Category Archives: Photography

The Sweetest Tea Party (Event Photo Shoot)

Another post from the BRT (Before Road Trip) archives.

Meaghen and I met eight years ago in a Baby and Me group. We both had boys – in fact I think almost everyone had boys that year – then, a few years later we each had another boy. Our families were part of a larger group that went camping together each year and, occasionally, our husbands would get together to take the boys out for the day and give me and Meaghen time to ourselves when, let’s face it, I probably caught up on laundry and trashy TV while I’m sure Meaghen did something much more productive with her time.

Then a year ago Meaghen betrayed our boys-only bond by having a little girl named Lucy. I was only a teeny tiny bit jealous of the fact that she could now fill her home with pink if she wanted to and had a female ally in her house.  And I tried very hard not to envy the dolls that would soon cover the floors of her home amidst the toy cars. I eventually managed to get past the betrayal and accept the fact that there will be no pink in my house unless it’s of the eye variety.

But then, on Lucy’s first birthday, Meaghen told me she was throwing a girly tea party to end all girly tea parties. It was like rubbing salt in the wound…

…until she asked me to photograph it.

Of course I jumped at the chance. The last birthday party I photographed involved superheroes, legos and way too much wrestling. This time it would be about pink decorations and flowers and candies in pastel colors. Oh, and it was a child’s birthday party for grown ups – a way for Meaghen to say thank you to everyone who helped her through the first year of Lucy’s life. How could I say no to that?

Thank you, Meaghen, for asking me to capture this very special event – and thanks also for providing me with enough girly eye candy to carry me through the next couple of months. I’m planning an all-boy eight year old birthday party this week and I’m going to need all the soft, frilly memories that I can muster to get me through.

Happy Birthday to my First Born (Subtitle: OMG He’s Eight!)

My first born child is eight years old. On the one hand I am shocked (SHOCKED!) that I have an eight year child. On the other hand, Thomas grew up so much over the past year that it feels like he should have turned eight months ago. He was SO grateful for his birthday yesterday that he must have said thank you about 20 times. Presents included a lego set, resource guides about reptiles and insects to build out his collection (he already has birds and mammals), some fun chapter books, a Harry Potter lego book (from Samuel) and Dumbledore’s wand. The birthday boy decided on rotating sushi for dinner along with a promise that he could eat as much tamago yaki (egg sushi) as he wanted.

A eight, Thomas…

  • Is a champion reader. In just one year he progressed from barely reading a full sentence to starting to read the first Harry Potter book all by himself – by choice!
  • Is a great and (mostly) patient big brother, although he’s learning not to let his little brother push him around.
  • Enjoys Soccer and Karate and has just taken on the unofficial role of Karate “mentor” to Samuel.
  • Has a renewed obsession with Lego.
  • Has a continuing obsession with everything Harry Potter (see birthday gift list and book of choice)
  • Started second grade with some reluctance but seems to be settling in
  • Is sensitive, smart and sometimes silly.
  • Still likes to hold my hand and would cuddle all day if he could.

Just 8 years ago he looked like a teeny tiny bald-headed buddha baby…

(his first passport photo)

And now he’s overcoming his fears and climbing (fake) mountains.

So proud to be his Mum.

Commercial Shoot: Voicebox Karaoke

I mentioned previously that I was insanely busy before vacation. Amidst the general packing, preparing (and cleaning) involved in a visit from the parents and a major road trip, I also had TWO photo shoots – one for a friend’s sweet 1 year old (which I’ll share soon) and another for Voicebox Karaoke. Yes, my go-to Portland Karaoke destination!

I was thrilled when they contacted me after seeing the latest in my series of ode-to-Karaoke blog posts and asked me to take some similar photos of their guests for use on their website and other promotional materials. Dream job!

