Attention Class of 2012 and 2013 -
TOP MODELS WANTED!

Do you have a PASSION for great photography? Do you have a PERSONALITY that sets you apart from the rest? Are you PLAYFUL and fun to be with? Then perhaps YOU could be a Top Model for Photosensitive Portraits! Want to know if you have what it takes? Call or email me for more information: 

541-490-7132 or drehsewatson@gmail.com

My, how time flies!

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing my friend and favorite model, Cecy, the other other day - ESPECIALLY since she had her baby girl, Lali, with her! We caught up over coffee and made plans for Lali's upcoming 9 month old portrait session (this coming weekend, wheeeee!). 

After they had left, I got to thinking about how quickly life changes - maybe it's because I just had a birthday, or maybe because I was recalling Cecy's maternity session and Lali's first session.  Babies grow and change so quickly, especially that very first year, and every year of our life holds any number of milestones worth commemorating.  Portraits are a wonderful way to relive those moments and savor their joy all over again!  

The images accompanying this post are from Cecy's maternity sessions and Lali's 1 month old session...enjoy!

Wear Red, Get a Fabulous Portrait AND Help in the Fight Against Heart Disease!

February is Go Red For Women Month!

Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women, taking the life of 1 in 3 women each year. This means women just like you - mothers, sisters, friends - are dying at the rate of one per minute because they don’t know what you know: heart disease kills. Heart disease has already touched you or someone you love, so help us save a woman’s life today. Make It Your Mission to stop the No. 1 killer.

WHY TAKE ACTION?

• Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women age 20 and over, killing approximately one woman every minute.
• More women die of heart disease than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.
• 1 in 3 American women die of heart disease, compared to 1 in 30 women that die of breast cancer.
• Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
• Eighty percent of cardiac events in women may be prevented if they make the right choices for their hearts, involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.

WHY GO RED?

Research shows that women who Go Red are more likely to make healthy choices.
• More than one-third have lost weight.
• Nearly fifty percent have increased their exercise.
• Six out of ten have changed their diets.
• More than forty percent have checked their cholesterol levels.
• One-third have talked with their doctors about developing heart health plans.

HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
This year, Go Red For Women invites women across the country to Make It Their Mission to fight heart disease.
• TELL 5: Go Red For Women asks you to bring your network into our network. Tell 5 women you want them to live, and we can help stop heart disease in our lifetime. Give 5 women you care about the power to save their lives at GoRedForWomen.org.
• VOLUNTEER: Contact your local American Heart Association office to see how you can get involved with Go Red For Women.
• GIVE: Donate to help fund life-saving research and educational programs that are needed so that our daughters, sisters and mothers have a chance to fight the No.1 killer of women.
• SHOP GO RED: Go to ShopGoRed.org to support education and awareness programs by purchasing Go Red For Women apparel, accessories and other heart-healthy products.
• VISIT US AT GoRedForWomen.org: A premier source of information and education, GoRedForWomen.org is the No. 1 online destination where women can Make It Their Mission to fight heart disease.
– Go Red BetterU: Explore Go Red BetterU, the FREE 12-week online makeover that can change your life.
– Go Red Heart CheckUp: Check out Go Red’s online tool that provides a 10-year, personal heart disease risk assessment.
– Go to GoRedPorTuCorazon.org: Access information in Spanish and to learn about Go Red efforts in the Hispanic community.

For more information about Go Red For Women, visit GoRedForWomen.org or call 1-888-MY-HEART.

WOW, what happened?!!

I'll tell ya what happened - the hard drive on my laptop went pau (Hawaiian for done/finished/kaput!) 4 days into my vacation, that's what! Leaving me pretty much unplugged (the horror!)...after the initial withdrawal, I adapted pretty darn well, lol! I did continue to take photos and will share a few of them here once I've waded through all of them - but I've been back a week now and am finally no longer surprised not to see palm trees out my windows...time to get back into the rhythm of life in da Hood!

ALOOOOOOOOHA!

