This is my favorite photo of the year; it reminds me of childhood in the best way.
Well, another year has come and gone, and what a year it was! 2011 was full of ups and downs like any other year, but being a photographer, I tend to look back on each year in visual terms rather than a simple retrospective weighing of good and bad. One thing is for sure: 2011 was a great year for pictures! We have made lots of new friends & clients since January, and maintained many of our beloved long-standing relationships with families and individuals who came back once (or twice) again to have updated portraits taken. In picking my 50 favorite images from 2011 (because I, too, am a sucker for year-end lists), I was reminded of how much love there is in my life and in the lives of those I am lucky enough to surround myself with. My favorite photo of the year is above, and while it may initially just look like a boy in a tree, to me it means so much more: it shows the curiosity & possibility of childhood, and evokes the spirit of youthful adventure in a simple expression. So, without further ado, my 49 other favorite images of 2011, in no particular order…I sincerely hope you enjoy my selections as much as I do. Here’s to a 2012 that’s as full of fantastic photographic memories as its predecessor!
Wow, this cutie has the best smile ever!
Megan & Corey are so sweet and adorable. I loved photographing their wedding.
Megan and Michael had such a gorgeous day for their wedding!
I love this image of these beautiful kids on the coast.
What a great, funny, candid moment...this little guy was so fixated on the pumpkins!
Sweet little Jake, looking so relaxed and natural.
Gee Gee looking through old family photos. Love.
A couple of party animals enjoying their wedding cake.
Shani & Gary enjoying a portrait session in the rain.
My darling friends Adam and Libby, looking as beautiful as ever.
Some of my favorite newlyweds having fun on Sauvie Island.
Roxy! Cutest game of patty cake ever.
Totally adorable and beautiful...look at those eyes!
I love this dance photo with Janet & Darrell. Janet's expression is so sweet.
Baby and dad working on a tune. Too cute.
Look at this ridiculously cute expression!
A super beautiful family portrait, one of my favorites of 2011.
Annette, John and their three sons were so fun to photograph! The PSU Park Blocks are a great setting.
I started photographing this cutie when he was 3 days old, I can't believe how big he's gotten!
This little pumpkin is unbelievably cute to me. I love the light in his hair.
Louise, looking forward to graduation. She's laughing at her mom's funny dance.
A funny moment between mother and child.
I like this gal's quirky little smile.
Turns out my dear friends Amy and Jason make a darn cute baby!
These two are baby models in the making.
My friend Holly in a friend's wild guest bedroom.
My friends Krystal and Matt snuggling in their living room.
What a wonderful family...they even brought us beer!
This is one of my favorite family portraits of the year.
A beautiful couple on their wedding day. I love beach weddings.
Wedding toasts are always a great time to get fantastic candid moments like this one.
The cutest little baby toes!
Krystal's official glamour shot.
Sweeties and their great-grandma!
Cute overload.
I love the little one's cheeks!
A couple in love on the Oregon Coast...one of my favorite places on Earth.
So happy together!
So much personality for such a little person.
Jamie & Sarah's wedding was one of the first I photographed, and now look at them!
So young at heart! I love the feeling of carefree youth this image evokes.
Julie, Ken and their kids are a perfect example of family love.
Ah, to be young and in love.
Out and about at Laurelhurst Park with two of my favorite pet lovers and the objects of their affection
One of my nearest and dearest, the marvelous Matthew Kern
My fantastic friend & business coach Nancy Grant and her BFFs laughing it up at our downtown studio
Simply irresistible!!
This image is so special to me because of its hopeful nature.
I just love looking at these beautiful people! Their smiles light up a room. A few weeks ago I popped into Krystal and Matt’s lovely home in SE Portland for a portrait session. Not only are they a gorgeous couple, but their dog Zubby is practically a model. Always ready for his close up. It was so much fun. And I love the images we captured. Check out all of our favorites in the gallery.
This is my dear friend and fellow photographer, Holly Andres. Holly was kind enough to take some portraits of me(!) for my birthday, and it was during that shoot that I got this gorgeous portrait of Ms. Andres.
We always love getting to know new clients, and the Matthews family is no exception. This fantastic foursome recently met us downtown at our Ash St. studio for a family portrait session. Mom and dad were so excited to have updated photos taken of their two beautiful little girls, who really took to the camera and brought a lot of great energy to the studio. The family particularly needed new portraits taken for the holidays, so we got plenty of shots for them to choose from for this year’s Christmas cards. We’re thrilled that our newest clients were so happy with the results! Check out all of our favorites from the day in the gallery. (more…)
Brad & Adrian are a perfect pair; the main thing we noticed during our time together was how in sync they are as a couple, how lovingly they interact and how much obvious respect and admiration they have for each other. They’re just so sweet! We met Brad first, as he was the lucky winner of our drawing at October’s LGBTQ Expo for a free portrait session. The couple just got engaged and are planning their wedding sometime in 2013. Brad & Adrian joined us at Laurelhurst Park in SE Portland on a beautiful, crisp fall morning recently to have their portraits taken, and the setting could not have been more perfect for what they had in mind. We’re so happy for Brad and Adrian and wish them only the best in their life together.