Washington State Wedding and Senior Portrait Photographer Colleen Donovan

Newborn Baby Portraits in Wenatchee Washington – Welcome Baby C!

Colleen — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:53:56 +0000

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What a sweetie!! I’ve been waiting for about 4 years for this little Mister to come into this world!

I was Tanya and Matt’s wedding photographer, then I was able to create Tanya’s maternity pictures and now baby is here! Any baby would be lucky to have the mom and dad this guy has!! This was one of those baby sessions that are few and far between. Not too far, but just far enough for me to remember how nice it is when they happen.

The room we were working in was nice and toasty warm thanks to careful planning by mom. He had just been fed and fell asleep just before I arrived. Having had five babies myself, I know that no amount of perfect planning would make any difference if the tiny tot doesn’t want to play along. But he did! And he was fabulous!

As always a few of my favorites:

Professional Moses Lake Baby Portraits – Sweet Baby P

Colleen — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:38:17 +0000

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This little guy was only 4 days old when I got to photograph him! His mom and dad were a little worried about how the pictures would turn out since I recommended I come to their home. They are currently residing in a smallish apartment just perfect for a brand new family who’s dad is attending college.

They were pleasantly surprised to find out that since babies are so small I only need a small space to work with! I had so much fun talking with Baby P’s mom and grandma during the session. This sweet boy is LOVED! I am so excited for all of them and I sure hope I get to watch him grow for a long time (dad will have to take extra classes or something!). I don’t want to share too many since we just ordered his amazing birth announcements and I don’t want to ruin the surprise for anyone receiving one! Yay for babies!!

Are you expecting? Congrats!! You need to know about my ‘Baby’s First Year’ plan. It’s perfect for moms and dads who don’t want to miss a single milestone! You can reach me through the contact button above for more info.

A few of my favorites:

WPPI 2012

Colleen — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:46:39 +0000

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Was amazing! WPPI is the acronym for Wedding and Portrait Professionals International. Every year they have a huge convention filled with amazing classes on everything from how to take better pictures to managing your business. I scheduled eight classes before I went and was planning on trying to get into a few more, but with the trade show and wanting to do a little sight seeing, it turned out that eight was perfect.

Kevin came with me and my mom graciously took care of the basketball team for the 6 days we were gone. Caleb only called a couple of times to tell us how mean she was. An improvement from when Kevin’s dad passed away this last summer and our dear friend Esther stayed with them. Yikes. The problem is, I can’t complain about what he does because I absolutely see me in him at his best and worst moments. Sigh…

Anyway, grandma came armed with lots of stuff to do and she even let the kids try their hand at candy making. My mom owns her own candy shop and makes delicious hand dipped chocolates, caramels, chews, etc. It’s so good! She showed the kids how to make almond joys and caramel and chocolate covered pretzels. I have a few stashed away in my closet for when I need a time out. Hehe!

So, back to WPPI. I’ve never been to Vegas and to say it was ‘different’ is kind of an understatement. Although it was beautiful and super fun, I don’t think I would ever go there just to hang out or for a vacation. I don’t drink or smoke and I do my best not to gamble.

We drove out of town to visit Hoover Dam and on the way back to the hotel we stopped by the Las Vegas Temple. I totally needed the peace that you can only find at the temple. We did see the KA show at the MGM Grand on the last night we were in town and it was unbelievable!! Totally recommend that one! Holy moly – there are no words to describe it. I just hope one of my kids grow up and joins the circus for real! I spent too much money at the trade show but it was fun to say hi, in person, to all of the professional photo labs and services that I use and love. I also came back with gorgeous albums dancing around in my head. I can’t wait to order samples and start selling them!

Let’s see… I saw a couple of different shooting and posing demonstrations by Bambi Cantrell and Me Ra Koh. That was fun. It’s always interesting to watch other people do their thing. I also splurged on not one, but two Kelly Moore camera bags. Love them! I think the most important thing was that I came home feeling energized and refreshed at the same time. It might have helped that I sat in front of David Beckstead on the plane home and made myself look like a rabid, crazy fan when I realized who he was. He was very polite and pretended not to notice! Hahaha!! All in all I can’t wait to show my clients what I have in store for them!! Here are a few pictures I took while wandering around Nevada and downtown Las Vegas. I can’t argue with anyone who claims Vegas sparkles!

