The Reversed Lens » portland oregon portraits

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 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.

Our little Pea • Portland Oregon Child Portraits

Emma Easley Darden — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:23:30 +0000

You know that old adage about cobblers and their shoes? We take a lot of photos of our daughter. A lot. Maybe too many. But most of them are taken on the fly whilst living our life. They end up on our hard drives and never see the light of day. The other day we were out running errands and we stopped at one of our favorite pubs for lunch. She was being particularly adorable, and looking particularly adorable, and so I decided to give a photo shoot with my own child a go. She’s been raised around the camera; she is often impervious to it and any direction by me. But that day she was a doll. And so here she is, at last, for all the world to see– or at least the little corner that follows our life and love.

Little Miss Olive • Portland Oregon Child Photography

Emma Easley Darden — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:17:13 +0000

I think that names say a lot about a person. If you have a super cute name, full of personality, how can one not be fun? Well, Olive certainly proves my point. She was fun all around within about thirty seconds of walking in the door! This time of year the weather doesn’t always cooperate with our schemes to go out into the neighborhoods of Portland. But that’s ok because our industrial chic studio is always at the ready! Our studio portrait sessions are still fun and whimsical and focused on the moments. We played around with lots of different backdrops and had Olive dancing, twirling, and generally being her adorable little self. We can’t wait to see you again, Olive!

Sandhya • Oregon Episcopal School Class of 2010

Emma Easley Darden — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:31:16 +0000

I know that you’re not supposed to play favorites among your clients, anymore than you’re supposed to play favorites among your kids. The latter is easy for me because we only have one tot. But this session with Sandhya was, by far, one of my favorite sessions we have ever done with a senior. She’s a senior at Oregon Episcopal School this year (Go Aardvaarks!; Will is an alum) and is amazingly athletic. At one point we asked her if she wanted to jump, which she was totally game for, and she got this crazy amount of air. I was really impressed and she said, “Well, I have to jump like that to score in volleyball.” For her, going for it– the ball, and life in general– is just part of this game. We played and tried lots of different and fun things and I absolutely love the way that things came out. We also did some shots in the studio to round out her session which is a new option that we’re offering seniors. They’re a different take on our work but can really add a fabulous complement to a session. And given her response at her viewing last night, I think she thinks to too. Sandhya, I hope you love the ones that I chose!

Megan • Jesuit Class of 2010 • Portland Oregon Senior Pictures

Emma Easley Darden — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:20:56 +0000

We’ve been getting to know Megan for about a year now. First we did a session with she and three of her best girlfriends, who have all known each other since attending the French American School together. Then she decided to be our senior rep for Jesuit High School this year and we were thrilled. She has a classic beauty and is such an amazing young woman that I swear she just glows. For her full senior portrait session, we took her into Forest Park and then along the Eastbank Esplanade. She wore rich, fall colors that brought out her beautiful blue eyes and I think that between the two of us, Will and I must have said, “Oh my gosh! I love this picture!” well over a few dozen times on her session. I am so excited to unveil them to her!

I love this one so much that it’s going in the front hallway of our studio.

Meegan and Levant • Portland Oregon Wedding Photographers

Emma Easley Darden — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:50:44 +0000

At last, the long awaited addition of Meegan and Levant to our blog! We photographed their wedding on an absolutely gorgeous day at the Oregon Coast a couple of weeks ago. Truly, the day could not have been more perfect. Meegan and Levant have been best friends since college and, to hear their friends and family tell it, are one of those love stories that makes everyone else believe in love. They are both amazingly beautiful inside and out, and celebrating with them will likely be one of the highlights of our summer season. Their wedding on the beachfront at the Surfsand Resort in Cannon Beach was flawless; in fact, there had been a small patch of clouds and it cleared just as they said their vows! And Mandi from Blush Bridal helped make it even more so. (Oh, and AJ Lane, with her make-up skills of course.) And their party! Oh, my, do they love to dance. They’re both known for their moves and Marc from Event Team kept everyone rocking literally until the last note. We’re so thrilled for you, Meegan and Levant! Here’s to a future as lovely as both of you.

They chose to go along the Surfsand’s boardwalk for their first look…

and seeing Levant be so emotional to finally see Meegan was one of the incredible moments of the day.

There’s nothing life sun-filled sand and Haystack Rock for a perfect background.

Instead of table numbers, they used words associated with the beach. Isn’t that clever?

They had a beautiful first dance…

and then broke into… a more unconventional dance style. But everyone loved it!

The best moments at weddings are always the unexpected ones, like, “How in the
world do we cut into the top layer of this wedding cake without tipping it over??”

Then Will took them to the beach for a brief sunset session…

and then the dancing started. This little girl stole the show for about a half hour. She was a killer dancer!

I love that both grandmas are out on the dance floor!

Max at six months • Portland Oregon Newborn and Baby Photographers

Emma Easley Darden — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:14:12 +0000

We first photographed baby Max when he was just two weeks old. He was tiny and adorable– and preparing for one of the biggest fights of his little life as he faced his first heart surgery. But Mighty Max, as his family calls him, came through that surgery just fine, as well as another when he was three months old. Needless to say, his life was a little busy and so this is the first chance that we’ve had to capture his little chubby little cheeks and bright, shining eyes. (Normally, our Beginnings Baby Series™ includes sessions at birth, three months, six to eight months, and somewhere around the first birthday.) But six months is such a perfect time to photograph a baby. They’re alert and playful but they can’t run away yet! Max and his mom set out with me to find some hidden spots around their home to showcase him and I love what we came up with. I can’t wait for his next Beginnings™ session!

TJ and Cherie • Portland Oregon Wedding Photographers

Emma Easley Darden — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:06:35 +0000

We photographed TJ and Cherie’s wedding earlier this month at the picturesque Green Villa Barns in Independance, Oregon. The gardens there are amazing and are surrounded by corn and wheat fields, which are of course a photographer’s paradise. And TJ and Cherie? Well, they couldn’t be more perfect. They are such sweet couple, so incredibly tender with each other, that I actually teared up multiple times throughout the day. They were surrounded by family and friends who joyously celebrated with them, including TJ’s brother and sister who sang a duet (accompanied on the guitar by Cherie’s older brother). Cherie’s mom is Polish and they included some traditions from her heritage, including changing her veil to a wedding cap and then tossing the veil instead of the traditional bouquet. And their favors, little jars of jam with the inscription “Your presence has made our celebration sweeter,” were made by Cherie and her mother and sisters from the berries that grow near their home. It was truly lovely and I’m so thrilled to finally show their love off to the world!

I love having both Will and I together as a team to photograph because it means the guys get some attention too!

Seeing all of the little moments that make up a wedding is so amazing–like a groom seeing his bride for the first time…

and a quiet, shared moment during the ceremony.

It was such a beautiful cake and they had a blast feeding it to each other!

This was one of those moments that brought me to tears, as she danced with her mom.

And then the real dancing got started. The craziness could be a post unto itself but I’ll let this suffice.