Holiday portraits

Tis the season for last those last minute portrait sessions for the holidays!
Here's a sample of a couple of kids I photographed this week.

Halloween night

It was a crazy night...167 portraits in 3 hours! This was the 5th year I offered my free 30 second portraits for the the Vashon Isl. community. People ask me what I get out of this. I don't get paid, all expenses come out of my own pocket, but I've got a fantastic collection of images and it's a lot of fun to do something for my community.
As an artist, I love how each image becomes a story that can stand on it's own. Just look into the eyes of a child staring back at you. They are so proud of their costume!

Some day these images will be published into a coffee table book to help benefit a childrens charity.

Fall Maternity

I just couldn't pass up the fall colors this week in my front yard. I asked 4 brave women it they would pose for me in all their beautiful, pregnant glory, just so that I could satisfy a creative urge.
This "creative urge" that I get (pretty often) is almost as bad as my sweet tooth!
Here's a sampling of the portraits we created.
Become a fan of Rebecca Douglas Photography to stay updated with all my events and "creative urges"! You will also receive $25 off your next portrait session when you join the fan club! Just go to facebook.com, log in, and search for Rebecca Douglas Photography.

Fall Leaves are here!

My 2 big Maple trees are at their Fall peak right now. So, I thought it would be fun to have a spontaneous portrait day for anyone wanting to show up.
Tomorrow, the 22nd, 1-3 & 4-6
This will be a good test to see how many people are truly spontaneous on Vashon Island.
Plus, this is a great way to get that perfect image for your holiday cards, or start your holiday shopping.

Halloween 2009

Halloween is coming up soon and that means get ready for my annual Community Halloween Portraits at Cafe Luna.
Wear your costume and come get a free 30 sec portrait at Cafe Luna on Vashon Island. We start at 4pm and will be going until 7pm.
Yes, there will be a line, but don't let that scare you off. It goes quickly, I promise!
This ongoing project will eventually turn into a CoffeeTable book to benefit a childrens charity.
If you have been a part of the last 4 years of Halloween portraits and haven't signed a model release, but want to be a part of the book, please contact me. I can't use your image if I don't get your release.
I can't wait to see all the costumes. They get better every year!

Vashon Dreamboats Calendar

The Vashon Dreamboats are presenting a big fat check to the school board this week! We've raised more than half of our $20,000 goal.
With the holidays coming up, these puppies are going to start going faster. If you don't want to miss out on your very own copy of the Dreamboats calendar go to Amazon.com
Funny thing....These calendars are huge sellers with the over 60 women crowd.
Great gift for mom!

Senior series

I've been doing a lot of fun senior portraits lately. Gone are the days of stuffy studio poses. These kids are bringing the energy, thinking outside the box, even bringing their friends.

Customer comments

Every once in a while I get some great feed back from my clients. I had to share two from this week.
"You brought tears to my eyes...you are amazing, Rebecca; simply amazing!!
Thank you SOOOOO much. I'll get the check out tomorrow (and I haven't even
looked at the invoice...i know whatever you charged, it's well worth it)!"

"I cannot describe the overwhelming emotion that your photos gave me...the tears were flowin' sister! THEY ARE FANTASTIC!!!!! "

Vashon Couch Day

The summer is coming to an end.
Let's celebrate with beautiful portraits on my victorian couch.
Sept 6th on Vashon Island
Sept 13th at Seattle's Lincoln Park.
$75 for a 30 minute session
Call or email me to get your appointment.

Vashon Dreamboats Calendar

The Vashon Dreamboats Calendar release party is Thursday night.

Sept 3rd, 6pm @ Cafe Luna

The Dreamboats will be there to sign your calendars, large prints will be for sale and we'll be doing some fun raffle games. Buy a game card for $1, answer some questions about the Dreamboats and win some local wine or a gift certificate to The Hardware Store Restaurant.

All proceeds go to the Vashon Island School District.

You can find the answers to all the questions on the Vashon Dreamboats Facebook page.

