Sara Gray Photography Portland, Oregon

When Ellen smiles, her nose wrinkles up. It’s really cute. She’s not such a fan of the wrinkly nose, but it just so happens that the kind of expressions that make people’s noses wrinkle are my favorite. It’s the reason why I’m always cracking jokes while I’m shooting – I can’t get enough of laughter and big grins.

Ellen is a total fashionista (which is a word I’m not sure I’ve ever used before, especially in writing) and it was so fun to photograph her in the different outfits she picked out. I’ve got a major case of style envy!

Ellen’s got a big goal to move to New York City, so it was time for her to get some smokin’ headshots so that she can have a job and all that lined up before she goes. Ellen’s in the fashion industry, so it’s important that people see her photo and see how well she can put together an outfit. I know she’s going to do great.

Come on now, when’s the last time you saw someone work a bright orange jacket like that? I should hire her to be a brand ambassador for me since I’m all about the orange. Thanks, Ellen, for being so fun to photograph!

Since I’m catching up on blogging sessions, I wanted to take a little trip back in time to show a fun Christmas photo session I did back in December for some great friends – Patrick, Jessica and Emily. Patrick and I went to high school together, which meant his younger sisters saw plenty of me over the years (you’ll recognize Emily as one of my 2009 senior reps, too!)

Patrick moved to London after college and works there as an architect, and Jessica goes to college in California, so when it came time to pick a Christmas present for their mom, portraits of all three of them seemed like a good way to go. Who knew it would be so Christmas-y downtown?

This session also happened to fall right in the middle of Portland’s huge “Arctic Blast,” which meant there was tons of snow on the ground. I met up with these three after they caught a matinee of “A Christmas Carol” at Portland Center Stage, and then we ran around the Pearl District in the snow and finished up taking photos at the theater in the armory building.

The most important part is that their mom, Susan, loved the photos!

The way Sondra tells the story is pretty adorable: Tim was the houseboy in her sorority in college, and when she saw him doing dishes, she thought to herself, “What a great quality in a husband!”

They lived abroad in Ireland for two years, and while they were there, they decided they wanted to get married in Europe so they scouted out a spot in Italy and got married there. How romantic! I am categorizing this as an “engagement” session, but they’re already married. Oh well! They still have that loving look that most engaged couples do.

Tim and Sondra are back in Portland now, and it was so nice to spend some time weaving around Nob Hill with them on a nice, sunny Sunday.

Aren’t they sweet? Congratulations, Sondra and Tim, and thanks for coming out to play – I had lots of fun!

You know the kind of girls that are so cool that they always seem like they’re in a perpetual Roxy commercial? Well, I know two of them. Their names are Jamie and Kelly, and they radiate cool.

Add to two cool girls some beautiful springtime cherry blossoms, and you’ve got a recipe for some cool pictures. I loved how Jamie and Kelly were so willing to jump in! Must be all that coolness…

Kelly was so natural – she laughed a lot, which is exactly what I do in front of the camera, so I could relate.

Shout out to Jamie, who just got engaged last weekend! She actually got engaged the day after these photos were taken, so you’re looking at her last day as a single gal!

Thanks so much for letting me capture your beautiful faces, girls! Keep up your cool factor, and I’ll be over here trying to paint on a little myself.

I love the kind of sessions where you just play and hang out, and this session with Melissa and Matt was totally that way. They’re the kind of super-nice people who it’s easy to have a conversation with, and we met up in Multnomah Village, which is also one of my favorite spots in Portland.

Matt told me at the beginning of the session that he doesn’t like to be photographed – but I have trouble believing that one. They are both so photogenic – especially when they’re together.

These guys have a ton going on – Matt is going to be starting nursing school and Melissa’s an up-and-comer at Crate and Barrel. Melissa and I are in a book club together, and it’s been so fun getting to know her over the last few months.

One of my favorite spots we found along this shoot was this little service station that looks like it’s right out of the 1950s. Check out all that sun! It almost feels like summer’s on the way.

Thanks Matt and Melissa! I had so much fun hanging out with you over the last weekend!

Noël is one of my sister’s best friends, and we’ve been roomies for awhile now. So when she agreed to come downtown and pose for me during a shoot last weekend, I was thrilled. The most fun part about Noël is her laugh – it’s completely contagious.

