Jake, Bikes, and the White Stripes

One thing I enjoy about photographing Portland high school senior portraits is the variety. Every student is different, and I aim to create portraits that are unique to them. We chat quite a bit while photographing, and I'm always looking for particular qualities in the senior that I can portray in my images.

Jake, I discovered, loves photography, especially alternative forms of photography such as the Holga and cross-processing. So in addition to a lot of clean and pretty portraits, I also created quite a few that were a little more edgy. And we included his limited edition, red and white White Stripes JACK Holga in a few as well.

As a true Portlander, Jake's also into single speed bikes, and has a pretty sweet LeMond...

And since he loves the city, we decided to shoot in the Pearl District. Art, urban, bikes. It all fit in the Pearl, and we both like the images quite well.

Introducing the Lovely Laia

Senior photos are so fun to photograph in Portland!  A very enjoyable photo shoot on Saturday with a lovely young lady named Laia. Shooting modeling test shoots for portfolios is a real delight. We photographed on the east side of the Willamette here in Portland in a variety of locations. I think the photos speak for themselves.





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Marissa

Now that the rain has passed, it's time for outdoor senior portraits in Portland!. Until more rain comes. It's been a strange summer.

I don't think this is why they hired me, but Marissa's family has a schnauzer named Fritz. It was both strange and funny to hear people calling "Come here Fritz! Come! Good boy!" and know they weren't talking to me.



See more unique senior portrait photographers Portland!

Roxy

Roxy Mayer, a Lincoln High School Student, is a triplet (with two brothers). With a little styling from AJ's Hair and Makeup, and the assistance of Roxy's friend Molly, we had some fun with her Portland high school senior portraits. She laughs easily, and is easy to photograph. Beautiful!

Trash That Dress

Earlier this week, one of my July brides wrote and asked me an interesting question. She said she was looking forward to portraits on the wedding day, but wondered if, after the wedding, we could take some photos that didn't treat the wedding dress like a precious object. She had found a website promoting such things, and I was intrigued. What a great idea. Usually people just stash their dresses away; instead of stash it, why not trash it, and have some fun along the way?

So I thought I'd get a little practice. Why not do the same thing for a high school senior's portraits? A dress is a dress, and usually you do everything you can to keep it clean and dry and looking great: avoid the Portland rain, the mud, the wine spills. Admire the water but don't get in past your toes. Forget all that. Let's have some fun...

So I did. My friend Natalie volunteered herself and her dresses, and we spent a couple hours pushing the envelope. What a good sport she was! She was cold in the water. But I think the results were worth it. (Of course, I can say that, since I wasn't the one in the sand, dirt, and water....)

I'm still not convinced that just getting a dress wet constitutes trashing it, although the water was cold and chlorinated and a little slimy. And the dress was custom made. But there's room for to push the trashing limits. Even though I already tend toward uncommon portraiture here in Portland, my high school senior portraits may never be the same. I hope so. If there's a category of sports titled Adventure Sports, then perhaps I'll start calling my portraits Adventure Ports.... I'm trademarking that.









Have any interest in a Trash the Dress photo shoot in the Portland, Oregon area? Wedding dresses, high school seniors, bored moms are all welcome. Give me a call. Could be fun.

The Rose Festival's Queen Elizabeth

I have the very great honor of being a friend of Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth Larson, that is. You know, the Centennial Rose Festival Queen, crowned on Saturday right before the big, wet parade?

I've known Elizabeth a few months now, as she's been working with me on a photographic project, and I helped her and a couple friends with an assembly at Lincoln High School, where she was a senior (and now a graduate). I have to say, the Rose Festival made an excellent choice; they couldn't have picked a sweeter queen.

She's super-involved in all kinds of things, which is partly what the above photograph illustrates: student assembly member, a superintendent student advisory council member and a student alternate to the Portland Public School Board. She's studied abroad in Costa Rica, works on the Save Darfur campaign, teaches Sunday School, plans to teach kindergarten in the future, etc etc. But what really sets her apart isn't all the good stuff she does, it's her attitude: she's caring, gentle, honest, has good friendships, cares about her classmates.

My congratulations to you, Elizabeth! May your reign be a blessing to this city.

See more of the best editorial photographer in Portland at www.fritzphotographic.com.

Recent Portrait Outtakes

A few recent outtakes from photo portrait sessions here in Portland, Oregon....