Elf Photos

Dec 5th was the arrival of Santa on Vashon Isl and I was doing Elf photos for the community as a toy drive for Toys for Tots.
Being the first year doing this, we got about only 30 kids, and a nice box of toys for donation. A couple of images will be a part of a larger show coupled with my Halloween portraits later in February.

Elf Photos

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

As most of you know I live on Vashon Island, Wa. About this time every year,

Santa Claus arrives on Vashon with a parade, a tree lighting ceremony and lots of

Holiday festivities.

Santa arrives December 5th this year and as a new treat for the community

Rebecca Douglas Photography

will be offering Free Elf Photos at Cafe Luna. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for

TOYS FOR TOTS

and receive a 4x6 print of your child with our Elf.

When: Dec. 5th 6-9pm

Where: Cafe Luna 9924 Bank Rd Vashon Isl. Wa.

Why: Toys for Tots toy drive

Sponsored by Rebecca Douglas Photography, Cafe Luna and Toys for Tots

Don't forget to join me on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com (look up Rebecca Douglas)

Family Story

This November has been so mild...lots of warmer and drier than usual weather. It's been great for outdoor portraits! So today I took advantage a beautiful day and photographed my friend Aristy and her family on Vashon Island. Aristy owns La Petite Etoile, a fantastic French Immersion pre- school on Vashon where my daughter attends.
We spent an hour walking in the woods and playing on the beach. It was the perfect environment to capture their family story. Much more than just a portrait, these images are about their family, the kids and who they are as a couple.

Frida Kahlo, elfs, & angels, Oh My!

It's been a crazy, busy couple of weeks. I can't believe that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is breathing down my neck!
On Halloween every year I offer free 30 sec portraits to the Vashon Island community. It started out as a personal art project 4 years ago and is quickly becoming a local tradition. I had one family tell me that they look forward to this every year as this is the only Family Portrait they do. I am thrilled to be a part of their tradition!

That same week I had the pleasure to photograph an aspiring young model named Cory Kennedy. He came to me last month on the recommendation of one of his customers when she told him (and his brother) that they could be models. So, Cory thought he would give it a try.
You tell me...Would you buy jeans, underwear, or hair products from this guy?

Stories

Recently, I photographed Sara and Kevin at the Washington State Arboretum. They were celebrating an important wedding anniversary and wanted to commemorate the event (and their new Hawaiian tans) with a portrait.
After working with them for a while, Sara commented on my easy and relaxed style of shooting and this lead into a discussion about how a portrait isn't always about the faces. A good portrait can tell a story even if it only shows a portion of the subject.
They totally "got me"! I love telling stories with my photography and even though the traditional sense of a portrait is sitting for the camera and smiling, I truly believe that the real story of my subjects isn't always in the face.
Here's Sara and Kevin's story.

Holiday Deadlines

To all you procrastinators and planners alike, It's time to talk about those looming Holiday Deadlines.
Yes, I know. It's not even Halloween yet, (I don't want to see anything Christmasy until the day after Thanksgiving), but if you are thinking about giving something a bit more personal than a cell phone or a new tie this year, then these things take some planning.
I'm talking about giving a beautiful, Heirloom Portrait of yourself, your family or your children. This is no ordinary snapshot or cheesy portrait from one of those chain stores. This is a custom designed, fine art portrait that tells the story of your family. A gift that will definitely have more heart and soul than a new tie. It's the gift of You. How perfect is that?

DEADLINES:

November 15th Last day to order framing and storybooks for gifts

November 29th Last day for portraits (if you want them for holiday gifts)

November 29th Last day to order Holiday Cards

December 13th Last day to place print order for gifts (rush charge may apply)

Happy Halloween

Halloween is quickly approaching! (Where did the summer go?)

If you find yourself on Vashon Island on the 31st, make sure to stop by Cafe Luna in the heart of town. This is the 4th year running that I'll be offering free (yes free!) portraits at the cafe.
This ongoing personal photography project has been a huge success and I'm thrilled to offer it to the Vashon Community. People ask me what the catch is...why I'm not charging for the session. I'm in it for the Art, nothing else. A showing of images will be hanging at the Cafe for the month of February 2009.

Halloween Night @ Cafe Luna, Vashon Isl. 4-7pm Free Portraits!

Hope to see you there! This is a popular event, so come early, then stay to Trick or Treat in town.

Oh yeah...there is one catch...You have to be in costume.

