Just Enjoying a Wonderful Thursday...

One of the Moms who had a Best Friends portrait created at the recent Spring Fling event came by yesterday to pick up her portraits - she's a stunning, redheaded, blue-eyed beauty with a lovely daughter brimming with life and a playful personality!

We started talking and I discovered she's soon to be married to an extraordinary photographer, Jock Bradley, who specializes in outdoor/sports/action imagery. We chatted "shop" for almost an hour and spent much of that time reviewing her husband's website, which is filled with the most amazing kayak and water sports images I've seen! His clients send Jock all over the world to create these masterful photos - many of the athletes Jock portrays are Gorge locals! Take a break from the ordinary and check out Jock's website at www.JockBradley.com - he'll be back in Hood River for the Gorge Games this summer and I'm really looking forward to seeing THOSE images on his website...

SECOND ANNUAL WOMEN’S THEATRE EVENT
Get Your Tickets Early - Sold Out Last Year!

Columbia Arts and Soroptimist International of Hood River presents If We Are Women written by Joanna McClelland Glass and directed by Judie Hanel. Starring Irene Fields, Alison McDonald Bryan, Jules Burton and Blaire Carr. Performances are on June 12,13,14,19,20,21 at 7:30 pm. Opening Nights is Ladies Night! Purchase tickets at Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River and Collage of the Gorge in White Salmon. Ticket prices are only $15 general and $13 students/seniors.

A Joyful Spring Success Story!

The first annual Spring Fling: A Celebration of Women (put on by Soroptimists International of Hood River on May 10th) was a wonderful success! A room full of women enjoyed the luncheon and the fashion show featuring clothing from Flow Yoga, Ananas Boutique, Doug's Sports, Ruddy Duck and Shortt Supply. But the hands-down favorite models were the adorable youngsters showing off the fashions from Outside Baby - the "oooohs" and "awwwwwwws" filled the room!

I was privileged to be asked to have a photo kiosk at the event - I set up a simple backdrop and created "My Best Friend" portraits with the proceeds going to the community programs of Soroptimists International. We enjoyed a terrific response resulting in $200.00 being donated to benefit women and children of Hood River. In addition to the many "Best Friends," mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren, all lined up to have their portraits created - everyone was in high spirits and it shows in their faces!

Many thanks to everyone who worked this first-time SIHR event and especially to all those who attended to help us celebrate 60 years of service to Hood River's women and children!

Spring Fling - A Celebration of Women!

C'mon down, all you Moms, Daughters, Sisters and Girlfriends, to the Gorge Room at the Best Western Hood River Inn this Saturday, May 10th! The celebration starts at 11:30am and goes until 1:30pm - you'll enjoy a buffet lunch, a fashion show featuring clothing from selected merchants in the Gorge, entertainment provided by the cast of the upcoming production, "If We Are Women", a raffle and great door prizes!

Oh, and did I forget to mention that moi will be there as well? Photosensitive Portraits will have a mini-studio on site and will be creating Best Friends Portraits - this is your chance to have a Photosensitive Portrait of your own at a great price all the while helping a great cause! All proceeds collected from the Best Friends Portraits created at the event will be donated to Soroptimist International programs to benefit women and girls around the world.

Local Photography Contest!

oooooh, my bad - I forgot to post about this contest at the beginning of the month! The contest is sponsored by Soroptimist International of Hood River and Columbia Center for the Arts in conjunction with the upcoming production of the play, "If We Are Women," to be performed by CAST and presented June 12, 13, 14, & 19, 20, 21. (More about the production in a future post, promise!)

Submitted photographs (limit 3 photos per photographer) should depict women in families: good times and bad, alienation and coming together, joy and grief. The makeup of 'family' can be varied: two women together, daughters caring for family members, extended family, or a woman and her dog...think creatively!

Prizes will be awarded for professional and amateur/student categories. Display of finalists will be concurrent with the production of the play "If We Are Women" during the month of June 2008 at the Columbia Center for the Arts. The Grand Prize winning photo will be featured on the program cover for "If We Are Women".

Submitted photo must have at least one dimension of ten inches and be in a 16” x 20” white window mat and ready for hanging. To be considered for the program cover you must also submit a CD with a high resolution image (300 dpi) jpeg file of your photo. Submission deadline is April 30, 2008. The Entry Fee per photo is $10 each for Professional images and $5 each for Amatuer/Student images. Entry fees must accompany all submitted photos. Contest questions should be directed to Kate at 541-386-3850.

You may hand-deliver matted photos Tuesday through Sunday at the Columbia Center for the Arts at 215 Cascade Avenue in Hood River now though April 30, 2008. Each submitted photo must include the following information attached to the back of the print mat: Your name, address, telephone, email information, and a brief description of the photo. In addition, please print out the following statement, signed with your signature and include it with each submitted photo: "I hereby certify that the photo I am submitting is my original work, that I am the sole copyright owner. I am entering this photo as an honest effort of my personal work and I understand that it may be published as the program cover."

Winners will be announced at First Friday, June 6th at the Columbia Center for the Arts. Submitted photos will be available for pickup up until June 30th at the Columbia Center for the Arts.