Art of Subtlety Photography

Cali :: Spokane WA

2012-02-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

My fiance and I celebrated New Years with our friends in Spokane, WA (about a 5 hour drive East from Seattle...unless you drive like Nate, in which case you'll make it there in about 4 hours and 15 minutes). We stayed an extra couple days to hang out with Cora, Tyler and their beautiful girl Cali and of course I brought along my camera to take photos of that adorable little munchkin:

Thanks again Cora, Tyler and Cali for another awesome stay at the Chateau Shellito! :)

Valentine's Day Overlays :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2012-01-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

Photo overlays have become pretty popular and I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a few to give my website home page a fun Valentine's Day vibe...

Daniel & Bonnie's Kirkland Engagement Session

2012-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

There are 5 kids in my family and my brother Daniel is smack-dab in the middle of 2 older and 2 younger sisters. I like to think he's lucky because he has so many sisters to give him girl advice, but the truth is we're the lucky ones. Daniel is an amazing brother who is willing to hike mountains with me, meet me for happy hour even though he doesn't drink, go to Ikea with me even if it's on a Saturday afternoon, pay for dinner even though I insist it's my turn, and he's always there to lend a helping hand (or ear).

It's no surprise that Daniel decided to marry Bonnie, a girl who brings out the best in others, has a roll-with-the-punches attitude, and has a heart that is bigger and more generous than most.

They were married in December and before the wedding I had the chance to photograph them together. Here are a couple of my favorite pics from their session:

the Allen family & their garden :: Seattle Family Photographer

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Daryl, Sarah & Max had me come to their home for a photo session and as soon as I saw their backyard garden I knew I wanted to move in...but instead I settled for photographing their family of 3 out there amongst the fresh-picked carrots, giant greens and wandering chicken.

The Kneifel Family & a Herald article :: Seattle Family Photographer

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and hello 2012!

Apparently the hope to fill my blog this month with lots of posts hasn't been successful thus far, however with the snow that kept me inside last week I was ~~forced~~ able to sit down and a few posts to give this blog the love it deserves!

The holidays were crazy-busy in the best way possible and I was lucky enough to photograph new clients as well as some I've known for years.

One of my awesome clients is the Kneifel family and they found me through the Big Brothers Big Sisters auction a couple years ago when they won a photo session gift certificate I had donated. I've photographed them a couple times and every time I see them I get such a warm welcome and have more fun than should be allowed while working. :)

I was interviewed by Juergen Kneifel for an article he wrote detailing effective ways local business owners have used to attract customers. The article was published in last Monday's Everett Herald, but you can also read it online HERE.

Fall 2011 Newsletter

2011-10-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it in your inbox, click HERE to view the Fall 2011 Newsletter. If you like what you see, feel free to forward it onto a friend or click the "like" button to share it with your Facebook friends!

Champagne Champagne at THAW 2011

2011-10-04T01:34:00.000-07:00

Check out Champagne Champagne's website and their Twitter page to find out more about them and listen to a sampling of their music.

Mad Rad at THAW 2011

2011-09-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

You can find Mad Rad on their website or check them out on Twitter.

Evelyn :: Seattle Newborn Photographer

2011-09-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Happy 1 month sweet & beautiful Evie!

Sophie & Gunnar :: Mukilteo Beach Photography

2011-08-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

Sophie and Gunnar are the best of friends and their photo session at Mukilteo Beach was a blast! We played in the sand, went on the swings and ended the session at an old building near the lighthouse.

Thomas the Pirate :: Seattle Children's Photographer

2011-07-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

"There was a single blue line of crayon drawn across every wall in the house. What does it mean? I said. A pirate needs the sight of the sea, he said & then he pulled his eye patch down & turned and sailed away."

-StoryPeople

Thanks for the pirate-themed fun at Golden Gardens, Thomas!

Summer 2011 Newsletter

2011-07-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a lovely Independence Day and enjoyed the gorgeous sunshine!

Just wanted to let you know the Summer Newsletter was delivered to your email inboxes yesterday. If you didn't get it though, click HERE to read it online.

If you'd like to receive it in the future, please contact me at artofsubtlety@gmail.com.

The Sands Family :: Kirkland Family Photographer

2011-06-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

I donate photo sessions to a few organizations, one of which is the Lake Washington Toddler Group. They held an auction earlier this year and the Sands family won my photo session gift certificate! We met at Carillon Point in Kirkland, a place near and dear to mom and dad because they were married there! It was wonderful photographing their family of four in the same place where they started out as a family of two. I was also really excited about photographing there because they have a marina and I’ve been totally into nautical themes lately.

