Senior pictures - Mark

Mark's mom told me he likes things artistic and unique. Yeah, I love that! He came up with great locations and I had a blast photographing his session. We started at Decatur HS where he wanted some photos next to "the shed". Wow, I went nuts over it's colors and textures! I super saturated the color on this one.

Shot a few more around the school before heading to another location.

I applied a hand colored look to this one.This spot has a fantastic view of Mount Rainier, Commencement Bay and Tacoma.
We finished at Dash Point park where we got lots more great images. It's fun and challenging shooting on location. I use what I find there as the "props" and adjust with the changing light and weather conditions.

Here's an example where the background was very bright, and we were under the shade of a tree, so I used my softbox flash as a main light, exposing for good color in the background. The sun provided a perfect rim and hair light.Here's an example of using the sun as my main light, and filling the shadows with my flash unit. Positioning a subject so that the light is from the side accents shape and form. Using shadow is just as important as using light in good photography.I applied a special warm, grainy, contrasty, technique to this image for a different and dramatic look.And I gave this one a rich chocolate tone, with a sweet smile for mom.

Happy Birthday Lillian!

It has been such a joy photographing Lillian over the past year - mommy's maternity, newborn, 3, 6, 9 months and now one year portraits. I'm always amazed by her beautiful eyes and long lashes. Here's a tip: click on the "babies" label below and you can view all the posts under that subject. Scroll down to see images from all of Lillian's sessions and the changes over the year.

6 month baby

What a great session this was! Logan is such a happy baby and was so fun to photograph.

Senior pictures - Brittni

I always encourage Seniors to personalize their portraits by showing their interests and hobbies. Brittni is a fan of the Harry Potter books, so we used those in some of her portraits. This is a good example showing that a subject doesn't have to look at the camera to be an effective portrait. I think the rather medieval looking stone wall ties in nicely with the theme.

Her dress worked perfectly for my white on white technique.

Another with the cool blue fashion look.

Senior pictures - Hannah

It's a big week for Federal Way seniors with graduation ceremonies this week. Here's a few faves from Hannah's session.

Little girls and pretty dresses

Don't they just melt your heart? Jaeden was a busy girl as she explored the garden, had a tea party and discovered a new game in the studio.

Senior pictures - Cristina

I'm always on the look out for new backgrounds, props and poses to mix things up and keep it fresh. Cristina is a natural in front of the camera and photographing her was such a joy. We used two of my newer backgrounds and my new favorite chair.





I saw this iron trellis in the garden department and grabbed it quick! I had a vision, and this image is just what I had in mind.


She has such beautiful eyes, and I love how their color stands out here, reflected in the jacket color and contrasted against the green grass.

Memorial Day

Thanks and prayers to those who serve our country.

Senior pictures - Jacob

We started Jacob's session at his high school and it provided lots of possibilities for great backgrounds.

Senior pictures - Jacob, a few more

Beach portraits look great in black and white too.

Jacob was happy to put his jacket on by this time as it was getting chilly. I applied a dreamy, grainy effect to this one.

Loved the texture of this old log on the beach. That great smile is pretty nice too!

This one is perfect with a high contrast sepia look.

Senior Graduation is a perfect time for a family portrait too. Mom did a great job coordinating the sweaters for this.

Senior pictures - Boys of (almost) summer

Had a blast photographing Jacob's second senior portrait session. Some of his buddies met us down at the beach to pose for a few and show off their fine form. These guys have been friends since they were little boys so this will be a memorable keepsake at this turning point in their lives. A lifelong friendship is a rare and wonderful thing, and a portrait together is a great way to honor that friendship. It was a cool day but they braved the weather so we could get the shot. Thanks guys!