, we laughed our asses off, and I look good.
This is just a little sneak peek from Jenna and Richard’s recent wedding at Navarra Gardens in Willamina, Oregon. This is what I’m currently working on and I can’t wait to deliver their gallery!