Thank you Stacy, Jeremy, Sienna and Kaitlyn for such a great photo shoot!

Leo on the PaddyWag Blog :: Seattle Dog Photographer

2011-06-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Head on over to the PaddyWag blog to check out Leo the puppy!

Allison at the Playground :: Seattle Childrens Photographer

2011-06-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

It’s been so fun watching Allison go from this tiny newborn to this:

She turned two so her mama invited me to hang out with her and Gorilla at the park.

Everything was going fine and dandy until the concrete jumped up and attacked not one, but both of her knees!

I felt awful for little Allison (I remember that pain far too well from the playgrounds growing up), but once the initial shock was over she was up and smiling again - such a tough cookie!

Art of Subtlety's Not-So-Subtle Photo Booth

2011-06-08T04:02:00.000-07:00

Emma & Shea let me use their wedding to debut my new venture:

Their wedding guests were A-MA-ZING & I'm thrilled everyone had so much fun!

Definitely contact me if you're having a wedding, a grand opening, a reunion, a business event, a Halloween party...pretty much any event involving fun people!

Iceland :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2011-05-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Iceland was perplexing to me as a photographer. I went into the trip thinking that I would produce these amazing photographs of Iceland's landscapes and that I would come back with photos that were truly special and unique, but from the moment I saw the snow covered lava fields during sunrise, I was stumped. I didn't know how I'd be able to capture the immense volcanoes, the never ending sky, the mountain ranges that spread out and went on for what seemed like forever. Truth be told, I kind of shut down. I didn't even bother picking up my camera the first day there. The second day I had it by my side but didn't really know what to do with it other than take photos of Nate and I in front of landmarks and tourist spots. It's not that I wasn't inspired by the breathtaking scenery, it was that there was so much breathtaking scenery I felt I couldn't do it justice. My senses were overloaded and there was no way my camera could accurately translate what I was seeing, feeling, smelling and hearing into a photograph...but I tried:

Mother's Day Gift Certificates :: Seattle Family Photographer

2011-05-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is almost here and the perfect gifts for the moms in your life are photo session gift certificates!

You can give a soon-to-be-mom a maternity photo session.

You can join forces with your siblings and give mom an updated photo (added bonus for you: the photo that's currently on the wall - you know, the one with your braces and hair style from high school - can finally come down and be replaced with one you're not embarrassed to look at).

You can surprise mom with a photo session for just the girls.

You can win major Dad points for bringing out a smile like this from your wife.

You can give grandma photos of her grandkids - she'll love showing them off to all her friends at their next church social.

Call or send me an email and together we'll figure out the photo package that your mom (or wife, or even grandma!) will love!

Fashion Friday :: Cameron Levin's Chelsea Collection

2011-04-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

I had the absolute BEST time photographing for Seattle designer Cameron Levin! Her clothing is gorgeous (I fell in love with her dresses while shopping at Spun Sustainable Collective a couple months ago) and I was stoked when she asked me to photograph her Chelsea collection! She brought along the beautiful Brittney Brandt to model and the incredibly talented Scotty Provo to work hair and makeup magic. The shoot ran smoothly, was tons of fun, and most importantly we were able to create images that perfectly showcased the Chelsea collection.

Fashion Network Seattle recently profiled Cameron and you can read what she had to say about her collection, designing and fashion by clicking HERE.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Cali's Sneak Peek :: Seattle Children's Photographer

2011-04-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple photos from my session with beautiful little Cali over in Cle Elum:

The Strands :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2011-04-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some adjectives that describe Courtney and Jeff:

rad, funny, generous, gorgeous, super cool, witty, hot, genuine, playful, adventurous, awesome-sauce, and did I mention good looking? Because I actually meant super good looking.

Courtney found me on Twitter and from all of her tweets I knew we would get along swimmingly (in fact, it's because of her tweet about Iceland's killer travel deal that Nate and I went there last month)! She had mentioned awhile back that she would be in the market for business photos and I was so excited when I got an email from her husband Jeff! I mean really though, when you get an email that starts off with, “My wife is in love with your work,” how could you not be excited? :)

We photographed at Volunteer Park and here's a sampling of that super good lookingness I was telling you about:

If you want to see more photos and read what Courtney had to say about the session, head over to her blog!

thank you peer pressure :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2011-04-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that I had no desire to sign up for a Twitter account. My friends told me over and over that I “just had” to sign up and that it would “definitely help grow my business”, but all that went through my head was “yuck! Another social networking account just means something else I have to maintain and my to-do list is already too long!”

