Sharing the love...I was recently approached by an enterprising member of the HRVHS Class of 2011 and asked if I would be willing to school her in photography skills, specifically portraiture - well you KNOW I said yes - sharing my passion for photography and especially great portraiture is the most fun I can think of! Once a week Claudia visits my studio for instruction and a critique of her work - she is an amazingly quick study and well on her way, creating true portraits and not mere snapshots.
Last week our session was held in the studio rather than outdoors and Claudia brought along her friend and favorite model, Bryce - who was easily the most patient guy I've ever met as he allowed us to turn him this way and that, chin up, chin down, no no no, more this way, thanks and hold it! I couldn't resist creating a portrait myself - as you can see he's a very photogenic fellow - as well as grabbing a shot of my fabulous student and her model together...thanks for being the highlight of my day, you two! It was a blast - I'm going to be sorry when school ends for the summer 'cuz I'm really going to miss our weekly get-togethers!
May Flowers...
Been shooting alot of real estate lately, some truly beautiful properties (you can see them at www.LouiseMcCulloch.com) - and in the process I do alot of walking around some gorgeous acreage...when the sun is shining and I'm surrounded by the beauty that is the Gorge, I simply cannot resist yielding to the siren call of the beautiful wildflowers blooming everywhere right now! I just wanted to share this image with you (all 6 of you who read this blog, lol!) - I don't even know what these vibrant daisies are called, but they are glorious, bringing the sunshine right down into the grass!
NEW LOOK FOR THE STUDIO!Every 3-4 years I like to shake things up by redecorating and I'm feeling it's definitely time for the studio to have a New Look! (maybe it's got something to do with Spring and the whole "renewal" thing...) I have a MAJOR redecorating scheme in mind which means that Photosensitive Portraits will be CLOSED for the first two weeks of May - this is a Big Change and I am Very Excited about it! Above is my inspiration for the look I'm working towards - dramatic, right?!! Once the dust has settled, the paint has dried and the furniture and drapes moved in, I'll be announcing a big ol' Grand Re-Opening party to christen the newly revisioned space - so be sure to check back for YOUR invitation to the shindig!
(oh, and anyone who's handy with a paint brush and would like to exchange a little labor for some session time, please feel free to give me a holler at drehse@gorge.net!!!)
Happy Anniversary, Earth Day!Margaret Mead said, "EARTH DAY uses one of humanity’s great discoveries, the discovery of anniversaries by which, throughout time, human beings have kept their sorrows and their joys, their victories, their revelations and their obligations alive, for re-celebration and re-dedication another year, another decade, another century another eon. EARTH DAY reminds the people of the world of the need for continuing care which is vital to Earth’s safety. …"
(read more about Earth Day here)
Today let us renew our commitment to a better planet for all of us!
Teddy Bears Picnic
starts this Monday!
This theme will delight your little girl - a picnic in the woods with lots and lots of teddy bears! We've even got a couple of sweet dollies who'd love to join in. Dress your daughter (or grand-daughter!) in her favorite outfit or choose one of our custom-made dresses created just for the occasion. Don't forget to invite her own beloved teddy bear and/or dolly to the picnic as well! In addition to having a alot of fun, we'll also create wonderful portraits that you'll treasure long after your little girl has grown.
These mini sessions are affordably priced at only $55 and INCLUDE a mounted 8"x10" Art Print of your favorite pose!
Teddy Bears Picnic mini sessions are ONLY available from Monday, April 19th through Friday, April 30th. Book YOUR child's session ONLINE by going to:
http://PhotosensitivePortraits.brownbookit.com/schedules/TeddyBear
Please note: These mini sessions are designed for ONE CHILD per session; however, with advance notice, a sibling or best friend may be added for
$20 per child.
Feel free to call me at 541-436-2755 if you have any questions!
Earth Day Sessions Selling Out!Wow, what a great response! Sunday, April 18th is completely sold out - there are still sessions available for Saturday, April 17th, so get yours while the getting's good!Don't forget, instead of a session fee, bring in 5 cans of food or 5 bags/boxes of beans or pasta. (Please be sure your donations are not past their freshness date.) All donations will go to Hood River's FISH Food Bank !
Book YOUR child's session ONLINE by going to:
http://PhotosensitivePortraits.brownbookit.com/schedules/EarthDay
Earth Day Studio Special - Love your Mother!Earth Day celebrates its' 40th Anniversary on April 22nd, 2010. In honor of this wonderful event, Photosensitive Portraits is offering a Very Special "Special"!
On Saturday, April 17th and Sunday, April 18th ONLY, bring your child in for a special "Love your Mother" portrait commemorating Earth Day 2010.
Here's the "special" part: instead of a session fee, bring in 5 cans of food or 5 bags/boxes of beans or pasta. (Please be sure your donations are not past their freshness date.) All donations will go to Hood River's FISH Food Bank - what better way to celebrate the Earth than by nurturing and caring for the people who live on it?!!
