Hanging Out Downtown

I had to supreme pleasure of photographing this beautiful senior's older sister three years ago. She was actually in some of her sister's photos, so I was excited to get to work with her again! She decided upon a more metropolitan atmosphere and so we headed to downtown Portland. I tried to do my "dramatic" posing with her, but it just didn't fit. She has such a free and easy-going personality, she needed to look as cheerful and full of life as she is!

I loved her clothing choices: three very distinctive looks which are all part of her personality. The blue shirt, cream-colored cords, and black boots looked amazing next to the red brick wall. She had told me earlier that she wanted to bring her long board. I love the photos of her and her sister with their boards. I had them ride them in front of a Federal Building and I was sure the FBI or someone like that would cart me away! Just kidding!

We ended up with her simple black dress. The teal wall and then the marble columns of City Hall were beautiful backdrops. I love the photo of her twirling!

Here you go "M". You looking amazing!

At Water's Edge

This gorgeous 2010 senior is the sister of one of my 2009 seniors. I absolutely love working within families! You have to take just one look at those eyes and you are blown away! Her smile is to die for too! I had such a delightful time with her. She is taking a full load in school and is a cheerleader. Her easy-going and cheerful personality just shine in her photos.

She chose colors which really highlight her skin tone and beautiful eyes. I love the shots of her down by the water. She was totally relaxed and comfortable there. The shot of her with sandy feet is a definite favorite of mine!

Well, "A", I hope you love your photos. You are stunning!

Beauty in the Back Yard

I was so excited to work with this senior, because she was giving me a new location I haven't been to before - her back yard! It was amazing! We first of all started with her adorable little dog which I kind of wanted to take home with me.

She has the most gorgeous eyes, hair, smile - pretty much everything about her is stunning! I love the bright colors she chose to wear. They have an incredible garden with a bronze gate which has "Secret Garden" written on it. I could spend hours there, reading, watching and breathing in all the glorious fresh air! The yard couldn't have been better if a photographer had planned it just for photos.

"K" was completely delightful. She can carry off the dramatic side to her personality as well as the beautiful sunny disposition of her relaxed and happy side. It was a pure pleasure to work with her. By the way, those are her goats on the last photo! There were a few others in another pasture, one particularly, who reminded me of what a "Billy Goat Gruff" would look like!

Here you go, "K", I hope you love these as much as I do!

Stilettos in a 'Vette

This senior was so full of energy and fun, I could hardly keep up with her! She has the most incredible smile and her eyes just glow! We went down to the water front for her photos. I loved her green jacket over the purple top. The colors just pop! We then pulled some weeds for a bouquet to go with her stunning prom dress! I love the shots of her in her bare feet on the beach. Then we parked her vintage Corvette in front of the park and grabbed some photos! Her red stilettos were perfectly matched to the red leather interior of that amazing car. The light was fading quickly so we ran down to the beach and caught some incredibly unique and wonderful images with the full moon and Portland's lights across the river. The balloons and her raincoat were such a fun addition to those photos. It was so dark by the time we finished, we had to walk very carefully by the light of the moon back to the car!

Here you go "N"! You look absolutely gorgeous!

Ballet Beneath the Freeway

I was so excited to try out a new location with this senior! My husband and I scouted out the beat up areas located beneath the 1-5 freeway in Portland and found some wonderfully grungy spots!

When she came in with her mother (a gifted watercolorist) for her consultation, they were just brimming with ideas for props and accessories. She brought balloons, which I adored! Then she let a bouquet of flowers droop and die a few days before and we used those when she was in that watercolor ballet dress! What's not to love about the juxtaposition of the graceful ballerina amid the grunge of the city?

We headed up to Pittock Mansion and she brought out the cowboy hat and sunflowers! The red dress was fabulous and then she put on her tutu. It was exquisite! I played around with an off camera flash to get some dramatic shadows in the fading sunlight. There are some shots of her which definitely take my breath away!

We ended up at my studio. I love the ones with the graffiti backdrop and her legs in crazy positions. The one with her green dress on my new red backdrop is stunning! All in all and wonderful photo shoot!

