Serravision Photography : Portland Oregon Photographer for babies, kids, seniors portraits, head shots, maternity, family, children, newborns, and more! » Couples

Beautiful Engagement Portraits

Serra — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:59:15 +0000

Have I mentioned how much I love engagement shoots? Couples are so fun to photograph, especially when they have officially committed to each other and are eagerly looking forward to a shared future together. There is that sparkle in the eyes and the ease with each other. These two approached me about doing their wedding this spring, and shared how their first date took place walking around Forest Park. At that moment, it was obvious that was where the engagement session should take place!

"Imagine you're meeting for the first time" Engagement Portrait

While signing the contract, they said “We will sign the release, but I’m sure you won’t want to use the photos. We are the least photogenic people around.” I told them I couldn’t believe that was the case, and sure enough the photographs turned out to be just adorable. They even ended up using a dozen or so of them in their guest book at the wedding!

It’s interesting how people get such strong ideas in their heads about how photogenic they are. These ideas are almost always based on bad experiences with people who aren’t very experienced taking photographs. You simply can’t base your photogenic qualities on snapshots. If you think you’re hopeless give me a chance. I honestly believe I can make every single person look great in my portraits. That’s my job!

Super Cute Engagement Photos

Tips For Shooting Rainy Weddings

Serra — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:54:28 +0000

Who says a little rain will ruin your wedding day? This is Oregon! There’s a well known phenomenon that goes like this: Once you get the first drop of mud on your shoes, the rest is history.

At this wedding we saw it all. Glorious sunshine, light drizzle, torrential downpours, and even hail! The bride and groom have got to be some of the most carefree folks and didn’t let anything stand in their way of getting amazing wedding portraits and just plain having a fabulous day. As a result, the wedding and the portraits were a complete success, muddy feet and all. This was the most fun I’ve had photographing a wedding in a long time. It just goes to show that a positive attitude really can shape a situation.

Here’s some advice on how to handle a rainy wedding:

Wear boots! I wore my 100% waterproof Keen hiking boots and, although not the most “professional” choice of footwear, they allowed me to act professional as I ran around doing my normal thing in 3″ of muddy grass. I guarantee people would have noticed more if I’d worn “cute” shoes and tip-toed around everywhere than they noticed this.
Bring a rain shell for your camera! I found an interesting blog post about camera rain coats. In the end, I borrowed a KATA KT E-702 from Craig Mitchelldyer, who does a lot of shooting in the rain. This protective shield was essential for keeping my professional cool and putting the bride and groom before myself when it came to planning shots. I never worried whether I was standing under a tree, bumping into leaves, whether it was starting to sprinkle… I was free to focus on what mattered!
Go with the flow! If you planned to do family formals at 3:30PM and it suddenly starts raining, wait it out. I was able to do the formal shoots during dry periods without a problem just by keeping flexible and seizing the opportunities as they came up.
Keep a positive attitude! No matter what, as a hired professional your confidence level has a lot of influence over the way things pan out. Tell the bride that photos are more dramatic when it’s wet outside and that you love the weather. You’re the pro! Emphasize how much fun it all is, and you’ll have everyone following along with you! I had some of the most fun formal portrait shots in this wedding just because of the exciting and positive attitude that was infused throughout the wedding and photo sessions.

A true Oregon wedding

Rockin’ Through the Ages

Serra — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:56:58 +0000

Back in March I went to Southern California to shoot a Sadie Hawkins Dance with Jonah Gilmore. School dances with Jonah are always so much fun, since the kids are all dressed up and having a great time already so our job is to channel that energy and make beautiful images. The theme of this dance was Rockin’ through the ages, so each couple was dressed up as though they were from an era of rock and roll. We had everything from flappers to hippies to 80’s hair bands! I loved creating poses for each portrait that reflected the era the kids were representing while still making them look their best. Here are a few of the pictures from the dance!

fun studio photographs from a high school dance

Urban Sweetheart Session

Serra — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:52:26 +0000

I had a fabulous time with the sweetheart sessions booked through my Valentine’s Day free session promotion. I’ve just got to share this one as it’s so much fun! These guys were up for anything, including standing on a giant pedestal in downtown Portland and letting me set up lights and put them literally on display for a few minutes!

We did some long exposure light shots, silly ballroom dancing in the square, and beatles-style marches across main streets. I went through about 4 different itterations before settling on this filmstrip. I’ll try to post a few more on flickr. These two were simply a joy to work with, and it paid off for them with unique and very cute portraits. To the couple, I hope you enjoy your photos and I wish you the best of luck achieving what you’re setting out to achieve!

