The Reversed Lens » Portraits

Holiday family portraits in Gabriel Park (SW Portland)

Emma Easley Darden — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:50:54 +0000

Stuart, Becky, Lauren, Bailey & Hannah
November 6, 2010
Gabriel Park in SW Portland, Oregon

I always have this moment of trepidation right before I begin a session: will they like us? Will they just relax, be themselves and in the moment? But this day, I had no need to worry. When two of the girls stepped out of the car for the session with bright pink Hunter boots on, I knew that we were going to have a fabulous time. And we did, indeed, have a great session with them. They’re such a fun, relaxed, loving family. All three of their girls are very different but watching them interact made me that much more excited to have my own two little girls to love each other. Thanks for a great session, guys! I can’t wait to see the Christmas cards!

Same moment, different view. That’s what I love about doing sessions with my husband!

Family pictures at Cannon Beach

Emma Easley Darden — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:11:54 +0000

Things are crazy around here and needless to say we’re not blogging much! But we had so much fun at the beach last weekend photographing Eric and Anna and their adorable kids. We’ve been photographing their family for three years now and I love watching their kids grow. And today, when I was working on their Rosh Hashanah holiday cards I found this gem:

Jason, Angela, Lucy & Lillian • Portland Oregon Portraits

Emma Easley Darden — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:56:19 +0000

I know that this commentary has the capability to sound just a little bit redundant but I just have to say it again: the world is SO SMALL when you’ve lived in one town your entire life. Case in point: last fall, I was perusing the wares at our daughter’s school auction when I saw this guy who looked really familiar. We did the “where did you…” game until we realized that we’d actually worked together the inaugural year of The Bus Project. And then his wife said, “Oh, how crazy! We [as in she and Jason] met on the Bus!” Then we realized that our daughters were in the same preschool class and that we’d already been hearing about each other.

The other notable thing about that night was that Angela was nearly due with their second little girl, and we made plans to take pictures of their new addition when she arrived. But sometimes life has other plans. The first three months of Lillian’s life were pretty complicated, not by anything horribly dramatic but just a series of things that made fitting in a photo session fairly low on the priority totem pole. We’d see each other at pick-up and say, “Maybe in a few weeks?” Thankfully, the time arrived right around Lillian’s three-month birthday and just as Lucy was turning three. It was perfect! We spent the morning with them in their NE Portland home playing and documenting their life as a family. I love these relaxed sessions when we are able to capture a really intimate side of family life. Here are just a few of my favorites…

Pat, Laurie and Emma • Portland Family Portraits

Emma Easley Darden — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:32:09 +0000

We photographed Pat, Laurie and Emma for the first time about a year and a half ago. Emma was, then, an adorably chubby cheeked baby who I literally couldn’t stop kissing for the entire session. She was just that sweet. We photographed her at home, in her bedroom, and in their backyard in the grass and by their shed and under their gigantic oak tree and… I just loved that session. I especially loved the photograph that ended up being their family Christmas card that year: Pat and Laurie on their front porch, with Emma on their laps, kissing her fat little cheeks as she giggled uproariously.

Well, a few weeks ago Laurie called and asked if I would come photograph them again and I was overjoyed. I LOVE the clients who return to us, year after year. I love sharing in the joy that comes from watching a family grow. And I love being able to record those moments into heirloom-quality art. It means that people trust us on a really personal level. And this session did not disappoint. They’ve since moved to a new home, and Emma is a bundle of energy that needed to be OUT, and so instead of staying inside we moved nearby to their favorite park. I chased her all over the playground (and had so many shots of her that I loved that thinning them down for this post was SO difficult), and then played in the grass with them. We even replicated that first, beloved photo, with similarly amazing results. I just love this family. And I can’t wait to watch them grow and grow and grow!

As close to home as it gets

Emma Easley Darden — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:42:21 +0000

We’ve been doing a lot of rearranging things in our life lately and that’s included our home. Our little girl is now four and was determined to get a “girly room” instead of the childhood hodgepodge that it had become. I did my best to scour the shops and somehow found a combination of purple and pink bedding designs (those colors are never together so I got to get my creative on) that met with her specifications. We’re now onto the decoration phase and so I’m printing these photographs to go above her bureau. They were taken during trips to our neighborhood park, which is one of our favorite ways to spend a little downtime as a family, and they were too cute not to share. Now I just have to wait to get them back and into the frames…

The many sides of senior portraiture • Portland Oregon Photographers

Emma Easley Darden — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:16:21 +0000