To all of my friends that pressured me relentlessly and forced me to sign up for Twitter, I'd like to say thank you. And, because I know you all want to hear this, you were right; Twitter is an invaluable tool! I've found wonderful clients, met fantastic business owners, discovered amazing local shops, and most importantly I've made some awesome friends. :)

Spring Newsletter!

2011-03-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! The spring newsletter should be in your email inboxes by now and I'm hoping you're loving the tips, spotlights and coupon that came along with it!

What? You didn't get it? Well if that's the case then send me your first and last name plus email address and I'll get you on the mailing list asap so you don't miss out on the fun (and, most importantly, the savings)!

Hope everyone is enjoying the start of Spring! :)

something pretty :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2011-03-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

equations :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2011-03-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

equation #1:
sick + jet lag = very unhappy head & body

equation #2:
trip to Iceland + my fiance + a camera = totally worth sick + jet lag

:)

the sibling bond :: Seattle Family Photographer

2011-02-28T08:57:00.000-08:00

I love that siblings make each other laugh like no one else can!

Love Is A Special Way of Feeling :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2011-02-25T02:40:00.000-08:00

Love comes quietly...

but you know when it is there,

because, suddenly...

you are not alone any more...

and there is no sadness inside you.

excerpt from Love Is a Special Way of Feeling by Joan Walsh Anglund

cupcakes

2011-02-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Right now I could totally go for a peanut butter & jelly cupake from New York Cupcakes!

Trent :: Seattle Senior Photographer

2011-01-06T03:16:00.000-08:00

Trent was probably the funniest senior I've ever photographed! I swear I got *this much closer* to well-defined abs from laughing so hard!

Emily & Makenna :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-12-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

I was so thrilled when Emily asked me to photograph her and her 3 month old daughter Makenna! I really wanted photograph them outside in a wintery field and luckily the rain held off long enough for us to create these beautiful images...

Have fun ringing in 2011 tonight! :)

Paul :: Seattle Children's Photographer

2010-12-29T15:27:00.000-08:00

I was photographing Paul's mom for Jaxx Boutique and while she was changing outfits, I noticed him looking at the lights and background. I asked if he wanted to have his picture taken too and without hesitation he jumped onto the background and started posing!

He even changed outfits like his mom and brought out his sunglasses because he thought that would look cool...he was right. :)

missing summer

2010-12-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

All this cold weather is really making me wish it was summer again. Good thing I've got my 100 degree hot yoga classes every night to remind me of warmer days! Oh, and these images help too...

it's been awhile...

2010-11-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

...since my last post where i said i was going to get some r and r.

well, i got some (it was much needed), and then i promptly started working my butt off.

i feel fortunate that i get to do what i love, although sometimes this career field has me accepting a lot of jobs and putting things like a blog and twitter on the back burner, which is why there hasn't been much of my presence on either.

anyway, wanna see some pics? here's a hodge podge of stuff i've been up to the past month and a half...

#8 on my list

danielle and ryan's stateside wedding reception

Trent's senior photo session

the sinclair family's beach photo session

sophie's garden photo session

wedding table design for my aunt's company, creations by design

one year old puppy named cash

the northwest chocolate festival

new headshots for charity

i also started photographing for jaxx, an awesome seattle boutique located on eastlake. they've partnered up with wrazz and are offering a killer 1/2 off deal for the next 2 days. click here to find out more about it. and if you need a suggestion on something to buy, i'm totally loving these jeans by gstar!

a little R & R :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2010-08-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

It's time for a little R & R, so I'm off to beautiful Santa Barbara with my mom & my camera. I promised myself I wouldn't work on this trip, but keep an eye on my Twitter page because I know myself & I'm sure I'll be uploading photos & sharing parts of the trip.

Also, wish me luck on Thursday. I'll be crossing #8 off my list. :)

Erin & Joe's sneak peek :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-08-17T03:58:00.000-07:00

Erin & Joe:

Thanks for being super-duper-crazy-awesome and throwing an amazing wedding that was a wonderful cross between a giant summer get-together and a country club party! I had SO much fun with you both and all your guests, and I wanted to say thank you for inviting me to be a part of your big day. Here's a little peek at what Saturday looked like through my lens...

