Happy Holidays | Bellevue Portrait Photographer

With gratitude and warm holiday wishes...

Reflections | November 2015

The triplets (deer) are still coming around.  I saw them this morning and it's so sweet how two of the three are always together while the slightly bigger one always close by foraging.  

I've taken advantage of the beauty that comes with the freezing temperatures we've had the past week and I photographed some of the leaves and mushrooms from my yard.  The frozen leaves look like they are coated with rock salt and some even show the tiny formations of ice crystals resembling snow flakes.

Connor | Sammamish High School Senior

What a wonderful afternoon I spent with Connor finishing out my 2016 senior portrait season. We photographed Connor's session at a Redmond park.  It started to rain a bit near the end, but he didn't let a few drops of rain stop him.  We were able to get all the images we wanted.  He was great to talk to and photograph.  He's a very good student and I look forward to hearing which college he will choose to attend next fall.

Reflections | October 2015

October just about wraps up senior portraits, so I didn't have much time for personal work this month. Here is a gorgeous scene that represents fall color at it's finest in the Pacific Northwest.

Fall Family Session | Boyd Family

I recently had the pleasure of photographing these adorable siblings and their parents for a fall session.  It was misting when we started, but they were up for whatever came our way.  Fortunately the rain held off and we were able to capture these wonderful images.  

Reflections | September 2015

Sunday, September 27th there was a lunar eclipse and blood moon and there will not be another for 18 years in 2033.  I'm lucky I was able to get out and photograph it.  It's been a busy month wrapping up senior sessions and getting ready for fall family sessions.  This was the first sight of the moon.

Below is the back end of the lunar eclipse.

I've had requests to do a "Finn update" I didn't realize it had been so long.  So here's a series from this month's antics.  I caught him playing with his "mousy" he really enjoys this toy, I think it's the way it bounces and moves on the floor when he bats it around a room.  We've lost so many mousy's, I've lost count.

"But mom, the heating pad is still so warm..."  This is the look of I know I'm sorta kinda busted, but if I just freeze, maybe she won't see me, even though I'm looking her right in the eye.  

Love him :)

Jackson | Sammamish High School Senior

I recently had the pleasure of taking Jackson's senior portraits.  I could go on and on about him!  He is such a gentleman, fun to talk to and a genuinely nice person (and helpful.)  He was very open to trying any pose I suggested.  He has beautiful eyes and a smile that lights up the room.

He is taking a course to become a fire fighter and I told him how interesting this is to me, as he is the second senior I've photographed this year wanting to be a fire fighter.  He shared how rigorous the training is and how few are actually chosen in the end.  I really enjoyed Jackson and the good conversation we had during his session.

Emma | Sammamish High School 2016 Senior | Urban Session

Emma chose to book two sessions for her senior portraits, a rural session, which you may view here. I think both sessions very much reflect her personality. Maybe she gets it from her parents, her dad coming from a rural town in Western Washington and her mom has a blend of city girl loving the hustle and bustle of the city and the country girl who had a few horses in her lifetime. I think adding the second urban session is very much a part of who Emma is and where she wants to go in the future.

It was an overcast day, beautiful for portraits, but just 10 minutes after we finished the skies opened up and it was raining so hard!  We were not in an area where we could pull over and wait it out. There was so much water standing on the road that the cars ahead of us kicked up so much water it completely covered my windshield--very, very scary!  

Emma did not panic, I know both of us were saying something and repeating ourselves the whole time we couldn't see a thing -- maybe "Oh my God!" over and over, but I know she helped me remain calm so we could get through it.

Emma | Sammamish High School Senior 2016

We sure had a great time while photographing Emma for her senior pictures.  Nailing down this busy girl with her hectic schedule was tricky, but it's not hard to see why.   Emma is Honor Society all four years, class President as well as ASB President.  She is a two time softball captain, all KINGCO honorable mention three times in a row and her talents don't end there, she sings with the All Northwest Choir.  She enjoys softball, soccer, singing, reading and running.  And I love her to the moon and back!

Reflections | August 2015

The hot and dry summer made for a few sleepless nights, but on a positive note there's been virtually no mowing this summer.  Our community and water association asked us to let our lawns go dormant to conserve water. I'm hoping it will come back to it's usual lush green once the fall rains return. 

I hope you've all had a wonderful summer xo.

This is one of the triplets, he and his sister came to the sliding glass door and waited for me.  When I opened the slider to say "hello" they got scared and the wildlife cam caught this guy prancing off.  His sister is in the background high-tailing it into the bushes where they sometimes bed down at night, although they did come right back a few minutes after this image was captured.

Here are two of the triplets coming back.  I took this shot from my office.

One of the biggest thrills this summer when I downloaded the images from the wildlife cam was when I saw this mama with her fawn in tow.  I haven't actually seen them walk by when I've been working and it's times like this that make having the wildlife cam such a gift.

I spent part of the afternoon out photographing with my nephew and we stumbled across this yellow jacket on a flower while we were trying to focus stack a scene.  (This is a single image and is not focus stacked.)

I am fascinated by cloud formations.  For years now, I'm always looking at the clouds--mesmerized by their beauty and at times fierce nature.  When I am swimming laps, I'll often look up and see these interesting clouds and decided on this day to CAREFULLY take my camera (client camera) out into the middle of the pool and shoot looking straight up and here are the results.

My nephew David is heading off to college in just a few weeks.  I don't see him nearly as often as I'd like due our schedules and I am going to miss him so much!  I was a puddle when these images were taken and I hope when I see him for lunch next week one last time before he leaves that I don't completely embarrass myself and start the waterworks all over again.  It's just hard...  I'm excited for this next journey and milestone in his life, but from a selfish standpoint I'm sad to see him go too.  I love him so much xo.

My brother captured this authentic moment that speaks volumes as to how I feel about this kid.

At a get together at my mom's this past week before David leaves for Denver, my timing was right on the money when I captured David doing a cannonball just before he hit the water..  Fun times!

Reflections | July 2015

This was taken on my wildlife camera, which I can see from my office, but it seems to be a popular path for wildlife.  I have many pictures of coyotes from this camera, but the coyotes are the only ones that seem to be scared off by the very slight click.  This time I got a good shot and in color!  Which means this was taken about 6:30 in the morning, or the image would have been infrared.

Spiders just give me the chills--and not in a good way...  I was once bit by a brown recluse which I had to deal with for four months, so I'm always on the lookout when I'm doing anything in the yard.  On this day, I saw this web in the morning light and decided to photograph my first spider and web.  

Just played around with the crystal ball for a photography assignment this month.

During a quick stop at Starbucks while taking a break with a client between locations, I looked up and noticed the gorgeous light on some of the surrounding high-rise buildings, so I took a moment to take a few images.

Here's another one taken during a session.  Mount Rainier in the background surrounded by a soft pink sky.

 This image was taken within 30 minutes of the image above with the pink sky.  Remarkably, on this night, the sky was soft pink facing southwest, but orange/purple when looking northwest.  This was taken over the 520 bridge.  I hadn't been up there in a while and things sure have changed with all the bridge construction.