www.GorgeKids.com

Been pretty busy lately: painted the studio walls a creamy latte color - dear husband installed a ceiling track system for my backdrops (I arranged them all by color and now it looks like a rainbow in my studio!) - traveled into Portland and was overwhelmed by choices at Fabric Depot, but finally decided on a gorgeous silk in a rich merlot color for studio drapes (the copper silk I had ordered has been out of stock for so long, I just got tired of waiting!) - got not one, but TWO new software programs to study over the winter months (but that's a story for a whole seperate post!)...

AND I met with the talented Dee Holzman, creator and webmaster of GorgeKids.com, a resource site for parents in the Columbia Gorge area - the site features events and classes for kids and their parents from White Salmon to The Dalles and throughout Hood River county...she also publishes a bi-monthly newsletter with updates - you can sign up to receive the newsletter, as well as coupons from local merchants, by going to the website (you can find a link on the sidebar to the right). I discovered GorgeKids.com just about a year ago, while doing a little market research on Hood River - I was excited right away by the prospect of working with such a service-oriented site for parents. I have actually been emailing Dee for seveal months prior to moving to Hood River, so it was a real pleasure to finally met her in person! We talked about Hood River, kids, and the potential for Photosensitive Portraits to become a sponsor of this invaluable resource for parents in the Gorge. To quote a favorite old movie, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Got kids? Then get to www.GorgeKids.com - and look for the Photosensitive Portraits ad (see sample ad above) that appears in the upper right hand corner of the website!

My 15 minutes of fame!

Well, it's out and in mailboxes all over Hood River! What's that, you ask? Why, the Fall issue of Gorge Living, that's what! The creative entrepreunurial spirit known as Denise McCravey, broker and owner of RE/MAX Results and proprietor of the utterly charming Oak Street Hotel in Hood River, publishes a quarterly paper known as Gorge Living. Gorge Living features stories about residents, both long-time and new arrivals, as well as a calendar of events for the Oak Street Hotel (attend any of the "Porch Talks" there and enjoy learning something new!) and household hints and tips written by the RE/MAX agents themselves. I had the immense pleasure of working side by side with Denise as she interviewed the orchardists, Bill and "Tiny" Baskins and the Stewart brothers, Jim and Ron, in this Fall 2006 issue. All four of these men had one thing in common: their passion and enthusiasm for what they do. I gained a new appreciation for the fruit I put in my shopping cart and the families who choose the farmer's lifestyle. Many thanks to Denise for having me along as I had alot of fun and learned even more. I'm very excited at the prospect of continuing to contribute to future issues of Gorge Living.

But wait, there's more! See that pdf file at the top of this posting? Well, soon after Steve and I had settled into our new home, our favorite real estate agent, Louise McCulloch (please see previous post), dropped by to interview us for a story in the upcoming Fall issue. The resulting article features some of my portrait work and introduces me as a photographer to the community. It's awesome for a new business to receive this kind of exposure - I am very grateful to Denise and Louise for making this happen! (I'm sorry the file is so small, but you CAN read the article by picking up Gorge Living at almost any retail store in Hood River - can't get to HR? If you REALLY want to read it, email me at drehse@gorge.net and I'll email you the article!)

Postcard Happy!

Even though my "official" grand opening is months away, that doesn't mean I haven't been busy getting ready. Lately, I've been doing something I really enjoy, designing promotional pieces for the different products and services I will be offering. One of my favorite ways to introduce my work and also keep in touch with clients is to use postcards - I've finished two and have several more in the works. Both of these are oversized, 6"x9", for maximum impact.

The first one features some of my favorite headshots from last year - an actor, a director, a CEO, an interior designer, an actress, a real estate broker, a newlywed, an engineer (not necessarily in that order). I thorougly enjoy working with people, bringing out their very best for all the world to see. Now that I've done a business portrait for Louise, I've set my sights on the rest of Hood River's real estate professionals!

The second postcard features some of the work I've done for a couple of San Francisco artists, Denise Duffy (www.DeniseDuffy.com) and Elizabeth Jonasson (www.ElizabethJonasson.com). Photographing artwork is a challenge that is completely different from portrait photography - correct perspective and color accuracy are critical components when producing images that the artist will use to represent and promote his or her work. It's a nice change to work silently and slowly as opposed to my typically lively portrait sessions! I am currently working with the Columbia Center for the Arts to provide photography services for artists - I will announce more details about this very soon!

