On Location | vancouver wa portrait photography

Here in the Pacific Northwest rain is a fact of life in the winter. Sometimes the rain clouds make for interesting backdrops. Add a pinch of off-camera flash to taste. Bam!

An ordinary moment

Daughter having breakfast. Brought to you by an ordinary moment. Ordinary yet lovely. In press photography they talk about having access. "f/8 and be there," they say. After all, being there is perhaps the most important part. f/8 is just some camera setting that would more or less get you a good image. As parents we have the best access to such moments, if we just slow down and observe. Of course it helps if you have a camera handy. So many times I miss these moments cuz we're in a rush. "Hurry up, we're going to be late for school!" Or going from soccer practice to music lesson to gymnastics to Chinese school... Who would've thought a bowl of oatmeal reflects such soft light?

Three Seniors, One Session

Three seniors, one session. 'Nuf said. Daniel, Christine and Jack have known one another all their lives. Top students in their class, they're also athletic and musically talented. Christine's cousin Tim came and assisted me. This was a family event, as little brother, sister, aunt all came to help, even grandma was there... We met up at Esther Short park, and walked around a bit for interesting backdrops. Our favorite had to be the turtle place. As the sun went down and we brought out the OCF--off camera flash--the real fun began. I loved their energy and chemistry. What a blast!!














Even after we had declared "it's a wrap," I did not put away my camera. When we got to the car, Jack jumped on top of the car and I quickly asked Tim to put the light in place, and voila! One of my favorite pics from the day!!

Chhote

I normally don't photograph pets. We have a cat, but since kids came along, even she doesn't get much camera time. A while ago my friend Andie Petkus was photographing some 40 dogs for a show, and she asked if I'd be interested in photographing some of them. "Why not?" I thought to myself. It's always good to do something different and there's always something new to learn.

I drove down to the Carriage House not knowing what to expect. The dogs were all different: size, age, breed, temperament... it was eye-opening for me. One session there were three German Shepherds and a Doberman, who wasted no time checking out the studio as soon as they came in. The next dog was well along in years, and lost some of her sight and hearing. She nearly stumbled as she stepped in from the door. What a challenge to get them to sit in the right spot long enough for a few pics! I came away with a new-found respect for pet photographers, and no, I'm not ready to add that to my service yet :)

This is Chhote, a rescued Doberman. He was nine months old when they found him, tied to a tree with spikes embedded into his skin. He's a bit older now, and in much, much better shape. A sweet dog he was. His ears I love. Reminds me of Yoda.

Megan and Ryan

When my friend, award winning photographer Ean Perkins of Studio190 called one Saturday morning with "What are you doing today?" I almost immediately said, "Yes!"

I met Ean one year at the PPO Summer School. When he found out I was going to shoot my first wedding later that year, he graciously invited me to photograph/assist at weddings he was photographing so I could get some practice. How cool is that?

I quickly got ready and headed down to Kaizer, just north of Salem to the afternoon wedding. It was cloudy and a bit breezy too. Fortunately the rain did not come down, and the wedding and reception went smoothly. The wind only blew over two pillars.

Weddings can be stressful for all involved, but it is also one happy occasion where family and friends come to celebrate and give their best wishes to the newlyweds. It doesn't take long to be drawn into the celebration. And having the privilege to document the joyous occassion? Awesome.

Congratulations Megan and Ryan!!

These are a few of my favorite things

I love photography. I love food. I love to photograph the food I eat. I love to eat the food I photograph, when I'm allowed. I love to photograph the food I make, on rare occasions when I'm so inspired. Only at the difficulty level of say, waffles, however...



We bought a waffle iron earlier this year, so on Saturdays when we're not traveling, I'd make waffles for the family. With blueberries on top. And whip cream too. The reserve of frozen blueberries was running low, so we went out to Majestic Farms and picked some more...







"This is your face, Daddy." said the little girl.


I kinda prefer this one myself...

PPO Summer School

At the annual Bend Summer School, there were programs on lighting, posing, post-processing, marketing, selling, and so on by various speakers, but the Most Memorable went the sunrise landscape workshop with Adrian Klein. The program said the meeting time for the workshop was at 5 a.m., but the day before at lunch Adrian pointed out a small mistake.

"Sunrise's at 5:10 a.m., so we are going to meet at 4 a.m. so we can get out there and set up before sunrise. How many are still going to go?" About 20 some hands went up.

With less than 4 hours of sleep, I got up and quickly readied myself to meet the other brave souls. At least a good 15 people showed up. The caravan traveled westward from Bend on the Cascade Lakes Hwy towards destination: Sparks Lake. It was mid June and there was still snow on the ground past Mt. Bachelor. The area had also been experiencing unusual thunderstorms and flooding from sudden downpours. Not enough to deter us. Adrian said even if it were pouring we'd still get out there because you just don't know what it's like 20 miles away. We turned off the highway onto a Forestry Service gravel road and arrived at the Ray Atkeson Memorial Trail. It was a short 1/3 mile hike from where we parked. The sky was clear. Almost too clear. We quickly set up our gear as Adrian shared tips and tricks with us. The predawn air was crisp, and the color blue dominated the surroundings in a peaceful way. In the midst of shutter release sounds came occasional wing flaps of water fowls. Fog rolled in as the outline of South Sister and Broken Top vanished from view. Several times we started to pack up, only to be lured into a few more frames by momentary clearing of the clouds. Nutty? You bet. And absolutely worth it. Nothing like photographing in the Studio of the Almighty.