The Reversed Lens

Movin' on up

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:29:30 GMT

We're moving the main RLP blog to it's new site, hosted through our domain:

http://www.reversedlensphotography.com/blog

You can still comment here if you'd like, but comments will also be migrated there. We're hoping that the new blog will offer more ease of function, a nice new clean look, and make it even more fun to see things through our lens!

Scott & Michelle -

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:21:13 GMT

Scott and Michelle were married in a beautiful winter wedding. Their ceremony was at the beautiful Rose Park Presbyterian Church and then they followed with a ceremony up at Fort Vancouver. The entire day was lovely and intimate, with friends coming from varied locations to celebrate the happy couple. And Scott and Michelle could not have been more perfect to work with. They just sailed through everything, jubilant to finally seal their friendship and love. I'm thrilled to finally share their pictures with them!

Baby S -

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:20:16 GMT

Dave and Lisa were one of the first couples that we photographed back in the day, and needless to say, we were thrilled when they found out they were expecting! Little man S joined their family earlier this month and we had such a fun evening capturing his newborness. He even pulled out a new look for us: think Blue Steel from Zoolander. He was all a-pucker and his parents just kept cracking up. He's definitely going to be a performer, this one. And we can't wait to watch him grow!

The Littlest Fighter -

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:21:16 GMT

Baby M is one strong little man. He was born with a heart condition that will necessitate surgeries in his early life-- the first of which will be this week. We were thrilled to capture images not just of his adorable little newborness (at home, our favorite place to do newborn sessions) but also to document what he looked like before he got his battle scars. He was so cute and feisty and we know that he's going to come through everything like a champ!

Courtney and Nick -

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:37:59 GMT

Courtney and Nick had an amazing winter wedding at the beginning of the month. You may remember them from their engagement photos, which we shot in the summer when it was toasty outside. But Courtney had been planning things down to the last detail and we thought for sure that snow would be a part of things! We all crossed our fingers but alas, the snow did not show. But everything else could not have been more perfect. They created a winter wonderland inside of the Hilton, which included tree branches from her parent's yard and more votives than I've seen anywhere else in my life. It was a truly magical celebration and one that we were so thrilled to be a part of. We've been planning with them for nearly a year and seeing it all come to fruition was so much fun. Congrats guys!

A Real-Life Wedding -

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:06:23 GMT

Someone asked us recently what we specialize in and without really thinking, I said, "We specialize in emotion." I guess the answers that come first are always the most true because what we do best, and what we love to do, is seeing the love and beauty and whimsy in each of life's moments.

We've been having a fabulous time over the last few weeks being steeped in all things weddings, between showcasing at Art of Weddings, having our first listing in the the 2009 Bravo Guide, and meeting with so many lovely couples as they plan the biggest day of their lives.

And then today, we got to see our "real wedding" in Style Unveiled go live! We photographed Aimee and BJ's amazingly romantic ceremony last summer and the Style Unveiled editors were thrilled to feature their very green (both in hue and theme) wedding as part of their focus on eco-chicness. We couldn't be more pleased!

If you're engaged and looking for a photographer, we hope that you'll visit our site at www.rlweddings.com. We'd love to see your day through our hybrid of classic images and fresh, quirky, modern portraiture.

A brand new us

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:07:32 GMT

I've been somewhat remiss at blogging since the "Great Winter Blast of '08". But we're cooking up some great things at Reversed Lens Photography, most notably...

Our new website!!!

Yes, it's finally real and most importantly LIVE after months of working with our designer. It's much more comprehensive than our old site, sports our new branding, and is filled with beautiful images from sessions and events that we've photographed over the last year.

Happy surfing!

Harris and Friends

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:36:46 GMT

We did a session with Carter and her friends this summer, right as they prepared to depart for college, to celebrate their friendship. Carter's younger sister, Harris, thought that the idea was so much fun that she decided she wanted to do a session to celebrate the birthday of one of her best friends. And so we set out one Saturday morning into our SE Portland neighborhood with Harris, Megan, Maddie, and Halle to play around and capture some shots that shows just how close they really are. They've been friends for years and years and watching them joke and cajole and just be with each other was a wonderful affirmation of the power of friendship in our lives. I'm so glad that I finally get to share these shots with them!

Baby M and Family -

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:00:25 GMT

We've been woefully neglectful at posting sessions during the crazy few weeks that have just passed, and I'll be getting caught up here in the next couple of weeks. But this one just couldn't wait...

