Valentine's day is right around the corner | Booking boudoir sessions now!

I'm scheduling two sessions a week for boudoir between now and February 3rd.  Please consider booking your boudoir session now for a timely delivery of your boudoir album or print products.

Please click here for more information.

December 2013 - Photo of the Month

This is Finn, my little feral rescue.  He is extremely shy, so this is a rare capture and really shows why I love him so much.  No one gets to see him, but I do, everyday and this is how I see him, with those big, sweet, curious eyes.

Sunset on Christmas Day | Bellevue Photographer

I was out and about on Christmas Day, it was a gorgeous winter afternoon and decided to take a few images on the way to my destination.  I took a few in Moss Bay and made my way up to Medina.  It's a beautiful backdrop at the right time of day for client photo sessions.

Season's Greetings | Bellevue Photographer

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season.  Thank you so much for your business in 2013.

Family Session | Bellevue Family Photographer

I photographed the F. family at Carillon Point back in September.  It was so fun to go back here with the family, since the couple were married at the Woodmark Hotel 17 years ago.   To have some photos with their kids so many years later really was a walk down memory lane.  We had a great lunch and good time together on that last day of summer.  Love you guys!

(Click image to enlarge)

 

Into the forest | Fireflies

Beautiful Jess again on the back of my property, with a slightly different edit.  We had a few inches of snow yesterday, but the rain came in and washed most of it away.  I'm looking forward to the next snow sticking around a bit longer, so I can plan snow portraits on the back of my property.

Family session | Bellevue Family Photographer

The B. Family was visiting for Thanksgiving from California.  It was so good to see them and I'm so happy they took time out of their short trip to have a family photo session with me.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Bellevue Boudoir | Beautiful boudoir session

This beautiful mother of two came in last week for a boudoir session, along some gorgeous lingerie and her Jimmy Choo's.  She has a smile lights up a room and it was a pleasure working with her.

Makeup Artist: Phoebe, Gene Juarez, Redmond, WA

Photo of the Month - November 2013

Another edit from the a beauty portraiture session I did a while back.  I'll be choosing a favorite image from a past family or beauty session to edit in post production, the one I see in my mind at the time I am photographing.

Into The Forest | Beauty

This image is from a session I photographed back in February that I recently re-edited with a technique that works aesthetically on a very few images.  I thought this technique was a perfect fit for this image.  

I know it's cold outside this time of year, but my boudoir clients are courageous!  I hope one of my upcoming boudoir clients will brave the cold before the fall colors are gone.  (I'll have a heated towel waiting for you and it doesn't take long for me to capture a few frames.)

Fall color sessions + Redmond Portrait Photographer

I have gorgeous fall colors on my property and have decided to offer four fall sessions right here.  In addition to the beautiful color, you will have privacy that you don't always have in a local park.  If you are interested in scheduling a session, please contact me here.

Photo of the Month - October 2013

You may recall I posted a photograph of Snoqualmie Falls last winter when the walls along side of the falls were frozen.  This is a similar image, only it was taken a couple weeks ago around sunset.  It's interesting to see the same image taken throughout the seasons, you can see the warmth in this image below as compared to this frozen view taken back in January.

Every now and then I enjoy getting out and shooting personal work and one of the things I enjoy are shooting the same location throughout the four seasons.  Shooting personal work in between client's photography sessions gets me out into nature and I'm always location scouting, especially this time of year with the Fall colors.

Backyard wildlife | Bellevue Portrait Photogrpaher

Well, good afternoon!  Look who stopped by to say hi today?  It is a wonderful feeling to watch these beautiful animals from the time they are fawns, yearlings and then a majestic buck.  He still came to the window looking for Finn.  After all this time, he still remembers...

Backyard Wildlife | Yearlings

I woke up this morning to see these two nursing right where they're standing in these images.  I crept into my office from my bedroom and grabbed my camera, but as I raised it the Doe ran off.  The little ones hung out for a bit, then one ran off and the other stayed a while longer.  I don't know that I'll ever have the opportunity to shoot them nursing again, but at least I was able to see it, which was wonderful.

