Reaching for the stars | Lifestyle Fashion Photographer in Bend, Oregon

Stretch high + reach for the stars.

Who knows... you might just become one, yourself.

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Truth time.

There's been a LOT of stretching + reaching.

And a lot of growth.

When I first started out as a photographer, I was HORRIBLE at posing people.

Like, deer in headlights kind of horrible.

See, I loooooove candid photos, and excel at capturing real moments.

But back in the day, I didn't realize how important it was to CREATE the moment + GIVE people a way to interact so they could express that emotion.

I was awkward.

They were awkward.

And thank GOD a friend who'd been in front of my camera finally told me just how awkward it really was.

Because then I got better.

And better.

I studied posing techniques for different body types.

I studied lighting techniques.

I learned how to make people comfortable in front of my camera.

I learned to multitask... keeping up a steady stream of conversation with my "models," while making technical calculations in my head + adjusting my equipment.

My skill set grew + I began to blossom as an artist.

And subsequently, time and time again, I've been told by those who nervously step in front of my camera that the experience was actually FUN.

They say "Wow... you made me look beautiful."

And my reply is always the same... "That beauty was already there. I just helped share it with the world."

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Tomorrow, you can see for yourself.

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Because tomorrow, the Fall Arts + Fashion Issue of @sourceweekly hits the stands, and one of their main pictorial stories (and the COVER) features 12 models of the zodiac signs, photographed by ME. And the "models" weren't actually models at all. They were REAL people. Which makes my heart even happier.

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This was a collaboration of soooooo many awesome people here in Bend... project stylists, hair + makeup artists, jewelry artisans + more. And I can't WAIT to see our work in print.

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Go grab the issue as soon as it hits stands... I'd love to hear what you think. ❤️

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(Pssst... this isn't an image from that shoot. Those pics are secret till tomorrow. This image is from a past workshop, as I was working on some posing skills.)

the napkin note

The lunch bell would ring, and I would race to meet my friends behind the statue in the quad. But as everyone else hugged hello (as if we hadn't seen each other in YEARS and not just a period or two ago) and started to tease and laugh and flirt, I would take a moment apart from the crowd to open my brown paper bag, excited at what I'd find within.

My dad packed my lunch each morning, so I knew I'd find the usual fare... lunchmeat + cheese sandwich cut diagonally, some pringles and maybe some oreos (ummm, yeah... the concept of a healthy diet wasn't exactly a hot topic in our household). But my FAVORITE discovery was always the daily napkin note I knew would be there.

Not an emotionally demonstrative man, my dad was never short on sharing words of love as long as he could WRITE them down instead.

So each day I received a "love note" of sorts. Written in ALL CAPS in sharpie marker on a puckered white paper napkin.

Sometimes his words would wish me luck on an upcoming test, some days I'd receive an inspirational quote, and other days he simply wrote of how proud he was to be my father. And each day I would get the warm and fuzzies, simply seeing those XOXOXOs signed at the bottom of the paper napkin.

Such a simple gesture, but one that has remained with me always.

And who knew I would become so like him in so many ways. I find it difficult to say the words aloud at times, and I write them down instead. Journals, post-it-notes, notebooks... papers scattered across my home. In my instagram posts. And now, here.

Because we could ALL use a little LOVE NOTE at times. A few words of encouragement, an inspirational quote, or simply something to say I SEE YOU and LOVE YOU no matter what.

So, carrying on the tradition, here's my first of many napkin notes to come.

And what BETTER time to start than on a Monday... when we could ALL use a little pep-talk?!

the big day // Bend, Oregon Lifestyle Wedding Photography

It was finally the BIG day, and she was a bundle of nerves... dancing through the house on her tiptoes, waving her freshly manicured fingernails about, and peeking around the corner at the grownups in their fancy dresses as they sat side-by-side, getting their makeup done.

A moment later it would be her own turn... with a few strokes of blush and straightened hair, today was definitely an occasion to play dress-up.

Because today was the day her mother was getting married, and she'd be getting a new step-dad, too!

Helped into her flowergirl dress and fancy shoes, she gave one last grin and flew up the stairs to excitedly show off just how TALL she was in her fancy shoes... and they even had HEELS. A few squirts of perfume, and she was feeling like one of the ladies.

With the others still getting ready, the bride-to-be turned to her daughter for assistance in getting dressed in a fancy gown of her own. And what started out as a time-saving convenience turned into a once-in-a-lifetime moment between mother and daughter.

Tiny fingers zipping up her mother's wedding dress, as her mother might be doing for HER one day. And watching in awe as the woman before her transformed from "Mom" into a glamorous bride that could decorate the pages of a magazine.

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See, the wedding day isn't always just about the bride and groom...

There are soooooo many amazing stories happening in the background, and it's my pleasure to bring them to light.

That's the fun in being a lifestyle photographer. Seek and ye shall find... because we ALL have a story to tell.

let the adventure begin.

The Suitcase Studio - Adventure

[one month ago]

December 5, 2014... Let the ADVENTURE Begin!

There's a great deal of rumbling beneath me. A roar of engines, then a pressure at my back... like going light-speed on Star Tours at Disneyland... only 159,982 times better. I give a quick glance out the window to my left (past the bored-looking girl already reading a magazine) and the world suddenly tilts sharply. Drastically. And there's the wing of the plane, acting as a level to indicate just how sharply we are pointed.

Going up, up, up... and I want to throw my hands up and giggle. For real. It's the best rollercoaster I've ever been on. Because this adventure is real.

And just like that, the tears prick at my eyes. Unexpectedly, but not unwelcome. Because I've still got a HUGE grin on my face.

Gaining altitude, plane shaking, and my heart soars and shakes along with it, too. Because I'm uphere... high above the ground... in one of those planes I'd watch from the ground and wistfully tell myself "someday."

That was always it. "Someday," I'd say... dreaming of a future when the timing would be right, the money would be there, I'd have a good travel companion and the stars would be aligned... then I'd "do it." Whatever "it" was. Fly to New York, Seattle, San Francisco, ITALY, or even back to Walt Disney World. Someday I would travel. I'd go, really...

I promised this to myself every day as I'd drive into work, watching the planes fly overhead... looking up and wondering where they were headed. I'd smile and wish them well on their travels, then imagine I was high above myself, in that plane right along side them.

"Someday," I'd whisper to myself on a sigh... driving to my daily drudgery. But someday never seemed to happen. Days turned to years. Same routine, same life, same issues, same promises.

Till today.

My stomach keeps dropping and tightening and the butterflies are definitely putting on a show in there... but I can't tell if it's caused by the dipping of the plane in turbulence, or because I know this is such a big step in my life, and the reality is finally hitting me a bit more.

I've talked about adventures and finding it "someday." But this is finally happening today. The twisting and turning continues, and I've still got that stupid grin plastered to my face.

Alone, but not lonely.

And incredibly excited to see where my path leads next.

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