After rescheduling 3 times due to rain, we finally got a gorgeous Oregon spring day on Saturday for a very fun, and very urban-ish engagement session.  Chris and Christy are a made-for-each-other couple who won an engagement shoot at the Salem Bridal Show last January and it was a blast hangin’ out downtown with them.  

I have had the pleasure of photographing Ainsley since she was just a few weeks old, and now here she is at 18 months!  I can’t believe how quickly they grow…  listen to me I sound like a mom.  Ainsley is a very serious little girl and its quickly apparent that she’s got a lot goin’ on in that little head of hers. She has a contemplative and almost introspective personality. When you mix that intrigue with her beautiful porcelain skin, I have a feeling she’s going to be giving the boys fits! 

I have gotten so attached to both Ainsley and her mom Misty, and now that her bambino package is finished it will be weird not seeing them every few months! 

If you are fortunate enough to be chosen for a Schweiger Memorial Scholarship, you will soon discover that you are also being chosen to be part of a family. One night each year, Oregon’s Construction Industry puts work  on hold and comes together for an amazing cause.

The scholarship was formed in honor of Konrad Schweiger and his son Forrest. Konrad  founded  Advanced American Diving, a marine construction company (now Advanced American Construction) in 1983. Ten years ago Forrest died in a tragic construction accident and just three years later his father Konrad passed away as well. The company that both these men had invested so much of themselves in decided  to honor Konrad and Forrest with a memorial scholarship. Let me tell you -  it has been very, very successful.

In the scholarship’s short existence, over a quarter of a million dollars has been awarded to 119 deserving college students pursing construction related educations! It is absolutely amazing to watch the generosity and genuineness of this  group of  competitors, friends, families, owners,  suppliers, managers, and laborers as they take a night out of their lives to remember their lost colleagues while supporting their industry and all the others in it. When I call them a family it’s not an exaggeration!

I look forward to photographing this banquet every year.  At the end of the night, I always leave with a lump in my throat and a happiness in my heart knowing that even the untimely death of two amazing men can be used for such an amazing cause!

I’m pleased to introduce Todd and Brandy, an adorable couple hailing from Oregon City, OR. They’re planning a July wedding out at the Wheeler Tree farm which I’m honored to be a part of.  The Sabrowskis have been family friends for a long time, I’m excited to see all the familiar faces on the wedding day!

This past weekend Corey was outside from sun up to sun down working on our new french doors and deck, our landscaper was regrading and laying sod in the front yard, and  I was inside cleaning like a maniac, I  basically went “Monica Geller” on the house.  I’m sure many of you can relate to the loathing I harbor for house cleaning, but I had put it off for so long that I was embarrassed to have clients walk through the house to get out to the studio.

So after a long weekend of Rilo Kiley, Willie Nelson, and Shwayze (a strange musical mix I know) and lots of dusting, sweeping, scrubbing, nailing, sawing, tilling, and Waylon sleeping through it all… We have a new front lawn, a super clean house, and a deck (well… almost a deck).  

It was a very productive weekend around the house, and probably one of the last for a while now that wedding season is in full swing. Chores are super easy to complain about but it sure feels good once they’re done!

Meghan is just about the sweetest girl I have ever met.   Our shoot was in downtown Portland and she showed up in the adorable lime green skirt seen below.  Some of the first words out of her mouth were “This skirt twirls really well, and I really like twirling!” Right off the bat I knew the shoot was going to be a blast. You see, I just happen to love twirling too! Usually when I ask  girls to twirl in front of my camera they look at me like I’m crazy, but not Meghan. In fact she even reminded me half way through the shoot that she hadn’t gotten to twirl yet, just so I wouldn’t forget.

Meghan is heading off to U of O next year and her next big adventure. With an infectious smile and her ability to radiate happiness out of every one of her pores, I don’t see how she could be anything but successful.

Thanks for the chance to photograph you Meghan! Have a great summer and best of luck as you become a UO Duck!