PS: I just looked at our 7th grade photos from the 1995 Northshore Junior High yearbook and all I can say is wow... :)

Sasha :: Kirkland Dog Photographer

2010-08-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

New PaddyWag blog post!

Click HERE to meet little Sasha!

Serenity Now :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2010-07-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

This week has been crazy busy and super stressful, so I was really excited about my day trip to Port Townsend yesterday and I wanted to share a couple photos of the serene surroundings.

Happy Friday, everyone!

(and big props to anyone who caught the Seinfeld "serenity now" reference in the blog title) :)

Scooter & Skeeter :: Seattle Pet Photographer

2010-07-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

New PaddyWag blog post!

Click HERE to meet Scooter & Skeeter, two cool cats from Ballard!

Splish Splash :: Seattle Children's Photographer

2010-07-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Seems like not so long ago I was doing maternity pics for Kiefer's mom and now this little cutie is one year old!

My favorite pics from the shoot are these ones in the bathtub. Kiefer loved splashing around and his smile was totally priceless!

Kauai :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2010-07-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

So it's our first day in Kaua'i & I'm ready to take tons & tons of photos of this amazing island, so we drive to Moloa'a Beach where I pull out my camera & snap a couple shots:

*click* *click* *click*

...then nothing.

I try pushing the button again, but nothing. I try changing camera lenses, then batteries, then flashcards, but still nothing. My camera is broken on the first day of vacation & I've only snapped 7 photos.

After a day of being incredibly sad, mad & upset I remembered the title of Chase Jarvis' book:

The Best Camera Is The One That's With You.

I sucked it up, grabbed the Power Shot A80 point-and-shoot that was in my suitcase & decided to make the best of my situation. I've gotta say, I think the little one did pretty darn well...

Waikanaloa Wet Cave

Hanalei Valley

Taro growing in Hanalei Valley

Black Pot Beach Park (Hanalei Pier)

sunset at Hanalei Bay

Waimea Canyon

The beginning of the Awa'awa'puhi hike...

...and the view at the end of the trail

Ranch near Wailea Falls

NM Holga :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2010-06-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

When using Holga cameras you never know what you're going to get. The first time I used mine I liked 2 shots and the rest went into the garbage. I decided to give it another try (thankfully) and the 2nd time around I loved every single print! The light leaks and blurring actually worked in my favor that time and I decided that my Holga wasn't so bad afterall. I took it with me to New Mexico and finally had the film developed last week. Thought I'd share a couple here...

More White/Lemon :: Seattle Fashion Photographer

2010-06-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

Remember this sneak peek post? Well today I'm (finally) posting more of the photos from my White/Lemon shoot with model D and photographer/videographer Thig.

Happy Fashion Friday!

firefighters :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-06-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome opportunity to photograph my friend Doug and his fellow trainees at the Fire Training Academy in North Bend. It was so different from anything I've photographed and it gave me a greater appreciation for what Doug and the other students go through in order to become firefighters.

As I was driving home from the facility, I kept thinking that I should have said thank you to everyone. It takes a truly selfless person to do what these men and women will be doing...putting themselves in danger's way...possibly sacrificing their lives...all in order to save people they don't know. So I'm taking the opportunity now to say thank you to everyone that puts their life on the line to help others.

Bronx :: Seattle Dog Photographer

2010-06-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

New PaddyWag blog post!

Click HERE to meet Bronx, the sweetest little Malamute puppy from Lake Stevens!

Aloha! :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2010-05-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

My bags are almost fully packed and I'm doing a little hula dance in anticipation of my flight this afternoon. I'll be in Kauai watching two of my favorite people get married and it marks my 1st time being in a wedding as a bridesmaid instead of photographer. But who am I kidding...the camera is coming out immediately after the ceremony! I just can't pass up the opportunity to photograph my gorgeous friends Negar & Adam on the beach, basking in the post "I do" glow.

The blog will be neglected this week, but I'll be on Twitter every now and again to share photos and maybe a video or two (I'm really hoping to cross off a few more things on my list).

So for now, aloha friends! See you in a week! :)

Thank you!!! :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-05-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

I want to let you all know how much I appreciate the emails, texts and Twitter messages I get from you each day. Sometimes my job leads me to work countless hours at my home office and I get co-worker envy...wishing I had someone to chat with in the break room or someone to say hello to at the water cooler or someone to go to lunch with at the deli down the street or...well, you get the picture. Anyway, the little messages from you all put a smile on my face and I wanted to say thank you. :)

Here are a couple photos from what I've been working on this week...

