Living Room Realtors

man oh man, it has been far too long my friends. i have been a busy busy bee which unfortunately doesn't make for a posting machine anymore. i picked up a new gig nannying a beautiful baby girl and it's amazing how working 6 days a week plus adding side gigs just eats away at your time. but i wouldn't change any of it for the world! anyways, in the next few weeks i will be flooding these pages with photos of said baby, an amazing photo shoot that i took for a gorgeous family in san diego, and various other shenanigans i have been up to. in the mean time however, i wanted to post a couple of photos from a shoot i did this last thursday. 

it had been quite some time since i have shot an actual event, but i had the privilege of doing just that. a friend asked if i could lend her a hand and take photographs during an anniversary party for a local real estate company and i jumped at the opportunity to gain experience and build my portfolio.

i will be totally honest and i was a nervous nelly to start the evening out. and i think that it reflected in the photos. after an hour though of trying to be incognito, (which is impossible when you don't have a soft flash (next mandatory purchase)) i finally shook off the nerves and stopped "trying" to capture things and instead changed my attitude and just did. i was able to capture some beautiful moments that were candid, as well as capturing great emotion in things that were a little more posed. 

the space was gorgeous but contained a lot of lines as it was an office filled with low walled cubicles. which during the editing process i learned i needed to be a little more vigilant of. i could have used the space a little better to frame pictures. lessons learned. and that after all is what the "process" is about. learning. perfecting. seeing things differently. 

   

anyways, i was totally honored to have been asked to help out as i hold the woman who asked me (an outstanding photographer) in the highest esteem. not only did she ask me BUT she also offered me advice, an ear to ask questions, and the opportunity to ask her pointers. what a class act she is! (reminding me why i chose portland over la, some people here actually want to help lift you, not keep you below them). i am so thankful for this opportunity and can't wait for the journey that this is helping me to embark on! 

xoxo.

falling in love, all over again.

i'm having one of those days where i sit here, at the computer, and i type. and i type and i type and i type. and then, i erase, erase, erase. my mind is flooding with things i want to say, to share. but there doesn't ever seem to be the right wording. i feel like anything i say will only unjustly represent what it is that i want to say.

i think part of the problem is that my heart bursting at the seems with the ridiculous amount of caffine that is flowing through my blood stream. but that is neither here nor there.  the second problem is, there really are no words, except, i love you. oregon, i am 100 percent, madly, in love with you. 

i am so happy that the colder months are approaching because i want to wrap your long beautiful arms around me, i want to snuggle into your warm embrace as the frost hits. i want to revel in your beauty. i want to squeal and kick and frolic in your falling leaves, releasing the inner child within. i want to laugh uncontrollably in your cold air, watching as each giggle lifts into the sky, sharing the love, one cold breath at a time. i want i want i want. and truth be told (and as some of you know all to well) what i want, i take. 

 i took off last weekend to a beautiful place known as welches oregon, armed with nothing more than a dying camera (silly me forgot the damn camera charger), great friends, and the desire to take it all in. and man oh man, i came, i saw, i conquered. although i wasn't able to take as many photos as i wanted, ( i am sure my walking companions are wondering how that is even possible) i did take these. and i wanted to share. because sharing is caring. and i care, a lot. 

xoxo.

sense of humor.

so last month was a big month, filled with a lot of firsts for me and my friends, from homes to babies and everywhere around and between. i finally moved into a home of my very own and revel in the daily chaos of it all. so what brings me here today was a little encounter that i had this morning with  a new neighbor i had yet to meet. it went a bit like this:

her: are you my new neighbor?

me: oh hi! yes i am.

her: are you an artist?

me: um, i wouldn't say that, no. why?

her: well i know i shouldn't do this but, i peaked in your windows the other day and was    sure that i saw an easel set up in your living room and thought, how fun! a painter has moved in.

me: (insert laughter). oh, well i hate to disappoint but no, i'm not a painter, i was just making a friend a gift.

which brings me to this post. for those that know me, you know that i am not now nor will i ever be a painter. that requires a type of discipline that i have no real desire to work on. i am however a very funny friend and LOVE to blindside people with (insert humble moment) TOTAL AWESOMENESS!!!  my darling friend had her first baby last month and i wanted to give her something special, something no one else could give her, and so, i hatched a plan and went to work. the following is an example of how sometimes, if you put your dreams or visions to paper, miracles can happen. 

the following photos are what the peeping tom (she actually is a very nice lady, just gonna have to keep an eye out for her) next door was witnessing.... 

every time i see this i just laugh, i love it so much because i know that my beautiful friend is laughing with me, and that every time she, her husband, her beautiful baby boy, or even her cat and dog, see this, hanging in the baby room, it will bring a smile to their faces. and the point isn't too be super awesome at something, it's to spread the love. from one nerd, to a family of nerds, to now the interwebs, love and smiles are spreading across the world. cheers, and you're welcome.

the sketch:

no turning back now:

the beginning of the end:

painted a base, time to decoupage:

a little texture:

a few more finishing touches and VOILA!:

xoxo.

a band of horses that are likable humans.

