Latourell Falls Hike

A few weeks ago, Wednesday (the 7th), I was able to go hiking AGAIN! We had another beautiful day, and it wasn't too cold. Latourell Falls is supposed to be a loop hike, though with me around, I explore so we didn't know where exactly we were supposed to turn, so we made our own loop! Again, still a little obsessed with close up shots, and again not too many view points of the gorge :( But regardless, it was still beautiful!

                                                   

FINALLY! A view of the Gorge :D

 I have a soft spot for flowers and shallow depths of field. Love getting one part of it totally in focus, forcing you to look where I want you to!

Song of the Week - May 26, 2014

Happy Memorial Day everyone, I just want to take a moment to thank all my friends and anyone who is serving or did serve in the many branches of our military. You guys are the ones helping make our freedom possible.

A couple weeks ago 99.5 The Wolf played some songs off one of the host's personal playlist. The tune of Famous by Kelleigh Bannen is super catchy and is the song of  the week. She has one other song, Sorry on the Rocks, but it isn't as good as this "new" one from 2013. I can't wait to see if she comes out with more :)

The Value of Purchasing Prints and Products

This past January I decided to make the jump from automatically including digital files in all sessions to not; instead I'm now including a print credit, and have a minimum print order before you can order digital files. If you're wondering why, then please keep reading.

In the technology savvy world we live in, many people have lost touch with printed and physical objects. Everything is now on a screen! While this is helpful in some ways, it has diminished our value of printed photographs, books, and more.

While we have all this space on our external hard drives, computers, tablets and more, we overlook and have devalued physical photographs. Why should you get something printed when you can have it on your computer? I find that when my personal images are on my computer I don't look at them, they just sit, and are forgotten, or misplaced. That is not why photography was made. Photographs were made to be viewed, and to document our lives.What good is a photograph if you don't look at it? Remember floppy disks? Easily retrieving information off of them is not a common thing anymore. How about thumb drives, or CDs? Some day they will be outdated, and who knows how easily your kids or grand kids will be able to get pictures off of those in the future. Something that doesn't rely on technology are physical prints and products! Handing down physical objects is easy and constant, they don't change.

Some ask, can't I just take it to Walgreen's/Costco/ to get it printed? When it comes to photographs, you really cannot afford to look for the cheapest way out. The lab I print through has sent me test prints of my photos to ensure my screen is calibrated to how they print to ensure color accuracy. This is one of the reasons I have a minimum print order, I want you to see how your photographs should look professionally printed.

As an artist I want you to be able to have the best representation of my work in your home! I do not feel that the quality of the paper/color from commercial places like Walgreen's matches up with what I want for my clients. I want the photographs you hang on your walls to represent me and my photography brand well. That does not happen when the print quality isn't up to my standards. But this isn't just about me, I want the photographs you choose to print, to represent your family too! I want you to be able to look at those photos everyday identify with them, remember your kids when they were small, or remember how much fun you guys have together. A goal I have it for you to see the love between your family. This can be achieved by hanging prints in your home, for your whole family to see. 

Remember! You’re not just buying pictures, you’re preserving memories.

Song of the Week - May 19, 2014

One of my all time favorite bands is Parachute. They finally released their newest album in 2013, after releasing one in 2011. That was a long 2 years waiting for a new album! I have several favorites from their newest album, but I had to pick just one..... so The Only One is the song of the week. This band does some really great (but sometimes sad) songs. This song is nice and calm, but sad...So be warned.Their other songs are great too, if I had to recommend another song, it would be The Mess I Made. Its a little more upbeat after a minute into the song...but it is still sad. BUT its a really great song :)

Wednesday I will have a special post for you guys. As many of you know, I decided to make the jump from including digital files in all sessions, to not. I wrote this post in response to some people asking why I don't automatically include digital files anymore. Make sure you come back Wednesday to see why!

Triple Falls Hike

I went hiking on March 30th, which was a Wednesday. It was absolutely gorgeous out, and was glad I had a friend to go with. Triple Falls is out in the Columbia Gorge, here on the Oregon side, past Multnomah Falls. Though I have hiked it before, I don't remember it being as steep and so much of a work out! PHEW! But, it is totally worth it if you want to see some awesome things God made. Hiking definitely brings His creative side into light for me, I see it a lot better with my camera though. I am thankful I can get pictures (that I love) of what He has made! As you will see, I am a little obsessed with close up pictures. This is partly because this hike didn't have many, if any, viewpoints of the Gorge. The only major thing to photograph was the falls, so you get to see lots of flowers :)

Okay, I am not sure what that is below! We were driving back to Gresham on the highway, and I saw what looked like a really bright cloud. Looking closer I saw it was like a mini rainbow. My camera didn't catch all the colors I saw (more blue, orange, and reds), but regardless, it's still pretty!