I am "chillaxing" (a word borrowed from my good friend, Keeley, age 8) in Hilo, Hawaii for the next couple of weeks and enjoying myself thoroughly so far! Have already visited Pu'uhonua o Honaunau (City of Refuge) and snorkeled the adjacent shoreline, oogling hundreds of different, fantastically-colored fish. I could stay in the water for hours (and often do!) - one of these days I should just take a diving class/certification so I can truly indulge my fascination for all things underwater.

This morning we went to the Hilo Farmer's Market to pick up some veggies and soak up more local flavor - of course I brought my trusty little point 'n shoot camera, which I used to create the images attached to this post. Next visit I will definitely purchase plenty of flowers - the antheriums, orchids, ginger blossoms, protea, et al are so very inexpensive (by mainland standards) and will be alot of fun to photograph more closely!

Happy New Year!

Let me kick off the New Year with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors:
 
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."  — Mark Twain

Going out with a BANG!

I'll end this year's blog posting with images from my favorite location session of the year: working with HRVHS senior Liseth in downtown The Dalles! Liseth was up for anything, really wanted to go for "something different" and enjoyed the funky, historic feel of the locations we found wandering the back alleys of The Dalles.


A BIG thank you to all my wonderful clients this year - it is my greatest pleasure to share my gift with you and help you create and preserve special moments and memories...best wishes for a fabulous, happy and healthy New Year!

 












































My Favorite Color is Leopard Print!

And if someone shows up for their portrait session with any article of clothing that features leopard print, I will most definitely include it in the session! So imagine my delight when both these lovely young women showed up wearing it! All I can think of to say is, "Rowwwwrrrrrrr!"

HRVHS Homecoming 2010

Had an Open Studio the night of HRVHS's Homecoming this past October and enjoyed the students who dropped in to say hi and have their portraits created... a great night full of glitz and glam!

Man of 1,001 Faces 

(Ok, you only see 7 of them here, but there's only so much you can showcase in a blog posting, lol...) Brian was a BLAST to work with - it didn't hurt that we both have the same twisted sense of humor, lol! I imagined that it was alot like working with actor Jim Carrey - lightening fast facial and posture changes, mood shifting through the gamut of emotions, all coupled with an outrageous sense of FUN...

Class of 2011

Over the next couple of days, I'll post some of my favorite images from the Class of 2011 sessions this past year - many thanks to all the guys and gals who chose Photosensitive Portraits as their senior photographer!

A Rainbow in the studio

I had the distinct pleasure of working with a young woman recently who radiates confidence and sparkles with intelligence - you would barely suspect she is just entering her teens. Not to worry, we also captured the energy and silliness that are the hallmarks of her youth - and had so much fun doing it!

Happy Holidaze!!!

Has it REALLY been since September since I posted on this here blog?!! My, my...I hadn't realized my FaceBook addiction had gotten so far out of hand, lol! Well, the holidays are upon us (hello, Denise, it's freakin' Christmas EVE?!!)  so I figured I should at least post a Happy Holidays message to all my clients and fans out there (all 6 of you)...I may even get a few posts in before the New Year - a couple of catch-up posts are certainly in order, doncha think?!

In the meantime, please accept my very best wishes for a Holiday filled with family and friends, love and laughter!

HRVHS Class of 2011!

Wow, been so busy I have forgotten all about my blog! It's raining seniors and let me tell you, the HRVHS Class of 2011 has some pretty AMAZING young women and men! Here is just a little taste of what we've been up to...(btw, if you haven't already taken your senior portraits, there's still plenty of time to do so - call me at 541-436-2755 and find out what your options are! Remember, this is the time to celebrate YOU - no need to settle for less than what YOU want!)

Top Models in the "Beauty Box"!

When I was an apprentice photographer back in San Francisco (way back in the olden days of film!), I was exposed to ALOT of different styles of shooting and had the opportunity to learn many different lighting techniques. One of my favorites is the "Beauty Box," a technique used by fashion photographers specializing in close up faces to be used in ads for various beauty products (think Cover Girl makeup, L'Oreal, etc.).  It's just SO doggone flattering to every woman, regardless of age or shape! 


