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!