Book YOUR child's session ONLINE by going to:
http://PhotosensitivePortraits.brownbookit.com/schedules/EarthDay
Please note: These mini sessions are designed for ONE CHILD per session; however, with advance notice, a sibling or best friend may be added for two cans of food per child.
Feel free to call me at 541-436-2755 if you have any questions!
Another Adorable Mini Session!This theme will delight your little girl - a picnic in the woods with lots and lots of teddy bears! We've even got a couple of sweet dollies who'd love to join in. Dress your daughter (or grand-daughter!) in her favorite outfit or choose one of our custom-made dresses created just for the occasion. Don't forget to invite her own beloved teddy bear and/or dolly to the picnic as well! In addition to having a alot of fun, we'll also create wonderful portraits that you'll treasure long after your little girl has grown.
These mini sessions are affordably priced at only $55 and INCLUDE a mounted 8"x10" Art Print of your favorite pose!
Teddy Bears Picnic mini sessions are ONLY available from Monday, April 19th through Friday, April 30th. Book YOUR child's session ONLINE by going to:
http://PhotosensitivePortraits.brownbookit.com/schedules/TeddyBear
Please note: These mini sessions are designed for ONE CHILD per session; however, with advance notice, a sibling or best friend may be added for
$20 per child.
Feel free to call me at 541-436-2755 if you have any questions!
Preserving MemoriesI recently had the opportunity to work with a lovely gal who has been tracking her family's genealogy - while digging into the past, she has uncovered a wealth of old family photos. Unfortunately, many images have suffered damage due to being improperly stored so she came to me for help in repairing them. While this kind of work isn't something I advertise, it IS something I really enjoy doing. I get a real thrill out of helping to bring the past back to life!
Here's just one sample: her own father's portrait from his days in the Navy - still a work in process (will eventually create an image without the handwritten note that she will then print and frame), but I'm proud of the work and so very happy to give her back this wonderful portrait of her father as a young man!
If you have priceless family photos that have been damaged, consider bringing them back to life through professional photo restoration. Our family photos are the touchstones of our personal history - your children and your children's children will be glad you did!
Soup Glorious Soup!Have been having a great time the last week and a half with my dear friend, Maia, who is visiting from the San Francisco Bay Area! She is training to be a personal chef and wants to specialize in gluten-free and raw food preparations. This involves ALOT more than cutting up fruits and veggies, let me tell you! Maia was diagnosed with celiac disease 6 years ago and as a result had to make MAJOR changes in not only WHAT she ate, but HOW she thought about food. She has since committed herself to raising awareness of this very serious auto immune disease and creating a cuisine that is both healthy and delicious.
Maia has shared recipes with friends via hand-written cards, but wanted to step her presentation up a notch and came up with the idea of printed cards that included a photo of the prepared dish. Lucky for her she knows a photographer who just happened to have a little time on her hands! At the end of the day, we had photographed 13 different raw soups (AND had all the fixins' for a yummy meal!)...
The two images up top are Minty Cucumber and Coconut Squash - if you want the recipes or more information about raw food cuisine, contact Maia at delightfullyraw@gmail.com (tell her you saw it here on my blog).
I WANNA BE A ROCK STAR!This is a Special Edition Theme and will NOT be repeated for at least another 6-9 months! So take advantage of this limited time offer and book a session for YOUR child today!
I Wanna Be A Rock Star! Mini Sessions are ONLY available from Sunday, March 21st through Wedneday, March 30th. Book YOUR Rock Star's session online by going to: http://PhotosensitivePortraits.brownbookit.com/schedules/RockStar
PLEASE NOTE: These mini sessions are designed for ONE CHILD per session, BUT a sibling or best friend may be added for $20 per child.
Mini sessions are only 30 minutes, so please respect others and be on time.
(pssssst! If you have a little Rock 'n Roll Diva, these mini sessions are open to girls as well - I just wanted to put the emphasis on the guys for a change!)
Marketing Associates Wanted!Photosensitive Portraits has openings for 8 Marketing Associates; applicants must be a member of the Class of 2011.
(Edited to say I only have room for FOUR more Marketing Associates as of 3/12/10!)
Marketing Associates will participate in an upcoming Survey and Focus Group Meeting to be held at Photosensitive Portraits studio in Hood River. Chosen applicants will receive a $75 gift certificate and free pizza and beverages at the meeting.
APPLY ONLINE at http://photosensitive.wufoo.com/forms/photosensitive-portraits/ The deadline to submit your application is MARCH 17th! Tell your friends!
(That's one of my favorite images of Liz, a Class of 2010 Senior Model, at the top of this post - just because I wanted to give you a great photo to look at while you read this...)
March Madness Sale!The theme of this first annual March Madness sale is "Go Big!" A well-designed portrait, when properly sized, creates a decorative focal point that can add both drama and personality to any room in your home. What better way to demonstrate how you feel about your family/children than to proudly display their portraits?