We photographed Baby M and his family at home early this week, just as the snows set in. I love doing newborn sessions at home, where everything reflects their life and style, but this one was a particularly special experience. They are a wonderful, amazing family and being able to be a part of their life with Baby M was a truly beautiful thing. Though this was not your typical newborn session, we loved the images that we were able to capture and hope that their family and friends will as well.

The holidays are here, part deux -

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:28:07 GMT

The last week has been an odd mix of anxiously awaiting holiday packages for clients and finding ways to occupy ourselves while the weather has kept us stuck inside of our home. You'd think that that would mean that we've done a tremendous amount of work but with a very spirited toddler in our home, we've mostly been finding ways to not go stir crazy. But it's not all play and no work. We're catching up on sessions, planning some amazing things for 2009, and getting very close to finally bringing our new website to life!

In that vein, though, we'll be taking the holiday week off. Normal studio hours will return January 1st. Until then, we will checking the studio line (503.922.1122) intermittently. So, call if you need us and we'll get back to you just as soon as we can. If you have orders that you're anticipating for Christmas, we'll contact you as soon as UPS makes it up our driveway!

Compton Family -

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:31:47 GMT

I had been friends with Ellen way back in our single days and ran into her on LinkedIn a while ago. She's since had a little boy and so it wasn't long before we talked about doing pictures of their adorable little family. C is quite the little speed demon and so Will and I got our workout that afternoon literally running to and fro to capture him within our frames. But I'd say these pictures were well worth it!

Festival of Lights -

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:34:48 GMT

This is from the Kodesch's session (we did a mini-holiday card session back at their home) but I loved it so much that I decided it needed a post unto itself.

Kodesch Family -

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:30:56 GMT

We had done a session with Anna's extended family this last spring, when her entire family was together, and we had such a great time and captured such great images that Eric and their daughter ended up being our spring marketing image! So when Anna called me about doing holiday photos, I was thrilled. We spent a hilarious morning in the Rose Gardens, chasing their two little girls around (M mostly wanted to go up the stairs endlessly) and playing with everyone. Anna's procurement of Saint Cupcakes helped things along splendidly as well :) And the girls even shared with each other! That's what we call a holiday miracle!

Davis Family -

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:47:42 GMT

Last year it was the Pearl, and this year, we're loving the Eastbank Esplanade! The views of the city are perfect for so many families, including the Davis family. Jessica and Pete produce NW Kids Magazine and so showcasing the city as part of who their family is just seemed natural. We had a fun afternoon playing down on the dock, pretending to be on a pirate ship (I think that was E's highlight), and cavorting on the beach. We finished just as the sun was settting behind our fair city, which seemed to be a perfectly fitting ending to such a lovely day.

Emma in full bloom

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:34:07 GMT

We came up with the concept of doing an entirely new type of session for tweens and teens sometime back in the summer. I was remembering how awkward I had felt during those years, and now looking back, I've realized that I was much more beautiful than I gave myself credit for. "What if?" I thought. "What if we could give that gift to tweens and teens NOW, while they're right in that place?" And so we conceived of the Wide World/Full Bloom™ sessions. We now offer location or location/studio combination sessions for tweens and early teens that are fun, expressive, and truly unique. And so far, they've been a huge hit. They're loving the side of themselves that they're seeing and we're having a fabulous time opening it up for them. We'll be featuring some of the sessions that we've done recently in the next month or so.

Emma was our first Full Bloom session. We photographed her bat mitzvah at the end of October, and a couple of weeks before, we did her session in the Pearl district. Before the session, she and I made a special trip to have a little makeover done, and then we took off and played for about an hour. It was a wonderful afternoon, we captured a lot of fun sides of her, and she was even able to use one of the images at her bat mitzvah. Thanks, Emma, for a great session!

Tobias-White Family -

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:05:56 GMT

I recently did photographs for a local preschool-- not the "sit and smile" variety, but really fun portraiture with each child-- and the Tobias-White's daughter was one of the children photographed. She'd been so fun and sweet that when they called I was thrilled. And the whole family was that way. They played and danced together and made faces and even moonwalked. It was so much fun that in the end, we literally had to just tear ourselves away.