Hillary and Eric’s New Year’s Eve Wedding in Moses Lake

Colleen — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:02:33 +0000

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If I wrote everything I wanted to say about this wedding, it would take pages and pages. New Year’s Eve in Moses Lake was cold and sunny – beautiful! Everything was beautiful, really. There was no detail left unattended and everyone surrounding the bride and groom were amazing! It was just a wonderful event! We took the bride’s getting ready pictures out at one of the condos at Moses Pointe and then headed to St. Martin’s Episcopal church for the first look and the sweet ceremony. Hillary’s veil and dress were gorgeous! I could have taken pictures of her all day and been totally happy.

After the ceremony we headed downtown to take some fun pictures with the Christmas lights that were still up and then went on to the fabulous reception at the Moses Lake Golf and Country Club. The evening was so much fun and I am so grateful that I got to spend my last minute of 2011 doing what I love! I’ll stop typing and add some pictures now.

Congratulations Hillary and Eric!! Thank you so much for asking me to document your wonderful day!

Miss A is Three Months Old Already! ~ Moses Lake, WA Baby Photographer

Colleen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:00:01 +0000

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And she liked me this time! She had a howling good time during her newborn session, but I still won. I left unscathed (hello – I’ve had five – crying babies no longer faze me…) and wishing I could have spent more time snuggling with her.

They get big so darn fast. Anyway, she had a much better time with her 3 month session. Her mom and I put her in a basket with apples, wrapped her in Christmas lights, etc. You know, all the fun stuff you do with babies! Hehe! We all had a fun time! A few of my faves –

Can’t wait to see her and her mom again in three short months!

Sweetest Couple Ever! ~ Wenatchee Maternity Photographer

Colleen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:15:40 +0000

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Tanya and Matt. I have enjoyed every minute of having them in my life since the moment we met! Their sweet wedding at Beecher Hill House in Peshastin still feels like it was last month, but time has certainly and happily kept moving forward for these kids! At the Bridal Premiere in Wenatchee last January, Tanya was amazing and helped me out the entire day by talking me up to future brides who attended the show.

We did the entire session in their home because it was so. freezing. cold. outside. Brrrr… I love how they turned out!

I can’t even tell you how excited I am for their world to be turned upside down and sideways when they welcome their baby boy into it! So many good things are in store for them that they have no idea (no one does until it happens!!) and there is no way I could fit it all into my blog. Ever. I am equally as excited for the lucky little boy who gets to call them mom and dad. I have to stop now or I’ll start blubbering and won’t be able to edit anymore tonight…

Congrats again, you two!!

Wedding Bouquet Inspiration

Colleen — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:05:06 +0000

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Check these gorgeous bouquets out! I kind of marvel that every bride comes up with a unique wedding bouquet even after all these years of photographing weddings. Kudos to all of the talented floral designers out there – we have several in the Columbia Basin and Moses Lake that are nothing short of amazing.

If you’re looking for some bouquet and boutonniere inspiration look no further…

Happy Wednesday!

So this is Christmas…

Colleen — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:26:33 +0000

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These Bridesmaid Dresses are Amazing!!

Colleen — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:54:01 +0000

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Are you planning a wedding? Will you be in a wonderfully fun and awesome yet classy and chic wedding this upcoming summer? Check these out! You can convert them into 15 or so different dresses which means you really will be able to wear them after the wedding. Twenty colors, 4 lengths, all sorts of possibilities. No lie!

I want one!!

http://www.twobirdsbridesmaid.com/

It’s crafty and clever things like this that make me lament the fact that my brain most certainly does not think of these amazing ideas…

Leigh-Ann and Sean’s Riverfront Park Engagement Session ~ Spokane Wedding Photography

Colleen — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:47:07 +0000

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So cold! And so gorgeous!! Leigh-Ann, Sean and I got together in November at Riverfront Park in Spokane for their engagement session. We braved the cold and a bit of wind, but the pictures are so worth it! The reds, oranges and yellows of fall were brilliant! The electric blue sky and white puffy clouds didn’t hurt either.

We walked down to the Powerhouse. Then we walked back up to the clock tower. Then we hiked over to the civic center. We had to or we would have frozen in place. Hehe!

Leigh-Ann is beautiful in person, but when I got home and started working on their images I was blown away. Some lucky people just absolutely glow in pictures! Lucky duck… Anyway, I had a great time torturing Sean and making sure he was all ready for his wedding day pictures which will be impossibly hard to wait for! I am so excited for the heat at their July wedding in Wenatchee! Yes!! In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites. Pictures or it didn’t happen, right??