The Reversed Lens » urban photography

Perri and Corey at the Crown Ballroom • Portland Oregon Weddings

Emma Easley Darden — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:20:07 +0000

Perri and Corey have one of those stories that make me kind of believe in fate: they met in Mexico, on vacation, while they were each with their individual families. They had an instant connection and spent the rest of the time inseparable. But Perri is from Toronto and Corey is from Portland and you’d think that the story would end there. But they had had such an amazing time together that they found ways, over the next year, to rendezvous; by the time Corey proposed, it was a foregone conclusion that they would spend the rest of their lives together. And so their wedding was this amazing celebration of a love that could bring two people together, after chance or fate or something conspired to get them in the right place at the right time. Their families– and friends– were thrilled to be joining with one another and Perri’s dad gave one of the sweetest toasts I think I’ve ever heard. And their wedding itself was beautiful. Perri was absolutely stunning, thanks in part to genetics but also to the always amazing Jennifer of Face Body Beauty. Katie of Fleur Bliss created the most lovely bouquets (and other flower adornments that decked out the ballroom) out of a myriad of purples that were just to die for, and with all of that love behind them, there was just this feeling that the day was blessed. I’m so thrilled for them. Congratulations guys!

This is one of my favorite moments: when the groom sees his bride for the first time.

Their little flower girl needed some diversion during the ceremony, in the form of saltines.

I loved her exquisite dress but I think that I loved her shoes even more!

OK, seriously, how cool is this? The new son and father-in-law doing the chicken dance together!

They literally danced their shoes off that night!

Brigitte & Eric and the bridges of Portland • Portland Engagement Sessions

Emma Easley Darden — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:14:53 +0000

Over the last several months we’ve been thinking about weddings here at RLPStudios. (Full disclosure: I’ve been subscribing to Martha Stewart Weddings since the inaugural issue. But I digress). We photographed a lot of weddings last season and had an amazing time. We noticed something, though, along the way: with our portrait clients, we’re able to take the time to really tailor their sessions and experiences, and then the collections that they choose for their homes, to really fit them. When we’re photographing two or three weddings in a weekend that personal interaction and experience becomes more difficult. So we made a very difficult decision: to take fewer wedding commissions, but in turn, to devote the same attention to detail and inspiration to each one. The couples that we have and will photograph are each so lovely. I’m starting to feel like what one of my mentors said about parenting: you don’t love one child more, you just love them each for different reasons.

Brigitte and Eric are going to be wed later this summer at The Madeleine Church and then fete at a reception at the Oregon Historical Society. They are planning so many fabulous touches that the more I hear, the more that I just want to dance with excitement. But the thing that excites me the most is, well, just Brigitte and Eric. We went out last month for their engagement session along the Eastbank Esplanade and into the industrial district near our studio and spent the entire time giggling. Literally. They are so playful with each other and so affectionate. It’s just adorable. I could go on and on but I think I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves…

This was Eric’s idea, and it took a lot of convincing from him, but I think that the end result was hysterical!

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 Zachary • 2011 Beaverton High School Senior Rep

Emma Easley Darden — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:31:53 +0000

I can’t believe that it’s already senior picture time! Zachary is the first of our reps that we’ll be featuring this year. He’s a really dynamic guy; he plays waterpolo and swims on the varsity level and even though he’s a bit soft spoken, he’s one of those kids who you know is just cool. He and Will took off into downtown Beaverton (no, it’s not really an oxymoron) to capture a few of the different sides of his personality. Like all of our senior reps, we’ll do a full session later in the summer. But getting a sense of who he was, and some pictures to show off to friends, was the goal for this session, and I love what we captured.

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!

Palmer • Beaverton Class of 2010 • Portland Oregon Senior Portraits

Emma Easley Darden — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:18:42 +0000

I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking when I scheduled Palmer’s session… well, yes I did. I was thinking that somewhere in the 90 degree range didn’t sound bad for tromping around town. That was before I knew that the day that we photographed would be the day that we hit our summer high of ONE HUNDRED AND SIX. Needless to say, it was one heck of a tromp. But Palmer is such a cutie that it was totally worth it. He’ll be a senior this year at Beaverton High School (my alma mater) and is just an all-around great guy. We wandered around the Pearl District– and in and out of air conditioned shops intermittently to try our darndest to keep from getting heat stroke!– and I had a blast with he and his brother, Lincoln, who accompanied us on our session. It was fun seeing the many sides of Palmer and I hope that they are just what he was looking for!

Amanda • Jesuit Class of 2010 • Portland Oregon Senior Portraits

Emma Easley Darden — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:06:38 +0000

Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but Amanda was actually the very first person that we ever took senior portraits of… when she was a sophomore! She is such a natural beauty that we borrowed her and pretended that she was a few years more advanced in the school age. The very next day we met someone at the pumpkin patch, of all places, who I showed Amanda’s pictures to, and she loved them so much that she became our class of 2008 senior representative from OES. Well, now Amanda is legitimately entering her senior year at Jesuit High School and so we got to take her senior portraits for real. I love her bright green eyes and her amazing brown hair and her classic but quirky sense of style. We had a fantastic time with her and I hope she loves these!