A month ago, I received a mention from someone that I hadn’t talked to in a while, but it put a huge smile on my face. I had photographed him before, so when he wanted me to be involved to help capture a proposal to his amazing girlfriend, I was beyond excited. A Cathedral Park proposal sounded absolutely divine!

Over the last month, plans have changed and adjusted. We altered the plan, talked through some nerves and overall were ready for anything to happen.
But we were blessed because Saturday went perfectly.

I brought a friend with me to use as cover while we waited in Cathedral Park. The plan was to have them start down by the river and end up in the major architectural marvel that is the bottom of the St. John’s Bridge. In order to make it look as natural as possible, my friend and I sat at the top. We were just chatting and waiting patiently while they explored the rest of the park, blending in to the crowd. Messages occasionally would come from Matt, things like how many pictures she was taking and how they were enjoying themselves, even though I am sure he was freaking out. I also had configured Find My Friends with him on his iPhone, so I could watch his dot move around the park.

Then I got the notification that they were on their way…and then we got ambushed! Another photographer was doing an (adorable) couples session under the bridge and so they had to pause momentarily before continuing on to be in the perfect position.

An echoing “Are you SURE?” erupted from her mouth when he asked. At this point, there were several people at the top of the stairs, watching the magic happen. You could feel the sheer joy and happiness that laid over the entire park. It’s a connection you get when magical moments occur in the world. I don’t know who those people were and will never talk to them again, but we all have this moment together.

Emotions were obviously running high. All of the work put into this, and it was over. The relief was palatable. He could finally breathe and not have to lie or keep secrets from her anymore. She had told him that those kinds of lies were okay, but I could tell it was a relief to not have to stress about that part of it.

Now came the fun part! The pressure was off. I could reintroduce myself to her (we had met before, at a community movie watching event last summer) and we could do some fun engagement photos to commemorate this moment even more.

The love and joy and happiness just was rolling off these two in waves. I had tears in my eyes as I got to witness this moment.

And how perfect was her outfit? She couldn’t have planned what to wear for a photo shoot any better. She looked flawless!

Thank you, Morgan and Matt for letting me a part of this magical Cathedral Park proposal with you. I am so excited for your wedding and hope that you are able to keep this joy in your hearts in the coming months and future years of your marriage!

The post Love In Cathedral Park :: Portland, Oregon Proposal Photographer appeared first on A Life Condensed.

You may remember these beautiful girls from our snowy winter session. This time, we got to play in the nice warm sunshine!

Their growth as dancers has been so much fun to see and be a part of. There were multiple outfit changes, and scenery changes, all gathered into a single location. They brought their supermodel sides, for sure!

My senior portrait season is open! Contact me if you need to book your senior portraits!

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My daughter is a part of the local dance studio and competition team and they have me be a part of the team as the photographer.

This means I got to participate in the 4th of July parade this year!

It was such a blast, even though I walked more than double the length of the parade because I was running around the whole time. The weather was perfect, the audience was fantastic, and the dancers of course, were amazing.

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I am a huge fan of The Wheel of Time. It’s a high fantasy book series written by Robert Jordan, and is the reason my husband and I met. My daughter is named after one of the characters in the books even.

So when I had the opportunity to photograph the event that was created just for the series in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, I was there in a heartbeat.

It was a long weekend full of some friends I’ve known for more than 15 years but so much fun. Here are just a few shots from the event!

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This year, we had the most snow we’d seen in more than 8 years. It very rarely snows at all in the Willamette Valley, let alone this much! So of course, I had to take advantage of it.

When these two girls are willing to do anything in the snow? You know it’s going to be good.

When they are both on the high school dance team? It’s heaven!

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You may recognize the fabulous Santa Claus and Mrs Claus from earlier in the blog. They had a vow renewal ceremony in the summer and it was the best way to really get to know this couple. Especially because I would be helping them out with their Santa House that winter!

He’s been Santa for more than 20 years and was tired of the malls and transactional type of interactions. So they built their own little place to have their own style of meeting Santa Claus.

And it is amazing. It was so fantastic to get to work with Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the amazing people in this community!

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This sweet little girl is so loved. She is a rainbow baby, which is a healthy child born after a miscarriage.

She was so wanted and waited for. You can just tell how much everyone loves each other too! It was so much fun playing at the end of the year with this fabulous family of three.