 so i have to admit. although i have been surrounded by their music for many years due to a friends affiliation, i have never really listened to them extensively. but last night changed that forever. i was given the opportunity to go see band of horses last night and as i never look a gift horse in the mouth (is that even the saying? seems weird to see it written.) i took the opportunity and i rolled with it. there's something a little shameful about going to a coveted show and not being a fan, i felt almost bad, thinking i should give my ticket to someone else, but thank the gods i didn't! my face was melted and my mind was blown. 

one of the highlights was seeing a friends work (he is the photographer for the band) displayed throughout the entire show (his photographs that were taken on the road were the backdrop to the entire show). the simplicity of the photos set the entire tone of the night. no crazy pyrotechnics, no fancy laser light shows. just simple and pure (mind you there were lights but nothing distracting and over the top) a lot like the music and from what i hear from friends, like the band themselves.  

another thing that made this a top 10 show was the venue itself, nestled in the middle of downtown portland, surrounded by gorgeous buildings, this outdoor show took place in our very own pioneer square. it made for a fantastic intimate setting even though it was outdoors, no one was more than maybe a few hundred feet (i could be totally wrong about the distance as math and numbers have never been my strong suit) away from the band at any given time.

they had this wonderful loving banter that went on on stage, it solidified the intimacy of the show, making you feel a part of this beautiful friendship, not just a fly on the wall.  

for those of you that know me or have read some of my rants, my very favorite thing about the show was that they did not participate in the mandatory fake surprise encore. it felt like they left their heart and soul on the floor of the stage after their final song, "am i a good man", with no need to ruin such a beautiful finish with a contrived list of songs to sing at the beckoning of the fans. you got what they wanted to give you, no more, no less. and although i could have listened for hours more, my respect and admiration grew to no end because of that. 

anyways, to make a long story short, i absolutely loved every minute of it and i tried to capture a few photos. armed with nothing but my camera phone and my little camera, i tried working with the little tools that i had. and as you would already know if you have been following my work for a while now, i do not now, nor do i ever, call or consider myself to be a concert photographer, it's not my strong suit by any means. but i just wanted to share.

xoxo.

mountainside lavender farming.

it's hard to believe how long it has been since i have written on here. i suppose that whole living life thing has just gotten in the way of that whole, observing and photographing others living life thing. yay for me! boo for the blogosphere! anywho, fret not, i have returned and i'm hoping to not turn this into a limited engagement type of thing as i plan for adventures, and spontaneity, (can one plan for spontaneity? seems a wee bit oxymoronic.) and picture taking!!! yahhhooozie! anyways, enough of the gibber jabber and more of the pictures that flatter.... 

so yesterday my roomie and i hopped in le coche (that's car for those not fluent in spanglish) and took a rode adventure of sorts 45 min outside of our beautiful city of portland. while weaving through the farmlands we finally arrived and our destination, the mountainside lavender farm. having no idea what to expect, armed with sunblock, camera, and clipping sheers we set out on a, what will be repeated yearly exploration, into the wonderful world of lavender farming. 5 bushels of lavender were cut down in a beautiful labor of love and in anticipation of delicious crafting. surrounded by the friendliest of bee swarms that i have ever met, i chopped and photographed my way into a blissful gathering of lavender that is now coming out my wazoo (so to speak). (does anyone else smell or sense christmas gifts that will be in the works? shhhhh, don't tell).  ooooooh, side bar about the bees.... i was later told that they most likely were so docile because they were stoned off the lavender juju. how awesome is that!!! anyways, without further adieu, here ya go.... some pics of flowers, bees, a little girl on a swing carrying a cat named bubbles, a rad barn with hops and so much more......

xoxo.

shopping.

i was walking home the other night, through my usual "short cut", when i happened upon the most spectacular thing to date. ( well most spectacular as far as grocery store parking lots go).  right there in front of me were rows and rows of shopping carts. i know, i know, i know, you are probably wondering to yourself, "what on earth would make that spectacular?". well here's the thing. it just is and was. the way the lights glistened off of the steal. the way the rain beaded on the handles. the simplicity of so many lines in a row, creating the most magnificent visual imagery. glorious i say, glorious! anyways, me being me, and that being that, i stopped, shocking i know, and took a few quick pictures. what you will see below are the fruits of my not so laborious labors. enjoy.

now, upon post editing, no longer looking at them on my phone screen, analysis, i have come to the conclusion that two things need to happen. 1. i need to start using the camera i bought instead of my camera phone (although the resolution really is outstanding for it being a fecking cellular phone devise). and 2. i need to be a little steadier handed as they really aren't quite as crisp as i would like. oh well, living and learning. 

xoxo.

raptured and captured.

i fall in love with oregon a little more each day. spending the weekend on the coast helped solidify all that just a little more. never in my life have i been somewhere where forest meets the ocean in such a magnificent way. climbing through trees only to meet a rocky path that pours itself into the ocean... it's a heart melting, breath taking, twitterpating kind of love. and one that i suspect, will never be fleeting. oregon rocks, and i heart her. 

xoxo.