• Home
• CONTACT
• WEBSITE
• Portfolio

We planned his session at his high school. Then we got there and realized it really wasn’t that exciting. After a bit of a chat with Mr. Z and his amazingly sweet mom we decided we needed something a little different, where some solitude and better lighting might put him a bit more at ease and give his session more variety.

I heard something about a “lake house” and got all swoon-y and just started saying “yes”.

So we hopped in our cars and caravanned out to his grandparents’ property. On. The. Lake.

Yes, please.

That is NOT a tuba. That is a sousaphone. I’d never heard of a sousaphone. But he plays it. And it is rad. And it photographs REALLY well, just like him!

And of course, what’s a session with a brass instrument with out the obligatory and silly reflection shot?
Incomplete, that’s what.
And I wouldn’t dream of an incomplete brass instrument session.

My senior guys tend to think they are not photogenic, or they don’t “need” senior pictures. Many of them are really only doing it to get their mom’s off their backs. Sometimes I can tell they just want to be done and move on. But guess what? Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes, they are super cooperative and they are into it! We chat and wait for the sun to go down to get some amazing images. (Not to say the shorter sessions aren’t amazing, but I like to have the luxury to take my time.)

And sometimes there’s even an additional instrument. Seriously. So rad.

Utilizing our space gave us some great additional options. The lake was gorgeous, but the rest of the property was wonderful too!

And of course, one with mom. He didn’t even grumble about it!

I loved spending time with you two, meeting Mr. Z’s grandfather and caretakers as well as being on the lake on a beautiful and very warm evening.
Next time, I may just get in that water! So inviting!

For the rest of his sun splashed, musical session, watch this:

 

{Dana}

 P.S: there is something amazing about leaving a session with a freshly picked giant delicious apple grown with a view of the lake. It seemed even juicier than other apples. Thanks again!

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

 

Let’s just start this amazing senior session out with a bang, shall we?

BAM!

And some more gorgeousness (I say it’s a word…so it is.)

I mean, c’mon. She is beautiful, sweet, funny, energetic, can pull a serious face like nobody’s business AND has an amazing laugh. All good qualities that make my job EASY.

Senior sessions are all about what each senior loves to do, where they will be found when not at school or work, and sometimes they just KNOW. They KNOW where they want their session, they have an image in their minds already and all I have to do is bring it to fruition. No pressure, right?

I love it. I love the challenge. I love the trust and love that goes into my work. I love that they trust ME to see what they see and make it real.

After the local beach (Mukilteo), we made our way to Seattle’s Kerry Park, one of the best views of the city, and an iconic location. I personally hadn’t photographed this location before, so I was excited. And Kerry Park and my gorgeous senior were NOT disappointing.

It’s not hard to see where her looks come from…that was her MOM with her up there.

And we always roam a bit. This is why.

And because I had such a hard time deciding what to show you, here is the whole shabang!

 

Thanks Miss NN, and her gorgeous mama, for a wonderful time!

{Dana}

 

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

I always ask my seniors what they like to do on their days “off”. Off from school, work or any other responsibility. I find these are the things they go to when they need a break, when they want to revel in the fun, and often the whimsy.
Miss R was no exception. She was, however, exceptionAL. She said she liked farmer’s markets.
I swooned a bit.
Because I do too.

And she was on board to have a portion of her session at one. After pulling in to the original planned site, we discovered they were packing it in for the season. There was NOTHING of interest there. No fruit, no color, no whimsy.

Plan B. (C’mon, there’s always a Plan B…I’m a professional, dang it!)
Plan B was just down the street.
Plan B was PERFECTION. The light, the color, the fruit (of which we all bought some), the staff, my senior…everything.

After spending about half our session time at this gorgeous location (you’ll see more in the video, it was very hard to decide what to highlight here…), upon her mother and sister’s departure, we got in our respective vehicles and drove to complete her session with an urban vibe…my favorite!

We had such a fun time exploring several urban blocks, looking for texture, color and light. And we found every bit of it. I love that yellow wall. I love that she was willing to jump up into that alcove on the cold bricks. Miss R is SUCH an amazing girl.

And a cheerleader!

The jumping! The jumping FROM.AN.ALCOVE. So great.

We wrapped up her session at one of my favorite walls downtown. Not everyone can stand in front of a bright purple wall and look this GREAT!

I mentioned them earlier, and here is the whole stunning family!

We had such a fun time wandering around, playing with fruit and just hanging out.
Here’s the entire session for your enjoyment:

 

Thank you again, Miss R (and family). You were delightful!

{Dana}

 

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

It started something like this:

Planning a senior session with an amazingly sweet girl…
Me: Tell me what you love to do.
Her: Shop. Hang with my friends.
Me: Welllll…how do you feel about having your senior session at the mall?
Her: ooooh, I LOVE it!

Conversation with this amazingly sweet girl’s amazingly rockin’ mom:
Me: I’m stoked you guys are down for her session at the mall, I’ve wanted to do this forever, but I needed the right girl. I wanted to let you know ahead of time, however, in full disclosure…well…we might get kicked out. And by “kicked out”, I mean “completely busted by security and told to get out.” How do you feel about that?
Her: PFFFT. I don’t care. Puh-lease…bring IT.
Me: (happy dance…these are MY PEOPLE!)

