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Engagement Shoot: Kate + Matthew
On Memorial Day weekend I had the pleasure of chasing around Pike Place Market with Kate and Matthew for an engagement session. We'd had it on the calendar for a month since we're all busy, but as the day approached I started to wonder if we might have to reschedule. I'm so glad we didn't! Despite the fact that we chose a rainy, crowded holiday weekend at the most famous tourist site in Seattle, we soldiered on! We definitely had our work cut out for us, but it actually made
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Portrait Shoot: Wednesday in the Park with Aubrey
I met Aubrey through Model Mayhem about a year and a half ago. I was looking for portrait subjects to build my portfolio, and I put a call out. She had a great look and was also looking to update her modeling portfolio, so we hit if off. She's also a cosmetologist, and changes her hair frequently, so she liked the idea of documenting her current hairdo. I told her I'd be happy to shoot her portrait every time she changes it! Well, if I'm being honest, those images didn't come
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Fashion Shoot: Spring Lookbook
My first lookbook shoot! Amy at Sassafras gave me the opportunity to shoot a lookbook for her spring fashions this year, so we rounded up our friends and scheduled a photoshoot! We shot all over Belltown, capturing lifestyle images of cool girls wearing handmade, limited run items. This might be my favorite king of photography — leaning towards documentary, but not quite because the clothing and locations were all planned ahead of time. Plus I do a lot of cleanup in photoshop
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Lifestyle Photography: Neighborhood Shoot
Last summer I hung out on this bridge near Ravenna Park for an hour or so, waiting for photo opportunities. Lots of activity and gorgeous light. I was trying to capture a neighborhood feel, while practicing depth of field and motion blur techniques. I got a lot of opportunities, but never quite nailed the perfect shot. The light was really beautiful, although it was changing frequently which is challenging, and sometimes I totally abandoned technique to capture a moment. Perh
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Fine Art Photography: Painterly Flowers
I spent a few days watching Creative Live videos focused on a new way of looking at photography — at least for me. Using selective focus to create an image that almost looks like a painting. By using a shallow depth of field and positioning your subject very carefully, the background starts to blur and look almost like paint strokes. Kathleen Clemons Photography's classes are truly inspiring, not only for the images she shares which look so much like paintings, but for her po
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Portrait Shoot: High School Seniors
Last fall I had the opportunity to photograph a couple of high school senior portraits, and it was a great challenge finding interesting locations and backgrounds. They were both really great subjects — open to direction and trusting of the photographer. Also, very consistent smiles! I shot Jack in Georgetown under the freeway, near the old train tracks, surrounded by the gritty industrial feel of the south end neighborhood. Ruby and I wandered around Volunteer Park and foun
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Interior Design: Favorite Kitchen Details
I didn't fully appreciate interior photography until I started working along side professionals. Assisting on set has been the best training I could have asked for. Over the past year or so, I've actually started to see things differently! I thoroughly enjoy the process of staging as well. Setting the scene to get everything in the shot as close to perfect as humanly possible is an art. Kitchens might be my favorite room to shoot and stage. Sometimes it's about creating a flo
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Portrait Shoot: Windowlight with Ladder
Sometimes all you need is a headshot. Here's my face, that is all. But portraiture is personal. Taking headshots to the next level is about capturing the soul. I like to think that's my super power when it comes to taking portraits. I've got the technical skills, yes, but I'm not any better than your average photographer when it comes to gear and settings and lights. What I bring to the table is the ability to put my subject at ease, make them comfortable in front of the lens
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Event Photography: Maury Island Winery Final Crush
Think you can't afford to hire a photographer for your gathering or event? Content is everything for a business to tell its story, so maybe you can't afford not to? It doesn't have to be a big deal or a large expense. I hire myself out for $75/hour and deliver a minimum of 25 images for each hour of shooting. That's basically a month's worth of instagram posts, or at least a few blog posts worth of content. Owning and operating a winery has been on my wish list for as long as
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Architecture Shoot: Blue Hour on the Water
Daylight Savings time never really bothered me before. I can adjust, not a big deal. But when we brought home a puppy who thrives on routines, things changed. Twice a year we play along with it, but Whiskey does not. No matter what the clock says, she will get up at the same time every morning. So last fall, we turned the clocks back an hour, but it was actually 5:30 am instead of 6:30 am when she nudged me awake the next morning. I decided to embrace the challenge and got ou
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Portrait Shoot: Puppy Winter Wonderland
If you've been following me even for a short while, you're probably familiar with my gorgeous Brittany Spaniel, Whiskey. We brought her home in 2017 when she was 8 weeks old, diligently took her to weekly puppy classes for a full year where we learned to capitalize on her intelligence and treat-motivated behavior with training and tricks that delight anyone who meets her. She is full of energy and loves to run and play with other dogs. And while we had a little bit of snow la
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Family Photography: On Location
Fall in the Pacific Northwest is the perfect time for family portraits. The light is softer than it is in the summer, and the sun sets earlier, which means you don't have to wait around for that golden hour. My coworker and his family agreed to come to Vashon for the day, and it was such a beautiful afternoon! We walked along the beach, had a little picnic at the library and even got baby his first ice cream cone. Although I've only shot a few families so far, I think the key
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Portrait Shoot: Natural Light Two Ways
Natural light studios are my favorite place to photograph simply because of the options. The mood is dictated by the elements that make up the picture: light, shadow, wardrobe, mood, color, texture, and expression. I have worked with a lot of models, and it's great to meet someone new who takes direction really well, but it's so much better when you get the chance to build a relationship over time with a model who becomes a contributor to the process. I've been shooting Diana
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Lifestyle Shoot: Incorporating Products
Shooting product photography is less of a creative endeavor and more like careful coordination and checklists. With fashion or any type of clothing, you have to make sure you get a few shots of the front of the outfit, a few of the back, if there are any functional details — like a pocket — you have to make sure the model shows that. It takes a detailed eye to capture exactly what the customer is going to want to see, that will motivate them to click purchase, while also moni
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Landscape Photography: Chasing Sunlight
One of my favorite ways to spend a free afternoon is wandering an area taking photos. It's a luxury to not have an agenda sometimes. Maybe I'll focus on practicing a technique or composition, and I always manage to get lost. Last fall I had a free Sunday and decided to chase the the sun right up until sunset. I would drive toward the sun and get out of the jeep and walk around a bit, testing the light and the angles, and then drive a bit more, repeat, trying to find the weste
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Interior Vignettes: Sigma Kappa Mu
By day I'm a Public Relations Director at Board & Vellum, a medium sized design firm on Capitol Hill in Seattle, offering architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and branding services. I've long been a fan of interior design - back before I knew better and I called it "decorating." When I got my first apartment, I think I painted the walls 3 or 4 times before settling on a color. You could say my primary style is eclectic bohemian but I like a wide variety of co
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