This last one below is a gift certificate that I'm donating to the 4th Annual Fundraising Dinner for Community Alliance for Global Justice. It's taking place on August 7th and you can find more info about it on their website.

Fashion Friday - Thaw 2010 :: Seattle Fashion Photographer

2010-05-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

I had a fabulous time at Thaw last week (click HERE to read about the 2009 show). This was my 3rd time volunteering for the fabulous event which raises money for HDSA (Huntington's Disease Society of America).

In the past I've done everything from helping set up the bars, to checking coats, to collecting tickets at the door & helping out at the Thaw Shop. This year they had me photograph guests in front of the media wall as well take photos of the fashion show. Here are some of my favorites from the evening...

If you were a Thaw guest and had your photo taken in front of the media wall (or you'd just like to see more images from the night), go to Art of Subtlety, click on the "client proofs" button and type in the password "thaw2010" (without the " " marks). Any profits from the photos you order will be donated to HDSA.

Happy Friday everyone! :)

White/Lemon video :: Seattle Fashion Photographer

2010-05-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

You've gotta check out the awesome video that the super talented Gathigi Gishuru put together during our White/Lemon photo session!

White / Lemon Photoshoot from Gathigi on Vimeo.

Thomas :: Seattle Children's Photographer

2010-05-12T05:02:00.000-07:00

I've been photographing Thomas since he was a little one and it's been great seeing him grow over the years. He turned 3 last month and we went down to Seward Park to hang out with the ducks, throw rocks in the lake, and take a photo or two.

I have no idea what was so funny...

...but whatever it was, it must have been hilarious! :)

Gotta love those baby blues.

No better way to get a child laughing than to have Mom and Dad swing them!

Thomas was loving it!

Happy Birthday Thomas!

I hope every wish came true...

Peggy :: Seattle Dog Photographers

2010-05-11T01:35:00.000-07:00

New PaddyWag blog post!

Click HERE to meet Peggy, the adorable Corgi puppy from Seattle!

Fashion Friday - White/Lemon :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-04-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

#16 is officially crossed off my list and for Fashion Friday I'm giving you a sneak peek of the White/Lemon shoot:

Many thanks to D (the beautiful model), Thig (videographer/photographer/jack of all trades), Spun (for lending me this and this and this) and Spare Room (SoDo studio where it all went down).

cheerleader or photographer :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-04-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some things my parents kept from my childhood and I found this...

It's a book I made in Kindergarten. We had to draw pictures of ourselves throughout the year, plus list and draw our favorite things and aspirations. My favorite page is the one below.

So, what do you think? Should I try out for the Sea Gals? ;)

PaddyWag Client Baxter :: Seattle Pet Photographers

2010-04-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

New PaddyWag blog post!

Click HERE to meet Baxter, the sweet pup from New Mexico!

Fashion Friday - 1980's Party :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-04-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

I LOVE theme parties. They are just about the coolest thing ever and photographing them is SO MUCH FUN (especially since I get to dress up too)!

Not too long ago I did a 1980's themed photo session and I wanted to share this fun pic for Fashion Friday:

New Mexico Part 2 :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2010-04-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

As promised, fewer words and more photos of New Mexico.

Enjoy!

A store-front somewhere on my drive between Taos and Albuquerque:

The Very Large Array in Socorro:

Petroglyphs:

In Ojo Caliente:

At sunset in Carlsbad:

The Guadalupe Mountains:

I came across this little rock sculpture while on a hike in Ojo Caliente:

This is the beautiful Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa where I enjoyed an amazing 2.5 hour massage. Ahhhh...

Also taken while at the spa:

These last ones were all taken at White Sands National Monument. I cannot describe the awe I felt while exploring these amazing sand dunes. I think I may have gasped when I first saw them because I was completely taken aback by their beauty. I know for sure I whispered "beautiful" and "wow" more than once while walking around...

New Mexico Part 1 :: Seattle Travel Photographer

2010-04-15T02:30:00.000-07:00

New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment." I had never been there before, but for some reason I was drawn to visit and knew that's where I wanted to take my next solo vacation.

What? Solo vacation? Who does that?

There are a few people in my life who think I shouldn't go alone on trips...a few who have told me they just don't get why I want to travel by myself. You know what though? I love it. I absolutely love it. I love exploring, I love meeting new people, I love experiencing new things and places and food and the locals, and and and... I could literally go on forever (but really, I'll only go on a little longer before I get to the good stuff--the photos!).

