Kailie and Bobby (and Whiskey’s) Engagement Session in Downtown Camas.
Kailie and Bobby’s favorite place to hang out is Caps N’ Taps, so of course, we met up there to kick off their engagement session. Little did I know that their pup, Whiskey, was a celebrity there and knew the right people to get treats from.
I have yet to met a person that could resist a Corgi.
Being a taproom, there had to be some beers (and cider) as well. Thank you to Caps N’ Taps for letting us shoot in there, have some beers, and maybe sneak back for a cute shot.
Downtown Camas has some great little spots; even some tucked into a side alley. I love these wings and may have used them a few times.
The Liberty Theater was opened in 1927 and has been a landmark along 4th ave since. I love the old architecture and the marquee. I added a little flash in there since it’s still dark.
I make it a bit of a point that if you bring your pup along, they get their own portrait. I think it’s a dog lover thing.
And of course, just strolling along the main street.
After our little walk downtown, we headed up the hill to Crown Park. That way, Whiskey could get a little running around in as well. Bring along a picnic blanket, and it makes a perfect photo for save the dates!
Congratulations again to Kailie and Bobby and I am excited to see you again in May!
Hercules and His People, Amanda and Jamieson.
Growing up, we always had many different animals around the house, from turtles, mice, frogs, and iguanas, but we ALWAYS had dogs. The moment we bought a house and had a backyard, we’ve had dogs. If you follow my social media, you’ll see the two I have now. One is my constant hiking companion.
When Amanda asked if I did pet photography, I thought to myself, well, dogs ARE family. I am a family photographer, so YES!
Hercules came to them as a rescue who needed lots of love. But now, he’s an old man, and Amanda and Jamieson wanted to make sure that they got pictures together that they could treasure. So that is precisely what we did.
Thank you Amanda, Jamieson, and Hercules for a great day out!
The Gianarelli Family at Officer’s Row | Missy Fant Photography
When fall comes in Vancouver, WA, one of the most popular places to see the leaves, is the road straight down Officer’s Row near Fort Vancouver. The tree-lined streets light up with colors and offer great backgrounds. So when Shelby booked her family session and wanted fall colors, I put Officer’s Row on the top of the list.
With two little ones, with PLENTY of energy, we tried to get them to burn off some of their energy. Letting them run around the open grass fields was great for that purpose and to get them to warm up their smiles.
I learned, however, that there is NO limit to these little ones’ energy. They just kept going. We took them back across the street to explore the porch and grounds of the Marshall House. I love the porches of the homes, but as you can tell, trying to get them to hold still was near impossible.
To me, true portraits like this capture what your children were like at this age, they grow so fast, and we are soon to forget.
It just means that you’ll get a sweet portrait and some fun outtakes along the way. Squirmy little ones are so cute, even if I have to chase them the entire time.
Another distraction? Go climb a tree!
They have some fun, and we can get some sweet shots of them.
I don’t usually recommend playing in the road, but Evergreen Road at this section is slow-moving and very well watched by enforcement. Not to mention, it is a National Park and has plenty of crosswalks and people walking up and down the road. So drivers know to use caution along this stretch.
The trees stretch along and pop with color in fall.
Before leaving, we still wanted to try to get some more energy out, so we had them run to the gazebo in the middle of the grass stretch.
The old fence is always a great little stop to pull the boots on tighter before the run.
At the Gazebo, I encourage family snuggling and sitting down, and just enjoying their kids. Especially if they love to watch, the planes taking off from Pearson. It’s a great way to catch their attention and relax on the stairs.
Thank you to the Gianarelli for being so amazing!
Are you ready to book your portrait session? Head on over to my portraits page for more information!
Sarah and Anthony’s Wedding at Oaks Pioneer Church in Portland, OR
Three reschedules, multiple venue changes, and finally, Sarah and Anthony got married! It wasn’t what was planned, but it was still perfect.
Because of all of the restrictions with COVID, Sarah and Anthony went through so many changes to get married. They finally just said, let’s do it. Sarah initially booked me for earlier in the year for a courthouse wedding, but when everything was shut down, it was put on hold. Another attempt and the courthouse was still not accepting weddings. Finally, in September they were able to get a venue. I got an email earlier in the week from Sarah stating they booked venue and am I available in 3 days. So I packed up the gear and met them at the Oaks Pioneer Church in Sellwood.
Anthony and the family were hanging outside as I got there, all waiting for Sarah to be on her way. Once we got word, everyone moved inside and I waited out for Sarah.
Can I say that yes please on more black wedding dresses? I think Anthony approved as well.
Due to COVID guidelines, there were just a few of their family members there to witness it all. But they were all glad to be there.
If you’ve never been inside the Oaks Pioneer Church, the dark wood paneling can make it seem dark, but the bright and gorgeous stained glass windows really help brighten it up. It is a gorgeous venue for a wedding.