Here you go "B"! I hope you love these as much as I do!

Senior in the Spring

I always feel like it is kind of a shame that all of my seniors have to get their photos taken so early in the senior year for their yearbooks. You really just feel like an "old" junior at the beginning of the school year. I always have a few seniors wait until Spring for their photos.

This gorgeous senior was one of them! We went to downtown Portland on a gorgeous day with late afternoon sunshine. I loved her first outfit with the hat and boots! She looks so fresh and full of life! Then she put on a breath-taking blue top with high heels. For those of you who know me, I kind of love high heels with jeans. The trees and bushes were covered in flowers and everything looked fantastic! Every outfit she chose looks so unique and distinctive. When she put on her Scottish Highland kilt, I went bonkers! I learned the "Highland Fling" when I was a teenager! We headed back to the studio and captured some incredibly artistic and dramatic shots of her with highly contrasted lighting.

Here you go "L". You look absolutely fabulous!

Bombshell!

This senior was amazing to work with! I could have taken photos of her for days and days! She posed herself with little or no help, she did her own hair and makeup and she created completely unique and imaginative looks for herself. Whoa! She is gorgeous! Everyone who knows her tells her she should be a model. Is there any question?

I absolutely love the shots of her in her vintage fur stole and dress! We were at the Pittock Mansion for some of them and she just fit the place. The ones in the studio take my breath away! She wore a teal dress her mother had designed and made for her and it was stunning. As you can see, we got around a lot and had way too much fun!

Here you go "K". I hope you feel gorgeous after seeing these!

Freezing in the Sunshine!

I had a fabulous time with this senior last month! It had been storming all week, but on photo day, the sun came out so we could go outside. It was completely freezing, however! I was sure grateful I wasn't the one in the royal blue evening gown! We tried to capture many sides to her personality. She is playful, fun, spontaneous, plays sports and very committed. I loved the rain boots, the green coat, the blue shirt with the green scarf and that incredible gown! She wore lots of hats which I love as well!

We tried to do something different for her "sports" photos and I love them! So after freezing our butts off, we came out with some incredible images!

Here you go, "C", I hope you love these! You look beautiful!

Beauty Runs in the Family!

This beautiful girl is the sister to the "International Beauty" of my previous post. She flew in from Germany to visit her sister for a week. I loved getting her into my studio! She is in her twenties, but I thought I would post her photos here, next to her sister. We first took some shots of her with her sister and host mom. I got to use my newest acquisition, a beat-up gold chair! I've been looking for one for a very long time! I just love the way it compliments their blue tops! We then took some "sister" photos. They are both just so gorgeous I could have kept on taking photos!

I then got to work with her alone. She is a natural model, with flawless skin, shiny hair and beautiful eyes! I love the outfits she chose to wear, the little black dress which fit like a glove, the purple top and jeans, and then the gorgeous red dress!

She was an absolute joy to work with! So here is my 2nd German beauty. Boy, they really know how to make them gorgeous over there!

International Beauty

This senior is here this year for Foreign Exchange from Germany. I have the pleasure of being good friends with her host family. I was excited to have a photo experience with her because I knew she would look absolutely gorgeous! Her beautiful eyes, full lips and long legs were a lot of fun to play with and accentuate.

She brought unique and distinctive clothing so each of her outfits brought out different sides to her personality. I love the shots of her black hat with my graffiti backdrop! The bold colors are very cool with the black outfit. When she walked out in her red dress, she looked like a bombshell from the old movies! The color really makes her skin glow! She takes guitar lessons and wanted to get a photo with her guitar, but she had left it at school, so we had to settle for my son's guitar! My kitten snuck into the studio and she grabbed a few shots holding him. Then came the evening gown! Wow!

I sure hope you love these "L", because you looking amazing!

Sun-Kissed Curls in the Park

This is my last official senior of this season! We squeaked her in just in time for her yearbook deadline! This senior had been transplanted in the Northwest from Georgia her senior year. I'm sure it was a huge culture shock for her. I'm not sure what she thinks of all of our cloudy cold days.

