I recently had the awesome opportunity to photograph Heather and Adel Tennant for my client, Exotic Gemstones LLC aka Oregon Sunstone. The jewelry is mined right here in Oregon and designed by our loved Karla Proud, the owner of Oregon Sunstone! Here are a couple of our favorites!
After spending 6 months on a trip
around the world, the last three in Africa, my eyes have been open to the opportunities to help others less fortunate. My husband and I spent those 3 months working in a township called Red Hill, living amongst the Xhosa people. Yes, we lived in a “squatter camp” in a shack, and loved every moment of it… well, almost. We were able to help the people living there rebuild their homes after a huge fire that destroyed all of what meager possessions they had. Our team built 79 homes in 2 short months and witnessed changes in people that last a lifetime. Here are a couple images of the faces I saw on a daily basis. Unforgettable!
I was recently hired by the lovely and talented Dana Ward of Lime Design to photograph her new professional headshots. In business, professional headshots are very important. They are sometimes the “first impression” when someone is looking for your service or a professional in your field. They can speak volumes about your personality, and even, the quality of your business. Of course, I am a photographer, so I may be biased as to the importance of one’s photography, but personally, I steer clear of any businessman or woman with a pixelated photo, cropped out of last year’s Hawaiian vacation. (facebook excluded)
For Dana’s headshots, we wanted to photograph her in an environmental portrait style, instead of in the studio, to add some depth and connection to her business. We chose The Loft in downtown Bend as a great location for her. She is one of Central Oregon’s premier home stagers, so having an intimate and warm atmosphere went well in defining her as a professional in her field.
What’s your field or area of expertise? Do your headshots help portray your branding and convey the image you want for your business?
If you haven’t been to the “new” and improved Blacksmith Restaurant, I highly recommend checking it out! I had the privilege of photographing the new look and its nothing short of Beautiful! New bar, new lounge, new seating, and new bites on the already fabulous menu by Gavin McMichael. For more info, go to The Blacksmith Restaurant.
I am super excited to announce the new Oregon Home Magazine is now on store shelves! The cover image was photographed by yours truly, featuring Thomas Lauderdale from the famed Pink Martini in the comforts of his Portland residence. Oregon Home Magazine has undergone some incredible changes in the last few months, revamping the look and feel of its publication to a beautiful, new source of architecture and living in Oregon.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing imagery for the design and branding firm, Studio Absolute. Russ and Cheryl McIntosh are not only incredible people and good friends of mine, but they are also so talented in their field. They provide high end design solutions and branding to drive the right clients to your business.
Studio Absolute recently moved to a new location in Tumalo, Oregon and needed imagery for their marketing collateral. I photographed the exterior and interior of their new space, as well as some imagery showing the details within their space. In addition, I wanted to do something fun to showcase them around their space, so we worked with some blurred motion within an interior image of their office.
After receiving their images, Cheryl had this to say… “As a branding and design firm, every touchpoint of our business is under the microscope for its ability to reach and inspire the target market. After trusting Paula to tell several of our clients’ stories through photography, we knew she would do a great job showcasing our new studio. She exceeded our expectations on timing and the quality of the work. We keep asking ourselves, ‘How did she do that?'” Cheryl continues…
“We have a good, quality camera and an eye for design, so we had taken a lot of our own shots of the studio. But we were blown away with Paula’s ability to make our space come alive with her creativity and lighting expertise. Just like hiring a designer–it’s well worth bringing on a trained professional verses a skilled hobbyist. We’re thrilled with the results.”
Below are a few examples of what came out of our time together yesterday. Enjoy!
If you haven’t savored the flavors of Trattoria Sbandati in Bend, Oregon, you are missing out! Juri and Kinley Sbandati have set the bar high with their new restaurant featuring authentic Florence cuisine and wine pairings. But do not expect an “eat and run” restaurant. They have set the tone to wine and dine and enjoy the atmosphere with four courses to every dinner.
I had the great pleasure of photographing some of Juri’s beautiful dishes for their advertisements and website. It was nothing less than an enjoyable experience working hand in hand with Juri and their amazing designer Jon Taylor Carter. We really wanted to show off the textures and beautiful colors of the dishes and continue with the theme of the Italian, rustic feel. In order to accomplish this, I worked with specific lighting techniques to enhance and dramatize the food. It is really important to work with the balance of highlights brushing off the food and where the shadows fall to create the right feel. In addition, we wanted to include a bit of the low-light atmosphere in some of the images which is all about balancing the light and the connection between the restaurant and subject. To view other examples of my food photography, please visit my website here. Enjoy!