It’s one of those laughs where she can’t quite control it, and it’s so infectious that you get to laughing hysterically right along with her before she’s even told you what it is she’s laughing about. There’s been lots of laughing since she moved in.

I was positively swooning on this day, because it was the first really sunny day of spring and everyone was in the city, eating ice cream on street corners and walking their puppies along the waterfront. The grass is green, the sun was out and it seems like it’s finally time to crawl out of our winter caves and enjoy the springtime!

Thanks, Noël, for coming out to play and for making me laugh!

It’s springtime now, and the sun is finally deciding to grace us with its presence in the Pacific Northwest. Besides a time for sun, though, spring is also the fundraising season as schools and other organizations try to raise money.

I wanted to let you, my blog’s loyal followers, in on where you can find some deeply discounted rates on my services at local auctions, while supporting local schools and organizations.

First off, and most immediate, today is the last day for the Jesuit online auction. I have three senior portrait sessions up for grabs in the auction and as of a couple days ago, only one person had bid on them – click here to check it out! Opening bid is at $40 for a portrait session worth $500! If you’re not in the market for senior pictures and family portraits are more your thing, feel free to bid on the session and I’d be happy to substitute a family portrait session.

If you’re feeling excited to get out on the town, you can attend some of the other auctions I have packages up for grabs in. First off, this Friday, April 10 you can find one of my family portrait packages up for grabs at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Northwest Chapter) annual auction in the Seattle area.

On Saturday, April 11, I have some packages up for grabs at the St. Mary’s Academy auction. On April 25, the Valley Catholic auction offers a few more, and then finally, if the packages in the Jesuit online auction don’t sell there, I believe they’ll be moved over into silent auction territory on May 2 at the Jesuit gala auction.

I’m not sure what causes you support, but education is one close to my heart and especially in a tough economic climate, schools are going to need more help than usual! If you’re looking for a great deal and to give back, please consider attending one of these auctions or bidding online. Thank you!

When you live in a lovely place like Portland, Oregon, there is bound to be rain. Especially in the non-summer months. So when I woke up today to gray, gloomy skies, instead of rescheduling my session with Kathryn or being a very sad photographer, I busted out my red umbrella.

I bought the red umbrella a few weeks ago, knowing that I would have the opportunity to photograph someone with it. The someone, though, was a perfect match: Kathryn has been a dear friend since high school, and she’s always up for anything. She’s a rock star in the Portland theater scene (and a brilliant improviser) – you should go see some of her hilarity at Curious Comedy!

Of course, it didn’t hurt that she picked out the cutest dress and killer boots – she’s always been one for style! She’s also been really great at hair and makeup ever since our old high school theater days – I’m so excited because she’s starting to do wedding hairstyling now, so I’m hoping we can work together on some weddings!

Thanks, Kathryn, for playing with me in the rain today! We’ll come see you perform soon!

Some of you may have stumbled upon this promotion on my Facebook page, but now that it’s April, I wanted to get the word out on my blog about the cool senior portrait promotion I’m doing – it only lasts until the end of the month!

The deal is 2-for-1, which means that if you bring a friend, you can split the cost of a package, but you both still get the whole package! Bringing a friend to a shoot is also a fun way to relax and have fun, plus it gives us a chance to get some buddy pictures in along the way. This promotion also works for siblings!

To take advantage of this offer, all you have to do is schedule your senior portrait session for the month of April, and if you bring a friend, it applies to you! That means that the starting senior package, which costs $500, costs each of you $250, and you still both get your own time in front of the camera, disc of high-resolution images and $100 professional print credit.

Pass the word on to anyone looking to save money on senior portraits by taking them a little earlier in the year – and get on the calendar before it’s all full!

Yes, that’s right – Traci Franzke was the big winner this month. She’ll get a free family portrait session, to be used any time between now and Dec. 31.

I assure you, the contest was performed in an unbiased way with everyone from Emily to Michelle entered. However, I still feel like I’m picking teams for kickball in elementary school by picking one of you. Just remember, there will be a contest on the 1st of every month this year, so come back, follow the blog and enter when you can! Thanks for playing, everyone.