When traveling alone, I love that I can stop wherever I want whenever I want. I saw an old abandoned motel in Encino, so I pulled off the road and photographed for 45 minutes.

I came across an outdoor auto museum in Embudo, so I pulled over and photographed for 20.

I saw a crumbled old set of buildings while driving on the highway in Texas, so I whipped a U-Turn when there were no cars in sight and went back to photograph for almost an hour.

I also love that I don't have a set schedule. I was given a bunch of location suggestions from New Mexico locals, so I'd pick a place and drive there, then spend however much time I felt was appropriate. I walked through Carlsbad Caverns for about 2 hours,

I hung out at White Sands National Monument until the sun set over the dunes (this may possibly be the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my entire life),

I meandered through Santa Fe until I found the perfect gallery (Skotia, in case you were wondering),

I sunned in the Albuquerque Botanic Gardens until I felt perfectly browned.

And the people...I cannot rave enough! New Mexicans are some of the sweetest, kindest, most generous people I have ever met. There was the guy who drove me from the airport to my hotel who told me why he has happily lived in the state his entire life. There was Brian, the rental car employee, who directed me to the perfect place to see the city lights at night. There was Nick (my Los Lunas Starbucks barista who, just FYI, makes the perfect caramel macchiato) who told me about a road where the trees line up on each side and form what can be best described as a "Tree Tunnel".

There was the police officer who pulled me over when I was speeding to Carlsbad, who gave me a verbal warning before telling me where to find a very cool waterfall to photograph. And there was Kurt, the incredibly generous and kind-hearted friend-of-a-friend I had only talked to via email prior to my trip, who volunteered to be my tour guide for the weekend and led me on some very memorable adventures, including stopping along a highway to make angels in one of the little clumps of snow that still remained.

A HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who enchanted me in New Mexico. You all have a permanent place in my heart and although that may sound cheesy, I mean it in the sincerest way possible.

*Part 2 will come on Friday and there will be much fewer words and far more photos to share. :)

cupcakes & magazines :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-04-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Carrie, owner of Bella Cupcake Couture, letting me know that the photos I took of her wrappers made it into a couple of magazines!

Click here to see my pictures in the Spring 2010 issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings (the article is on page 25).

Below is a picture of Carrie with the pictures in Cake Central Magazine.

In other cupcake news, New York Cupcakes has two AWESOME new flavors for April. Go to their Facebook Fan Page to read about "Little Miss Sunshine" & "Carried Away Cosmopolitan"!

PaddyWag Client Baby Girl :: Seattle Pet Photographers

2010-03-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

New PaddyWag blog post. Click here to meet Baby Girl, PaddyWag's newest kitten client!

The Words Don't Fit :: Seattle Portrait Photographer

2010-03-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post from me today since I have lots of packing to do before my photo excursion to New Mexcio in 2 days.

I saw this message written in lights while up in Vancouver, BC for the Olympics. I'm not sure if it was an advertisement or just art, but either way I really liked it & wanted to share.

Fashion Friday - KOMO news segment :: Seattle Fashion Photographer

2010-03-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

It's no secret how much I love Sara Seumae and her clothing line Spun, so I was incredibly thrilled to help her out on Wednesday when she and Malia Peoples of Lady Konnyaku Clothing made an appearance on KOMO News 4 with eco-consumer Tom Watson for a segment on green fashion.

I'm used to photographing models, so it was definitely a change to be one. Here's what was going through my head during the taping: "Smile! Wait, that's too much. A little less and you'll be good. OK, I think you've got it. Now don't fidgit!"

You can check out the video (and my wait-that's-too-much smile) here:

http://www.komonews.com/home/video/89074302.html

PaddyWag Vancouver Cats :: Seattle Pet Photographer

2010-03-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

New PaddyWag blog post. Click here to meet Sassy & Abby.

Kiefer's sneak peek :: Seattle Child Photographer

2010-03-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek from Kiefer's 9 month photo session:

new PaddyWag website :: Seattle Pet Photographer

2010-03-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, my wonderful friend/fellow photographer Charity and I photograph pets under the name PaddyWag, and we're super excited to announce that PaddyWag finally has a website all it's own! Head over to PaddyWag.com and take a peek! We've been working diligently for the past 2 months solidifying our mission statement, perfecting our workflow, creating new products and revamping our portfolio. We're proud of what we've done and cannot wait to show it off to current and future PaddyWag clients.

Since blog posts are WAY more fun when there are pictures, here are a few of our long time client Maddison during her latest photo session.