Portland, Oregon…My Other Home.

Category Archives: My Life

Portland, Oregon…My Other Home.

October 12, 2011

I’ve been going to Portland since before I can remember. I feel like it’s my second home and I love it there so much. One whole side of my family lives there and visiting them and my favorite city brings me so much joy! This past weekend I got to fit in a quick trip up there with Ryan and had a blast. It was his first time there so we did everything from hiking Multnomah Falls, driving out to Cannon Beach, hanging out with family, and even got to go to the Oregon Zoo! I wish vacations could last much longer though. :) While I was there, I also got to cross off goal #35 from my 101 in 1001 goals list! I’ve been wanting to take real portraits of my Oregon family for so long, but we usually never get the chance when I’m there…finally this is no longer the case! I can’t think of a more beautiful location for a photo session than Portland and pretty much everywhere that Ryan and I would go I’d always say “Ah I wish I could shoot a session there!” It’s gorgeous. And it’s Autumn…which means changing leaves and cool air, unlike in Phoenix. Maybe someday I’ll be able to have a second home there and run my business from both places!

This is the view of the city from the Japanese Flower Gardens, I definitely recommend you go there if you visit Portland! They’re so beautiful and right next to the Rose Gardens.

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No trip to Portland is complete without a stop at VooDoo Doughnuts! It’s a must, even though you might have to wait in line 45mins-2hrs!

Multnomah Falls is incredible. It’s two connected waterfalls that span 620 feet and are just breathtaking. Our Earth is beautiful.

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I’m pretty convinced that the animals at the Oregon Zoo were posing for me. It was weird. The elephant saw us, walked towards us, then turned sideways and curled it’s trunk in a perfect elephant pose. That zoo was way better than the Phoenix Zoo in my opinion because 1. it’s in the cloudy forest, 2. they let you get really close to the animals (I only brought a 35mm lens with me) 3. and it was not crazy crowded like our zoo usually is!

If you’re ever looking for somewhere gorgeous to visit…I definitely suggest Portland. I only wish I could go more than once a year. :)

Posted in: My Life

So Long Sweet Summer…

August 31, 2011

Ok I know summer isn’t really gone like the title of this post…but I like to think of September 1st as Fall and I just ignore when the thermometer tells me otherwise.

I also know that I’ve been slacking in the blog department the last few months and I feel badly about it. Blogging isn’t one of my favorite things to do and it takes a real time commitment to blog consistently but I’m trying to get better! This summer has been a great one because I’ve gotten to focus on enjoying my new-found freedom after graduation, I’ve gotten to have some adventures, I’ve had the chance to read a bunch of books (I’m kind of obsessed with reading ;) ) and I’ve gotten to focus on the back-end aspects of my business since it’s been too hot outside to do much shooting! I’ve also been able to work on a few of my 101 in 1001 goals!

For my business, I’ve been focusing on uniting all of my branding materials so I can keep moving in a positive direction in the future! I love getting to make little tweaks that help me get to where I want to be and summer is usually the only chance I get to make these little changes! I also have finally completed working on my dedicated office space for my business. I am SO happy to have a space just for working because it helps me focus a lot better and also gives me better separation of my business and personal time. It’s very organized and pretty and with my new space I’m definitely ready to take on my busy shooting schedule this Fall. :)

Adventure-wise, I got to go on two out-of-state trips and loved them both! I went to both Minneapolis and El Cajon and even though I worked on both trips, I had some great experiences and I’ll share some photos below.

Another thing I’ve been working on lately are personal photo projects. I completed one of them in May, and with the completion of it, I got a sense of closure from a chapter of my life book ending. Documenting aspects of my life through photographs really helps me deal with change and acceptance of endings, because otherwise I struggle with saying goodbye to things. A second personal photo project I’ve been working has stemmed both from a love of the specific art and a desire to push my skills to become more technically proficient and more creative in general. I might post a glimpse into this project later, it’s really a never-ending one.

Even though I despise the heat, I love the summer time because I really get a chance to enjoy life and work on who I am as a person. It’s fun and peaceful most of the time and I try and do at least one thing I really love doing each week. It’s a great way to live. :) Here are a few photos of what I was up to this summer!

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I rode the heck out of the Mall of America roller coasters and loved it. Disneyland is my favorite place in the world for rides but Mall of America was still really fun! I also got to visit the Vikings Stadium while I was there…the Arizona Cardinals will always be my favorite team but the Vikings are in my top three! Kayaking was definitely on the to-do list as well since Minnesota is the state of 10,000 lakes.

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La Jolla cove was beautiful and I loved walking out on the sea walk even though I was the only one who had a large wave crash onto me…twice. That’s why my clothes are wet in the picture. :)

It was a wonderful summer full of great experiences, hard work, and growth both as a person and a photographer! I love moving forward.

Posted in: My Life Tagged as: california, El Cajon, la jolla, lake kayaking, mall of america, minnesota vikings football stadium, minnesota wedding photographer, summertime

A New Puppy!

June 30, 2011

Last week Ryan and I headed over to the Arizona Animal Care & Control facility to check out the puppies because he had been wanting a little companion for awhile now. Well as anyone who has been there probably knows…it’s hard to look in the eyes of the animals there and leave empty handed. So without further adieu…meet Jax! He’s a little one year old Min Pin & is one of the most loving, playful pups ever. I’m so glad we found him! From the second he met eyes with us, we just connected with him & knew he’d be coming home. He’s the perfect puppy for Ryan and he’s now joined my little puppy family along with Mia & Molly. :)