portland surprise (part one)

last post of 2008!

2009... i'm ready. very excited to see the changes that may come in the next year, and also on a personal note, 2008 was much better than 2007, and i believe the real good stuff is just around the corner... so i can't wait. :)

in the meantime, enjoy a mishmash of photos i took while in portland, oregon from dec. 4-16th. i was so insanely busy during my trip and had such an amazing time. for sure, i left my heart in the pacific northwest and want to go back as soon as i can.

enjoy this sampling of business and personal shots from my time out west.

ah-HA!

so, if you're a bit of a perfectionist (as i am :)) you may have noticed that the photos i've been posting lately have had sort of a tweaky feel. tweaky as in: the right side of the photos are completely cut off in my blog. oh, the aggravation!!! i've been trying to figure out what the heck is going on but with no success until JUST NOW. :D woo hoo. okay, so from the photo below you can see my friend jess at the deschutes brewery in portland, oregon where i was most of the early part of december. i have loads and heaps of photos to show you from my time in oregon, but this will have to do for now as christmastime and every detail surrounding the season is keeping me incredibly busy.



jess, as you can see, is incredibly beautiful. but what you may not know about her just from looking at this photograph is also that she is an extremely talented photographer. one of my personal favorites, in fact. she's currently based out of seattle, wa but might be moving to nashville, tn at some point in '09. please check out her website at jessica-valle.com and hire her. you should. really.

wherever you go, there you are

currently on the other side of the country in portland oregon, the place where i lived for almost two years. one of the best cities on earth- believe it. :) anyway, i'm technically vacationing but have had two shoots in the past three days, with evidence of those to come soon. due to the business of trying to visit everyone i love in this town, i'll probably be MIA for a little while before heading back to new york in about a week, but know i'll be shooting up a storm with proof to show you coming soon. :)

sneak peek! (wedding)

this past saturday, i shot eli and amy's wedding...



... it was marvelous. :D more to come!

week of thanks

so, thanksgiving is in two days. whatever! where did THAT come from!? time flies when you're having fun, i guess. :)

i've noticed that around this time of year, people are very much reminded of how to go about being grateful. it's like anything else that springs up as a noteworthy "ping!" to our forgetful hearts, catching us off guard and even in the toughest of times financially or otherwise, making us come to the realization of how rich we truly are.

it'd be a good attitude to keep going year-round... it's only when we focus on what we do not have that we lose sight of the gifts right in front of our faces.

speaking of gifts, over a month ago i did a family shoot with one of the most beautiful young families i've had the privilege of getting to know. danielle, caleb, and little brody are wonderful, kind human beings whose love for each other just spills over to others without any visible effort on their part. haha, okay that's kind of mushy and ridiculous sounding, but it's true! i loved getting to know them and we had so much fun on that perfect fall day in the park:

















i'd shot danielle and brody when he was about two months old, and it's been great fun to see how he's changed and grown into such a happy, easygoing little man! :) hopefully these family shoots will continue because spending time around these guys is something i'd like to make a tradition.

more to come, soon. stay tuned. :)

orange is my favorite color

someone was paying attention... :)


i am well-loved, and thankful. seriously, it's kind of ridiculous what a blessed woman i am. just throwing it out there. :D

this poor guy doesn't stand a chance (engagement)

lauren and nate are both good friends of mine, and since the moment he slipped this ring on her finger, i've been itching to shoot their engagement photos. their vibrant personalities are so transparent in pictures, and their love story is one that proves even the coldest skeptic wrong... sometimes love just takes time. :)

they met randomly at a switchfoot concert over five years ago and he was crazy about her from day one. she took a little longer to come around... :)... but since she's said "yes" it's obvious who is going to win most arguments. exhibit a:



i mean, the poor guy. how could he resist his gorgeous girl?











the fall weather was absolutely perfect on this particular afternoon... i'll miss days like this one!







congrats, guys. i'm so excited to shoot your wedding in summer '09! :)