I can’t believe it’s that time again! My favorite photo this month was really hard to choose, as usual, but I came up with this photo I keep coming back to. I’ll be telling you all on the blog more about this shot in the next few weeks and the shoot that produced it because I’m going to be announcing a new, amazing way to take senior photos. But all in good time. I love this picture because of the happiness, the true friendship and the energy of being a teenager that it captures. Girls, you rock my world!

This photo was taken with my Canon 50D, a 16-35mm lens at f/2.8 and 1/200th of a second. Happy July tomorrow – don’t forget to come back to check out the contest!

Well, the month of June has almost come to an end, and that means the Big Brothers Big Sisters 25/25 promotion is drawing to a close. I’ve got to admit, I had visions of booking the calendar full with people taking advantage of the promotion and of me writing a check with many zeros on it to Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest. Alas, the response wasn’t quite that big, but I am proud of what we did – together with two very willing families, I’m glad to announce that I am going to be writing a check for $90 out to the organization this week.

I do want to say it’s been loads of fun working with them, I really believe in what they do and I encourage you, even if you didn’t go through me to help them out, to find out more about what they do and either volunteer or think about sending a small (or big!) donation. I also hope we can partner together again in the future for more promotions like this!

Because every post is better with a photo, enjoy this little teaser from my weekend in Seattle. This is my dear friends Angie and Sam’s little guy, Manny, and he’s full of personality. You’ll be seeing more of him on the blog in the next couple of weeks. Have a great Monday!

I’ve never had a pet guinea pig, but I do have several “guinea pigs” in my life. My main guinea pig is my sister, Emily. You see, when I decided I wanted to be a professional wedding and portrait photographer, I needed to practice. I didn’t go to college to be a photographer, so I needed my own “class.” So before I had the confidence to practice photography on tons of people, I had to start with just one person, and Emily always let me practice on her. Even now that I’m a full-fledged photographer, she always lets me try new things out on her.

So this is an ode to the guinea pigs, who get us started and let us practice on them and make them sit for hours while we study the different aperture and shutter speed settings, light and more. Below are my other guinea pigs: my other sister Amanda and her husband Kail, my friend Julie and her daughter Audrey, my nephew Forrest, nephew Kailan and my niece Draven. Thanks guinea pigs!

This crowd had such fun at their reception. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the food was very yummy and the cake even better, the music fun and the bridesmaids ready to rock.

Shandi dancing with her two cute flower girls was just too cute. They obviously adore her.

The party rocked, and as my dad would say, “a good time was had by all.”

Congratulations, Shandi and Kurt! Your wedding was a blast and it was an honor to be there.

Shandi and Kurt got married on a cloudy day, and we were scared for just a moment that it would rain, but we escaped it. You just never know when you get married in Oregon!

A vineyard is such a nice setting for photographs – I love how green everything was in the background.

This was a great ceremony, with a great minister who delivered a message about patience in marriage. I always joke with Eric that I have the best job in the world because I get cake every weekend, but I also get a hefty dose of uplifting marital advice (yes, I listen to the sermons while I’m photographing – I am a multi-tasker)! This week’s tip: “It’s not about marrying the right partner; it’s about being the right partner.”

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see the conclusion of Shandi and Kurt’s wedding!

This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of photographing a wedding alongside local photographer Brandon Perron. This wedding was in Dallas, Oregon at the Beckenridge Vineyard, which is a beautiful local for a wedding.

The colors of this shindig were pink and brown and everything was planned so nicely, from the flowers to the food (BBQ! Yum!) and down to the centerpieces and well thought-out ceremony.

There was an abundance of cute kids at this wedding – and all of them seemed to like having their picture taken! Lucky me.

Some of the cutest were these two, the flower girls. I always think it’s so fun to watch little girls when they see a bride (especially when they know her – this bride has been their nanny for a couple of years). This was their reaction when they first saw her coming their way.

This is Shandi and Kurt’s first look – she asked, “Do I just tap him on the shoulder?” and Kurt said, “I can hear you talking, I know you’re right behind me.” Ha!

Stick around tomorrow and Thursday for more from Shandi and Kurt’s wedding!

Joe, Tess and Michael really are pretty good-looking siblings. So I was thrilled to be able to photograph them just in time for Father’s Day as part of the promotion I’m doing this month to help raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest.

We spent a little time earlier this week exploring some more abandoned areas on Skyline Boulevard, on a day when after 6 p.m., it was still hot enough to get sweaty. They also brought their two dogs, Einstein and Corby, to play.

They were so good-natured during this shoot, even when I conspired with Joe for him to grab Tess and throw her over his shoulder when she least expected it. Making people laugh during shoots is my favorite thing to do, and they are such happy, generous people that there was plenty of laughter.

This family portrait promotion is really cool, and I’m excited to have partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest. You save 25% over regular prices up front, and then at the end of the month I’ll donate 25% of the total profits from family portraits in June to BBBS.

Thanks so much, Joe, Tess and Michael (and Einstein and Corby) for supporting me and supporting BBBS. You were so much fun to photograph!

If you still want to get in on the promotion, you just need to schedule by the end of the month! Call, e-mail or fill out the contact form to get on the schedule and to give back, plus get a pretty nice gift for dad.

We return to Melissa and Andrew’s engagement session, which I shot earlier this week in Portland’s Pearl District. I love the summer evening light these days and I just can’t get enough of it.

I mentioned before that both Melissa and Andrew are currently attending medical schools back east. But the thing that I love about them is they’re both brilliant, but also genuine, humble and really fun people to hang around.

I can’t wait to see what a beautiful wedding they’re going to put together for next year. For one thing, they’ve got time on their side, and they’ve also got great taste. Like I said, I wish it were sooner!

I loved the above series – Andrew wanted to pick her up and she wasn’t so keen on the idea, but she let him try it. People all around were muttering things like, “Be careful with her!”

Thank you so much, Melissa and Andrew, for being so cool and for spending some of your hard-earned vacation time with me and my camera. I’ll see you soon!

Melissa and Andrew know what it’s like to be together through thick and thin. They’ve been together, except for a break in the middle, almost since high school and for the last few years, they’ve each been going to medical school at different schools several hours apart.

Melissa and Andrew are finally going to be tying the knot next July, at a beautiful Willamette Valley vineyard and I’m so excited to be the photographer who gets to capture it.

One thing I love about Andrew and Melissa is that they laugh a lot together. That inspires me because it’s something my own husband and I do. I think it’s the key to why we’re so happy together.

I wish that Melissa and Andrew’s wedding was two weeks from now and not a little more than a year away – and they wish the same thing. Andrew said it should be “less planning and more getting married!” The words of a man in love.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more of this sweet couple’s engagement photos.

I’m still sharing photos from a wedding I photographed last weekend in southern Oregon – at this point, the party had broken loose and everyone was having fun. They even had a karaoke machine at their reception!

Randall was very sweet with his mom, who was seriously glowing with pride over her three boys. She did a great job!

If Randall and his brothers are the sweet, well-behaved gentlemen then Alisia and her sister Madeline and friend Lynette were the life of the party! They danced, goofed around and had a ball at this wedding.

I love sneaking away with a couple during the reception – they usually are thankful for the fresh air and they are happy to be able to sneak a few private moments in. Alisia and Randall were no exception, and he even carried her back afterward since her lace wedding boots were hurting her feet.

At a certain point during a wedding day, there’s nothing left to do but dance the night away.

Congratulations, Alisia and Randall – it was a pleasure to be there on your wedding day.