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I first met Kendra when we were little girls at dancing school, probably around 6 or 7 years old. I met Kendra again as freshmen in high school. We were in the same honors English class. On the second day of school, she brought a photo of our dancing school class in. She was excited to show me that we knew each other back then. I was so embarrassed of the picture of me as a chubby little girl in a tutu!

Kendra’s son Nate was born a day after my daughter. If only they weren’t 3000 miles away in New Jersey I would have just rushed over to take the holiday portraits for her.

So how do you get that great portrait of your toddler?

Don’t try to keep your little one still. Be prepared to chase. Put on your sneakers. Have your camera ready. Take a test shot of the scene first and then have your finger on the button.

Have someone in the portrait with him or her. Your toddler walking holding hands can make a sweet picture and slow them down a bit.

Put your spouse or friend on babysitting detail. You are the photographer and don’t want to be worrying about what goes in your toddler’s mouth or if he is too close to the street. Have someone along that can take all responsibility so you can just take the photos.

Get outside. Little ones loves to explore. If you are at a park, or even in the yard, there is more to distract your toddler from trying to grab the camera.

Get to know your camera. Whether you are shooting with a DSLR, a digicam, or even your cell phone, see what options you have. If you don’t have manual options, try shooting in sports mode. This typically uses a fast shutter speed, which helps with moving subjects.

Catch them busy. My daughter can get really caught up looking at something or playing with a certain toy. Take advantage of these times. Keep the camera handy and pick up up while your toddler is distracted.

Shoot lots. When I do family portraits, I take tons of images. Babies and toddlers move quickly and even with my professional camera I can’t always snap it before they are in motion. I sometimes photograph on rapid fire. I’d rather have excess of images than have missed a moment.

Contact me | View Portfolio

So if you want to see a house, meet a great buyer’s agent (specializing in first time homes), or if you just want to win a portrait session with me, stop by 63 NE Baldwin Street on Sunday October 11th, between noon and three. All you have to do is say hi, sign up for his newsletter by providing your name and email address, and you’ll be entered to win a $150 gift certificate towards a portrait session, or even your wedding photography!

Below are a couple favorite candid family portraits of Dan and Mackenzie.

Take a look at my portfolio and email me to schedule a session.

My engagement session turned into a family portrait session (due to a sick fiance). These boys are seven and two. We were on the Discovery Trail in west Vancouver, Washington. It was quite the chilly morning but the lighting was just perfect. Overcast days make for such beautiful portraits.

The boys seems not to notice the chill, and were thrilled to be outdoors. We ran, played and got dirty. I always come home from child photography sessions covered in a little mud. (I used to go caving so I certainly don’t mind a bit of mud.) The boys energy was amazing, and their mom, Jenni kept right up with them. I tried to capture the spirit of the outing in the portraits.

I know we all get hectic and taking a baby, especially a newborn, out to a photography studio can be difficult.  This is one of the reasons I offer on location photography.  The other is that I prefer to photograph in my subject’s natural environment.  Baby’s First Year can be started during pregnancy or as a newborn.  Email me for package details.

I just added this text to my home page but I know many visitors come directly to my blog so thought it deserved a space here as well.  You can find personal info about me on my about page but I realized I don’t have a summary anywhere of what my photography business offers.  So here it is.

I am a wedding and portrait photographer in Beaverton, just outside of Portland, Oregon. I am available to travel within the Pacific Northwest (Oregon & Washington).

My wedding photography style is editorial, or wedding photojournalism. I capture the story of your day through photographs, letting you relax and enjoy your wedding day. Then I present you with your wedding story as either a digital proof gallery, or printed if you prefer. All my wedding photography packages include a high resolution dvd of your images, and usage rights to print your photographs at any lab, in any size, as often as you like. I offer additional photography sessions such as engagement sessions, trash-the-dress, rehearsal dinner photography, and b-sessions. Products include wedding dvd slide shows set to music, guest books, flushmount wedding albums, linear bound wedding albums, and magazine style books.

Engagement sessions are also offered separately. E-sessions are great way to try out my services if you are not quite sure if you want to book me as your wedding photographer. I offer a credit towards your wedding package if you book within 30 days of your engagement shoot. (If you just want me to do the engagement portraits and you have another wedding photographer, that is perfectly fine too.) I typically spend an hour or two photographing an engaged couple on location. Portland has some amazing parks to photograph in, or downtown for those who prefer a more urban setting.