Adorable couples session downtown Portland

tags technorati : <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Puerto+Vallarta" rel="tag">Puerto Vallartaa>

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Why I take Photographs

Serra — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:34:50 +0000

Maternity Photo Collage from 2008

There are so many reasons why I love taking photographs. The most compelling reason I can come up with off the top of my head this morning is the desire to share this life with people and capture it’s beauty.

Every portrait session is unique in its energy, its purpose, and its style in the moment. I love sitting down and looking through the photography that I’ve captured, but it’s just that much more rewarding when the photos find their way back to me again. For example, a mom that I worked with for maternity and newborn portraits back in 2008 sent me a note recently.

She said about her now one and a half year old daughter, “Ixa currently drags around the collage you made of my pregnancy pictures and talks about it all the time- it’s her favorite mama picture at the moment! thanks again!!”

If you’ve had doubts about why it’s important to allow a professional photographer to help you capture your memories, here’s just one testament to it’s true value.

technorati tags : Portland, PDX, Portland Oregon, Photographer, Portrait

Free Sweetheart Session

Serra — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:46:12 +0000

I enjoy taking portraits for many occasions, but one of the things I love most is couples photography. So many times getting couples together for a portrait session not only results in a beautiful keepsake, but helps those two people to see their relationship, each other and their emotions from an outside perspective that they don’t see for themselves every day. And that can be quite a gift to give.

Because of that, I’m extending an offer that I’ve never extended before, but to take advantage you’ll have to act quickly! Call or e-mail and book a couples session with me between now and February 14th (to be completed any time in February) and I will waive the session fee, no strings attached. I’ll even include a 10% discount on the portrait purchases from these sessions. The number of free couple portrait sessions will only be limited by my availability! I’d like to give this gift to as many people as possible this Valentine’s Day, and help you give this gift to that special person in your life. You don’t even have to tell them it was free

Just a few examples of how your couples session can take shape!

Please be sure to post this link on Facebook, Twitter, or in any other way share this offer with that Portland area couple who you think deserves a free couples portrait session by a professional photographer this Valentine’s Day season!

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New Year Maternity Session

Serra — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:06:54 +0000

I had the pleasure of taking portraits of this beautiful woman in the last stages of her pregnancy. Her due date was January 1st, but as far as I know she’s still waiting on the little one to show up! I love doing these late-term pregnancy pictures, because I know they will be so fun to look back on, and share with the child in a few years. You can point to your belly and say “that was you!”. I especially liked the window light in this session, it functioned like a soft box allowing me to capture that backlit glow that makes everything seem just a bit ethereal. Thanks, Serena, and thanks for managing to get your husband in there too! Have a fabulous new year!

soft light and belly shots

technorati tags : Portland, PDX, Portland Oregon, Photographer, Portrait, Maternity, Pregnancy, Couples

Going to the Dogs!

Serra — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:07:41 +0000

My Halloween was spent in the park shooting holiday card portraits with this lovely couple and their two gorgeous dogs! These guys were just the nicest clients one could hope for, and I love the outfits they chose. I always say my clients dress better than I ever could have told them to if I’d had the choice and this is a perfect example. Check out those multi-color knit leggings!

I have very little experience photographing dogs, but they worked with me and the portraits we achieved are way cute. Although I do realize I dressed up as myself which is universally considered to be rather lame, I couldn’t have asked for a better Halloween!

Preview portrait of this couple with their two dogs in the park

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Will He Ask Me?

Serra — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:18:56 +0000

I don’t do a lot of large events, but I’ve been working with Jonah Gilmore of Rocket Science Photography on some high school dances this year, and it’s been a whole lot of fun! Homecoming was on October 19th, and Jonah brought this wild red fabric to use as a backdrop.

These young people got royal treatment, and we took some really beautiful photos. I don’t know about you, but my school dance photos began with me being asked which of the four poses on the board I’d like for my photo, and one click later being told I’d receive my package in the mail. Jonah’s style allows me as a photographer to be more free with my posing and take time to work with each couple and make sure we get that perfect expression. Because of this, the students end up with a choice of multiple images and since they got to participate in the process and craft something that represents who they are, they ultimately choose a product they will really be able to treasure.

High school Homecoming dance portaits

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Solstice Wedding

Serra — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:14:00 +0000

After their many years together, I was honored to capture this couple’s absolutely perfect wedding day, which squeaked through totally dry while the Oregon skies threatened to open up at any moment! The ceremony was a small one at the groom’s parents’ home. The family did just enough to make it beautiful without cluttering the space, and it made it very intimate and meaningful.

It was great that we could do formals for this green and orange lily-themed wedding out in the green foliage. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful, relaxed, loving setting. Thanks for including me, you two! Many years of happiness await you.

Photos from a home wedding ceremony on the summer solstice

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