Thank You, Louise McCulloch!

Finally, another portrait - I received the opportunity to do some headshots for my own terrific real estate agent, Louise McCulloch - this is her looking fabulous and ready to do business! Louise works for RE/MAX Results in Hood River and let me tell you, you will have to look hard to find a more personable or knowledgeable agent than Louise! I originally called her while we were still living in California and she made doing business long-distance easier than I ever would have thought possible. Then once we were in town, she continued to smooth the way for us - my husband commented that he has never had a real estate transaction go as efficiently as our recent home purchase in Hood River.

So, no matter if you're buying or selling, please consider using Louise's services - I can guarantee you won't regret it! You can contact her at RE/MAX Results by calling (541) 387-6700 or (800) 387-6703; her email is Louise@GorgeProperty.com. You can learn more about RE/MAX Results by visiting www.GorgeProperty.com.

Yeah, I like Louise alot - and I love my new home here in Hood River! Thank you so much, Louise, for helping make our dreams come true.

Hostess with the Mostest

As in "most cool truck"! Jonny, our hostess for yesterday's Ring Kings' get-together, has a really fine truck, built for her by her personable and charming husband, Moe...I just LOVE the decal Jonny has on the back window! It reads, "This is NOT my husband's truck!" They have a beautiful piece of property up above Hood River and it was the perfect setting for shooting this classy-looking truck...

More hot rods

Went on a little jaunt today to visit with Hood River's hot rod club, the fabulous Ring Kings! Everyone drove their hot rod, of course, presenting me with several squeal-worthy moments as I hopped from one vehicle to another, chasing that "just right" angle to showcase each car's unique features...here's my favorite - this one belongs to Ring King member Dennis and it's sitting pretty on his '37 Ford sedan!

Hot Rod Swap Meet

Traveled to Bend/Redmond for the weekend to check out the Oregon High Desert Swap Meet - went looking for parts for the 1934 Ford pickup truck that is my husband's latest project. Even though the trip was a bust as far as finding parts went, we still had a great time! In addition to the swap meet, there was also a little car show - and of course I brought my camera to add to my collection of hood ornaments...here's three of my favorites from the weekend.

A lovely afternoon

One of the adventures in moving to a new place is meeting new people. It's a littler easier for me than for most, I admit - I'm a chatterbox, I'll talk to just about anybody who will listen! Well, I met a young woman a few weeks ago and in the course of conversation I told her I was a photographer (I tell EVERYONE that - can't help myself, I love being a photographer) and was looking for someone who would be my "guinea pig" (I think I used the word "model" actually). I explained I was working in a new space and needed someone to practice on - I promised it would be fun and that I would be happy to give her prints in exchange for sitting for me. Imagine my delight when she said yes!

And so the lovely Yasmin Acosta-Myers visited my studio about a week ago and boy howdy, did we have fun! These are are a few samples from our afternoon together - I am ecstatic over how well they turned out! Yasmin is a delight to work with - easy going, warm, fun-loving and photogenic as all get out - what more could a photographer ask for?!

Look Ma, I'm blogging!

I'm pretty excited - this is a brand new thing for me, "blogging." Yeah, for a photographer, I'm a bit techno-phobic (!), so with the help of a good friend holding my hand the whole way, ta-da, here it is, my very first blog, Light Reading.

I wasn't so sure about doing this at first - who would be interested in what's going on in MY head? Then I realized that through this medium, I could introduce myself to alot of new friends...see, I should tell you this right off, I'm new here. Not just to blogging, but new to Hood River, new to Oregon. Ok, not "new-new" since I've been vacationing here every summer for the last 18 years - but when my husband had the opportunity to retire this Spring, we made the big decision to follow our bliss and it brought us here to Hood River. So far, so fantastic!

We've been residents of Hood River a whole 2 months now - things are finally all unpacked and we're starting to settle into a comfortable rhythm. I'm converting the downstairs living room into a studio - there's still painting to do and draperies to be sewn. (I've ordered the most gorgeous copper-colored Dupioni silk! Can't wait for you to see it!) I hope to integrate myself slowly into my new community, so don't plan on opening my doors "officially" until Spring 2007 - then "watch this space!" because I've got a truly grand Grand Opening in mind!

Well, this is pretty good for a start - it is truly a pleasure to be here, like a dream come true! I'm looking forward to meeting you soon...