Ariel and Stephen’s Medford Wedding

I first met Ariel when looking for a model for a themed photo shoot. Well, that session didn’t quite work out. Even so, Ariel was totally gracious and honored my request to still hold a session that would be just for fun, so that we could both get some fresh portfolio pictures. (Hmm, I really ought to post some pics from that session…) I first met Stephen during that session as well. I arrived at Ariel’s house (she lived with her parents at the time) and her mom went out back to grab the happy couple, who were lounging in the backyard soaking up the sun. The two came in, blissfully sleepy- and totally happy-looking. I knew right then that these two were just an amazing couple.

So of course, when Ariel asked if I could photograph her wedding in March of last year (the two got engaged at the end of 2013) I responded with a resounding and joyful “Yes!” (At the time, I was VERY newly pregnant, and told her I would as long as she didn’t mind seeing a pregnant lady get into some very interesting positions for some of the more creative shots.)

These two just exude love. Their sweetness and tenderness towards each other shows in every interaction. Every touch is endearing. Every kiss is urgent. Every glance is full of internal conversation. Every spoken word is thoughtfully chosen.

I was, and still am, so happy to have been such a special part of their day.

A kiss from the father of the groom, who was also the officiant of the wedding:This church was PACKED full of people who loved these two. It was so touching to see just how many people were there to bless Ariel and Stephen’s wedding.Ariel’s sister and maid of honor, who also happened to be pregnant at the time of the wedding. She now has a beautiful baby girl, who is seven months old!An adorable photo of the couple and their bridal party. (The bridesmaid on the far right? Also pregnant at the time. Yes, we took a photo of the three of the preggos all together for posterity’s sake.)

A violin solo from the maid of honor.

Ok, this is seriously the best bouquet grab photo ever. Really. Zoom in on everyone’s faces and you’ll see what I mean. See? Told you. It’s epic.Ariel and Stephen, I wish you all the happiness in the world! Enjoy every moment of each other.

 

Riverdrift Dreamz – Head Shots with Daryn

Daryn would gladly spend 90-100 hours a week at the river. And most weeks, this is exactly what he did.

Daryn is an artist based out of Winston, Oregon. I first saw his work at the Roseburg Art Festival this past summer. I was in awe of the craftsmanship that went into the pieces that Daryn makes from driftwood that he collects from the banks of the Umpqua River. His array of furniture consisted of benches, chairs, birdhouses, planters, lamps… and I can’t recall what else. Since nothing is manufactured and everything is done by hand, no two pieces are the same. More of his work can be viewed at his riverdriftdreamz blog site. For the record: yes, he does create pieces by request as well.

I knew that I wanted to collaborate with him on a couple of projects (one very special project is in the works!). We took time on this sunny September day (before it got rainy, cold and foggy) to get some head shots for Daryn as well as a couple of shots of one of the benches Daryn made (above).

Enjoy!

High School Senior Jenny

Senior high portraits have come a long way from the stiff, cookie cutter images that used to dominate the yearbooks. I remember that for my high school portraits, we chose one of three days to go to the school where the photographer had set up the “standard blue” background. Girls got their choice between a blue or black boa, and had to wear a red velvet drape for the actual yearbook photo. Guys got to wear a fake tux. The result was a uniform (can you say boring?) set of images that all sort of blended together.
Today, many high school seniors get to choose who they go to for photos, and some even get to pick any kind of image they want to use for their actual yearbook photo. Which if you ask me is pretty dang cool.

Jenny is the daughter of a close family friend, who also happens to be very into photography. When she told me that she wanted to have me take her senior portraits and that she wanted to do some photos with a gun (Jenny hunts for sport and for food), my reaction was “Heck yes!” But she also wanted some girly, pretty shots, so we got a little bit of everything for her pictures. The photos were done on her family’s property, near Roseburg, Oregon.

I’m so thrilled and honored that Jenny chose me for her photos. She was such a natural, and I had so much fun!

Jenny spends much of her non-school time helping around the family “farm,” and is very much a jeans and cowgirl boots kind of girl. But I have learned that even a jeans and cowgirl boots kind of girl likes to get dolled up every now and then.

By far, one of my favorite images of the day:

A girl and a gun (this beauty of a rifle was lent to Jenny by a good friend, though she does have her own):

Loved this!

Good luck to you in your Senior year, Jenny! I know you’ll do great.

Teaser: High School Senior Jenny

A pretty girl. A gun. A beautiful day. What more could you ask for on a portrait day?

Stay tuned for more soon…

Nicole and Tom’s Meredith Manor Wedding

Early in the year in 2011, Nicole wrote me about photographing her wedding in Pennsylvania in September of 2012. At that time, Josh was deployed and we had about zero clue that we would be moving to Oregon. So of course I said yes.

As soon as Josh and I knew we were going to be moving to Oregon, I changed the plane ticket that was supposed to be for my return trip (to Maryland after our own wedding in Portland) to a ticket to Philly. Aside from the obvious reason of getting to Nicole and Tom’s wedding, it was one last chance to see some of my Pennsylvania family for a while. Aside from photographing the wedding, I got to see my brother and his family, and my best friend and her new little girl (stay tuned for pics of her).

The wedding was held at the gorgeous Meredith Manor in Pottstown. I had never been to the site, and to be honest there weren’t a lot of images showing the grounds around the Manor online, so I was just in awe when I arrived. There is a winding road that leads up to the Manor. One side is lined with trees and the other side is one big open field. All around are these wonderful, old growth trees, and the manor itself is a stunning old stone structure. Really a beautiful place for a wedding. See for yourself!

What better setting could there be for an evening ceremony, with golden September light coming over the hills and through the trees just as the couple say their vows and kiss for the first time as husband and wife… Magical!

Ah, yes. The traditional men-with-no-pants shot. Wait… what? The story is that someone mooned someone while the group shots were taking place. (Who mooned whom and where this took place I could not say.) One of the groomsmen approached me with the idea of all the guys mooning the camera. I insisted that the only way this would happen is if all of them had boxers on, but the concept was modified to this version. Which I think is just hilarious.

Check out this cake! The detail work was amazing. And come on… who wouldn’t appreciate the zombie bride going after her as-yet human groom?

I loved the décor: it was a mix of Old Hollywood Glam and Fairytale Whimsy.

Funn!!!

A couple of parting shots for the night.

Nicole and Tom, I wish you all the best!!

 

Personality Galore

This gallery contains 28 photos.

When taking portraits, I’m known for pushing people just a little more than they might be used to. In some cases, the person I’m photographing vamps it up even more than I could have expected (as if they were a … Continue reading →

Simply Devon

This gallery contains 15 photos.

I recently shared a post about my session with my friend Linda and her (growing) family at their cabin in PA (check those images out here). And although I loved those photos, I consider these the true pièce de résistance. … Continue reading →