She came dressed in a beautiful teal blouse and red jacket. The sun was low in the sky and created such a beautiful back light to her incredible blonde curls. I took advantage of it as much as I could. It makes her hair glow! I loved the red jacket with her hair and skin tone. The teal brought out her eyes as well. Those eyes of hers are crystal clear and breath-taking!

She then put on a beat-up jeans and a wonderful headband! I love how her hair frames her face with the wide headband on. The brown sweater and orange cami created such a warm feeling of Autumn. I had some fun posing her on that great bridge many of you have already seen.

Then she put on a black skirt and red top which made her look feminine and playful! She has a quiet regal personality and I had a wonderful time with her!

Here you go "A". You look stunning!

Old Time Glamour!

When this senior brought out this dress, I was incredibly excited! I could just see the folds of the dress playing with the light and shadow in my studio! She then told me that she had designed and sewn the dress herself! I was very impressed. We were able to create some fabulous shots of her in the studio. I just love my green couch, the brocade fabric on the wall and that glorious dress! She had a necklace which ran down her back and I kept playing with ways to photograph it. There is a photo of her laying on a leopard pillow looking up at the camera which takes my breath away! She is lucky enough to have an honest to goodness beauty mark! My mother had one and I have always wanted one. I love it!

We then headed to downtown Portland. She was wearing a vintage orange sweater which had been her grandmother's and a cameo brooch. I loved those paired with some jeans and black sneakers. The fall leaves were in full color and really made her coloring shine. She also had a wonderful yellow scarf with a high waisted skirt and boots. And then out came the Harry Potter glasses which were definitely a necessity!

The Pittock Mansion is where we ended up. She had a gorgeous red dress, vintage black hat and pumps to die for! It was absolutely frigid up there in the wind, but we were able to capture some great shots. I had her standing on window sills, sitting on cement blocks and twirling in the grass. The wind kept blowing her dress up, so in keeping with the vintage glamour theme, we had to catch one "Marilyn Monroe" shot!

All and all, I had a completely wonderful time!

Here you go "F"! You are simply gorgeous!

Tap Shoes

We are nearing the end of Light & Shadow's seniors. To tell you the truth, I hate it when "Senior season" is over. You are my favorite clients in the whole world, and I miss you when we're done.

This senior is an incredibly talented dancer. She brought some killer tap shoes to be in some of her shots. She told me they were a major investment and I was very impressed by them! We had to grab some shots of the underside of her shoes to show them off! We played around with her hat and various artistic poses. I love the ones of her on her toes! She looks so happy and full of life. These photos are probably my favorite ones because I think they represent a large part of her life right now. She just glowed when she had them on!

She also brought along a fantastic yellow jacket and "dangerous" little black dress! She looked stunning in everything she wore. The yellow jacket looked marvelous with the red brick and changing leaves on the Academy building. It just pops off of the page and really brings out the beauty of her skin and eyes. Then she put on the black dress. I love the photos of her on the grass! She looks "Old Hollywood" glamourous! She was completely delightful to work with. I enjoyed every minute with her. I love it when I am given free reign to be as creative and funky as I want to be!

Here you go "L". I'm excited for you to see your photos!

Opera with Harry Potter

I have seen this senior perform and he is an amazing tenor! His future plans are to become a solo tenor in the world's major operas! While we were driving to the Art Museum in Portland, we discussed various operas and composers. I tried to find some acceptable opera music to play with his slideshow, but I had to settle for one of his favorite composers and the Overture to the Marriage of Figaro. Every time I see him, he has a smile on his face. In his photos, the people who know him may not be too sure about the serious shots. I, however, wanted to capture the serious, dedicated side to his personality. He is a serious student and performer and I think I will be hearing great things about him in the future.

He has a killer smile, however, and I absolutely love it! He looks amazing and right at home in his suit in Portland. He is relaxed and personable. I had him trying all sorts of crazy things, and he was a great sport. He has incredibly long legs and I tried to show them off every time I could! I love the shots of him slouching over with those legs stretched out in front of him.

