Archive for the 'Portraits' Category

Location Photography Travel Special: Orange County, California

Janet will be available to photograph your family, pregnant belly, or baby in Orange County, California July 17th, 19th and 20th . One hour sessions with unlimited exposures are $450. Add $200 per additional hour. Standard travel special rules apply, and there are still 2 slots available. Hope to see you there.

Next Travel Special: Cape Meares, Oregon

Our next travel special is coming up soon. Janet will be in Cape Meares, Oregon June 27th-30th. Take advantage of this beautiful location and have a fun filled session with Janet!

Jocelyn at the Seattle Central Library

Beautiful woman laughing

In front of the Yellow Escalators

Jocelyn is Engaged! Just because Clive is thousands of miles away didn’t stop Jocelyn from having an engagement session. I can’t wait to meet the mystery man, and share with him how lucky he is. Jocelyn, thanks for choosing me. I had a ball working with you. Now you know first hand why it’s easy to love my job.

For a fun urban location, we chose the Seattle Central Library, which was the building voted #108 on the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) list of Americans’ 150 favorite structures in the U.S. It provides a stunning setting, both inside and out!





Jocelyn inside the Seattle Central Library


In the spotlight

Lauren and Andy at the Pike Place Market: Urban Engagement Session

Put couple-in-love into playful mood, add great teamwork with photographer, get memorable stories to tell and photos to share. Thanks Lauren and Andy, for a fabulous few hours. Can’t wait to see you soon for session #2, your wedding!


Maria Laciste and Ray Lam go to Lofty Heights in Downtown Seattle

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Maria & Ray get cosy above downtown Seattle

080712w_eng_35.jpgEngagement sessions are invaluable. How many times have I heard “My fiance hates to have his picture taken”, or “I am so awkward in front of the camera”. These sentiments are based in truth as known prior to working with a pro photographer, yet are dispelled as myths upon seeing the images. Confidence is built. And not simply with the couple, but with all those invited to view their images on-line or around the coffee table.

Let’s face it. Uncle Joe may have the same camera as the pros, but does he know how to find great locations, compose, inspire his models, and most importantly, does Uncle Joe know when to press the shutter? Timing is at least 50% of a good photo. Everyone who’s been snapped mid-sentence, eating, or at an awkward moment is susceptible to thinking they are unfit to be photographed. (Just avoid this uncle masquerading as a photographer until he comes to one of my Photography for Beginners classes!)

Location’s influence on a successful image fluctuates dramatically in importance. If the scene is horrific, as some basement-of-the-church receptions are, then lighting, lens choice, angle, and model’s inspiration and expression reign supreme. But if the location is even slightly interesting, why wouldn’t you want a significant portion of the images to glorify your unique choice of environment?

Every time I hear a version of “We look horrible in photographs”, I know this client will benefit even more than the usual from an engagement session. Invaluable is the confidence gained by seeing how great you look when in front of a pro’s lens. Invaluable is the experience of working together as a team before your wedding day to gain rapport. Even family members gain confidence about how good THEY will look. One of the many wonderful side effects of engagement sessions is how helpful, inspired, and interested family and wedding party become in making the photos great. We’re a team on the wedding day. It’s great to have everyone working toward the same goal.

080712w_eng_59.jpgTake the time for an engagement session. In 3 of our 5 wedding packages it’s included at no charge. In Options I and II add a simple one hour engagement session for $395, or an extended three hour engagement session allowing us time to explore a complete range of ideas. For a complete list of custom engagement options, visit the websites’s Cost section, and choose the “Tell your story- Engagement and bridal” botton at the top.

And thank you to Maria and Ray for the fun session — they’ve put together a website for their upcoming wedding at RayFinallyAsked.com

Happy Birthday to my 82 Year Old Dad. He’s Superman, Wielding Unconditional Love

Here comes the eccentric neighborhood activist decked out in Rollerski gear, even though the streets of Chicago are still icey. That’s my dad. Still running, swimming and/or biking nearly each day of the week, Dad has always loved to be active and adventuresome. In the last few years he went biking in Europe, biked the West Coast on Highway 1, bused to Washington DC to protest, and is planning his next bike trip with my cousin Jerry. Granted I am getting a bit more worried about him, especially after his dip in the Danube, bike and all. While a bit more cautious, and certainly slower, Dad remains dedicated to his active lifestyle and true to his personable, adventuresome spirit.

Beyond nurturing his eccentricities and devoting himself to multiple causes, my Pop finds time to show how much he loves me. I’ve never doubted it. Truly blessed am I to know the meaning of unconditional love. I hope to be able to share the security this brings with my own little bambina. Happy Birthday, Dad. Thank you for the gift.

Showing your Pride with Jane P. this June!

Associate Photographer (and intrepid Production Manager) Jane P. is celebrating Pride Month by offering 20% off portrait sessions with LGBT/alternative families & individuals in the month of June! You can check out her portfolio under “Associates & Design” on the main website. Weekend sessions are available, except the day of the Seattle Pride parade (but if you find her there, I’m sure she’ll have a camera handy!). Portraits are in-studio and immediate environs only.

Call the studio at 206-622-7478 to take advantage of this special event!