My big Announcement

This is way harder than I thought it would be...but I have an announcement: As of the end of 2012, I am closing down Photosensitive Portraits. I will continue to accept portrait commissions on a limited basis, but find it necessary to discontinue day to day business due to health constraints. My heart thanks each and every one of you who has ever willingly placed yourself in front of my lens - I am grateful for your trust and your patronage! I look back with joy and forward with anticipation...

Wine, Women & Wow! 2012

I'm very excited to be participating again in Wine, Women & Wow!, the premiere networking event for women in the Gorge! This exciting event is hosted by Soroptimist International of Hood River and sponsored by Catalyst Performance Consulting, Centerpointe Community Bank and Photosensitive Portraits. Yep, I'm a sponsor this year!

I'll be offering two Very Special deals for tonight's attendees - one is in the form of a coupon that will be in the Goodie Bags handed out to the first 100 women through the door (so get there EARLY!), the other deal may be picked up at my booth.

It's all happening tonight at The Pines, 202 W. State Street in downtown Hood River, starting at 5pm! Hope to see you there!

I've repeated this post on Father's Day for the last 5 years now as a way to honor and remember my own Dad...best wishes to all the Fathers (and all the Mothers who are both Mom AND Dad to their kids)!

Why I do what I do...

I love working with families - capturing their time together, a particular moment in their personal histories preserved so that they might look upon it and remember how it was, how they were. It's hard for me to describe just how much that means to me, to participate in this process, to play a part - I feel that it is such a privilege to be asked to create these "documents" of memory, to be allowed a glimpse into what makes each family unique and special.

I don't have alot of photos of my own family growing up (meaning my immediate family, my Mom and Dad, brothers and sisters). My Mom died when I was in my 20s and Dad passed several years ago - so the snapshots I've inherited mean the world to me. The photo at the very beginning of this entry is one of my most precious images. It was taken with my Dad's first digital camera (remember cameras with mini-floppy discs? Dad had one of the earliest Sonys and was very proud of it!) and was the last time I was with him; we were sitting in the Alpena, MI airport waiting for my flight to Detroit and then back to California. Dad passed away a few months after this image was taken. Even though it's just a snapshot - horrible overhead lighting, funky background, odd perspective - I love it and cherish it regardless of its faults. Because it reminds me just how much my Dad and I loved each other - the image is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Every time I photograph a father and child, I think of my Dad. I am so proud to be able to create an image that someone else will cherish, that someone else will hold dear - I am happy to hold my Dad's memory in this way. I was definitely thinking of my Dad when I created the second set of images of a father and son. There is so much great chemistry between those two! It was such a pleasure to work with them; it reminded me fully of why I do what I do.

Father's Day is coming up - be sure to give your Dad a big hug and make sure he knows how much you love him!

2012 Senior Model - Brandyn

Today's post features Brandyn, a Class of 2012 Senior Model. (Want to know how to become a 2013 Senior Model for Photosensitive Portraits? Call me at 541-645-0578 to find out!)


I love incorporating what a senior is passionate about into their portraits - Brandyn and I had fun creating these Rock Star images!

Celebrating the Class of 2012!

I've had such a wonderful time working with the Class of 2012 - all of you have charmed your way into my heart with your enthusiasm, intelligence and appetite for living!

I'm going to share some of my favorite photos over the next couple days - and today the lovely Taylor is my star!

2013 SENIOR MODELS WANTED!

CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES!

In just a few days, the class of 2012 will celebrate the culmination of their high school years with friends and family. I wish you all the very best as you go forward into the rest of your life - be bold, be kind, keep learning and give all you got!

(showing just a few of the graduation announcements created for my fabulous clients...)