One of the things that I love about being a photographer in the Pacific Northwest is the prolific variety of backgrounds that we have to use for our clients. Within literally minutes of the downtown, urban Portland metropolitan area there are fields and forests, and past that is the Oregon Coast and the Cascade Mountains and on and on. It makes it really fun to plan lots of varied looks for whatever they’re searching for. And that’s especially true for our senior high school picture sessions. We discuss in-depth during our pre-portrait consultations what it is that they are wanting to say about themselves with their pictures, and then we find a location (or a few different locations, if they really want to get creative) that can reflect that. The time of year that a session is done can say a lot too– we love summer for all of the gorgeous plants that are blooming and green, but we also love the fall for the foliage. It’s completely up to our clients when the best time for THEM will be.

Last year we did a session in the fall with Haley, one of our seniors from Oregon Episcopal School. We’d known Haley for some time at that point because we’re quite involved with the school and we knew that she’s classic, very artistic, and really, really fun. So we took her out into the fields and orchards in one of our favorite areas, and then back to the studio for a mini in-studio session to cap things off. In all of the fall craziness she made it onto Facebook but never onto the blog, and she’s way to gorgeous to not have been featured. So here’s a little preview of what fall senior sessions can be!

Introducing Lacey • 2011 Southridge High School Senior Rep

Emma Easley Darden — Thu, 13 May 2010 02:50:41 +0000

There is only one word that I can think of that really describes Lacey: she is SASSY. She’s a total fireball, full of energy and also a total crack-up (you just know that there’s a practical joke or witty thought brewing in her head pretty much 24/7). She was the first of our senior representatives this year and so she got to choose the location that would be the backdrop for our 2011 promotional materials for seniors, and she chose a mix of locations near our studio. I love that literally within walking distance, we have the Eastbank Esplanade, the Willamette River, railroad tracks, fun and grungy buildings, parks, and beautiful greenspaces. It makes the possibilities for sessions endless right outside our door! And while a senior session sometimes ends in our contemporary studio space, it always begins out and about. There’s just nothing like the whimsy and fun that you feel while you’re in the open. Lacey was a doll from the word “go” and her energy made for an amazing session.

Introducing Ellie • 2011 Oregon Episcopal School Senior Rep

Emma Easley Darden — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:17:21 +0000

We have done most of our senior sessions this year down in the inner SE Portland industrial district, where our studio is located (yes, right in the middle of all of the construction for MAX!), but for Ellie we made an exception. She has a CRAZY schedule– she was just in the school play, she runs track, she’s taking AP exams… you know, all in a days work for the average high school student, right? Will is an OES alum and so we’ve spent a fair bit of time over the years on campus and so we decided to make Ellie’s life just a little bit easier by meeting her a little closer to her life. It was fun to wander around in the places that have become so familiar and see them in a totally different light. The one unexpected part of the session? We realized that anyone with windows facing the areas we were photographing in could watch the entire thing! But Ellie was a really good sport and played it up, and I love what came out of it.

Introducing Amanda • 2011 Century High School Senior Rep

Emma Easley Darden — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:06:13 +0000

We’ve been so busy PHOTOGRAPHING our senior representatives that I haven’t had a chance to BLOG about our senior reps. But we have a whole bunch that are just waiting in the wings to be showcased and I’m thrilled to start with Amanda. We’ve been photographing their family for a couple of years now and so when it came time for Amanda to be a senior, having her become part of our repping team was a natural fit. And she is practically perfect in every way! She’s sporty, and sweet, and just one of those girls that you’re so glad you know. We had a great time on her session, in and around RLP Studio’s SE Portland studio, and I’m so glad that these will finally be up to show to her friends!

Introducing baby Ben • Portland Oregon Newborn Photographers

Emma Easley Darden — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:26:16 +0000

When you grow up in a city, and are involved in the life of the city, the chances of having connections to others are infinite. Ben’s parents are a perfect example: they are best friends with the next door neighbors of one of our little girl’s best friends from preschool. Did you follow that? I know, crazy. Thankfully, little Ben is still blissfully unaware of the complexities of life. He has a small, lovely little world, full of people who adore him. That was amazingly evident the afternoon that I spent in his home. His parents were so soft with him, ready to meet his little needs, and I went away once again thinking how perfect my job is. I get to photograph the most intimate moments in people’s lives, like welcoming a child into the world. And though he will grow up into a little boy who finds out all of the ins and outs of how that world moves along for now, he is just Baby Ben.