(so this isn’t a word for word convo, but you get the idea. It’s been MONTHS, give this girl a break. The point, is they were DOWN. I loved it!)

Then I got to meet her. Miss Shopaholic. SO pretty. SO sweet. SO quietly-giggly.

According to mom and sister, she is usually on her phone. So we decided to capture that little bit of goodness as well.

(and maybe not ALL Marysville girls can jump well…but they are all willing to try!)

Oh. That one up there? It was taken in the parking garage. That’s right. I keep saying I can shoot anywhere. I mean it.

And this one here? I swear she has the most adorable laughing face!

So…then we got kicked out.
No, seriously.
About an hour into our session, nearing our finish point, we were walking to the cupcake shop (as was in our plan) and I saw a last minute opportunity for an amazing shot. I sat my client on the ground and stood above her on a bench by one of the exterior water features (and? there were people climbing ALL OVER them a moment before I was busted. This is important to know.) and a pimply faced security guard timidly sauntered over to us. I saw him coming so I gave them a head’s up and we kept shooting until he got to us. ANYTHING for the shot you guys. He says “ma’am, I’m going to need you to get down.” So I did. Then he told me I needed to put my camera away, that I wasn’t allowed to take photos out there. I inquired if the outdoor area was public or not and he told me it was private. I did find this odd, considering that every mom out there was taking photos with their phones, pocket cameras, etc. the entire time, all the time. I told him this as I packed up. He just sort of shrugged and repeated himself. So I told him fine, we were done and we packed it in. As we walked to the cupcake shop we noticed a very suspicious exchange between the pimply security guard and the Godiva chocolate store greeter. A look, a wave, a look at us and an embarrassed red face. Weird? Yes. Outside the expectation? Nope.
We all got a GREAT laugh, I bought some cupcakes to share and memories were made.

This is the image I took right before climbing up on the bench. And, no, in case you were wondering, that bench-standing-”ma’am put it away”-shut-down image did NOT make the cut. It’s bittersweet. And a little funny.

We ate cake. In cupcake form. It doesn’t matter. It was delicious.

And the whole session here:

 

I had fun, girls. Thank you for being open to reprimand, thanks for finding the humor and thanks for trusting my vision.

{Dana}

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

Oh, Miss Mack.
From start to finish her session rocked my socks. The sun was amazing. The beach was perfect. Miss Mack was stunning. Mama was cooperative and not a bother. All things making an amazing senior session.
It started with a meet-up at a local beach, an open trunk, at least 12 outfit options and a shoebox full of accessories.

After some super gorgeous shots, we decided to have a little fun. She can JUMP, y’all.
But, as every athlete knows, you must    s  t  r  e  t  c  h     before attempting any kind of stunt.
Ahem.

(Nice face….teehee…I mean, sorry…)
But it was WORTH it. Check it out for yourself. (Sidenote: I don’t know what is in the water in Marysville, but these girls catch some serious air! I went to Marysville…and apparently it skips some people. Ahem. Me. Can’t jump.)

Back to your regularly scheduled gorgeousness:
…broken shoe and all…

Since Miss Mack was such an amazing=rockstar-quick-changer in the makeshift dressing room (read as: 2 beach towels held in a square) she got several outfit changes. Here’s a behind the scenes cutesy outake I could not resist capturing or posting coupled with a fun little splashy one! 

And….last but certainly not least…even moms (and dads) are encouraged to jump in a few images with their kids during their senior session. After all, you’ve been a part of their success and growth, why shouldn’t you be a part of this milestone as well? Hmmmm? Yeah. So put a smile on, throw on one of your kids’ shirts, trust your photographer and love this image:

And the whole session is here too…you didn’t think I’d just leave it at that, did you?

 

Congrats Miss Mack, on a job well done!

{Dana}

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

Think outside the box.
Shoot what you love.
Stop comparing yourself to other photographers and only compare yourself to the photographer you used to be.
Do something fun. Shoot it.

It’s all great advice. It’s all out there for me to gather and grasp. It’s there for me to take what I need and leave the rest. I don’t have to take life so seriously or look for the perfect shot all the time. Sometimes, the perfect shot is the imperfect one. It’s the one I love the most and the one that sings to my soul from places unseen.

With spring break upon us, I promised myself to do fun things with the kids, even if the weather is crummy. We decided the local nursery was the first place to start. So we did. And I shot what I love. And I am not comparing anything. And I love it. These are some of my favorite images EVER. 

The lesson: book your photo session, but think outside the box. TRUST that I know what will work, and what could be perfectly imperfect. Grasp it and hold on to it and love it. Let it sing from places unseen.

See you soon.

{Dana}

P.S. Thanks to Wight’s Nursery for allowing us to wander on a lovely morning and ask the questions only a mom with a black thumb would need to ask.