The ceremony was short and sweet, and contained so many gorgeous words to each other.
Again, to follow guidelines and make sure everyone was comfortable, I had them step outside for the family formals. While the wildfires were burning and filling the air with smoke, it was actually much better than a lot of the other days that we had up here. If we were to look on the positive side, it did work as a good light diffuser.
After the family portraits, I took Sarah and Anthony around for some of their portraits. First around the church grounds. We were lucky to catch the last of the roses blooming.
Right down the road, I peered an opening in the trees that I absolutely had to take their portraits in. I mean, what perfect framing!
Little did I know that it was a pathway into Sellwood Park. So we decided to take a little walk and see what we could find. Sarah really wanted some fall color in with everything.
The trees were still deciding if they thought it was fall or not, so I may of fudged this one a tad in editing to make sure Sarah got exactly what she wanted.
The park was empty, but still gorgeous. I saw some baseball fields and what looked like some older concession stands. I love the care that they used when they built parks like this, even if the architecture has some weird details that we wanted to get some pictures with.
But as always, I will never underestimate the gorgeousnesses that mother nature adds to the image.
With the way that the smoke had filled the sky, we were not expect much when we went down to the waterfront. But the Sellwood Bridge really became a centerpiece, and the smoke ended up looking like fog. I think it gave an eerie, but gorgeous look to things.
After a quick stop back up at the church for a few details, our time together was over. They were off to celebrate with dinner and drinks, and I did my usual of heading home, unloading my SD cards, and sending them a sneak peek as quick as I could.
Congratulations to Sarah and Anthony!
Katrina and Lennon’s Kingdom Hearts Wedding at Lakeside Gardens.
The current pandemic isn’t ruining everyone’s plans, Katrina and Lennon were determined to get married this year, and that is exactly what they did.
With the help of Lakeside Gardens, these two were able to have a small family gathering and still enjoy a ceremony and dinner with family members. All while following guidelines and having a great night.
Katrina got ready with a few of her ladies with all the details, including his and her masks.
This year has been so much different than past years, with COVID, I have been flying solo. So I try my best to keep bouncing back and forth from the bride and groom’s spaces to try to get everything that I can.
When both Katrina and Lennon were ready I snuck Lennon out to one of the many bridges at Lakeside and setup the first look. I had to position him facing away and made him pinky promise that he wouldn’t turn around until I said so. Then I ran back inside and got Katrina. True to his word, Lennon was still facing away so that we got the sweet surprised face when he turned around.
While I had them outside and away from family, I took them around the property for a bit for some portraits before the sun started dropping. Lakeside Gardens is gorgeous in both full sun and when the lights get low, so I like to use it to my advantage and get images during both times.
If you couldn’t tell by the Keyblades, these two have a love of the Kingdom Hearts video games series. One I have started multiple times, but have failed to finish, because I’ve rarely finished any series I play as I don’t want them to end. My save files can confirm that as I save before the end of the game so I can go back and finish all the side quests, get all the items, and make all the NPC’s happy. Katrina and Lennon had custom Keyblades made just for their wedding, so we had some fun.
After stealing them for a bit, we got back and got the whole wedding party together. When you do a first look, we can push the portraits up before the ceremony, so you have more time to party afterwards.
The ceremony site has a long tunnel of ivy that leads into the gazebo plaza. With a small group family and friends. Katrina and Lennon exchanged vows and got married!
In a year like this, being able to celebrate with your friends and family, safely, is everything.
At the entrance of the property, overlooking the pond, is a gorgeous willow tree that I adore. So for those family members that arrived just right before the ceremony, it’s a great little spot for family images.
Back inside, everyone sat at distanced tables and in family groups while the couple had heir own spot in front of everyone. I always tell my clients that I don’t photograph them while dinner is going on, so I usually take this time to steal the wedding rings and capture other details I may of missed whilst chasing after everyone.
Following the theme of the wedding, each table was assigned a certain area from the game.
One of the reasons I love the wedding speeches, is that I get to learn so much more about the couple getting married. While I keep open communication before everything, the siblings, best friends, and family members always give me a more detailed look into my clients love stories.
With everyone still seated, Katrina and Lennon headed over to their cake table to enjoy some of the sweetness for the year. Did you see their custom topper in the details?
In 2020, dancing was banned. Unless its just the two of you blocking out everything else going on, and just enjoying each the company of each other.
Remember when I said that I like to take portraits when the sun is up, and when the moon comes out? We did just that. While everyone was inside filling out a little game, I stole these two back outside to make some magic…with lighting….you weirdos. Here is even a little before and after in the gazebo that shows you the difference.
And now the fun trivia game that gave quite a few laughs, especially when filled out by the younger siblings.
