Relay for Life

The American Cancer Society's Newport Relay for Life is this weekend at Newport High School. Last night the Oregon Coast Aquarium hosted the annual Survivor's Celebration, and it was again a great success. Lots of people come together to make this an awesome event, and here are a few of them.
Jennifer Locklear, Surivor's Committee Chair. Way to go, Jenn!
Her husband Morgan, the MC. He always does a great job!
Cora Bray and Mike Cooper, Event Chairs. They really put in a lot of hours on this entire event - all year long.

Jenn and Morgan enjoying a break with a friend.
Sandra Kittel works the crowd at the registration desk.
Lyle Mattson flashes me a great smile.
Jenny signs up and recieves her Survivor packet.
Irene and her friend check out the crowd.
A couple of happy attendees give me a nice pose.
And we had free run of the Aquarium exhibits, my favorite part! Saw some very beautiful creatures...

And a few strange ones... ;)

Relay for Life kicks off with the Survivor's Lap at 6:00 Friday night, July 31, and runs until noon on Saturday, August 1. The luminaria ceremony will be at 10 p.m. on Friday night... this is a sight not to be missed!

See you there!

Photography Basics

I am again offering my "Photography Basics" class, this time on Monday evenings, July 20 and 27, and August 3rd. Cost for the series is $60.

We'll meet here at the studio at 6:30 and will be done by about 8. The first class is about camera use and functions (make sure you bring your cameras and manuals!), the second session is about composing your images, and the third installment will be a field trip to put to use the things you learned in the first two sessions.

Space is limited, so call the studio to sign up today! 541-336-2606

Samaritan Summer Cancer Series

As part of Samaritan Pacific Health Services Summer Cancer Series, I am offering studio sessions next Saturday (July 18th from 10:00 to 5:00) to cancer patients, cancer survivors, family members, and significant others at greatly reduced prices. Sessions are booked on the half hour so they will be private, no session fees, and very low print prices. There are still slots open, so call today for your appointment!! 541-336-2606.

Miss Karissa

I met Karissa quite a few years ago, and have always remembered her as a bubbly, fun and happy girl. Here she is with Chicho at her Dad's wedding in 2006. I guess they had just started dating then. They were a lot of fun and very playful together.

Then, two years ago, we made her Senior Portraits, and just had a blast.

Then, last month I captured some great images of her wedding day...

It is so special for me to be able to capture some of the most amazing moments in peoples' lives, and to watch them grow up... and grow older... and to preserve those memories forever in pictures. Cheers!

Sweet

Knowing my affinity for photos, this is just too cute to not share:

A Child's View of Thunderstorms......

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school.

As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she feared the electrical storm might harm her child.

Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along. At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile. Another and another flash of lighting followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile.

When the mother's car drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called to her 'What are you doing?' The child answered, 'I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture.'

So keep smiling, you never know who might be taking your picture. Cheers.

Karissa and Chicho

I had the extreme pleasure of attending and capturing images at a very special wedding recently. I've known the family for some time, and always enjoy being around them, they are all just super nice folks.

I did Karissa's Senior Portraits a couple of years ago, and we got some of the most awesome images... here is one of my favorites.

And here is one of my favorite shots from the wedding.
What a lovely couple! Congratulations, I wish you all the very best!

Senior Portrait Summer Special!

Now thru the end of July, book your Senior Portrait Session and get 25% off your session fees! Call today! 541.336.2606

The Florida Aquarium

I think no trip to Tampa would have been complete without a visit to the Florida Aquarium. It was within walking distance of the hotel, so a few of us grabbed an opportunity to check it out. Here is Jaylyn, Amanda, Sara and Melanie out front.

Amanda, Sara, E.J. and Grayson check out the touch tank.

We saw some mighty big tanks... awesome!

And some very odd creatures. These are apparently called 'Rhinopias'.

We saw giant clams with iridescent eyes...

I have no earthly idea what this thing was, but it was moving... wiggling like jello filled with crawling bugs. Bizarre.

The gulls down there were very different from the ones here, much smaller and very beautiful.

And of course, the requisite alligator display. They are so gorgeous. From a distance and/or with 2 inch thick acrylic between us...

Mel got some neat pics of the jelly tank as the lights changed colors... trippy.

This is a Roseate Spoonbill. About as big as a pelican, and very unusual looking.

What a great experience. We all had a fun time on our visit. More pics to come!