Here's one image each from Top Models Nancy's and Yessi's "Beauty Box" sessions - I think they look amazing! (You too can look amazing, you know - just call for YOUR senior portrait consultation and find out more!)

Top Models for HRVHS Class of 2011!

Announcing the debut of Photosensitive Portraits' 2011 Top Models: the Lovely Yessi Guzman and the Vivacious Nancy Lopez! 

Remember, if you see these gals, be sure to ask them where to go for the BEST Senior Portraits - not only will they tell you where the best place to go is, they will give you a card that you can redeem for a FREE GIFT from Photosensitive Portraits! 

So remember these beautiful faces and be on the look out for them this summer - it could save you some cash AND get you FABULOUS senior portraits at the same time!

Summer Is Finally Here!

I can't believe I've been soooo negligent of this blog the past month! Quite alot has been going on - STILL working on the studio re-design, making plans for the big Grand Re-Opening party (now pushed into August, ack!), creating portraits for fabulous clients, finding my Top Models for the HRVHS Class of 2011 (congrats to Nancy and Yessi!), a trip to Ashland for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival over the 4th of July holiday, whew! There's more, but I'm getting tired just thinking about it all...

I promise to be more diligent from now on - let me start out small by sharing with you my Very Favoritest Image from a recent session with the amazingly talented young singer, Hood River's own Makenzie Rose...

Tiny Dancer

Amongst the whirlwind of graduation ceremonies and parties last weekend, I had the chance to attend the dress rehearsal for the Columbia Gorge Dance Academy's Intermediate and Junior dancers. My good friend Kate's daughter and my Favorite Model, Keeley, was performing so I just HAD to be at the rehearsal!

Since I was on my way to a graduation ceremony, I had my camera gear with me and grabbed a few snapshots. Okay, here's where I 'fess up - I inadvertently had the camera settings all wrong for the venue and ended up with less than sharp images. (I'd like to blame the fact that I was seriously under-caffienated for 9 a.m., but that's a pretty lame excuse!) However, upon reviewing my less-than-sharp results, I was still struck by Keeley's poise and attitude in the images I managed to capture. Next thing you know, out comes the digital toolbox and voila, a sow's ear has been turned into a silk purse through the magic of technology! (aka digital painting...)

I've watched Keeley grow up before my eyes and can see the lovely young woman she will become when I look at this image. I'm quite in love with it and though there's still some refining to do, I'm looking forward to printing it as a 16x20 watercolor art print for my studio. Kate loves it too, so will be getting one as well - what better art could you want on your walls than your own fabulous kids?!

The Never Ending Studio Remodel...

I should have expected this. After all, I've seen every single remodeling/decorating show on HGTV for the last 5 years! *sigh* Any remodel ALWAYS takes longer (and costs more) than you think it will. *another sigh* I am an impatient type - after living with the vision in my head for some time now, I want, no EXPECT it to just happen, as in "Poof! It's all done!" Ha. Welcome to reality, my dear...

Okay, now that I've whined about it a little (ok, ALOT), let me just say that things ARE coming together finally and you can expect some kind of grand reveal in a week (or so, lol)! Back ordered bits are on their way, found a source for the electrical thingie I needed, additional paint purchased, etcetera...I promise, you're gonna LOVE IT when it's finished!

I would be remiss BIG TIME if I neglected to thank everyone who has helped me make this transformation a reality: first in line is my darling husband, Steve, for without his practical mind and technical expertise nothing would have happened! Second is my UBER-FABULOUS intern, Claudia (HRVHS Class of 2011!), who not only volunteers HER time, but brings along helpful friends! Many many thanks to Bryce, Johanna and Johnny for helping out! (that's them you see in the photo, giddy from paint fumes and Domino's pizza - don't you just LOVE the wall color behind them?! Also pictured is my chandelier which arrived the other day!) Third but certainly not last or least, is my dear friend, Tammy Kravitz, a woman of impeccable taste (and a fab photographer!) who has helped me in the myriad of choices I have had to make - you are PRICELESS, dahling!