I met up with these two guys recently for a day in the park and they were little balls of energy! A quick preview:

Yesterday afternoon I got to hang out with little Dylan and his mommy again. I hadn’t seen them since our Newborn and Maternity sessions this last winter, and Dylan has grown so much (check out those cheeks!)…He’s turned into such a jolly little guy and it was fun to hang out and play for the afternoon. A few of my faves:

Photoshoots can be such hard work…

My favorite shot of the day:

Today I got to meet little Leaha Grace. After working with Mom back in January, I knew that Leaha would be a special little girl and have been excited for her session. She was quite a trooper and took the whole photo thing in stride - a natural in front of the camera, it seems. I’m looking forward to working with her again as she gets older.

On a photography note, I am finding that I really love working with black and white for newborn sessions. It seems to complement the simplicity and beauty of new life so perfectly. Here are a few of my favorites from the afternoon:

The Goliath Expedition is the story of Karl Bushby, who is attempting to make his way around the globe entirely on foot.  He set out in 1998 at the southern tip of South America and has logged thousands of miles working his way through North America, Europe and Asia.  During his travels, Karl has encountered some of the most challenging terrain and weather conditions in the world - crossing mountains, rivers, deserts, and even an ocean. In 1990, when he crossed the frozen waters of the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia, he became the first person in history to successfully do so.
 
I first connected with the Expedition last year when I worked on some design pieces for them.  And this last week when they came through Portland, we met up again to take some promotional photographs (you can see one of my favorites of Karl below). 

The Goliath Expedition is truly an amazing story.  If you’d like to learn more, you can find images and video on their website:
GoliathExpedition.com 

Or check out the documentary that the BBC did on Karl’s Bering Strait crossing:
BBC Documentary, Inside Out

Jamie and I had so much fun during her and Trevor’s engagement shoot last month that we decided to schedule another pre-wedding session to photograph her in her dress.

We were able to borrow an old renovated church in SE Portland for a few hours that had tons of cool nooks and crannies for us to shoot in and amazing natural light. Jamie looked beautiful (as you can see) and the space really complimented the simplicity and elegance of her dress. Jamie was a great sport - and at this rate, she’s almost going to be a supermodel by the time the wedding rolls around!

*Note to my 2008 wedding clients: a pre-wedding bridal session can be a great way to get some creative images away from the whirlwind of your wedding day. Each session is custom designed with your ideas and energy in mind and can be set up to work around trial appointments with your hair and makeup artists. Discounts are available for sessions added on to previously booked wedding packages. Drop me a note here for more info.

Just for fun, we brought along some flowers from By The Bunch to play with:

This last week I met up with Leslie for the first of two portrait sessions (as part of our new Maternity/Newborn package - more details on this soon). On the day we got together, we were treated with a rare break of winter sun and we headed out into the neighborhood to make the most of it (we got a few amused looks from the neighbors in the process - what all pregnant women don’t stand in the street having their picture taken? haha). After that we headed inside to create a few more intimate and sensual images with some nice, natural window light. Leslie was so great to work with and really comfortable in front of the camera (which makes my job so easy). We’ll be meeting up again in a few weeks for a newborn session with her brand new little one. Until then, here are some of my favorite shots:

Little did I know when I shot Sarah’s maternity portraits last month that within 72 hours she would be in labor - little Dylan was so excited to meet the world that he arrived five weeks ahead of schedule! After an extended stay in the hospital, he is now at home resting and settling into his new life. Although he weighed only 5 lbs when born, he’s a really strong little guy with lots of personality (and beautiful blue eyes).

It was great to hang out with Dylan and his Mommy yesterday and I wish them both all the best in their new life together! A few of my favorites:

Yesterday I had my first session with Sarah, who is eight months pregnant. We will be meeting up again in February to photograph her new little one, Dylan. These are some of my favorites from the afternoon: