I'll be right over here...

One of my PQP goals for 2012 was to become a better, more consistent blogger; I thought I was doing this for my business, but as it turns out, I really enjoy it. I love writing and sharing photos with you. 

I had also been feeling like mixing things up a little bit in the logo and website department. So I talked to the right people, those who can see what I'm seeing in my head, and do for me what I'm not able to do; those who somehow take what I think I want and make it, but better than I could have imagined, all while still loving me despite my, um, being very particular. (I have been told I'm a bit of a p-in-the-a, but, you know, in the best most loving way!) It is good having patient, talented, friends in the know. The result of all our creativity, design, know-how, and do, lands this blog in a new place: www.photoposy.com is now the spot where you will find my blog, my portfolio, and everything else you need. All of it, in one tidy, fabulous place. I am over-the-moon about it, and I hope you will be too.

Big, enormous, bear hugs, and smoochy kisses go to Shanna Schlitz for my gorgeous new logo, business cards and general PQP-fabulous designs, and Brian McDonnell for giving me exactly what I wanted in my site, and more. You two put up with a lot from me and I appreciate you more than I am able to express. 

How lucky am I that I get to work with two people who inspire and love me?! 

To all of you who follow my blog, comment, share, and love my work, I hope you'll join me right over here!

my future in-laws

Franny plans to marry Luka when she grows up; Luka plans to be a police officer, and "police officers don't get married!" But sometimes he says he'll marry her anyway, and they'll also be married to Eleanor. 

Juno comes home

Dear Juno,

I ran through the airport yesterday, that kind of chest-burning huffin' and puffin' run someone who never runs does when they really need to be somewhere. Afraid I was going to miss your long-anticipated arrival, I didn't even take the time to switch lenses to the one I'd hoped to use, or look at the settings on my camera for more than a few seconds, before I saw your mama, beaming, as she walked ahead of you and your dad, with Max and Nana not far behind. I started shooting and didn't stop until I made you cry (in an attempt to make you smile).

I feel like we didn't start off on the right foot; you all tired after a long flight from Korea, me shooting a bright light in your face while people you've never seen before admired you, and spoke to you in a language you don't understand. Yeah, I get why you weren't so into me. You had my number pretty quickly, and either blinked preemptively when you saw me, or just gave me the stink eye. Can I tell you a little secret? I don't really like that light either, I leave it in my camera bag 99% of the time, but you were in a dark area of the airport and I didn't have another option. Hopefully someday you'll look at these photos and see just how happy everyone was to have you come home.

I remember the day in January 2011 when I received a text from your dad, saying he was going to have a daughter. I was on Mississippi Avenue waiting for Black Wagon to open, and I burst into tears at the sight of your sweet face on my little phone screen. Fast forward nearly a year and a half and yeah, I think you'll understand someday why there were so many of us standing around that airport waiting area, bursting with excitement, flashing our bright lights at you with tears running down our faces behind our cameras (or at least mine).  I'm really looking forward to the day I get to capture you smiling and playing with your big brother, Max. Even more, I'm looking forward to photographing you in your mamas arms, because of all of the people who've been waiting for you to come home, these seventeen months have been longest for your mama.

Most of us are going to love you at a bit of a distance for right now, and allow you to adjust to your new world. But know this, little girl, this summer is going to be fully loaded with love, fun and good times. I am so excited to get to see it unfold, and maybe even document a little bit of it for you to look back on someday.

Welcome home, Juno. We're all so glad you're here.

 

 

 

 

 

xo

old timers

I would have to dig through archive drives to get the accurate number, but it is safe to say that I have photographed this family, as it has grown and changed, more than a dozen times. The older girls, Mia and Sophie, come running and shouting my name when I arrive, and my heart swells. I can relax at the kitchen counter and sip a latte, made for me by dad, Mark, while mom, Leni, does some last minute primping; I can rummage through the fridge if I haven't managed to get a meal in between sessions, I can assist in changing the children's clothing or preparing their lunch, and I have, done all of those things. We have gotten so comfortable that I have to remind myself from time to time that I am a professional and these are my clients. I have yet to arrive in my yoga pants, but I'm guessing Leni wouldn't bat and eyelash if I did. The relationship we've built over time and the level of comfort we all have with each other, allows me to really hang back and capture this family as they truly are.

