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 - May

This week I decided to travel back and re-visit where my photography journey originally began. Last week, I went to see the Finding Vivian Maier documentary (it's great btw). It inspired me in a number of ways, one of which was to bring my camera with me when I'm out and about and brush off my street photography skeeelz.

When I first started diving into photography, I was using black and white film photography and developing in the college darkroom. I was immediately drawn to street photography and some of the greats. Henri Cartier-Bresson spoke about the "decisive moment"; knowing the exact split second when to click the shutter. This is a skill that is an integral part in every job that I do. As a lifestyle photographer, this is something that I consistently try to perfect, because once that moment is gone, it is lost forever unless you were ready to push that button.

Robert Frank, Dorothea Lange, Alfred Einsenntaedt, Lee Friedlander, Helen Levitt, Eric Kim, Anthony Kurtz, and Elliott Erwitt have all been an inspiration to me at one point or another. It seems I continually draw from people who have mastered the art of capturing beauty in tedious, daily life.

So for this month's 10 on 10 I wanted to step back from my usual and share a little bit about our city using all of that as inspiration. I stuck with my digital format (because if I'm going to do film, I'm going to use a dark room and I have no time for that these days) and hit the streets of Portland.

Thanks again for stopping by this month. Come back next month for another 10 on 10!

Make sure to check out the other 10 on 10ers. As always, they are sure to have some great stuff.

CLB Creative

Twinty Photography

Anya Elise Photography

Button Media

Until next time...

Paterson Family

How do I get so lucky to be able to photograph the sweetest families? 

This shoot holds a special place in my heart because we were on a pretty strict time crunch. Papa Peterson only got a few days off work and we had to get the session done asap, because naturally, it was very important to have dad be a part of the shoot. While in some ways it was not ideal (I can only imagine the stress of worrying about photos and learning how to manage a newborn), man was it fun to meet little Henry at only 2 days old. And that hair! Bright blonde and enough for two. OMG, so cute!

Another thing that I love about these two is that they met in high school. I'm a sucker for another high school sweetheart couple. Sometimes when you know it, you know it. ...even if you're only seventeen.

This won't be the last you see of this sweet family. I'll be able to show you how little Henry has grown within the the year, so stay tuned.

And thanks again Peterson family. I can't wait to see you all again and see how he has grown. All my best. :)

Until next time...

10 on 10 - April

Today is a good day, and not just because it's another 10 on 10 post. Today is my favorite sister's birthday! Okay, she's my only sister, but even if I had ten, she'd probably still be my favorite. She's that cool. AND, this last weekend, I was able to take a quick trip for some sister time in the 303.

While I grew up going to Denver on occasion, it was fun to see Syd in her new town, and to actually see the city as an adult. She showed me all her fave spots and we went and toured around downtown. Naturally, we also got some ice-cream, because really, what is a downtown tour without ice cream?

What a pretty sister I have! I'm so glad that I was able to visit this little lady and to see her in her grown-up city. I love seeing the woman that she has become, and can't wait to see the path that she builds for herself. She is even heading back to Tanzania in a few months. Remember when she was still in college and just got back from TZ? She keeps astounding me with how awesome she continues to become.

Thanks for the fun weekend Denver and Syders. Hopefully we can do it again soon.

Make sure to check out the other 10 on 10ers this month. They're sure to have some good eye candy for you to drool over.

CLB Creative
Twinty Photography
Anya Elise Photography
Button Media

Until next time...

Bottoms Up!

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that Nabil and I got the opportunity to go to a food tasting at the Heathman Hotel this week. I'm not quite sure how all this happened, but a few weeks ago I got a message from someone who works at the Heathman Hotel in Portland. She mentioned that she had read my blog (to which I gave a big screachhh on the inside), and then she invited me to the Heathman's Restaurant and Bar for an exclusive tasting. Free drinks and hors d'oeuvres? Count me in! I think it took me all of ten seconds to reply back with an emphatic "heck, yes!"

So here's the scoop. Kathy Casey and Michael Staton have created a new drink and food menu for the Heathman Restaurant and Bar. We were invited for a meet and great and to taste the new menu. It was all delish, but my favorite was The Providence (below, left). Those little fire sticks are actually an edible plant that tastes vaguely like asparagus.

Here's a little taste of the drink menu:

Luxury Spiced Vermouth Manhattan - rye, house-spice infused red vermouth, Liquid Kitchen Golden Era Bitters; stirred and served up with a spirited cherry & 23K gold flakes

Signature Tea Court Lounge Punch - rum, Cognac, pomegranate, guava, orange & lemon juices, Fonte Earl Grey Tea Spiced Syrup, Angostura Foam (with an individual tea pot service)
Vineyard Margarita - Reposado Tequila, Combier d’Orange, fresh lime, organic agave nectar, fresh rosemary, topped with a float of Willamette Valley pinot noir 
Northwest Grapefruit Negroni - house-bottled local gin, Carpano Antica, Campari, Combier Pomplemousse 
Oregon Berries & Bubbles - local vodka, Oregon raspberry puree lemon elixir, Argyle sparkling 

All the invitees even got a cute little gift basket with some stir sticks and a DIY spiced, red vermouth ball. How fun is that?! Martinis at the Zerizefs' anyone?

Thanks again for the invite and for showing us a good time Portland Heathman Hotel. We had a great time.

Until next time...