The day of our session was very cloudy and even a little drizzly which made for a fun, adventurous energy and super even lighting.

Big Girl Birthday Portrait

One of the best compliments I can get is when, at the end of a photo session, the child asks if I can come home with them.  Building that kind of rapport with each of the kids I photograph allows my sessions to end with a variety of fun, natural, and beautiful photos that give childrens’ families a window into that time in their child’s life to treasure for years to come.

5-Year-Old Birthday Montage

I also shot 4-year old portraits of her younger brother who, incidentally, was shy for his pictures just like she was last year.  Maybe next year he will come out of his shell just like she did, but either way it’s fine with me!  To me, the shy photos often come out equally as cute, and I’ll find time to share some of the amazing shots from his session soon.

"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

Book a kids or family session on or before June 18 and I’ll give you a free 4×6 of your choice custom framed in a one-of-a-kind masterpiece made from reclaimed building materials from ReFind Furniture!  That’s a $50 value.

Space is limited!  Call 503-810-9984 today, or e-mail serra at serravision.com for more information!

Reclaimed Photo Art

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:

1. 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.
2. 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!
3. 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.
4. 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

My very first session using mon Amour Photography’s studio space was exciting at every turn, and I can’t wait to do more sessions in the studio.  Amber and her family were real troopers and we did hundreds of exposures, capturing everything from fun and casual family shots to dramatic artistic portraits.  Although I adore working on-site and outdoors, it is obvious that I have missed working in the studio.  I’m readily welcoming the return to this completely different environment.

So the news is in, baby’s first year is launched.  Beta deal is $399 for 6 sessions* (regularly $900!) with a framed portrait collage free at the end of the year.  If you know someone who would like to get in on the baby’s first year package before the sample packages roll out next year, send them over!  The deal is on.

studio lit maternity session : baby's first year project

*charge covers creative fees; products sold separately

So as you may have deduced, I am interested in finding a client for a trial run.  The ideal client will be a woman who is currently pregnant and due sometime in the next 4 months.  I would waive the $150/session creative fee on 6 studio sessions throughout the baby’s first year including maternity, newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 1 year sessions.  That is a $900 value!  From each session, you’ll receive a web-ready disk with all your images to e-mail friends and family or post online.  If you choose to purchase higher resolution images, prints, or any other products I’ll extend a 50% discount on all your purchases.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, or you know someone who is pregnant and might like to document her baby’s first year in this way, please let me know as soon as possible!  Please tell your friends and family, I’ll only be taking one client on as a sample subject for this package so don’t delay.  This is certainly the best deal I’ll offer for quite a while, and I’m so excited to meet my new mom-to-be!

The bride had such a great look, with a mix of modern and vintage pieces.  Her veil was made by a friend and was absolutely stunning, one of the most fun pieces to photograph!  The relaxed atmosphere led to a uniquely casual set of portraits that illustrate this couple just beautifully.  I wish them many years of happiness!

Casual wedding photography

Duties will include some or all of the following, depending on agreement:  Making initial contact and setting up proposal meetings, remaining the contact liaison between me and the school, helping design marketing materials, consulting about pricing structures, manning the sales table at events and selling packages to students, and possibly organizing and delivering packages to schools.

Pay will be on a generous commission basis, and will be discussed upon designing a contract agreement.  This is by no means a full-time gig, but will be great for someone who has a bit of spare time and thinks it would be a fun way to earn a little extra.  So if you or someone you know wants to make some extra money sporadically throughout the year and has interest and/or experience with networking, sales, and marketing, please send me a note!