With that, they were officially wed and got to celebrate with their friends and family. While their overseas honeymoon got put on hold, I am sure that they are enjoying the newlywed life.
Congratulations to Katrina and Lennon!
If you wanted to see more of Lakeside Gardens, you can check out Kylie and Kellys wedding as well!
Rachel and Tim’s Wedding at the Top of the World.
Well, maybe not the top, but at a really gorgeous spot with the view of Mount Hoods Peak. Mount Hood Ski Bowl offers an amazing small ceremony site with a view of the mountain, and a fun way to get back down.
Tim grew up in Oregon, and Rachel, she grew up in Oregon as well, but it was Oregon, Illinois.
So many it was just fate that brought them together. Now with both of them living in Texas, they wanted to come back up and celebrate their wedding in thee Pacific Northwest with a small group of their friends and family, because, you know, COVID.
Disclaimer to this wedding as well, this was planned and executed under all guidelines for COVID at the time in Oregon. They followed all protocols as well did all the vendors.
We took a van up to the top as not all of the lifts were running in August and started to setup the site. Also at the site is a warming hut that works perfectly as an area for a bride and her bridesmaids getting ready.
While that was happening inside, the florist was setting up the alter and I got to sneak the dress out before anyone else arrived.
All morning, the peak had been shrouded with clouds. But just as we were starting to setup, the clouds were breaking and giving us a gorgeous backdrop.
The boys got mostly ready back down at the main ski area and then came back up to help get everything else setup. But I did stop the groom and the bride’s father to get their boutonnières on.
Back inside, Rachel had a special ask for someone. Rachel’s mother passed away, but she had someone else in mind to step in for the day. I think she accepted.
With everything setup outside, guests starting to arrive, and the bride and groom ready, it was time to get the party started.
It wasn’t totally planned, but we decided to do a first look with Dad.
And now, the walk down the aisle.
The ceremony was short and VERY sweet.
With a very happy couple at the end.
We did a few friends and family images before we headed back into the van.
But we weren’t riding all the way down to the bottom this time, it’s just the gravel road is a little tricky to manuever in heads and gear bags. I left my gear, other than my camera, in the van to be driven down and prepared for some fun. A little adjustment to my camera harness, and I was on the alpine sleds. I rode mostly down the track and jumped off right before the end. There is a bridge that people can watch others come down. The coordinator was right behind me, so she pushed my sled the rest of the way down.
On the bridge, I waited for them to come down.
There was a little bit of delay as the bride actually decided to go so fast, that she went off the track. But, she was back on and having some fun.
After a quick visit to the first aid tent, and a change into her reception dress, we were off to Ratskeller for some pizza and brews.
Nothing like some good, local beer, pizza, and good friends to celebrate everything! A sweet card and speech by Dad is also a good way to get some people tearing up.
Rachel and Tim are definitely my type of people, just look at the custom wedding favors they had waiting for everyone.
AND, they catered to those that are not big cake people (like me). They even had a marionberry pie, which is very Oregon. I am not complaining that Tim made me sit down with a beer and have a slice of it.
In a very different year, I am so happy that these two got to celebrate like this with their close friends and family.
And also have a little fun with the cake.
Thanks to these two, I think I have a new favorite venue to capture weddings. It may be the view, but it’s also the amazing people I work with along the way.
Congrats you two, I hope life gives you everything you want. You deserve it.
Emily and Josh’s Engagement Session at Trinity Pines.
One of the great things about having Trinity Pines as your wedding venue is that you can also use it for your engagement session. That is exactly and Emily and Josh decided to do.
The venue itself is pretty large and offers quite a variety of backdrops, so this is the perfect way to find your favorite spots before your wedding day. I highly recommend finding a sweet little hiding spot to escape all the craziness.
The sun was in the perfect spot to start along the tree line. Emily and Josh are outdoor lovers like me, and this backdrop totally represents a majority of our scenery here in the pacific northwest.
Walking down to the ceremony location, you arrive at the paved walkway and the arbor. So some practice dipping here is always encouraged.
We again went into the trees to play along the pond and the forest.
Walking up to the house, there is a little dip in the road. This is where the creek runs along with the property. If you couldn’t tell, it’s one of my favorite spots.
The area along with the main house and getting ready suites is gorgeously landscaped. So you have a nice contrast of the wild northwest to the manicured gardens. Make sure to peek into the ponds to see the giant koi! I have no idea how they’ve been able to keep the wildlife around here away from them.
I think this was one of Emily’s favorite spots and is a little out of the way from the main venue. But just past the house is the barn…and the cows.
Winding back down to the parking area is the hill. It gives a perfect boost for silhouettes and skyline images.
Congrats to Emily and Josh and I can’t wait to hang out with you again next year!
Something Wicked.
Deep in the forest of the Pacific Northwest, a small coven of witches gathered in preparation for Samhain.
