White - I Heart Faces

One of my absolute favorite captures from the last year just happens to fit the "white" theme running on I Heart Faces this week.

Siri - Girl with a Ukulele

Siri and I shot the last portion of her senior photos on Minto Brown Island in Salem. The heavenly scent of blackberries was thick in the air, the sun was setting, and Siri had her Ukulele with. I was a happy photographer! Can you say "sun flare"?

I loved getting to photograph Siri in this sort of setting. There is a familiar loveliness to her bone structure, and after discovering that she is of Scandinavian decent, it all clicked! She bears a striking resemblance to my Danish grandmother as a young woman.

It was a very warm 90+ degree day, but we persevered. I love the results. I hope you do to, Siri!

Siri - City Girl {Pearl District PDX & Downtown Salem}

When Siri and I made arrangements for her Senior Portraits, the word she used to describe herself was "Quirky". I liked her right away! This girl is smart, talented and driven, and basically gives me great hope for Karter Lily's teenage years.

With just a week to go before leaving for her senior year at a performing arts school in a different state, we squeezed in a session in both Portland's Pearl District (at Jackpot Records), and Salem's Downtown area. Below are a few of our "urban" results. Photos from our

time at Minto Brown Island to follow in my next post!

Brody & Avery {Klineline Lake, Vancouver WA}

Handsome Brody's 6th birthday is just around the corner, so his mom figured it was a good opportunity for family portraits. I worked extra hard to coax some smiles out of Brody during the beginning of our shoot, to no avail. Only after turning my attention to everyone else's photos did Brody warm up, and actually began demanding my attention with a "take a picture of me doing this!" and "Hey, look at me!". Was this the same kid? :)

Though I did wind up getting some amazing smiles out of Brody, my favorite of the lot is the black and white below of he and his dad. It was such a sweet little stolen moment, I could tell they are super close. Little boys with their Daddy's always melt my heart.

Brody's little sister Avery sure had grown!!!! Remember her from here? Still such a sweet pea, though.

Thanks Burns family, I had so much fun with you guys!

Maddy & Gabby {Tanner Springs Park - Portland, OR}

I had the chance to meet up with my favorite little twin gals this past week, and it was so much fun to see how they'd grown, and at the same time, how much they'd stayed the same! Gabby was as easygoing and independent as last time, and Maddy also remained shy and skeptical of me. Both were beautiful as ever.

I think they really liked our choice of setting this time. Maddy was particularly taken with the rocks in the spring, and took to scooping up handfuls and organizing them into piles. Gabby just really liked the feel of the water on her feet!

Wright Sisters - {Kennedy School - NE Portland}

Robin contacted me with a fun idea for a shoot with her sisters, as a gift for their father on his upcoming birthday. We met up at the Kennedy School, and I have to admit, I had a blast listening to them banter and tell stories about one another from childhood. It made me wish I was blessed with a sister or two!

Enjoy your photos, Ladies! I hope your dad loves them!

Benjamin & Madeleine - Salem Waterfront Park

I met up with my cousin, Kori, and her two beautiful kids, Ben and Madeleine, in Salem on a Friday evening. The weather was lovely! The traffic had not been. Needless to say, I was a half hour late and, poor Benjamin, who'd also been on a long car ride and had not had a nap, managed to weather about 20 snaps of my camera before completely melting. Poor guy!

His sister fared better, and so our session quickly morphed from a sibling shoot into a baby session. Madeleine was a doll throughout, happily munching on whatever loose grass blades she could find. Both Ben and Madeleine's eyes remind me of their Mom's, big and beautiful, they seem to change color depending on how the light hits them. So incredibly fun to photograph!