Introducing: Beautiful You Portrait Sessions (& another Giveaway!)

**CONTEST CLOSED**

This post is for all of the adult women out there.  How often have you had your portrait taken?  I’m not talking about family portraits, wedding portraits, or even maternity portraits.  I’m talking about portraits of you...just YOU.  Think about it.  I’m willing to bet that unless you are a professional that has a headshot portrait for your business, or you are a model/actress, you are probably thinking about your Senior Portraits (if you even had them). 

As we get older, we focus less and less on ourselves.  When we get married and have children, our lives shift and stop being about us as a person and become “us” as a family.  When was the last time your kids saw a picture of you?  They may not care now (especially if they are teenagers!), but one day, they will be looking through photo albums and they will wonder, "Where are all the pictures of mom?".

So, as the kick-off to launch my new Beautiful You Portrait Sessions, and in honor of my 30th birthday, I am giving away a Portrait Session for one woman who wants to have portraits of herself.  You must live in (or be willing to travel to) the Cottage Grove/Eugene, Oregon area.  Although, if you live outside the area and are willing to pay my travel expenses, I’m sure we could work something out!  :)

Your portrait session must be completed by March 31, 2011.  No, I am not waiting for you to lose weight, get in shape, or get a face-lift!  ;)  These portrait sessions are about celebrating your beauty right now, not about trying to achieve that "perfect" body you think you need.

To enter, post a comment below and tell me why you should win a Beautiful You Portrait Session.  Your entry (comment) must be submitted by 12:00 midnight PST on Thursday, January 27, 2011.  The winner will be chosen on Friday, January 28, 2011.

Baby {M} - Baby & Child Portraits * Cottage Grove, OR

I had a great session yesterday afternoon with (almost-) one-year-old M.  She was a little hesitant to smile at first, but we still managed to get some great shots!  And after a quick trip outside to play with the few fall leaves that are left, she really perked up.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

 The whole family

 I found this little wagon the day before M's session and I knew it would make the perfect prop for her to play with!

 How old are you?

Happy to be outside!

Aiden - Newborn Portraits * Brookings, OR

I spent this past weekend making a quick trip down to Brookings to take Newborn Portraits of my adorable new Great Nephew, Aiden.  I didn't get enough time to take all of the portraits that I wanted, but here are a few of my favorites from our short Saturday afternoon session.

Kristen - Senior Portraits * Cottage Grove, OR

I had a great session on Saturday with CGHS Senior, Kristen.  The fall color really came out this past week, so we had some really nice backgrounds to work with.  She came with several outfits that were just perfect for the locations we were using, and I just LOVE her blue shoes!  Here are just a couple of my favorite shots from her Senior Portrait Session.

Kristen, I hope you enjoy the preview and I can't wait to show you the rest of the images from your session!

Tiffani - Senior Portraits * Cottage Grove, OR

I recently had a fun Senior Portrait Session with Cottage Grove High School Senior, Tiffani.  We did a short indoor session, and then headed outside to a few locations around town.  We even managed to find a little bit of fall color.

Here are some of my favorites from Tiffani's Senior Portrait Session.

Ashley & Robin - Senior Portraits * Cottage Grove, OR

Here are a couple of my favorites from a "friends" session yesterday with CGHS Seniors, Ashley & Robin. 

Kayley - Senior Portraits * Cottage Grove, OR

I had a great Senior Portrait session yesterday afternoon with Kayley.  I had photographed her before for the CGHS Water Polo team portraits, but it was fun to a whole session just for her.  Here are just a couple of my favorite images from her session.

Michaella - Maternity Portraits * Brookings, OR

While I was visiting my family in Brookings last week, I did Maternity Portraits for my nephew and his girlfriend who are expecting baby Aiden in October.  It was a dreary and cold day at the beach, but we worked with what we had and got a few nice portraits out of it.

Lindy - Senior Portraits * Cottage Grove, OR

Those of you who know Lindy know that she graduated in June, and you may be wondering why she had her Senior Portraits done in August.  Well, between me having a baby and her rodeo schedule, we just couldn't manage to get a session done before graduation.  So, we finally found some time to do her full Senior Portrait Session last week.  Lindy has been a great sport about allowing me to use her to try out new locations and ideas, so we had an extra long session just to fit in everything I wanted to try.

Here are some of my favorite images from her most recent session.

I am so glad I convinced her to bring along her prom dress.  Not only is it absolutely stunning, but it worked perfectly for several of the new locations I wanted to test out.

I *LOVE* sun flare!  It is a technique that should be used sparingly (and correctly!!!) to avoid looking overdone, but when it is done right, it can help create some amazing images.

Baby E - Baby & Child Portraits

I had the pleasure of taking newborn portraits of a beautiful 3-week old baby girl last week while we were at her great-grandmother's 90th birthday party.  Even though she didn't want to sleep during our short session, she was the most cooperative baby I've ever worked with!

Here are two of my favorites from her session.

Silhouette Prints - Child Portraits * Cottage Grove, OR

If you are looking for a timeless and beautifully simple way to display your child's likeness, a Silhouette Print is just the answer.  We can create a Silhouette Print of your child with the option to add his or her name in script, along with the date of the portrait.  Silhouette Prints make the perfect gift for grandparents, as well as an excellent addition to your own "hallway gallery" at home.  They are also great for scrapbooking or creating custom cards.  The clean lines and stark contrast of black on white make Silhouette Prints perfect for any decor, as well as any craft project you can imagine.  Ask us for a Silhouette Print at your next Family or Child Portrait Session!

Lindy - Rodeo Princess Portraits * Cottage Grove, OR

Lindy was a Senior Rodeo Princess this year and needed a portrait in her princess outfit, so we headed out to her house to take a few portraits of her and one of her horses.  Here are a couple of images from the session.