Sophie, arms wide open to welcome her baby brother, Aedan. This girl is such a lover. 

Mia is saying "don't cry Baby, you look like a beautiful princess!" 

(Don't worry, I asked Leni's permission to post this one.) 

I wonder if there is a way to search how many times I've said this, but here I go again:

I am so lucky.

xo

Mo Phillips Monster Suit GIVEAWAY

As you already know, Mo Phillips is a super rad mega star in our house, so when we heard that he and his band would be kicking off the St Johns Bizarre we were pretty dang psyched. It didn't matter that we also had to ready ourselves to be in the parade (with F's preschool), first we'd have to hit the St Johns plaza and get funky with Mo. Oh, and eat a hand-dipped corndog, because that is what parade day is all about, ya'll. Here's a video of our sweet friend Lux twirlin' to the song Twirlin' which appears on Mo's brand spakin' new album Monster Suit.

Because Mo is a totally awesome dude, he gave me a CD to give to one of YOU. All you have to do is leave a comment here answering one of the following questions: What's your favorite Mo song? What's your favorite carnival food? Got a Worst Party Ever Thrown story to rival Mo's (that the title of a song on the new album)? If you were a float in a parade, what would you be? 

Okay so answer one of those four questions here, and next Monday I'll come back an announce the winner (using random.org's number generator). 

Also, if you happen to be one of the many clients and/or friends I'll run into at Pickathon this year, and you think Mo would be a perfect fit for a morning kiddo performance, email Pickathon and tell them so: info@pickathon.com. Seriously, Dudes, it would be so fun to have him there!

xo

PS- if you're wondering where my excited Mo-loving girl is in that video, she's clinging to my leg. She rushed to Mo and gave him a handful of flowers when we arrived, and shouted at him once during the performance, but she is also exceptionally shy and does not twirl in public! Thankfully, she wasn't too shy to belt out the lyrics to the songs she knew, and I think she let go of my hand and shook her hips a few times during the last song.

UPDATE: The winner is comment #7, Stacy Smelser! Congratulations, Stacy!!!

Everybody pile on MOM!

The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one. ~Jill Churchill, "Grime and Punishment"

My daughter's preschool Mother's Day gift (a terrarium) came home with the above quote attached to it and I loved it, so I'm sharing it with you today. To all the moms, mommies, mamas, ma'ams, mothers, muthas, and baby mamas out there, I wish you a peaceful tantrum-free day. I hope your kids are easy on you today, and maybe, just maybe, you can get a little nap in this afternoon. Well that's my goal for the day anyway, whatever yours is, I hope it is met with joy and happiness in your heart.

Happy Mother's Day!

xo

PQ

Family Portraits on Location

While I'm catching up on some fall blogging - wait, first I need to say this: I don't blog every session, I probably blog a quarter of my sessions so please don't be offended if your family doesn't land here. It has nothing to do with you, your kids, or your session, and everything to do with my time, or lack thereof, and what aspect of my work I am dedicating myself to with said time. After photo editing and order processing, returning calls and emails, I am really pushing forward with making blogging a priority, and I'm hoping the result is something like three quarters of my sessions ending up on here. Dig? Good. Okay, moving on... I took these photos last fall on a cold day, the kind of day when outside photos only last as long as the kids' fingers and noses do (cold pink noses only make for one or two cute photos). I like to start sessions at home, but I'm also totally down with getting outdoors, and when that just isn't an option, we have to get creative. I have photographed families at a bowling alley, art museum, ice cream shops, and cafes. If you've got a special place that your family loves to go, then I want to capture you there. Bustling coffee shops with big windows and yummy treats make for great photo settings, as you can see here. I wrote more about shooting on location in this little piece for NW Kids a few months back.

 

Okay, so this one of Hazel was taken at home before we left but it was just too cute not to share.

Unrelated to shooting on location but totally worth mentioning, the awesome family you see in these photos recently opened MusikHaus PDX. I'll take every chance I get to give a shout out to a local business I love, particularly when I know and adore the people behind the place. So here's my shout: CHECK OUT MUSIK HAUS PDX, maybe your kid wants to get funky on the guitar this summer!