One of the things that has followed him throughout his school years is the fact that people think he looks like Harry Potter. I, for one, think he is much more handsome than Mr. Radcliffe! At first, it used to bother him until he embraced the "Harry Potter" in himself. He decided to play upon his "fame" and brought along a Harry Potter book and a stick! I was giggling uncontrollably when I had him pose as the young wizard! I'm sure the passers by must have thought we were crazy. I think you will agree, he is way too much fun! "W", I told you I might try a little fancy photoshop work on that stick to make it look like a wand. You'll have to let me know if you like it.

At the end, we went over to the Art Museum and I had him jumping off of the cement blocks. He really got some air in those photos. He was a very patient with me, when I kept saying, "Try it one more time", because his hand had come out of the frame, or I clicked the shutter too quickly or it was blurry...

So here you go, "W"! I loved working with you!

A Break in the Weather

It was pouring rain when this senior had his appointment with me, and he couldn't really find any other time to come, so he decided to have me take his photos in my studio. When he drove up, however, the rain stopped and the sun even peeked out from behind the heavy clouds for a few minutes. We ran over to the field by my house and got some incredible shots of him. I love that old white barn. The leaves on the trees were an unreal shade of yellow!

He was delightful to work with. The ground was soaking wet, and yet he let me make him lay down on it! His knees got a little wet, but Photoshop took care of it! I love the shots of him leaning against the barn and also laying on the grass. He looks so relaxed and at ease. His killer looks helped out a lot too!

When he changed into his dress shirt and tie, we were able to grab a few shots of him on my black chair outside, but then the rain came back and we were forced inside. I really like the photos of him in my studio. I used some dramatic lighting which really brought out his facial features. He was anxious to get out of the dress clothes and into a t-shirt, so I pulled up my "Graffiti" backdrop and love the shots of him in his bare feet! When we were finished, I laid down on the ground and grabbed a shot shooting straight up at him. You can see the ceiling and clutter of my studio, but, personally, I love the shot! It's kind of funky!

Here you go "C". You were an absolute pleasure to work with and you look amazing!

A Cold Morning Downtown

I had spent so many of my photography days in the sweltering heat, it was a change to have cold weather for this senior's photo experience. We met in the morning because he had football practice after school. There was a biting wind, but the sun decided to creep up over the buildings and give a little warmth. The surrounding buildings created a lot of shade, though, and you all know I love shade!

This senior has definite style! He looks comfortable and relaxed in all of his photos. I could see some of these shots in a magazine. I'm sure he doesn't find that too amusing being a tough football player and all, but I thought I would mention it! He wore varied outfits which brought out different sides to his personality. I enjoyed working with him and I think we both were able to be pretty creative and artistic with a few shots! I love the photos of him by the red wall, in his lettermen's jacket, and with the most awesome t-shirt I've seen. I think it's one of his favorites and I can see why.

Here you go "K"! I had a wonderful time working with you!

Long Flaxen Hair and Beautiful Eyes

I hope you are all enjoying my enormous vocabulary and my usage of the word "flaxen"! I impress myself!

This senior has the most beautiful long blonde hair! As you will see in her photos, I had way too much fun with it, draping it all over her shoulders! And if the hair wasn't enough, when she looked into my camera, her eyes were breath-taking! We went to McMenamins for her photos and found some great places for backgrounds. I love the colors she chose to wear. They really brought out her flawless skin and bright eyes. They made it very easy to make her look good!

I definitely enjoyed working with her. She was relaxed and easy-going and ready to do whatever my crazy creative brain decided to do at any given moment. I even captured a few photos of her laughing because I really came up with some strange poses for her, and she was willing to try anything. There are some shots of her in the teal green top at the beginning and then in the royal blue top at the end which are simply stunning.

I hope you like these "B"! You look absolutely amazing!

I want to be a Princess

I tell all of my seniors that when they come to their consultation, they can bring photos they have seen in magazines or the internet to show me which kinds of photos they like. When this senior came to my home, she brought one photo. It was one of the Annie Leibowitz photos which are part of Walt Disney's advertising theme with the movie stars photographed as each of the Disney princesses. I have loved all of the photos since I first saw them. I think the one she brought was of Charlotte Johanson as Cinderella. I took one look at it and said, "I can do that". I have a fantastic bridal gown I use for the "Trash the Dress" photos of my brides and it looks just like a princess dress complete with incredibly huge puffy sleeves. She tried it on and we knew we had to use it!