I spent about three hours moving from room to room – trying to blend into the background – while I took photos of people singing everything from Beyonce to David Bowie to One Direction. The groups ranged from tween girls, families and work groups, to a karaoke session with songs in Japanese (a flashback for me) and, of course a Bachelorette party. Everyone was asked to sign a waiver up front, so they were all willing participants and, for the most part, LOVED having their photo taken.

Thanks to all of my “models” for being such great sports and to the wonderful staff at Voicebox.

Here are some of my favorites.

Summer in the City: Storm Large at the Classical Chinese Gardens

We can place this event in the BV (Before Vacation) category. It feels like weeks ago that my friend LeeAnn and I took a quick trip downtown to take in our first concert at the Portland Classical Chinese Gardens.

Apparently these Chinese Garden summer concerts have been happening forever, but I was completely unaware of their existence until LeeAnn told me that Storm Large was going to be performing. I’ve been a fan of Storm Large since I saw her talk at a TEDx Portland event a few years ago. She was so eloquent and inspiring and, of course, her voice is amazing.

The Chinese gardens are an unusual place for a concert series. While the setup is quite intimate, the layout is a little awkward. LeeAnn and I weren’t able to get there very early so we missed out on some of the prime seats – although I get the feeling the season ticket holders filled those pretty quickly anyway.

A couple of things I’d do differently if I attended a future event at this venue – bring cash (the bar doesn’t take credit cards), bring a blanket or other soft thing to sit on (I lost some feeling in my tush after sitting on a concrete fence for two hours), pack the bug spray (lots of standing water) and get there early. Thankfully I packed an adult beverage for LeeAnn and I to share so we were able to bypass the no cash problem. I’m not sure if that was completely above board but it saved us paying $8 for a glass of mediocre wine and was a more refreshing option on a warm, humid night.

Still, despite arriving a little later than we’d hoped, we were able to find a spot with a good view of the stage.

And of the tea house behind us.

I can honestly say that Storm Large lived up to every expectation. She was funny, genuine and incredibly entertaining. She also acknowledged the weirdness of the venue, spending a lot of her time climbing the railing in front of the Gazebo/stage to get closer to the audience. I’m glad she didn’t fall in – but it would have made a good story.

It occurred to LeeAnn and I that we were amongst the youngest people attending this concert – something that you don’t experience very often when you start to approach 40. It made for some interesting (sometimes awkward) audience interactions. I wonder how many of the season ticket holders knew who Storm Large was before this concert.

Still, the venue was beautiful, the talent was amazing and the home-made cocktail added just the right amount of flavor.

And as the sun started to go down, it became a little more magical.

Highlights included of the night included a stalkerish version of Hopelessly Devoted to You (do yourself a favor and watch this live recording) and an equally stalker-friendly song, I Want You by Elvis Costello. The concert was three weeks ago and they were the ones that stuck with me which is perhaps a little concerning… 🙂

And when Storm ended on this song, it was the icing on the cake. (If you’re at work, best put on some headphones)

Such a fun night thanks to a wonderful entertainer. I’d brave the mosquitos again in a second.

Back. Relaxed. Rested… Well, In Theory

I’m back.

Yes, the family and I, with my Aussie parents in tow, just recently returned from the Oregon vacation to end all Oregon vacations. We saw ancient Lava flows, floated on the crisp blue waters of a crater lake, explored marble caves (in the middle of nowhere) and hugged a few giant redwoods. We gathered junior ranger badges, maps, amazing beach rocks and (unintentionally) sand. We stayed in modern condos, rustic cabins, ancient chalets and a house with a great location that took us on a 1960’s decor time warp.

And, of course, now I have about a quadrillion photos to edit. It’s the curse of the photographer. I’ll be back with more blog posts soon that share our adventures.

I’ll also share a few things that happened in the week before we left, including two fun photo shoots and a very special concert experience (it was a busy week).

Tomorrow I head back to work and prepare for the start of school next week. While I don’t feel rested, I do feel as though I had a great vacation. Now if only I could find a way to take some vacation to recover from my vacation.

Back with more of this soon…