Posts Tagged ‘oregon’

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Photos of Me

March 9, 2010

I just got my photos back from Deanna Russell Photography and they are great! Deanna and I had a fun laid back photo session and I think the relaxing atmosphere really shows in both of our portraits. Check out my About page where I just posted my favorite. Thanks Deanna!!!

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Portland Oregon Wedding and Portrait Photographers

March 8, 2010

I had coffee (actually a chamomile tea with honey) with Gina Emerson, of Gina Emerson Photography, this morning. I think it is just amazing to be part of a community of photographers in Portland, that are truly supportive of each other. When I was first starting out I had several established wedding photographers offer me advice, and point me to networking groups. Over the years, I’ve become part of a group of Oregon Flickr photographers that are always willing to share ideas, and another group of women photographers in the Portland area.

Brides are often surprised when I tell them that a lot of photographers here are friends, or at least friendly enough to help each other out. Yes we are each others competition but we’re also coworkers in a way. When dates are booked we need to know other photographers to refer brides to for their wedding. When a portrait client contacts me, and they are too far away, it’s great to be able to send them to someone closer. It helps all our clients, and each other. It’s also an absolutely essential resource for a wedding photographer to have in event of an emergency on a wedding day!

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“Stay Beach Stay” – A day at the Oregon Coast

March 5, 2010

I am lucky enough to have my mom visiting from back east for almost a month. Yesterday I took a day off and we headed out to the coast. My two year old loves cheese. Yellow cheese, white cheese, cheese quesadilla, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, grated cheese, cheese and crackers… Pretty much everything she eats has to involve cheese. We thought she’d be thrilled to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

If you have a baby, you know that leaving the house is no longer a quick thing. At the crack of 9:15 we finally made it out of the house. We were hoping for much earlier. We stopped for breakfast, and then took highway 6 out to Tillamook. About 30 miles from Beaverton the crying started, and we began to wonder why we tore a happy toddler from the house.

The weather was beautiful as we parked and headed inside. I thought Mackenzie would be so thrilled to see plates of different types of cheese to try and an abundance of flavors of ice cream. I guess I don’t think like a toddler! The blue ropes on the line for the cheese samples were way more exciting! The photo op cow with a farmer cut outs was quite a hit too. We had fun, and it was a good excuse to eat ice cream for lunch!

Here’s a quick cell phone photo.
Tillamook Cheese Factory Cell Phone Picture

I have only once before driven up highway 101 from Tillamook to Seaside. In my head, it was about 15 miles. Perhaps I should have checked the gps. After driving 20 miles we saw a sign “Seaside 26″. Luckily at the same time the little one’s eyes were closing in the car seat, so my mom and I enjoyed a scenic trip up the coast.

We pulled into the parking garage at Seaside, and Mackenzie woke up as we were putting her shoes back on. She must have smelled the ocean air because we had instant smiles. After layering up, we walked to the beach to find the swings were gone for the winter. I think I was more disappointed than Mackenzie. She just toddled about in the sand holding our hands.

Eventually we heard “I’m cold”, which is not something she ever admits to. We made our way back to the boardwalk, and to find some food. Some dancing in the Beebop burger place, and a couple rides on the carousel wrapped up our day. As we walked to the car, she said “stay beach stay”.

Child Photography - Seaside Oregon

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Wedding Flowers

February 28, 2010

Earlier this week I had coffee with Dorinda Malsey of Tayadeline Floral. It was really interesting to hear about weddings from her point of view. The amount of thought and time that goes into wedding flowers is so much more than I had imagined. Hearing about the prep a florist goes through the night before made me really glad that as a wedding photographer most of my work comes after the wedding.

I worked with Dorinda at a wedding last summer at The Aerie at Eagle Landing, just southeast of Portland. Her unique flower pom-poms for the little girls in the wedding party, and her sweet mellow attitude really struck me.

Wedding Photography in Portland Oregon at The Aerie

Portland wedding photography at the Aerie at Eagle Landing

Wedding Flowers at The Aerie by Portland Wedding Photographer Jessica Shepard

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Pre-client Wedding Photography Meetings

February 23, 2010

I am sitting here at Ava Roasteria sipping a decaf vanilla latte. If you follow my tweets, you probably often see me say that I’m drinking tea and waiting for a client, or such. I had a friend tell me she thinks all I do is sit around coffee houses.

I just met with a lovely bride and groom planning a 2010 wedding. I got to thinking that maybe my readers might be interested in what actually happens at once of these wedding photography meetings.

As a bride I would probably be scared of hard sales, and lots of pressure. Besides the fact that I can’t sell anything, it’s not what I want to do. (My hubby actually makes me leave the room if someone is coming over to buy something we posted on Craigslist.) To me the purpose is for both of us to decide if we are a good match, to see if I am the best wedding photographer for you.

I typically lug two big bags of stuff. I don’t make you sit for hours and look through all this, it’s just in case there is something extra you want to see. I have two flushmount wedding albums, and one mini flushmount that I show to every couple. I have a slideshow prepared and a box of printed proofs, in case you want to see more work. Some couples can get a feel from the albums, and others want to soak up every image possible.

I ask lots of questions, and answer as many as you have. Here is a list of questions I get asked often. Feel free to google questions to ask a wedding photographer and hit me with some new ones I might not expect.

I present you with a list of my wedding photography packages and lots of pricing details. These are just for you to get an idea. Once you tell me all about your wedding, I can create a custom collection for you. (I am happy to give you a quote before the meeting via email or phone.)

At the end of the meeting, I show you a copy of the contract for you to look over. If you would like to reserve your date at this point, you may. You are welcome to go home, think it over, and/or meet with other photographers. I once had a couple tell me they wanted a few minutes to talk things over on the spot. I got up, left the table, and came back to more questions. For my hubby and I, we always need to chat alone so I completely understand this!

My best meetings feel just like coffee with friends, with a bit more probing I guess.

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