Jason and Tanya
Classy, elegant, and fun. These are the first words that come to mind when thinking about Jason and Tanya's wedding.
The weather was incredibly stormy the night before, but they both handled it with the grace that typical Oregonian's have when it comes to the weather. It is what it is. We hope it turns out nice, but we're okay if it doesn't.
As it turned out, it was cold, and threatening rain all day, so the ceremony was held indoors, but we were able to get all of the portraits done outside without a drop of rain hindering us.
The ceremony took place in October at The Ainsworth House in Oregon City. The historic venue was built in 1851 and offers 2 acres of gorgeous gardens, plus a large ceremony/reception facility. It is truly a stunning venue. Everything about it is beautiful and classy!
Jason and Tanya, I'm so glad I was able to capture your special day. It's obvious that you adore each other, and I wish you many years of the very best life has to offer!
Here are some of my favorite images from the day:
Raimund and Tanya
A beautiful wedding begins with a beautiful venue, and Lakeside Gardens in Portland, Oregon is hands-down the most beautiful venue I have ever seen. Gardens, lakes (swans included), gazebos, bridges... there's a little bit of everything, and it's all gorgeous.
It was so much fun being a part of Raimund and Tanya's wedding. It was easy to see that the friends and family who were there supporting them were beyond excited about this wedding. Everyone was in perfect agreement that Raimund and Tanya were meant for each other.
It had rained the entire week before the wedding and the morning of the wedding, we still couldn't tell which direction the weather was going to go, but it turned out to be a glorious September day!
The ceremony itself was SHORT. 10 minutes at the most, but it was full of surprises!
There was no first look, so Raimund had not seen Tanya since the day before.
This adorable flower girl walked about half-way down the aisle, carefully scattering flower petals,
when suddenly she just decided to forget it and took off running the rest of the way!
After the bridal party had all walked in to the chosen song, and the flower girl was settled, there was a brief pause. Then suddenly the most unlikely song blasted from the speakers. When the "Star Wars Death March" started playing before the bride came through the arch, the Groom got a little worried. It was a complete surprise to him!
However, after a few lines of the death march, the music stopped, we all had a good laugh, and then a more traditional song began to play, and the bride came in, escorted by her brother.
Tanya was a stunning bride!
The Best Man played a couple of pranks on the Bride and Groom when it was time to exchange rings. First he pulled this giant ring out of his pocket, which was also full of confetti. When the bride and groom refused to use it, he pulled out a Ring Pop, which they also wouldn't use. After one or two more options, he finally pulled out the real ring!
Beautiful table decor at the reception!
I love this beautiful forever cake! Fun fact: In January,
I will be photographing the wedding of the cake maker!
A sweet moment captured during the first dance.
This Groom was so fun to work with! He did whatever I asked him to do, and then put his own twist on it!
Portraits in the Garden
The Groom and Groomsmen enjoying a toast before the ceremony. I loved this room at Lakeside Gardens. It was so easy to get great shots of the guys here!
This little guy would not hold still for any portraits. We finally gave up, and I actually like this a lot!
The Groom and Groomsmen all wore "special" socks, and they wanted to be certain we got pictures of them.
Such a beautiful day! I wish Raimund and Tanya the best of luck, and many, many happy years together!
6 Great Locations for Senior Portraits
It's that time of year! The time when you realize that your baby is now a Senior in high school, and it's time to have Senior Portraits taken. In most cases, Yearbook photos are due in the fall, so now is a great time to book your session.
There are several things to consider when booking a Senior Portrait session.
- What should I wear?
- Weather!
- Where should I have my session?
- Which photographer fits my needs?
We'll address some of these other concerns later, but today, I'll give you some suggestions on a few really great places for Senior Portraits, and what makes them so good!
These locations are all in or near Oregon City, and are not necessarily in order of greatness! If you know of another great location, please let me know in the comments!
1. Hillendale Park
Hillendale Park, located off Clairmont St. in Oregon City, is one of my top 3 favorite locations for Senior Portraits! There are wooded areas, streams, bridges, lots of benches, and a grassy field. If you'd like a duck to co-star in your Senior Portrait, Hillendale Park has those too! The Senior Portraits below were all taken at Hillendale Park.
2. Clackamas Community College
My newest favorite location for photos, is Clackamas Community College, located in Oregon City. The grounds are beautifully maintained and you'll find all kinds of fun architecture, artwork, trees, flowers, benches and more. The Sculpture Garden features some crazy stuff, including a couch (although it's not a very comfortable one)!
3. Singer Creek Park
Singer Creek Park can be found off of Linn Ave, in Oregon City. There is a beautiful meadow, surrounded by trees and a walking path. All of the following photos were taken at Singer Creek Park, although not all of them are Senior Portraits. You can see why I love this park! In the spring, it is lush and green and in the fall, it is absolutely glorious. Also... there are apple trees!
4. Molalla River State Park
Molalla River State Park oddly enough, is located in Canby, not Molalla. I just love this beautiful park! It's a great choice for Senior Portraits because of the different types of scenery. There are wooden fences that are great for sitting on, grassy fields, lots of trees, and ... the river. The following photos were from a family portrait session I did there.
5. Rivercrest Park
Rivercrest Park in Oregon City is a convenient location with lots of trees and grass to work with. It can be a bit of a challenge, because there are many houses surrounding the park, and several parking lots. However, you can see by these photos, that although it may be challenging, it's not impossible!
6. Wait Park
Wait Park is a gorgeous little park in the center of Canby, Oregon. I have done an engagement session there (photos below) and just loved it. There are plenty of trees, bushes, flowers, benches and the gazebo to work with, so there are lots of options. This park is also surrounded by houses and parking, but it's really worth the extra effort!
Do you have a favorite park location, or a spot you think would be great for Senior Portraits? Leave your suggestions or any questions you might have regarding Senior Portraits in the comments!
Jason and Tanya Engagement
Engagement sessions are probably my favorite kind of portraits. It is just so much fun! My clients, Jason and Tanya, and I had been trying hard to get their photos done and the weather kept destroying our plans. However, Friday night we hit the jackpot! The weather was sunny and warm and the flowers at Crystal Spring Rhododendron Gardens were in full bloom. Jason and Tanya were so much fun to work with and their photos are stunning. They will be getting married in the fall, and I can't wait to photograph their wedding!
It's obvious they are crazy about each other.
Everybody wants to be famous and have their photo on the internet, so we had a few photobombs, including squirrels, geese and this duck.
I love this moment, which happened, right after I directed them to do a certain pose. These two have fun together!
Have you ever seen anything so romantic?
I'm so glad we waited for good weather instead of moving our location! I hope to be able to go back again some time!
Special thanks to my husband, for being my voice activated light stand for the evening. He doesn't know it yet, but I plan to employ him more often. I mean, he works for cheeseburgers, and follows directions (mostly), so I can hardly pass that up!
Bend Hotel
I am fortunate to have the privilege of photographing a hotel chain. I usually don't share photos of them, but the weather was beautiful in Bend that weekend and I just have to show you!
Look at that sky! To get a sky like that, I usually have to cheat. This sky is real. I love it!
The rooms back up to the Deschutes River.
Just a tree. Growing up through the building.
Really neat restaurant on-site.