I have documented this family since the fawns were born.  You may recall the one of the little ones had a crooked leg, but look at her, she's managed so well and can run as fast as her sibling.

I started as a nature and wildlife photographer for 20+ years and in 2007 started my portraiture and boudoir business in the Bellevue, Redmond and the surrounding Eastside areas.  The passion for nature and wildlife photography has never left me and I am so blessed to see such a variety of wildlife right outside my window every week.  I am equally lucky to have wonderful clients to photograph throughout the year.

Location scouting for Fall sessions | Bellevue Portrait Photographer

I've been location scouting this week for upcoming Fall sessions.  These photo sessions are magical, especially for children.  After I've captured a few posed family images, the kids play, toss the leaves, roll around and just have fun while I take several images, many in succession which tell a story and make beautiful canvas wall displays in your home.

Many families choose their holiday photos from their fall sessions, or snow sessions from the previous year.  If you are interested in booking a fall session before the leaves are gone, please contact me here.

The Rut | Elk

These two bulls were sparring with each other.  They would stop for a bit, all the cows and calves would come running toward these two bulls and they'd start up again. What I found so interesting is that they both keep their eyes open, even on approach.  I suppose they need to see what they are doing, but gosh, it just seems risky to have their eyes wide open when they join with such fierce momentum.    

Fall session | Bellevue Family Photographer

A few more images from this fall session.  Letting people just be who they are and interact with one another often presents story telling images.  I love this aspect of lifestyle photography.  Personalities come out, and the authentic character shines through.  These kind of images along with a few posed photos create a balance that my clients enjoy.

Fall Family Fun | Bellevue Portrait Photographer

Some sibling fun...

Miss M can hold her own with her brothers.  We had a great time taking these images on one of the last days of summer.  I cannot believe how much they've gown!  I've been taking their family pictures since the kids were babies and now the eldest son is driving!

They hold a very special place in my heart.  Love you guys!

Photo of the Month - I've waited 16 years for this day...

It's been 16 years, four months and 23 days to be exact.

I get quite a bit of wildlife on my property and having photographed nature and wildlife for 20+ years, I have waited and waited... and waited a very long time to see a bear on my property.  Not the evidence of a bear, not a picture from a neighbors cell phone, or bear scat at the back of my property, or paw prints on my window, or another broken feeder demolished by a bear, but with my own eyes that I could capture with my camera.    Today was that day and it was magnificent!

I've always wondered how they take down these relatively high hanging feeders and walk away with them?  I saw how they do it...

They stand on their hind legs and they "yank" with no effort whatsoever!

Several years ago I replaced the wall of glass in my office with double pane clear glass so that I could photograph wildlife passing by unobstructed.  Since the window installation my office has become a bit more crowded.  There's Finn's cat tree (so he can watch all the animals too) a second monitor I use for editing client images, all of which slightly block my view.  Finn was sitting on the windowsill, which is low to the ground watching and I was in such awe, (almost disbelief for a nanosecond)  but not so awestruck that I didn't have the camera in my hand in 3 seconds flat!

Suddenly the bear stood up on his hind legs and Finn vanished!  I mean "yabba dabba doo" style, I swear, it was like he vaporized!  (I laughed about this later.)   I must say it was a very swift and impressive move by our visitor.  It startled me too, especially when he was leaning on the window and all I wanted to do was capture the moment I've waited so long to do without scaring him away before I could land a few shots.  I was able to get outside, yet remain at safe distance for one image.  

It's better than I imagined it...  I am so blessed to see all wildlife I have the privilege of seeing in my own backyard.  

I am so very thankful.  

(and just as put the period on thankful, he has just come back...)

Bellevue Portrait Photographer | End of Summer

A beautiful end of summer session with sun, blue skies, spectacular views and a fair amount of wind.

Miss E. is a beautiful, smart and athletic young lady with her eye on her goals.  This girl is going places!

Photo of the Month - August 2013

There's more to come of this striking beauty soon, but here's a sneak peek.

Backyard Wildlife | Lost Fawn

This little one got separated from mom and it's twin.  It was looking all over for them.  Mom and the twin appeared about a minute later and all were reunited.