Ashleen: A Senior Session

Ah, this particular session... A perfect example of fall weather in the Pacific Northwest. Sigh.

After a quick reschedule due to a rain delay, we reset Ashleen's session for the first day of October. Beautiful fall leaves, crisp autumn air, buttery yellow Indian Summer sun.... Sounds good, right? Well, October first had all of that. All of it, I tell you! And then, about a half hour before we were scheduled to meet - you guessed it - the clouds rolled in. Big time. In fact, the cloud cover grew so thick, it was practically twilight by the time we were done. (No sign of the Cullens, though. Har, har, har...)

Luckily, Ashleen can look good in any light. And she's honestly about as sweet as they come. Okay, so it might have something to do with the fact that she works in a candy store... But I doubt it. I just think she's naturally that way. She took the weather in stride and we ended up having a great time wandering through Seattle's Arboretum, getting (somewhat) lost on the trails, frolicking, and searching for the elusive Japanese Maples. (We never did find 'em.)

All in all a wonderful session. Which goes to show, it really is the subject that makes the shoot. And Ashleen... She made hers phenomenal.

Cheers, Ashleen! And best of luck throughout your senior year and beyond!
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"Wherever you go, go with all your heart."
-- Confucius

Holiday Mini-Sessions!

Along with the start of my favorite month brings the realization that the holidays are (gasp!) right around the corner. That means cozy nights in front of the fire, family fun, holiday parties, presents, cookies and fudge, halls decked out in boughs of holly, twinkling lights wrapped around trees adorned with tinsel, and a whole lot of jolliness. (Yes, jolliness.)

Oh, and it also means holiday cards.

So from now until the end of November, I'll be offering Holiday Mini-Sessions here in Bothell. Because your time is precious (and even more so during the rush of the season), these shoots will fit into your schedule perfectly. Timed at approximately twenty to thirty minutes, these sessions aim at providing you and your family with beautiful photos for your holiday cards. Whether you want everyone in the shot (up to five people), or just the kids - it's up to you! (Hey, even furry, four-legged kids are welcome!) Within a week of your shoot, you'll receive a CD with 15 images. This CD belongs to you and the images will not have my name on them. It's yours to keep, allowing you to view, share, and print the photos at your leisure.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

Cost: $125

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"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!"
-- Hamilton Wright Mabie

Danie: Lifestyle Portraiture

Danie is.

I consider myself lucky to know Danie. She has the natural, down-to-earth ability to put anyone at ease. No matter the circumstance, she can take whatever's happening and turn it into something... Special. Whether it's chatting over hot tea at Starbucks, or shooting with a camera that's acting up more than a two-year old throwing a temper tantrum, she can bring ease and grace to any situation. Reality is of no consequence to Danie. She lives completely in the moment, blessing each and every person she comes across with a feeling of peace and - I'll say it even at the risk of sounding uber cheesy - utter tranquility.

Danie is Zen. Her outlook on life, magical. She's a beautiful soul who actually walks her talk. Spend any time with her at all and you'll feel like you just got a shot of Vega. (Wink, wink.) She is truly, truly one of the most positive, uplifting, and balanced people I know. :)

Thanks for a wonderful, wonderful morning, Danie! Looking forward to your new album!! :)

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"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."
-- Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)

Sneak Peek: Ashleen :)

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"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."
-- Elizabeth Lawrence

Today's Funny: Go Ahead and Laugh...

This clip (featuring Mooji) is enlightening as well as hilarious... Not only is laughter healing, but it's (obviously) extremely contagious. :)

Have you laughed today?? :)

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"At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities."
-- Jean Houston

Tess: Lifestyle Portraiture

This particular session was bittersweet for me.

Bitter because Tess, my "hair doctor", is moving back to Montana at the end of October and will no longer be available to mend my self-imposed hair crises. (Including, but not limited to, frying my bangs with a flat iron. The horror, I know.)

Yes. I'm a bit clueless when it comes to the world of hair.

But this session was also sweet in the fact that Tess is fabulous and - as you'll see when you scroll down and take a look at her pictures - has such great style that I've been dying (honestly, dying) to photograph her.

If I could describe Tess with one word, that word would be classy. Give me two or three more words and I'd come up with elegant and sophisticated. Oh, and I definitely can't forget beautiful. That's four.

Let's face it. It's impossible to describe such a fantastic person with just a word. Or two. Hey, sometimes even three or four don't cut it.

So there you have it, Montana... You're getting back one hell of a woman. :)

Thanks, Tess! Best of luck on this new adventure! :)

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"Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like."
-- Author Unknown

Sneak Peek: Tess :)

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"A girl should be two things: classy & fabulous."
-- Coco Chanel

Lauren: Lifestyle Portraiture

Lauren is a girl after my own heart.

She's willing to do anything for a good shot - even if it means traipsing (lightly, I swear) on private property. Aside from our love of trespassing, we also share a fondness for Urban Outfitters (who Lauren could easily model for), animals, the outdoors, pretty pictures and a continued, unrestricted, no-charge-please use of facebook. (Seriously... Don't even get us started.)

Here's how our shoot went: A vision would form in my head, I'd open my mouth to say it, only to find that - before I could even get a word out - Lauren had already moved into that exact pose. Honestly, it was like shooting myself. (I mean, if I was - to put it bluntly - thinner with darker hair, flawless skin and, well, completely gorgeous beyond words.)

But anyhoo...

Lauren knows how to work the camera. And next year at this time, when she's studying down in California, I wouldn't be surprised at all if I opened one of my beloved Urban Outfitters catalogs and found her lovely image gracing its pages.

That would most certainly make me smile. :)

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"But an accurate definition of the self is impossible. You are more than you realize, more than you can define. And the more time you spend trying to nail down the definition, the less time you spend living right now. ... Your past is not your identity... You, living now, is your identity."
--George Lawrence-Ell (The Invisible Clock)

Sneak Peek: Lauren!

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"Art should astonish, transmute, transfix. One must work at the tissue between truth and paranoia."
-- Brett Whiteley