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

 

In January, I decided I wanted to give a session BACK to the clients who trusted and believed in me enough to book me, pay me, and sing my name from the rooftops when I was first starting out on this endeavor of passion. Each month I’ll be photographing one of these amazing clients lucky enough to have their name drawn from the contest. I will even allow myself to be completely vulnerable and open to show you some of the images from their first time in front of my camera.

February’s client was my first wedding. Now, in the industry there are a lot of opinions about when it’s the right time, etc. to shoot a wedding for the first time. You’re encouraged to be a “second shooter” first, to mentor under a more experienced photographer and to master all lighting techniques prior to EVER shooting a wedding on your own. I knew NONE of this going in. I just knew I had a camera, an artistic eye and a client request. I was honored. And I had NO idea how much work would go into shooting a wedding, how much stress even I would feel or how much I would LOVE it.  

They asked and trusted me, with VERY little experience, knowing I’d never done such a thing, to capture their wedding day. This May they will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary. I look back at these images and see what I could/should have done differently as well as where I have improved. There are technical things that were not right, lighting issues and general photography techniques I hadn’t been educated on yet; but in no way am I disappointed. I would be doing this lovely couple a terrible disservice by saying anything negative about the images they STILL love and talk about.

So this year, I offered to photograph them again; obviously sans wedding garments. But the love, the connection and the trust is still there. I love them with my whole heart and appreciate their trust and loyalty over the years.

Let me introduce you to my cousin, his super sweet wife and their adorable not-so-little dudes.

Thanks for braving the elements and meeting up with me at a location that required trust. Thanks for trusting me again.

(A blast from the past…)

 

Take a look at their full session (this was a mini session…about 30 minutes.) Enjoy.

 
{Dana}

 

 

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

 
Pun, intended.
He liked it, so he put a ring on it. (Sorry Beyonce, had to go there…)
Okay, okay. Enough.

This past fall, one of my favorite couples of all time finally (ahem) made it official.

Their first PERFECT choice: each other.

Their second PERFECT choice: they asked me if I would take their engagement photos. They were planning a destination wedding in Florida, where they love to vacation and where much of the groom-to-be’s family resides; another perfect choice for them.

Since they have made their home near Seattle, and had their first date on Alki, we created a session perfect for a guest signing book at their wedding showing beautiful fall images of them in their natural location.

I think we nailed it.

We met up at Starbucks, as we Seattleites are prone to do…and then we wandered. We stopped. We planned. We chatted. And we laughed. We laughed SO much.

 

Just about the most perfect way to end a Seattle fall engagement session…

Thanks for the laughs you guys. Thanks for the love. Thanks for the friendship and most of all thanks for trusting me to show your love and life to your Florida friends and family. I am thrilled to be a part of your day even though I couldn’t be there this past Sunday to see you in all your gorgeousness.

Much love and happiness, fighting and making up…xoxo

And the rest of their session:
 

 

{Dana}

P.S.
You didn’t think I’d forget their ALL.TIME.FAVORITE.IMAGE. did you?

So.
Much.
Laughter.

 

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

I am often complimented on angles and perspectives by clients when they receive their galleries. I warn them that when I am shooting, I will most likely get as dirty as they do, or more so. I will do what is necessary to get the shot I have in mind whether that means climbing, kneeling, balancing, etc. (And no, it doesn’t ALWAYS work, and it doesn’t always end without bumps and bruises on your fair photographer, but it’s WORTH it you guys.)

I Heart Faces had an article this week about composition; namely, shooting through things.

This is something I do often, but not always. I always try to give my clients a unique experience, yet provide the quality and direction they hire me for in the first place.

Some of MY favorites:
 

 

I have a lot of fun.
My clients have a lot of fun.

Whether you’re a protog, a mom with a camera, or just someone who loves a pretty picture…try it out. You’re bound to find something you love.

Enjoy.

{Dana}

 

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

 

Yeah, you.

The calendar told me yesterday was the OFFICIAL day of LOVE! While I disagree, I believe EVERY day is an opportunity to show adoration to the people you love, I also love chocolate. And flowers. And love of all types.

So…did anything exciting happen yesterday to any of you?
Perhaps…

Did your…

Declare their love, publicly or privately, in the form of a question like…

And did you say…

Perfect!!!
Congratulations Love Birds!

I have something special for you!

Leave a comment below to enter to win a FREE engagement session with me! That’s right. FREEEEEEEEE!

You have until Sunday at 12:01am to enter this drawing…winners will be announced on this blog shortly after! (This is NOT a facebook contest, only comments on this blog post will qualify for entry.)
In addition, if your name is NOT selected to win a free engagement session, you won’t be left out! Anyone engaged on Valentine’s Day 2012 will be qualified for a 50% savings on their session fee!

So…what are you waiting for???
Stop squealing and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

{Dana}

P.S. Read the fine print for further details!

Fine print: couple must have gotten engaged on Feb. 14th, 2012 to qualify for free session or discounted engagement session, sorry. All sessions based on availability, must take place prior to June 1, 2012. Must be 18+ years of age to win. Model release required, blog feature included. General session inclusions, deadlines and requirements apply.

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

Older Posts »