Cory Senior Session -

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:45:42 GMT

We've been doing lots of senior sessions but Cory's may rank as my favorite. We went to some fun areas that we hadn't been before, tried a lot of things (including climbing a bridge!) and had a great time with her. It probably helped that she's a natural model and totally gorgeous. Oh, and those curls? She says that they "just happen." If only every shoot was this perfect!

Poida Family -

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:11:42 GMT

We met the Poidas in what may be an unconventional way: I responded to Oliver's ad on Craigslist for a leather chair that he was selling. (It's beautiful, and now resides in our studio). We hit it off so famously during that shopping trip that they ended up doing a session with us for their holiday portraits. And oh, how glad am I that they did! Their little girl was an absolute doll to work with-- and quite the ham, as you'll see in the photos-- as were her parents. We can't wait to see them again soon.

Scott & Michelle Engagement Session -

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:24:29 GMT

We're going to be photographing Scott and Michelle's beautiful winter wedding in January, and though Michelle is currently cramming to finish a semester, we stole a few hours last Saturday to photograph their engagement session. The weather was threatening the whole time; in fact, we ducked into the Everett Street Bistro and had breakfast (I HIGHLY recommend the grand marnier french toast!!!) because it was just getting too blustery. In spite of the vicissitudes of shooting in fall, I'm so glad that we all held on. Capturing this sweet, funny, charming couple was a great way to spend a morning. I cannot wait to be a part of their day soon!

Annaliese Three Month Milestone Session -

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:23:53 GMT

Annaliese was more than ready for her close-up: she's growing like a WEED! And her mom tells us that she's a petite version of her big brothers. I couldn't have been more thrilled, though, because her baby chub literally made me squeal with joy. She was her perfect, complacent self the whole session. I love that I get to keep photographing her again and again!

Baby G Newborn Session -

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:57:08 GMT

We photographed baby G at home, with his adoring fans (aka his mom, dad, and two big sisters). He was really alert at the beginning of the session, which was fun because we got to see his budding personality. He's a sweet, calm little man, though he does have a little bit of a wild side. A little binky action, though, and he was chill. And then he conked out like a champ.

Photo-treating: the pics -

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 07:06:33 GMT

We had a fabulous time on Halloween taking pictures of some of our favorite clients, and raising a nice chunk of change for Operation Smile in the process. Here are a few of our favorites...

For once, our little Pea takes center stage!

Michelle and Dean -

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:59:13 GMT

We met Michelle and Dean what feels like forever ago. Dean was living in Seattle when they were looking for photographers and so Michelle came by herself, and while we typically like to meet both people before booking, she was so sweet that we signed the deal that night. Not long after, we got together for drinks with them, just to make sure, and we knew right there that we would LOVE shooting their wedding. And we were right. They chose the beautiful Jenkins Estate for their ceremony and reception and it fit them perfectly. It was a beautiful, sentimental, amazing affair, and we loved every minute of it. Congratulations, guys!

I started out at the salon with Michelle and her bridesmaids

And then it was to the estate, to begin preparations...

I love, love, love the first look...

Michelle and the girls killed a bit of time while the guests arrived...

and then it was go time.

One of her bridesmaids and her husband sang an amazing rendition of "The Lord's Prayer"

Michelle and Dean stole away for awhile to let it all sink in.

But then it was back to the festivities.

Elsom Family -

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:46:41 GMT

We photographed the Elsom family back in September, when the leaves were just beginning to turn and the last hints of summer were still in the air. It's fun to look back and see all of that life! And not just in the surroundings, but in the family too. Their girls have living down pat and spending an afternoon with them was simply delightful.

Emma's Bat Mitzvah

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:15:34 GMT

Emma became a bat mitzvah last weekend, and we had the pleasure of being a part of her big day. Over the last several months of planning, we've become quite close to their family and so being able to be there and participate and watch her become a part of her Jewish community was an amazing thing. She is a young woman possessing an amazing amount of grace, and she handled herself impeccably. And her party? Well, hopefully the photos will speak for themselves. It was held at the Tualatin Country Club, a beautiful venue. And we got to work again with the fabulous musicians of Design Band. All in all, it was a wonderful day! Congratulations, Emma.

Her dad wasn't just one of her celebrants-- he was also part of the musical services.

Several of her friends joined her for part of the service...

as did many of her loved ones, including of course, her parents.

After the services, the party moved to the country club, and we spent some time with Emma taking a few fun pictures.

The party began with Havdallah services, led by Emma's close family friends:

And then the party really got started...