I Can’t Believe He’s a Senior!

My friend Charity called me a while back to schedule an appointment for her son Logan’s senior portrait shoot.  I had to pick myself up off the floor when I listened to her message because I couldn’t believe it was time for that already! With our own kids we’re constantly aware of their growth but, for some silly reason, when we don’t see a friend’s kids for awhile it’s always a surprise  to see  that they’ve been just as busy growing and changing as our own. Seeing Logan as a high school senior made me realize it won’t be long ‘til it’s time for Asher’s senior portraits. *sniff*

         Enjoy the rest of your senior year, Logan!

Congratulations Dylan! Ferndale High School Class of 2009

When I first talked to Dylan’s mom Sheri  last month she was a bit hesitant about pursuing senior portraits for Dylan after the experience she had a couple years ago with the local studio that did those of her older son Matthew.  She explained to me that  after spending a great deal of money on a  large print package, she liked the photos so little that she didn’t order any prints at all. I assured her if she didn’t like the photos I created the first time, we’d do it again until she did! 

Considering that most of the guys whose senior portraits I have shot were acting only under strict orders from their mother and could easily take or leave the whole ordeal, I figured I needed to get it right the first time with Dylan. I met him on a sunny afternoon at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale and the two of us wandered around the park in search of shady locations. All in all, Dylan proved to be patient with me and fairly tolerant of the whole situation… in fact he may have *almost* even had a little fun, although I doubt he’d admit it : )

It always makes me a bit nervous to work with clients who’ve had a bad experience with another photographer, so it was really great to have Sheri call last night to tell me she loved every one of the photos I created of Dylan. Hopefully he likes a few of them too : )

Off They Go...

Sadly, another of my families has moved on to a new life adventure- but not before they had one last photo shoot with me! Back at the end of July, I met with Dezarae & Alex and their girls Thalia & Gabriella on their last night in Bellingham. Thalia and I had a great time running around Boulevard Park looking for ideal places for shots, while Gabi had me doubled over in laughter at her stereotypical two year old behavior... she's the first child I've had throw a full on laying-on-the-pavement temper tantrum as soon as she arrived at the park. Being a bit feisty myself and not one to cave to the whims of a two year old, all I could say was "Bring it, Gabi!" (although I definitely was not envious of Dez's flight to Florida with her the next day!) Thankfully she's one of those kids who goes zero-to-sixty and back again in less than a minute and looks like your average angel in all of her pictures : )

It's already been almost two months since they left Washington (I'm so far behind!) and I wanted to be sure to post their pictures here so their friends and family always have a place to go to see their faces when they are missing them...

I love this last shot of Thalia- yep, she is pretending to take a picture of me : )

To Dez, Alex, Thalia and Gabi... I hope the move went smoothly and you are transitioning well to life in Orlando. I do hope you will get in touch when you return home for visits... we can't let Gabi think she scared me off : )

Congratulations Alyssa, Class of '008!

I haven't had the opportunity to do many shoots with high school seniors so I was really excited when Alyssa's mom Vicki called me last month after seeing one of my advertisements on craigslist! Last week we met at Woodstock Farm to capture Alyssa at this important transitional time in her life. Alyssa has a passion for photography that rivals mine, so we had a great time "talking shop" while taking her photos. She reminded me a lot of me, in that she feels a lot more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it and doesn't think she is very photogenic. I think these photos speak the truth about that, don't you?
Alyssa told me right away that she doesn't like photos of herself with a full smile so I didn't force the issue because anyone can tell when a smile isn't genuine and I really wanted Alyssa to be comfortable with me. I did manage to capture this candid smile from her when she noticed her mom & sister watching us work and got on their case to turn around and mind their own business : ) Congratulations on your graduation, Alyssa... I wish you a lifetime of smiles and anytime you'd like to go shooting with me, just get in touch!