Day numero 30

This is it! The 30th day of my self-imposed 30 blog challenge. And a challenge it was. I am not a natural born writer, I prefer to tell my stories with pictures. Perhaps next, I'll challenge myself to a picture a day and see what type of story develops. The first of the year would be a good time for that.
Until next blog...(tomorrow, next week, who knows.) For now, I leave you with a pretty spring flower.

Fall Harvest

Today was the perfect Fall day with the warm sun and a breeze with a hint of fall's brisk temperatures. Yeah! Sweater and boots season is here! (I'm trying to feel optimistic about the state of our country, economy, the bailout. Take your pick!).
Fall makes me feel like getting back to basics, hunkering down for the winter and settling in for long cozy nights with a bowl of homemade soup fresh from the garden. Our garden didn't do so well this summer, but we were able to eek out enough produce to keep us busy. Tonight was one of our last harvests before we plant a cover crop and winter vegetables.
I just had to share some of what we picked for dinner. Fresh, homegrown food is so pretty.

The Proposal

Most of my business is Wedding and Portraiture and for a while now I've been looking for couples who want to "pop the question" and have it photographed to fulfill my Photographic Trilogy...Proposal, Engagement, Wedding.
After some time looking, I was contacted by a great couple, Maria and Serge. Serge wanted to ask Maria to marry him in a special place that they would remember forever. He picked Snoqualmie Falls, just east of Seattle in the Cascade Foothills.

The weather was foggy and cool and I wasn't sure if it would be condusive to a romantic proposal. Luckily, the sun started coming out just as they got started. I stayed out of their way and Volia! It was a perfect scene! He asked, she said Yes.

Siblings

Love 'em or hate 'em, Most of us have them.
Today was Sibling Day. I had the pleasure of photographing 10 year old twins, brother and sister on the beach in Edmonds this morning and later this afternoon, another sibling set at the Arboretum.
I remember when I was young and my mom wanted me and my siblings to be photographed. It was all I could do to not gag at the thought of having to be close to my brother. Brother "cooties" and the thought of having to cozy up with him was a real obstacle to a great picture. I'm sure we made it tough on the photographer as well as Mom. Sorry Mom!

So I could totally relate to these kids today and having me saying for the 10th time, "come on, get closer, have some fun...!" Well, after some goofing around and general fun, we finally got some great brother/sister images today. Even the dog looks good.

Tis the Season for Seniors!

Mid October is usually the deadline for submitting High School Senior portraits to your yearbook.

I've been inundated with calls from frantic MoHSS (moms of high school seniors). They realized the deadline is right around the corner and their son/daughter decided at the last minute that maybe it would be cool to have a Senior Portrait done. After all, a Senior Portrait now-a-days, is so much more than a stuffy, stiff studio portrait.

It's all about showing off who they are, what their interest are and where they are going. The sky's the limit with these images.

Babes in Toyland

Investing in professional photography to capture the 1st year of your baby's life is one of the most important things you can do.
Whether you have 1 child or 5, that 1st year is so amazing...it's when they are at their smallest and most vunerable, when they will laugh at the drop of a hat at the silliest things, and when you and them are discovering a great new world together.
The Newborn stage is always so magical. They literally fit in the palm of your hand.
The 6month old is sitting up but not yet moving. It's a perfect time to capture their imerging personalities.
The 1year old is on the cusp of walking. This is a great time to take them on an outside photography adventure...maybe a day at the beach or a walk through the fall leaves.

Whether you are thinking about doing just one session or taking advantage of my "1st Year Series", make sure you do something. They are only this small for such a short amount of time.

Woman-Owned businesses

Recent reports say women are starting new businesses at 1.5 times the rate of men. Perhaps it's our innate ability to juggle multiple tasks, think on our feet or lack of fear. Whatever the reasons, women should support woman-owned business when possible. If you are wanting to find a woman-owned business, try this web site BlueSuitMom.com.
Some of my favorites as I've mentioned in past posts are Tatjana Alvegaard (alvegaard.com/) a terrific photographer, Ellen Parker and her amazing bags (web site to come), Jennifer Foege (thejoyfulkitchen.net) with her sage advice on nutrition.

Well, last week I met yet another great Vashon/Tacoma Woman-owned business that I wanted to pass on.
To say that Habitsforming.com (owned and operated by Rochelle Gravance) is another Personal Training company is not even close. I've recently started working with Rochelle and in the first 30 minutes of talking with her, she blew me away. She actually said that I don't have to do Cardio until I'm blue in the face to see results. I was hooked! After looking at her website and blog, I understand now that Habitsforming.com is more about combining exercise methodology, psychology, philosophy, spirituality, (this is not about God), and nutrition to achieve total body and mind wellness.
It's worth the look!

