How cute are these photos?! I could not believe that Dolly, their 5 month old puppy, was so cooperative and well behaved during their session! And yes, I made sure to get lots of puppy kisses! Anyway, we did this session in the nick of time, as their little bundle was born just a few days later (a little earlier and smaller than expected, but they are all home and doing well!).
This was such a fun shoot with one of my favorite boudoir clients! This smokin’ hot mama brought along the perfect lingerie for her holiday themed boudoir session at my studio.
What does four hours of wedding coverage look like? Well, here you go! If you are doing everything (getting ready, first look, ceremony, reception) at the same location and you schedule your order of events (toasts, dinner, etc.) in a particular way, you can get quite a bit out of just four hours of photography.
Hao and Rachel tied the knot at East Fork Country Estate in Damascus, Oregon. They had planned on getting married in 2020, but like many couples, they had to delay their wedding, due to COVID-19 restrictions. I’m sure the wait was really hard, but I have to imagine that it was worth it, for such a beautiful celebration. For an outdoor wedding in April, we definitely lucked out with the weather!
Hao and his groomsmen wore handsome Navy suits, while the bridesmaids wore pink dresses, and Rachel rocked a fitted silk and lace dress, with an adorable white jacket when it got cold. There were rustic-chic little touches throughout, including baby’s breath, lanterns, vintage china, and wooden signs. In fact, the ones at the end of the aisle, on easels? Yeah, I knocked those over right before the wedding. That kind of entertainment is one of the perks of hiring me.
Their day was filled with SO much laughter, some first dances, funny toasts, adorable moments, and even a rainbow at the end of the night (kudos to the DJ for being quick on his feet and playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow as soon as we saw it)!
I met these two a few years ago, when I photographed their wedding. They’re very sweet and laid back, so working with them is always a breeze. Their recent maternity session was no exception and I can’t wait to share the rest of their photos!
I had the privilege of photographing this gorgeous couple at an amazing airbnb last year. It is located in Scio, Oregon, and is just an extremely cool house on an incredible piece of land. Anyway, I’ve been working with these two for a few years now (engagement, wedding, maternity, newborn, family), but this was our first boudoir session…and it was awesome! We all had a good time, as usual, and I think we all love the photos.
I created this series for the 2021 faculty art show at Chemeketa Community College. The show ran in September, but I decided to wait until Halloween-time to share the photos here. This was a challenging, but fun project for me. This is my spin on the triple goddess concept: The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone.
In a gallery, these images would be framed individually, as seen in the first three photos below, but hung side by side, as seen at the bottom of this post.
This year I did Halloween portraits in a cemetery, as a fundraiser, with all proceeds going to the Marion Polk Food Share! Due to the weather, we had some cancellations, but it was still a fun time for those who participated AND we raised $200!
Why, yes, I do decorate our camping trailer for holidays! I put up Christmas decorations last December and will do so again this year, but this was the first time I decorated for Fall. I’ll be honest…one of the reasons I chose such a neutral color palette, when making over the trailer, was so that I could decorate for holidays and not have to worry about anything clashing. As luck would have it, we will be camping on Halloween this year (and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters), so it was extra necessary that I decorate.
I recently started planning a styled shoot with makeup artist Michelle Quady and my favorite florist, Amanda Dant of Morning Glories Floral. We thought it would be cool if we could get a real couple to model for a fall bridal look. Then, I kind of jokingly said, “It would be even better if we could get someone to elope for real!” After a bit of thought, I decided to reach out to someone I thought just might be adventurous enough to do it….and I was right!
So, a mere two weeks before our scheduled shoot, I asked Cori if her and Noah would like to get married on September 30th. I honestly didn’t expect them to say yes, especially on a weekday and with such short notice. Not only did they say yes, but that date happened to be their 10 year anniversary (to the day)! I think it goes without saying that it was meant to be! Cori is also a huge fan of Autumn and was really excited to be getting married this time of year. So, that was it…they were on board and totally willing to let us plan the whole thing! We took care of both outfits, hair, makeup, locations, vows, etc. All they had to do was get their marriage certificate and show up!
I have known Cori and Noah for nearly a decade, as their oldest son is close friends with my middle son. They are genuinely good people, who do so much for their family and their community. They have also been second parents to my son for years, so this was the least I could do for them as a thank you.
Noah dropped Cori off at my studio, where we got her all dolled up. I took some photos of the flowers, while Michelle did Cori’s makeup and Amanda, who is also a wedding officiant, talked to Cori about her and Noah’s love story…which she then incorporated into their elopement ceremony.
When we were done at the studio, we met up with Noah and their children for the ceremony at Deepwood Museum & Gardens. Cori lost her mom to cancer a few years ago, but she wanted her “there” with them at the wedding, since she was so close to their family. Amanda managed to attach a beautiful locket (a gift from one of the kids), with photos of Cori’s mom, to the bouquet. It was perfect.
Of course it started raining the moment we got to the ceremony location and it didn’t stop the entire time we were outdoors. Typical Oregon. The ceremony was short and sweet, but full of both laughter and tears. Afterwards, they signed their documents, at some celebratory cupcakes, and did a quick family photo with the kids. After the kids left, we walked around the beautiful grounds of the venue for some portraits and then we headed over to Fordyce Farms for some photos at the pumpkin patch!
I had so much fun decorating Ginger (my 1973 bus) for Fall. I mean, she’s the perfect color, so I had to. I also had a blast photographing Jessica and Lindsay with her! No, I will not be decorating my bus for Christmas, but I might offer fall minis with her next year (fall minis are all booked up for this year)!
I did this fun little session about four years ago. We shot it in an alleyway right by my studio, so it was very convenient. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m obsessed with vampires, so I thoroughly enjoyed planning this.
This is what I’m currently editing and I can’t wait to share the rest of this adorable elopement!
It’s that time of year!
I have been photographing Ashley and Alina (aka Ashlina) for years now and we always have a good time. Ashley’s sister joined us this past fall, along with her husband and daughter (yay for cousins!). It was freezing cold and the park we’d planned to use for the session was unexpectedly closed, but we managed to get some great shots in a random little grassy area nearby. I’m loving the fall goodness of these photos, from the orange leaves to the jewel tones, to the little red baby nose!
As usual, I’m about a year behind on blogging, so we have already scheduled their mini session for this year.!
Once upon a time, when I owned a vintage trailer, I did a fun little boudoir session with Trista. It was a cold fall morning, but she was a trooper. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, so we had a lot of catching up to do, which resulted in a lot of laughing.
Wanda, the 1969 Aloha Trailer, has moved on to new adventures with Wild NW goods, where she serves as a mobile boutique!
I can’t believe that we were in Scotland exactly three years ago. Unfortunately, when my old website crashed, I lost my big blog post, detailing our 20th anniversary trip to Scotland. I typed everything from memory, so there’s no way I’ll ever recall everything like I did back then, but I thought I would at least try (for my own records).
For now I’m just going to post the photos, but I’ll come back when I have time and fill in some details of our adventure. This was a trip of a lifetime for us and I’m still obsessed about it three years later.
I’m offering HALLOWEEN portraits at a CEMETERY!
Date: Sunday, November 24th
Time: Evening time slots only .
Location: Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Cost: $25 per digital file
Details: All proceeds will go to Marion Polk Food Share. You are paying $25 for ONE pose/portrait, which will be delivered in digital file format. Each person or group is limited to 4 digital files. Email me at kelwardphotography@gmail.com to inquire or book your spot! Please note: Space is limited!