Just look at the profiles of the men.

Our story keeps popping up on various news programs. We've been on KOMO 4 news, Inside Edition, the morning news in Cincinnati, Oh and now on the examiner.com!

This calendar is so much more than just a calendar. The story is really about the state of our educational system. Parents shouldn't have to hold bake sales, car washes or make a calendar to raise money to keep good teachers.

Senior session

Had a great Senior Session on Bainbridge Island recently. Mitch, my senior, wanted a couple of long time friends involved with the pictures. We had a great time together creating a whole series of images that capture not only Mitch's senior year, but also his friendships.
This inspires me to do more "friendship" series with my seniors. How fun!

Vashon Dreamboats Calendar

I spent the day today with the Vashon Dreamboats and the Inside Edition film crew. (the NBC entertainment news program)

What started as a small island fundraiser, the Vashon Dreamboats calendar has gone national! Check out the blog for more information about the fund raising project I've been a part of this summer.

The Inside Edition show will air in early Sept. Stay tuned for the date!

Our original goal of raising $10,000 for the Vashon Island School District now has the potential of going much higher! If you want to help with the cause ( and get a fun calendar) come to Cafe Luna on Sept 3rd for the release party and be the first to grab one! If you can't make it, don't worry, they will be for sale on Amazon.com either after the release party on after Inside Edition airs...Which ever comes first. Details to follow.

To become a Dreamboats fan, click here.
To become a fan of Rebecca Douglas Photography, click here.
Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/rbekad

Sailing Away

I spent the afternoon today with a wonderful family with whom I've worked with in the past. Last year we concentrated on some simple and beautiful outdoor portraits of their daughter.

This year they wanted to create some family portraits that really showed who they are.

They are boaters and spend a lot of time on the water, so creating a portrait with the water seemed fitting.

Seattle beach days

For the last time this summer, I am offering abbreviated portrait sessions at Lincoln Park in W.Seattle.
The where and when"
Sat. Aug 8th
Lincoln Park on the beach in W. Seattle
Session openings-9am-11.30am
20 min sessions
$75

Bring the kids, the dog, roll up your jeans and come celebrate the last days of summer!

Babes and Broads

Last month at the Vashon Isl Strawberry Festival, I was a co-sponsor of the Babes and Broads photo contest. It was a huge success! We raised over $900 for Learn to Earn, a foundation that teaches middle school/HS kids the value of a good education and how it can equate to success in life.
Lilly was voted as our cutes Babe and Lynanne was our best Babe.

Vashon Men Bare it All

For the last 2 months I've been involved with an interesting fundraiser...Photographing naked men in the name of helping the Vashon school district.

A group of Vashon commuters came up with the idea of creating the Vashon equivalent of a "beefcake" calendar to help raise money for our much troubled school district.

Amidst much controversy (naked men raising money for schools...Oh my!) we created a humourous, tasteful and fun collection of images that have exceeded all of our expectations.
Thank you to the many who have donated their time and talents to make this project happen
Twist Design
Vashon Print and Design
Panda Photographic Lab
And of course the men who bared it all.

Last night, KOMO 4 news got wind of the project and by this morning I had an interview lined up. Here's the link to see the story.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/51424747.html


To purchase your very own calendar you can contact me, or come get one from one of the Vashon stores that will be carrying them. Release date is Sept 3, 2009

Vashon Beach Days

This coming Sunday, July 12th, I am hosting a Vashon Island Beach portrait day. I have 8 appointments available for a discounted session fee of $75. We'll spend 20 minutes together creating a relaxed, fun and casual portrait of you and your children.
You don't have to plan 6 months in advance or spend loads of money to get a beautiful portrait. Be spontaneous! Bring the kids, the dog, roll up your jeans and kick off your shoes...Join me on the beach this Sunday.

