Studio Redecorate

OK, this isn't news for many of you, who have visited my studio in the past 6 months. Still, I thought it would be fun for everyone to see the makeover, ala my business consultant, Ariel. (See her profile here.)


Gone is the pool table :( but the newly decorated studio definitely captures the boutique-style that matches the photography you love!

Sunny Solstice

Aloha from Kaua'i! The wedding was beautiful. The weather was rainy at times, but turned gorgeous on the day we were leaving. It figures, huh? Except that the Portland airport was shut down due to inclement weather (guess there's a whale of a snow and ice storm going on in the PNW), so we were stuck here for three more days.

I'm guessing that no one is feeling sorry for us, huh? Congratulations to Dannielle & Nels!

And if you're looking for a fabulous destination wedding site, check out Smith Family Gardens.

And remember to bring your favorite photographer!

Aloha!

I leave on Saturday to photograph a destination wedding in...Hawaii! Nels & Dannielle originally hoped to marry in Salem this summer, but Nels is a nuclear engineer on the USS Abraham Lincoln, and summer found him deployed in the Gulf. The wedding was delayed until December, and they decided upon a tropical location.

Nels & Dannielle highly value photography (Nels is the son of renowned photographers Neil & Miriam Haugen) so they asked me to consider going to Hawaii to photograph the wedding. I considered for a good 2 or 3 seconds before I said - yes!

So, the house sitter is in place, the bags are almost packed, the camera equipment checked and checked again. Aloha!

Please Call Me Back!

In August, I had the privilege of judging Youth and Student prints at the State Fair. I was so pleased to see the depth of talent exhibited by these young people.

After the awards ceremony, I got to talk with several of the entrants. I provided my telephone number and encouraged them to call me for further photography chatting.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the young women called me. I was in a session, so she left a message on my answering machine. I was so excited to hear from her. Since it was after hours, I saved the message, intending to call the next day.

Except that when I went to call her, I discovered that I'd accidentally DELETED her message, rather than saving it! I've been hoping she would call me back, but I haven't heard from her.

If you are the young woman who called me, PLEASE call me again. I promise I won't lose your message this time! :)

The Company that Saved Me

Every once in a while a business takes such good care of its customers that it makes us all sit up and take notice.

Willamette Technical is one of those businesses. In September, I had a rotten, awful, no-good, really-bad day. On that day, all THREE of my computers decided to misbehave, all with unrelated issues. It was a busy client day, and I desperately needed my computers to run.

Brian and Brent of Willamette Technical came to my rescue! At one point, both of them were at my studio, busily working to restore my computers. They got them up and running before my first client arrived.

Here's the thing: They actually LOVE working on that blasted hardware. And it shows. They are competent and caring, and they saved me that day. I brought them back out to correct a couple of long-standing issues, and again, they were able to quickly make my computers run more smoothly than ever.

If you ever need computer assistance, call Willamette Technical at (5030 485-2801. They will take care of you!

Em makes the news!

Emily and her family are part of the 'Cherie Renae' family. We first met in 2008 for a family portrait session, and this summer I photographed her older sister, Kelsie - class of 2009.

Emily is a talented soccer player, and is in the Statesman-Journal today. Note that she is taking the ball from two opponents! Click here for the full story.



image (c)2008 Statesman-Journal

Harris returns

Harris was one of my models this spring. We recently completed his senior portrait session - and wow, was it fun! Harris has one of those faces that lends itself perfectly to that serious and brooding look. Yes, we got big smiles from him, too - here's a sneak preview of his session -
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