The post Sweet Rainbow Baby :: Forest Grove, Oregon Family Photographer appeared first on A Life Condensed.

After the gorgeous ceremony overlooking the forest, we had an intimate meal and played badminton. But the fun didn’t stop there! The next day, we played archery and then ran around in the actual Yosemite park having fun. It was so amazing and I was honored to be a part of their special day!

The post Love in Yosemite :: Destination Wedding Photographer appeared first on A Life Condensed.

Earlier this year, I participated in a silent auction to raise money for a local bakery. The winning bid raised a great amount for the bakery, and we got to get together and hang out for the afternoon with this beautiful winning family.

While the gorgeous Polly was getting her hair and makeup done by the fabulous Katheryn, the rest of us were playing in the park.

It gave me an opportunity to let the kids run off some energy and oh my, did they need it! Both of these littles are the sweetest little monsters ever! The youngest little girl is very obviously fearless. She will do anything without thinking about what might happen because of it. But OH her facial expressions. She is fiery and full of life. The only way she calms down is if she is in someone’s arms. Or has props.

And then there is big brother. He is less fearless, partially because he is older, but also because he is very cognitive to what is going on around the world. His facial expressions were so expressive and pensive. The only time I could get him to stop talking was when I asked him if he could see the bug in my lens. His rosy cheeks are just the best, aren’t they?

The weather was perfect to play. Even with the bright sun – it’s a perfect time to fly!

After mama got gorgeous, she got to play for a little bit before we went on a walk.

And then we got to explore the hiking trails next to the park. This is my favorite area to shoot in, especially with younger kids. Even if the working them out before hand didn’t quite help as much…these two are a whirlwind of energy!

But we all survived! No one was hurt or died, which is always a goal for my sessions. I’m at a 100% success rate as well!

We had such a nice and explorative hike. Looking at the trees and the plants, finding badger dens and looking for squirrels meant everyone was occupied.

And thanks to a baby on my shoulders and the little man telling mommy and daddy how to pose, we got some photos of just the adults.

I love when two very busy parents have a moment to breathe. Even if it’s just a couple moments of peace and quiet where they can remind themselves why they fell in love. Because raising two toddlers is no joke and definitely not for the faint of heart.

This winning family is one of my favorites, and so I think I’m the big winner in this case. What about you? Do you think they are as fabulous as I do?

Do you need your own family photo session? Contact me to get on my schedule! Now is the perfect time to get family photos for your Christmas cards! Before the rain and the clouds come in!

The post Winning Family of Awesomeness :: Forest Grove, Oregon Family Photographer appeared first on A Life Condensed.

You’ve finally found someone that’s taken the photos you love and have hired them. Maybe you’ve stalked their social media accounts and fell in love with their posing or their natural looking groups. You want someone that will showcase the adoration and love that exists in your family.

The problem pops up that maybe you are second guessing yourself. How can that photographer capture your family like that? You know your kids. You know your partner and their mood swings. Maybe you are even going to throw a dog into the mix.

Well, I’m here to share with you the truth behind the session.

You’ve met the Boucks before. Their session in my last post is full of love and happiness, but believe me when I say that it was one of the most difficult challenges I’ve had in a while.

At the beginning of the session, this is what I got.

Everyone was stressed and it was showing. Mom wanted some beautiful posed images and was started to get frazzled, especially when the kids were done. They just wanted to run around and get the energy out.

So that’s what we did.

As soon as they had some running time and exploration and I kindly had mom and dad go snuggle behind me, we were able to get the wiggles out. They trusted me and were willing to let me play with them.

Kids have just as much fear and frustration in front of a camera as adults, they just may not be able to verbalize it. Even these two, who I’ve been photographing most of their lives (the little one since before he was born), were still unsure and nervous.

The best thing to do is be patient. I won’t let them hurt themselves and if they can relax a little and be who they are for a little bit, everyone will end up a little bit happier.

They will see the bug in my camera and be able to relax and know that this can be fun. I’m also not above bribery.

Eventually though, it will all be okay. They will relax, the dog will relax, the parents will relax and that is when the magic can happen.

The magic you don’t see, however, is a family that trusts the photographer and knows that what will happen by the end of the session is well worth it.

That is why you should hire a professional. They have the experience and the knowledge to know what is normal and how to get past it. And that is invaluable.

Are you ready to book your session?

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