The true meaning of a "Time Honored Portrait".

My friend Jennifer and I have talked a lot about "what is a portrait" and the type of portraiture I offer to my clients and when she asked me yesterday if I would create an Heirloom Portrait of her and her daughter, I was thrilled. But her request sparked yet more thoughts about what I "do".

I've been really struggling with the right way to explain the type of portraiture that I strive for on a daily basis. As a visual artist, I expect that my work will be enough explanation. But I am constantly reminded that it is not.
While reading one of my favorite photography trade magazines tonight, I came across an article about rediscovering the lost art of portrait photography. This article seemed to have put into words what I have been trying to do for so long. I'm risking plagiarism here, but I feel this is so important to everyone to hear.

"...if you look at a portrait, and there isn’t that “something more” then the naysayers are right, it’s just a manufactured scene with contrived lighting…but if you ever find yourself staring into the character of a given photograph, rooting out a certain mystique in the shapes that envelop the scene, astounded by the eloquence and multidimensionality of the subject looking back at you, then most likely you are staring into a portrait…" written by Tara Propper

It is so important in this digital age to be reminded that the Art of Portraiture is something to be valued and treasured. Great photographers are highly trained in both technical aspects of creating a portrait as well as posses a natural instinct for when to capture the essence of the subject.
We must not get so caught up in "digital files and snapshots" that we lose sight of our visual legacy.

Hello Fall, Goodbye Summer

So, I missed the last 2 days, but I have a good excuse! My family and I decided to take advantage of a free weekend, low tides on the coast and the last few days of summer.
We went backpacking on the coast out by La Push, Wa. It's a trip we try to do every year. This was our daughter, Nora's first backpacking trip, so we didn't make her carry anything (she's only 3).

It was a great way to say goodbye to Summer and Hello! to Fall.

Thinking of Fall...Don't forget to schedule your family portrait before the Holidays sneak up on us. The fall colors and gray days on the beach make a beautiful backdrop for a stunning family portrait.

Mamapreneurs Inc.

I've mentioned in past posts, a few of my favorites sites online that are geared towards working moms, as well as featured a couple of my working mom friends. Well, I have a couple more fabulous mentions for you.
First is my friend Jennifer Foege. She is a nutritionist based on Vashon Isl. who's concentration is "Sustainable Health" She does one on one counseling, group classes, cooking classes, and she just started a new program called Organic School Lunch Program, where she will deliver wholesome, yummy foods for your kid to their school. How cool is that! Check her out at www.thejoyfulkitchen.net

My other "find" is Mamapreneurs inc. It's a web site based out of Portland, Or and geared toward moms who run their own business. They have advise, workshops, a blog, and a great tag line..."helping moms find harmony while rockin' the biz world". It's worth a look!

I"ll be offline for the weekend, so no blog tomorrow. (I know I'm breaking my 30 day of blogs commitment, but the call of the ocean beckons me, and my husband and I promised our daughter at least one night in a tent before the weather turns bad.)

Little Books, Big Impact

I love designing books for all occasions. I'm not a "scrapbooker", but I do love to take a series of images, whether it's from a year's worth of baby portrait sessions from my 1st-Year-Series, a collection of essay-style images from a family session, or something I pull from my own life and put together a classic, simple hard-bound book that tells a story. I find them so much more interesting than a photo album full of snapshots. My husband and I make one each year of our daughter. It's so much better than the traditional Baby Books.

This year we have become quite the little farmers. In addition to our large gardens, we have been raising our own cow, pig, turkey and chicken with our neighbor, Loreen, who owns E-I-E-I-OM Farm on Vashon. (A great place to rent for a week in the country. Just a little plug for Loreen!)

Vegetarian Alert...Although my family and I are meet eaters, we believe in happy and healthy animals as well as a diet largely based on plants.

Early this year we had our first experience butchering chickens. My husband grew up on a farm and was very comfortable with this. I, on the other hand, was not so comfortable. I like my meat in the freezer wrapped in plastic. This was going to be a learning experience!
My husband built a chicken plucker, called The Whiz Bang.
and I thought it would be fun to document the event with some pictures and ultimately a book.

Another Vegetarian Alert...No animals were tortured, all were humanely treated. If you are squeamish, do not look at the following pictures. Although, I did not include any really gruesome images.

Kids

You gotta love them...the big eyes, the chubby legs, the innocent looks. I can't get enough of them! They may not be famous, but they are sure are just as cute as some of those Hollywood kids.

It's been a busy week. Here's a couple of kids from this week.