I’ve had a string of little kiddo sessions in the studio this last month and it has been sooo fun!  It’s hard to beat the outdoor shooting possibilities that Portland has to offer, but it’s also nice  (especially with the weather roller coaster we’ve been on lately) to crank up the heat in the studio, get the kid friendly playlist going on the iPod dock, dust off the strobes, and bring out the props!

This little guy’s name is Jude. He’s 7 months old and so adorable that I had to continously remind myself that it wouldn’t be very professional to steal someone elses baby. His little conductor overalls are to die for and he’s got one of the coolest knit blankets I’ve ever laid eyes on. Such a cutie-pie and a very fun guy to photograph!

When I picked up the phone to call Summer and tell her that my due date was only a week away from her wedding day I was totally expecting massive amounts of panic to exude from the other end of the line. I had even prepared myself to help her pick a different photographer to shoot her wedding. After all, I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to take the chance that their wedding photographer could go into labor in the middle of their ceremony!  Quite amazingly, she wasn’t phased in the least! At first I didn’t think she had understood the implications of what I had just said… I’d would be shooting her wedding while 39 weeks pregnant!

So, first and foremost I ’ve got to thank Summer and Eric for their confidence in me and their willingness to let me waddle through their big day!  Just to be safe, I brought lots of back-up photog help, and had about 10 different contingiency plans in case my little guy decided that he wanted to share his birthday with Summer and Eric’s anniversary. Luckily, he decided to wait a while.

It was one of the most gorgeous March days in Portland that I can remember. The temperature was flirting with 70 degrees (which was a good thing because the last peice of clothing in my closet that still fit was a summer dress), the sun was beaming through the tops of the downtown buildings, and the entire city’s worth of people were out on the streets enjoying the amazing and uncharacteristic weather.

Bride, groom, wedding party, and family were all a blast to work with as we photographed our way through the Embassy Suites, the Portland Streets, and Waterfront Park. The groomsmen were all basketball finatics (coaches, players, and/or enthusiasts) and even brought a ball along. At first, I was a little worried that they’d be too distracted by March Madness scores and their impromptu “three-man-weave” drills to care about pictures, but when their turn in front of the camera came, the fell into line quickly.

The day was a hit! The ceremony and reception were a blast, the food was amazing, and Summer was stunning! Thanks to my hubs for carrying my bag all day and making sure I was hydrated. Thanks to my amazing photographer friend Sara Gray for second shooting. Thanks to Amy my new sister who spent the whole day learning to second shoot. Thanks to the long list of photographers who agreed to be on call in case my baby came. But most of all, thanks again to Summer and Eric for being so gracious, kind, and easy to work with!

I’ve posted a few fun shots from the day below, and if you’re intereseted in seeing more, Here’s a link to their slideshow

Holy Cow! It’s amazing how much a baby changes from their first session at 7 days old to when they come in again at 4 months.  I love how their personality starts bubbling out of them, giving you  little glimpses of the person they’ll become.   This is Landon, one of the most expressive little guys I’ve met. He’s sooooo full of smiles and giggles and has a pair of big, round, chocolaty eyes that can melt your heart in an instant. I’m so excited to be able to watch him grow up! Here’s of few of my faves from his studio session.

Well, we finally took Waylon into the vet for X-rays on his leg. He hurt it while playing out in the snow last year and for a while we thought he was getting better, but his limp eventually grew worse  and now he doesn’t even put weight on it.

I had to bring Corey along to help, because I can’t get Waylon into the back of the car alone in my pregnant state. We made the drive down to Wilsonville to our vet and piled into the the tiny exam room at the clinic. We decided to do his yearly check-up and shots to save another trip and it took Corey, and two of the staff to hold Waylon down to take his temp, give him his shots, and check his ears. I’m not sure what we did to him to make him so terrified random medical devices, but he was having none of it. It was pretty funny to have 4 adults smashed into this tiny room trying to control a man-sized dog that wanted nothing more than to run for the hills.

The doggy doctor felt around on his hurt leg and went over the X-rays with us. I sat in the corner of the room sobbing uncontrollably as the news came down that we could either give him pain medication until he can’t walk anymore or do knee surgery that only has a 50% chance of working. Apparently he tore a tendon or two, the dog equivalent of ripping through your ACL. Even worse, she said that the way his knees have grown, that it’s probably going to happen to his other hind leg as well. Let me tell you, the tears were flowing! Being 8 1/2 months pregnant didn’t help my emotional state at all, and I couldn’t help but think about the little boy I’d be responsible for soon. How can I be in charge of an entire person when I can’t even keep my dog healthy!?!

We always said we’d never pay for pet surgery, especially one that would cost roughly 5 times as much as we paid for him in the first place… I realize it’s a strange thing to love a dog like a part of my family, but I do. I think we may just have to bite the financial bullet, put him under the knife, and hope for the best. He’s gonna have to wait  a couple months though, I don’t think we can handle a brand new baby boy and a 120 pound dog recovering from surgery at the same time!

Here’s a few shots from a very fun recent engagement session that I did up at the Pittock mansion with a very fun couple. Mindy and David are two of the giggliest people I’ve met and their adoration for eachother is palpable. The softbox-like clouds made for some of the best outdoor lighting I’ve had this winter and the rain held off just long enough that no umbrellas were necessary.  I drove home from the session feeling like I had just watched a good romantic comedy, and I have a feeling that Mindy and David have that effect on people pretty regularly. For their whole session – here’s a link to their slideshow: http://www.alyssajul.com/#/mindy-david/