ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

This afternoon we did an indoor shoot with Matt & Crista, whose wedding we will be photographing this summer. We'll be doing an outdoor shoot with them when the weather allows, but wanted to use some of our new indoor lighting equipment on them now. Here are a few of the results:

The Willamette Valley doesn't offer many opportunities to photograph snowy landscapes, and when such an occasion arises, you have to act quickly!

We took advantage of the weather on Friday morning when Corvallis was blanketed with an inch or two of snow, and were very happy with the results! Here are a few of our favorites...

NEW YEAR SPECIAL

Along the theme of celebrating the new life in our own life, we are offering a special until Valentine's Day (February 14, 2007), where you will receive a $50 discount on our standard portrait sessions for maternity photos and baby/toddler pictures!

Just mention this special when you email or call to set up your portrait session, and the cost will be reduced to $100 from our normal fee of $150.

As long as you book the session by Valentine's Day, you may take advantage of this discount without any restrictions on when your sitting takes place.

Contact us for more information!

WHERE WE'VE BEEN

There's been a pause in our activity lately due to two main factors:

1. We recently had a baby; and

2. The weather.

Both of these combined have definitely decreased our activity. In the meantime, we've been working on building an in-home studio to better accomodate clients during Oregon's rainy season. We've also been continuing to hone our skills, build our collection of photo and lighting equipment, and read up on photography.

Besides taking lots of pictures, we've been building up our library on the topic of photographers as well as tracking what other pros are doing. There are several artists that we admire and we follow their work in order to spark creativity within ourselves. It wouldn't be fair to our clients if we were satisfied with where we are at now - each shoot allows us another opportunity to stretch and grow in this field!

Here are some books on our coffee table at the present moment:

Designing a Photograph: Visual Techniques for Making Your Photographs Work, by Bill Smith. The author of this book has spent over 25 years working as a professional photographer. He has covered the gamut when it comes to Ways to Make A Career Out of Photography including portraiture, travel and event photography. He provided many new thoughts and ideas on how to connect, visually, with our clients.

Studio and Commercial Photography, by Jack Reznicki. Rwnicki is an illustration photographer in New York City. The studio backgrounds/environments that he has created are amazing! He has some visually appealing ideas for building sets that look realistic and classy. A lot of studios that we have seen feel very fake; hence, one of the reasons we enjoy outdoor photography is because of the relaxed environment it stimulates. Inside photography can begin to feel very stiff and often lacks emotion and spontaneity, but we are enjoying designing a studio that feels comfortable and still provides the opportunity and room for creative expression.

We have a number of photo sessions and weddings on schedule for 2007 already, and are looking forward to getting back into the swing of things! Stay tuned for more details.