We went to the Pittock Mansion for the fairy tale atmosphere. I took some photos of her before the dress with her hair back in a green scarf headband. She had had her hair and makeup done for the occasion and she looked stunning! She was at ease and comfortable with the camera and it shows in her photos. When the dress came on, we headed toward the back of the mansion where the winds can be wicked. They were especially cold this day, and she had goose bumps all over herself! You would never be able to tell how frozen she was as she posed with her arms up in the air like she was going break into song any moment. There is one photo that I was tempted to Photoshop a little bird on her finger, but I thought it might be a little hokey!

She then put on this to-die-for red dress and I can't believe how gorgeous she looks in it! Definitely a Bombshell! She brought an apple and we played around with the snow white theme, but I think the photo turned out to be a little more "Twilight" than "Snow White".

Here you go "A". I hope you love these photos as much as I do!

Eyes like Crystal

I had taken a photo of this senior before and so I was excited to work with her again. She has the most beautiful eyes, crystal clear and striking! We met at McMenamins on a nice day way back in October. She wore a chartreuse top for the first photos which looks wonderful with her light hair and eyes! I love her black checked Vans. She then put on a hooded jacket which I love photographed against the wooden door of the "Black Rabbit House". McMenamins has such a large variety of locations, I'm sure I haven't discovered all of them yet.

I love the photos of her in the little flower garden. The sun shining behind her hair just glows. She climbed through some flowers to a "garden" of birdhouses and I grabbed a shot of her with them. Then we went up by the white barn, the red door, and the huge field of green grass. She had a wonderful black pea coat with her vivid purple top and looks gorgeous! She was so much fun to work with!

So, I'm finally finished with your amazing photos, "M". I hope they were worth the wait!

Evening Dress and Jewel Tones by the Water

This was another one of those days where we weren't sure the weather would cooperate, but it stayed dry for us. This beautiful senior had to get a little wet rolling around in the grass and sand, but any sacrifice for the sake of a great photo is worth it. Well, at least, that's my motto!

This senior had her family come along for some photos before we began her shoot. Her grandparents came as well. It was so nice to get to know them all. Her mother and sister stayed behind to help with the "portable dressing room" which is needed down there by the Columbia River. She had a beautiful black evening dress which was a lot of fun to work with. I had her posing all over the teal-colored playground equipment! She has a set of the most gorgeous legs and the shot of just her legs is one of my favorites! She had a sapphire top which looked stunning on her as the water seeped slowly onto her back while I had her on the grass. Then she put an orange jacket on and I loved it with the blue shirt - complimentary colors. She was so natural and comfortable and it really shows in her photos. She looks great serious and smiling. In fact, I don't think I was able to take a bad photo of her!

We ended up at the beach. The water was down a little and so we were able to venture out a little further than I have been able to to the past. There was a huge tire which is usually covered in water. She made a giant heart with some special initials in it and she got way too muddy but we had a lot of fun!

Here you go "L"! You are one gorgeous girl!

Sweet Ride, On the Field, Water's Edge

This senior was a delight to work with! As you can see from his photos, he has an incredible smile. He was funny, easy-going and adventurous! You know me, I am always coming up with weird and funky ways to pose you guys, and he was a great sport! We started out by his Mustang. He looked right at home in his "James Bond" dress clothes leaning against his car. We had to take him out of school, because he could miss classes, but NOT football practice! He got his letterman's jacket on and brought along a baseball bat and football. He is definitely a multi-talented athlete. We went down by the Columbia and grabbed some great shots of him on the beach. I made him get into the water and sit on some incredibly uncomfortable rocks, but he still didn't complain. I really like the shots of him with his dress shirt and jeans on the cement pilings and on the pathway.

We ended up at my studio and grabbed some nice dramatic shots of him with some of my funky backgrounds. I love the shots of him all in black with bare feet in front of my graffiti backdrop.

Well, here you go "T", I think you are looking pretty dang good!