Mathenia Family is expecting

I should say the Mathenia Family was expecting. Their sweet little baby girl came joined our fair city a few weeks ago. ...more on that in a future post.

Sarah contacted me for a family shoot (maternity/newborn). She mentioned that she has followed the blog for a while -- to which I turned to look behind me to see who she was actually talking writing to. Who, me?! Please don't mind my beet red face. 

This family holds a special place in my heart. When Sarah contacted me, she mentioned that she wanted to do a "Day in the Life" shoot. You may have gathered from my recent 10 on 10 post, that this is where I draw my inspiration. Really. I LOVE being the person to capture those, real life, in-between moments. The moments where you forget for a split second that the camera is there and I am able to capture the real you. When you think about it, not only is it an honor for someone to trust me, to let their guard down, and let me in to their life, but what an amazing thing to have. Not a posed, "look at me and smile" photo, but a real, honest moment captured on film for your family to share forever.

These photos are far and away those that mean the most to me. I have a photo of my grandpa smoking a cigarette in his military uniform. It's not the best quality photo; the composition isn't anything to brag about and it's a tad overexposed, but it speaks to me and I will treasure the photo forever because it is the real Norman.

Okay, enough of me rambling. Let's get back to the Mathenia family. We used our time to do one of their daughter's favorite things, to read. She was so excited to show me all of her books. And she is ssoooo excited to be a big sister.

 

The idea that Sarah is just as inspired by the real moment and asked me to capture this time in their life is really an honor. I still can't believe that people invite me into their homes and let down their walls enough to give me a little glimpse of their real selves. Best. Job. Ever.

This little lady is so beautiful inside and out. Thanks again Mathenia family! I love your family and your sweet new baby girl. More photos soon.

Until next time...

10 on 10 - December

I say it every month, and I'll say it again, this month FLEW by. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and we always host for lots of friends and family. This year was no exception. We had friends from the area and family from Oregon and Washington. My sister even came out from the 303 for two whole weeks. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

Normally, our "Black Friday" tradition is to avoid all the crazy crowds and meander on up to tMt. Hood for some family snowshoeing. It's a good way to burn off all those extra carbs that I stuffed in my face the day before, and we usually end up with a pretty spectacular x-mas card photo. This year however, the mountain hasn't had much snow. It's been crazy cold, but not enough moisture, so we sadly had to forgo that option. Instead, we decided to get a jump on Christmas and go hunt down our tree.

I thought "tree hunting" would be a fun thing to post for my 10 on 10 this month because since many of you are visiting from around the country, I thought you'd like to see where some of your Christmas trees come from! One of the awesome things about Oregon is all the greenery. There are many farms all over the area growing grapes, veggies, nuts, and TREES! We chose to head over to the Helvetia Christmas Tree Farm just outside of the city to find the perfect tree, and of course since we were in the area, we ended the day with some wine at Helvetia Winery. Nabil's cousin Connor was in town from Seattle and had never cut down his own Christmas tree, so we decided to forgo the "modern conveniences" aka chainsaws and take this thing down the old fashioned way.

Of course, it always takes a little longer than expected, so Syd and I decided to wander around with the camera while the boys finished up...

And there you have it, a Christmas tree adventure at it's finest. Now that you have soaked up your monthly dose of Oregon, head on over to all the other 10 on 10ers to check out their monthly post. They promise to be fantastic, as always, so get excited.

Anya Elise Photography

CLB Creative

Twinty Photography
Jamilah Photography - Jamilah just had a baby boy (and by just, I really mean JUST; it was less than a week ago), so I doubt she's found the time to edit and post some photos. I left her link up there just incase. If not, I bet she'll have something good for you all next month :) Congrats again Jamilah!!

Sara Adams - portrait swap

Remember back in June when I wrote about working with another photographer in town to trade head shots? Ya, me neither. Last post I wrote that I have been super busy this summer. Because of that, I haven't had much time to work on personal projects.

Anyway, back in June, Sara Adams and I went out to scout some locations just north of Portland. We brought along our cameras and took some pictures of one another. You know, us photogs like to practice when we don't have anything scheduled. Sara posted the pictures that she took of me in a post here. Be sure to check it out. I like to see our different styles and takes on the same location and subject.

We purposefully gave ourself lots of time so that we would hit "golden hour". Ah, golden hour.

 All in all, a pretty good day.

Until next time...