Biz Pics!

I don't think a business portrait needs to be boring. Even a basic head-and-shoulders shot should show the unique personality of the individual.

Fabulous Ms. Teresa was in my studio last week for a biz pic. She is an Arbonne consultant - great products, if anyone is looking for a really wonderful skin care line!

This Isn't Your Parent's Church Directory

That's what one of the members of First Congreg. said as I photo- graphed them for their new directory!


And it's true. My vision for a church directory is NOT the painful, ugly process that we've come to expect. A directory should be a ministry from start to finish. It should be beautiful. It should be fun!

Fun? Church directory photography? I know, I know. You're skeptical, aren't you? But the members of First Congregational aren't - not anymore.

And I've discovered that I LOVE doing this ministry. It's a lot of hard work, but it provides this poor widow a living wage :), it allows me to partner with congregation members to create a beautiful directory AND fund other church ministries, and best of all....it's....(you know it's coming)....FUN! We laugh and talk and get to know one another. The hardest part is leaving when the photography time is over.

The best part is that I feel like I have another church home. Isn't that how it should be?

Interested in having our studio photograph your next directory? Click here for more information. Wow. I sound like an informercial, don't I? I guess I'm just in a happy tizzy about directories. Down, girl... :)

Memory Itself

A portrait I did recently has been causing all kinds of excitement amongst her friends, and I wanted to comment on personal portrait art.

I truly believe that we all need portrait art that captures our heart & soul. A good portrait is MEMORY itself. It reminds us who we are, and tells succeeding generations about our unique spirit.

Yes, we want images with our families. With our pets. With our children and our spouses and our friends.

But we are all unique individuals. At some point, we should have a portrait that commemorates who WE are - a portrait that points us to ourselves. That reminds us that we are unique, special, and that we each carry within us an eternal Spark that causes us to shine brightly in each others' eyes. Because sometimes we forget that truth about ourselves.

Great portrait art is indisputable proof that we are special - to ourselves, to our families, and to the universe.

Seniors as Art

Eli is one of those well-connected people who just seems to know EVERYONE. It doesn't matter if I'm talking to a student at West Salem, South Salem, or North Salem - everyone knows Eli! I think that's partly because he is a very caring person. For example, he volunteered to take care of my doggie a couple of years ago when my dad was ill and I needed to travel to Portland often. That's why, when he came and told me he wanted to work for me, I was happy to hire him.


Well, we FINALLY got together for his senior session. He was more nervous about it than anyone! :) We talked about what he'd like to see in his session. He said that he wanted some images that had an artistic feel to them, something a bit out of the ordinary. I think we succeeded - what do you think?

BeadForLife

This morning I found this website, BeadForLife, which sells unique, affordable, beautiful jewelry. And it's made from paper! I thought these items were very groovy, and wanted to share.

As an added bonus, it's a fair trade business. What is fair trade? It's the idea that craftspeople in developing countries should be paid sustainable wages for their products. One Fair World in downtown Salem is a fair trade store, and has beautiful items at very reasonable prices, too.

A Day to Remember

Jordan & Andrew were married on Saturday. I originally knew Jordan as a classmate of my son, Nicholas, and as a participant in South Salem High School's EXCELLENT music program.

Time moves on, doesn't it? She has been attending college in Seattle for - is it three years now, Jordan? - and while there, she met Andy.

Jordan & Andy have something special going on. I watched them during our engagement photography session, and you can see the love & the respect they have for one another. They are very affectionate - and SO cute!

The wedding was held at a beautiful old church in Albany. It was raining most of the day, but we managed to sneak outside for a few shots!

In Memory of the Judge

Most people called him the Judge. Even long into retirement, he was usually affectionately addressed as “Judge” by friends and acquaintances. He did spend a quarter of a century on the bench, after all. But I never thought of him as the Judge. I knew him as my lovable, if irascible, father-in-law.

Many were a little nervous around him – even his children, if the truth be told, and for good reason. He had a quick mind and a debater’s heart, and he did not hesitate to severely challenge a carelessly spoken opinion, even if he agreed with it. In the beginning, I kept my mouth shut around him because our political and life views were not often in agreement.

During those early days, he made statements that just INFLAMED me, but I sat quietly and seethed – until the day that I caught him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I realized he was baiting me! He was deliberately making outrageous statements, just to get me to engage. I finally took the bait, and we found in each other worthy sparring partners. From that day on he adored me and I adored him right back. He was a loving grandfather to my children, and a caring father-in-law to me.

We remained close even after my beloved husband, his son, died: closer, really, because by then his health was declining a little and my sons & I were the only family in town. We invited him over for dinner every Monday night. I would cook and musically talented Nicholas would sing. The weekly dinners quickly evolved into concerts with Nick & his many talented friends, who entertained us with piano concertos, opera oratorios, jazz numbers, and more. The Monday night dinners are legendary still – all started to please a man who meant the world to us.

Dad’s health declined precipitously this past year. In June, he was moved to Tennessee to be near his oldest son.

I got the phone call this morning. It was a blessing, really. In the end, he was nothing but a shell of himself, hooked up to a respirator, IV’s, and a feeding tube. But the fact that it was a blessing for him doesn’t completely ease the pain for me.

Who is going to sit with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes while Nicholas sings? Who is going to engage me verbally and challenge my opinions? Who is going to complain that the world is ‘no damn good’ and in the next breath relate a tale of justice and kindness?

He was difficult and lovable and cantankerous and generous and I treasure all the evenings we spent talking over a glass of wine. I loved him deeply and I will miss him dearly.