A themed photo shoot - Celebrate!

My partners & I at Studio 3 just celebrated our first year in business together. To celebrate, we threw ourselves a birthday bash during the Last Saturday Art Walk in the Old Ironworks District, and decided to show each of our interpretations of the word "Celebrate" in photos.

While I'm accustomed to shooting for assignments for True North Parenting, I'm not necessarily used to shooting along a creative theme - and it took a bit for me to wrap my head around how I wanted to approach this task.

If you're interested, here was my thought process - and if you're not, no worries... skip straight to the photographs below.

For me photography has always been about my family. My passion is truly being able to capture images of our lives together, and be able to share, reflect & preserve them for future generations. It was a logical conclusion for me, then, to tie the word "Celebrate" into some sort of family activity. 

We'd played around with light painting, off camera flash, and long exposures last summer, and I wanted to see what we could do with it in studio. The boys thought it was fun to act and freeze in silly poses while I ran around and drew in the air with a flashlight - and my dad (a wonderful photographer of "things that don't move " ~ his words) was in town as well... a perfect combination, right?

Well, the best laid plans...

Together, we got the studio set up, tested out a 10 second exposure and were ready to play. My dad manned the shutter release, my husband served as the timer & protector of lights... and I tried, in vane, to literally paint with light while our squirmy boys did their best to not knock over anything. It turned into a bit of a circus - as we had limited time to get it right, the batteries wavered in the flashlight - and the fuse of the mama got shorter and shorter, until it was simply time to go home on this school night and call it a day.

I was fairly convinced we didn't get anything I would have been proud to display - until I called upon my trusty tablet... and my love of drawing. 

While you can see the light painting in the blue present image below (the glowy white light behind the blue) - I've pretty much covered up the rest of the evidence of the light painting with playful drawings of images the boys came up with when they thought of what it means to Celebrate.

In the end - these images are perfect in their imperfections. It wasn't what I had envisioned in the beginning, but it was a beautiful lesson for myself that it's not about the destination - but about the journey. 

And for me, this particular journey with my family is truly a reason to Celebrate.

Teacher Appreciation Wednesday

It's Wednesday, which means I get to into each of my boys' classrooms for a bit and help out for about an hour each. I always come away feeling connected to my boys' school experience - and so incredibly thankful for our teachers - and how much time & energy they spend teaching my children.

While I've technically set Wednesdays aside as a "no work" day - I do feel called to share a bit about their classrooms in appreciation. Don't be surprised if it becomes a habit.

Apparently colored pencils wreak havoc on pencil sharpeners... and can dull them in no time flat. Which could certainly be why there was a big pile of unsharpened colored pencils in Sam's classroom today. The sharpening fairy came and took care of these guys... but I wonder if your child's classroom could use a visit from the sharpening fairy as well?

Black & White Memories

These sweet visitors from Norway have flown home - and I know they are missed...

I couldn't help but put this slideshow together for them...

Enjoy!

A welcome visitor...

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to get a visit from one of my favorite models - Miss Baby K! She's getting so big & and still just as cute as ever...

I was reminded of those shirts you see "My Aunt went to Ireland and all I got was this lousy T-shirt." when she dropped by, though... 

This gorgeous bit of yumminess came by the studio and all I had was my lousy iPhone camera! Well... this picture can attest to her cuteness... phone-cam and all! I even got to pinch those cheeks! Yay!

Weaving wonderful tales...

The most amazing & gratifying part of my job are the people I meet and stories I am privileged to be a part of. Tonight was no exception - and I'm happy to present a few sneak peeks from tonight's session as I continue to weave tales for this beautiful family...  

It's Monster Friday!

I fell in love at the Last Saturday Art Tour. It's ok, you can tell my husband. He's going to have to live with this "other man," though... because I brought him home!

Meet our little monster!

Artist James DeRosso's ceramic monsters invaded Stuart's of Bend at the August Last Saturday - and they are simply charming. Guess what? You can make your OWN monster at the NEXT Last Saturday Art Tour - You won't want to miss this! No, really... you won't! Email doctorzor@gmail.com to register!

This just in! Book your out of doors family photos NOW!

Interested in amazing family photos in the great out doors? There's no time like - well, this weekend!

We'll be camping in Camp Sherman this weekend - and although I've never been - a little bird told me it's gorgeous!

I'll be taking a limited number of family sessions - and they are sure to be amazing! Call today to reserve your space!

Think fresh air - happy kids - amazing landscapes... rivers. *sigh*

Call today and come play with me!

Full disclosure - this was shot along the McKenzie river - but you get the idea!

Boys will be boys - right?

Boys will be boys - but it doesn't mean the Mama's heart can't skip a few beats in the mean time! They wanted to use their pocket knives to sharpen their pencils - and although the supervision typically falls to my husband - he was at work and it fell to me. SO... I grab my trusty camera. Took a deep breath and let them practice. 

All in all they showed great judgement (thanks to the groundwork laid by both their grandpa & father)... but I was there to make darned sure no blood was lost. 

Mission accomplished. 

Now - for a glass of wine. 

Phew.

My oldest's progress.

My youngest gets an A for effort!

The finished product - maybe I should let them practice more!

Is your headshot "dusty?"

Take a look at the photograph you are using to represent yourself - does it, indeed, represent you? If not - it's time to  give me a call and schedule your short, sweet & painless headshot session!

Drop by the studio during your lunch hour - or meet up in the great outdoors in the evening - whatever works best for your busy schedule. I can even come to your location - just call to arrange!

Here's a link to a few more headshot examples.

Single headshots, digitally delivered, are $75 each. 

Bring a buddy - $60 each (2 or more headshots scheduled at one time and location). 

Additional poses are only $25 each. 

Images on CD are extra.

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Great fall portrait specials and events are in the works and will be announced soon!

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First Day of School - and settling into a season.

There is a collective sigh of relief across Central Oregon - as Super Moms, Dads & other caregivers have sent their kiddos off to school. You'll hear mine just as loud as the others.

I do love this time of year. Following a crazy hectic (fun) summer, it always feels nice to settle into a bit of structure and routine.

Good luck to all of you school employees (one and all) out there - taking care of our children... and best of luck super parents in getting yourselves back on track. Then again, maybe its just me who needs a nudge towards structure?

Enjoy a few of my annual back to school pics of the boys, on our porch...

A beautiful canvas...

I've been dying to share this collection of images from the August Last Saturday Art Tour at the Old Ironworks district. Allison Dickerson of Allura Henna was presented with this beautiful belly and free reign for a design. Simply elegant - I think she did a wonderful job of creating this art. The belly belongs to Sarah and Chad Fox - one of our Old Ironworks artist/neighbors at Cindercone Clay Center.

I love, LOVE that this artist, who uses his hands to create amazing clay works, is seen here, holding one of his greatest creations. You can see his other works here, at his website.

The finished product! Gorgeous.