Thoughts on a Christmas Eve morn

This year was a year of change. It didn't start out that way - it began as most years do, with resolutions & business plans & such. But this summer, my father-in-law suffered a medical emergency, and by mid-August he was gone. He was laid to rest in a beautiful spot right by my husband, who passed seven years ago.

One month later, I had applied and been accepted to graduate school. (It's a low-residency program, so I will still be in Salem to create portrait art for you all. No worries!) I chose an MFA program in Creative Writing at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. It's about an hour drive from my home via the back roads, so the twice-yearly pilgrimage to on-campus seminars will be an easy one.

We can never see our future, not really, but I have the strong sense that my love of photography & my love of writing will somehow be intertwined. Perhaps creative books with portraits of my clients & a written tale of their lives? Perhaps a collaboration of my visual & written art? Perhaps a reality much bigger & better than any I can imagine?

I think that is the message of this year. Our dreams are only the beginning. Our futures - yours, mine - will be grander & stranger than what we can envision. Rather than trying to glimpse (and plan) it all before we dare begin, we need to pray & trust & fly out our doors every day, because wonderful adventures await.

A very merry Christmas to you all.

It's SUPPOSED to be fun!

Marge was recently ordained as a deacon in the Episcopalian church. I knew Marge as a fellow member of St. Paul's Episcopal. She also went to seminary with my son, Gabriel, in an ecumenical school called Northwest House of Theological Studies, loosely affiliated with Willamette University.

Together, we decided she needed an updated 'biz pic' as she steps into her new vocation. Before we began, she (like 90% of the people who come before my camera) told me she didn't really enjoy having her photograph taken.

When we were finished, she said, "That was fun!" I told her (as I told all the others), "It's SUPPOSED to be fun!" :)

Stumptown!

I took a mini vacation to Portland, Oregon, affectionately known by the locals as 'Stumptown'. I visited with a friend who is an avid amateur photographer, and we spent a full day wandering through downtown & the Pearl district, photographing the sights.

This was photography for the sheer joy of it - but I also took the opportunity to learn. I have a very wide angle lens, and I wanted to become more comfortable with it. So, I put it on my camera and used it all day long. It forced me to see the world through a WIDE perspective. I was frustrated sometimes when I saw a beautiful photo op that begged for a zoom lens, but by the end of the day, I was pretty pleased with my results. I love photography!

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?