Maternity photography sessions are about beauty, and about showing this once (or maybe two or three times) in your life stage. I try to take maternity portraits around 37 weeks of pregnancy, and I recommend doing this in your home. I can work with any lighting, and your home gives an intimacy that no where else has. I will take your lead on how comfortable you are showing off your belly and pregnant body. I have had some moms-to-be do their maternity portraits without exposing skin at all, and other mamas who are ready to bare it all. You may not know in advance how you will feel. We can play it by ear, and either way create sensational maternity images.

Newborn and baby photography can be done either in your home or, for older babies, in a favorite place in the Portland area. It can be very difficult to get out of the house with a newborn to go to a photography studio, so I come to you. Newborns are so tiny and precious that not much space is required. I just bring a few backdrops, and use mostly natural light. If I need flash, I’ll bounce it off the ceiling to minimize your newborn being bothered by it. As babies get a little older it can be fun to do the photography session in a park, especially at the toddler stage. We can run around and get a real sense of their energy.

My family portraits are relaxed, casual, and candid. I will never ask you to say cheese. I should not say never. I had a toddler in a wedding party and every time I snapped the shutter he said cheese. I realize this made everyone else laugh and took the picture once he had said it. So I began prompting him, which lead to great relaxed wedding portraits. Sessions are fun, not rigid or requiring anyone to sit still. For example, I had one family where the mother, daughter, and father walked around Rood Bridge Park, played in the water, on the playground, hugged each other and barely acknowledged me. I ended up taking over 200 photos of the family, of all their moments.

Family members, including pets, are always welcome, even if we are doing another type of shoot. If I am doing a maternity session, your five year old can be part of it. If you are engaged and want your golden retriever in the photographs, that is fine too. I try to listen to what my client’s needs are and be flexible. I have created lots of different packages, including digital ones, to try to meet a wide variety of needs, and am always willing to customize.

Whether I am photographing your wedding, engagement, pregnant belly, baby, pets, or entire family, you will hear me say, “ignore me”. Most people laugh when I say this. I do imagine it’s pretty difficult to ignore someone holding a big camera or two with a flash. For one the laughing works for the pictures but most people do eventually relax and get comfortable being photographed. My photography is about capturing you as you, and showing a little part of your life, or some great moments, whether it be of your wedding, or of your baby who is suddenly crawling around your home.

I will capture the ordinary and extraordinary moments, and present you with photographs that preserve the memories.

Today is significant for me.  A year ago at this moment the Pitocin (which I was very against having) was starting to kick in and I was in the hospital expecting to have my baby girl any hour.  That is another long story, as she was not born until 47 hours later.

A year ago, I was still employed in the corporate world, though I had been out on medical leave for a month already.  A year ago my business was just this muddled pile of thoughts in my head.

This is a personal post.  I decided my blog needs a little bit more of me.  Sounds odd but when I look at my blog it seems a bit without personality.  After all, a big part of the point of blogging is for my readers, and clients to get to know who I am.

2008 Biggest Accomplishments

1. Raising my daughter for her first year (with lots of help from my hubby).  I consider myself career driven but this has been more challenging then I ever imagined.  After years of not giving enough credit to moms, I finally understand.
2. Starting my business. This is a very close second and has been a whirlwind, especially doing so with a baby, often in a sling on me while working.

2008 Scariest Moments

1. The first time I was alone with my daughter for a day. My mom left to go back to New Jersey when my baby was two and a half weeks old.  I was terrified.  My hubby went to work and it was just us.  Now I cherish the moments of just us.
2. Receiving my last paycheck. This one is still scary.  I never realized how comforting it is to receive a steady paycheck every other week, and to know it will always be there.  There are ups and downs with a business, and even with things going well the next client is never as guaranteed as that regular direct deposit.

2008 Biggest rewards

1. The first time a client paid me. I was at my client’s house after photographing her baby and toddler, and she asked me how to write out the check.  It just hit me, “Wow, I am getting paid for doing what I love”.
2. First wedding booked. I had an ad on Craigslist.  The bride was shocked at my low price.  I emailed her back explaining my lack of experience.  She was thrilled with the photographs I showed her, signed the contract, and gave me a deposit.  I had my baby in her Beco Butterfly on my back.  I was just delighted and tried not to jump up and down.
3. Every time my baby smiles. Not much to say here, all the firsts are precious but she lights up the world for us when she smiles, or better yet giggles.

After writing these I realized I left out, giving birth.  Only I can’t categorize it.  It’s a huge accomplishment, scary as hell, and an amazing reward. Six weddings, piles of portraits, and a year of being a mom, I feel ready to take on 2009, my first full year in business!

The photo below is one from a personal project.

I photographed Ben this morning in celebration of his one year birthday. The weather forecast was saying rain but we ended up with a beautiful cloudy morning.