To make it easier to properly display your portraits at a size that's both appropriate and deserving , I will refund your sitting fee if you purchase a wall portrait 16"x 20" or larger! (Depending on the type of session, this could save you up to $150!)
This outstanding offer applies to new sessions only; to take advantage of this sale, you MUST book your portrait session during the month of March.
I Wanna Be A ROCK STAR!Face it, there are lots and lots of good portrait "themes" designed especially for girls - there's plenty to choose from for the Mom wanting photos of her little princess. I think the GUYS are getting short-changed - every Mom with a little boy wants darling photos of her child as well, right?!! So I put on my thinking cap and have come up with a whole series of themes designed JUST for the little man in your life!
This first theme is all about FUN! Dress your fella up in a t-shirt and jeans and come prepared to ROCK OUT! Doesn't matter whether you're a little bit Country or a little bit Rock 'n Roll - I'll create fabulous and fun portraits of your star performer that you'll be thrilled to share with your friends and family. These mini sessions are afforably priced at only $55 and INCLUDE an 8x12 custom print of your favorite pose!
I Wanna Be A Rock Star! Mini Sessions are ONLY available from Sunday, March 21st through Wedneday, March 30th. Book YOUR Rock Star's session online by going to:
http://PhotosensitivePortraits.brownbookit.com/schedules/RockStar
PLEASE NOTE: These mini sessions are designed for ONE CHILD per session, BUT a sibling or best friend may be added for $20 per child.
Mini sessions are only 30 minutes, so please respect others and be on time.
(pssssst! If you have a little Rock 'n Roll Diva, these mini sessions are open to girls as well - I just wanted to put the emphasis on the guys for a change!)
Go Red for Women!Heart disease is the Number 1 killer of women in America. Take care of your health, because the people in your heart need you at their side. Join women across the nation who are wearing red and speaking with their hearts to make heart-healthy changes for themselves and their families!
Saturday, February 27th is Wear Red Day at Photosensitive Portraits! Bring a friend, bring your kids, WEAR SOMETHING RED!
Wear Red Mini-Sessions are only $40 and INCLUDE a 5x7 custom print of your favorite pose! Not only will you get a wonderful portrait at an amazing value, but you will also be helping to support the life-saving work of the American Heart Association - $30 from every session fee will be donated to the American Heart Association!
Call today to reserve YOUR spot or just visit the studio any time between 10am and 6pm! Come join the party - the GO RED FOR WOMEN party at Photosensitive Portraits this Saturday, February 27th!
Learn more about healthy choices that will benefit you and your loved ones at www.GoRedForWomen.org
LUNAFEST - February 23 & 25!
LUNAFEST is a national traveling festival of award-winning short films by, for and about women. The films are filled with stories of reflection and whimsy, hope and humor, grace and perseverance. LUNAFEST films are renowned for celebrating the talents and stories of women. The films shown include many off the traditional "festival circuit". Collectively, LUNAFEST films captivate audiences, compel dialogue and arm those who participate with both the knowledge and motivation to make a difference in their communities.
This year LUNAFEST will be showing on February 24 and 25 at 6pm and again at 8:15pm at the Columbia Center for the Arts. There will be a pre-show event with wine and appetizers at 5:30pm. Tickets are available at the Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River: $12 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors.
LUNAFEST films have won industry awards and audience accolades; the films selected for the 2010 LUNAFEST share this brilliance. From quirky animation to touching documentaries, the 9 selected films are incredibly divers in both style and subject matter, united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling by, for and about women.
With a vision of uniting women through film, LUNAFEST was estatblished in 2000 by LUNA, the makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, to simultaneously promote women filmmakers, raise awareness for women's issues, and support worthy women's nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada.
When Soroptimist of Hood River heard about this annual film festival, we felt it was a perfect fit with our mission. Soroptimist International of Hood River and Mount Adams are part of a worldwide organization for women in management and the professions that is a global voice for women through awareness, advocacy and action. Soroptimist International of Hood River and Mount Adams work towards these goals by raising funds to assist organizations like Helping Hands, Next Door, Gorge high school programs for girls and also provide scholarships for women going back to school.
85% of the funds raised at this film festival will go towards community service projects of Soroptimist of Hood River and Mount Adams and the other 15% will go towards the Breast Cancer Fund.
Sunshine! Flowers! Can it really be...SPRING?!!
I don't care what the calendar says - it FEELS like Spring has sprung! Allow me to share my exuberance for this fabulous and unseasonable weather with a couple of snaps of the first flowers to come up in my garden. I'm enjoying it while I can as the weatherman insists that gray clouds and rain are in our immediate future...
Pretty in Pink!Still have a few spots available for this coming weekend's Pretty in Pink! sessions - call 541-436-2755 right away to take advantage of this fabulous offer! (Plus, "It's really, really, really FUN!" according to Keeley, age 7!)