New couch, New ideas

I've come to the conclusion that I am terrible at blogging. I can't believe it's been 2 months since my last update! Rest assured I have been very busy.
Here's a quick recap:
In March I closed the Seattle studio and am now concentrating on building my business on Vashon Island where my home and family are. In no way am I leaving my Seattle clients in the dust. On the contrary, my Seattle clients are still a priority. The only difference is now my time is split between Seattle and Vashon. I chose this so that I may spend more time with my family, work on our little farm and be more involved with my community.

Part of my Vashon transition is to slowly turn our property into a small outdoor portrait park. I'm thinking about a field of daisys in the summer, an alder grove (after the goats clear it) for the beautiful lines and light, a hammock under the large Maples surrounded by the fall leaves, an outdoor portrait wall customized for each client, and a couple of metal sculptures for the high school seniors.
It will take a year or more, but the first thing on my to do list was to find a cool couch to use for family and children portraits. I had no idea when I was going to find the "right" couch. I had this vision in my head (as most visual artists get from time to time). It had to be just right.

So, yesterday I was wondering around Vashon and stopped in a little vintage shop to poke around. Before I left, I asked the owner if she ever gets Vistorian styled couches. "As a matter of fact," she says, "I have one in storage." She took me to see it that afternoon and it was exactly what I had envisioned in my head!
Needless to say I bought it on the spot. It's amazing what happens when you let the universe know what you need.
I have to give my wonderful husband coodos for not freaking out when I brought it home. I haven't figured out where it's going to go in the rainy season. But like I told him, "It will all work out. All that matters is that it's the perfect prop for creating amazing images! Nothing else matters, right?"

This morning my daughter wakes up and comes out of her room wearing a pink tutu. I just HAD to take her picture on the new couch. The sweater and pink high tops were my added touch.

So...Who wants to be the first to be photographed on the couch?!

Senior Time

This is the time of year when High School Juniors start thinking ahead to their Senior Year. As part of my new Vashon venture I created a series of ads for the Vashon H.S. newspaper. All the kids in the ads are Vashon teens.
Wanted to share.

Survey

I am starting a new business venture this spring. Still shooting and meeting with my clients in Seattle, I am shifting some of my business energies to Vashon Island, where I live.

My first step is publishing a survey to find out the community's needs, wants and opinions concerning a Vashon portrait and wedding photographer. If you would like to take part in the survey please click here. Everyone who participates will be entered in a drawing for a complimentary portrait session and gift print package.

Valentines Day Treats

Wednesdays are usually the day I watch my daughter, Nora and 3 of her friends. We have lunch together and spend the afternoon playing.
Today, since it's almost Valentines Day, I thought it would be fun to make my mom's traditional Valentine's treat. They don't have an official name, we just called them mom's Valentine treats. This was something we always looked forward to every year as kids. Now I make them for my daughter.
They are chocolaty, pepperminty and full of love. Here's the recipe. You just have to try it. Let me know how you like them!

Mom's Valentine Treat:
Chocolate Layers- You need 3 cups of chocolate chips, 4 TBS of butter.
Peppermint Fondant-5TBS of butter, 1/2c of corn syrup, about 2 c of powdered sugar, 1tsp of peppermint, red food coloring.
Step 1-melt chocolate and butter, spread 1/2 on alum. foil and cool.
Step2-The fondant-combine butter, corn syrup and 1c of powdered sugar. Bring to boil, stirring constantly, add the remaining sugar, peppermint and coloring. Stir 3 min, then remove from heat. spread on a greased cookie sheet and let cool slightly, then pour over cooled chocolate.
Step3-pour remaining chocolate on top of peppermint layer.
Step 4-When cooled completely, cut into to fun shapes.

Enjoy!

New Mama

I just photographed a beautiful lady who is about to have her first baby. I photographed Kelly and her husband Maneesh a few years ago for their wedding and I was thrilled that they called me to be a part of this next phase in their life.
Actually, Kelly called me and asked if I would do her maternity photos as a surprise for Maneesh. Of course, I said Yes! After a little secret planning and lots of hoping that the little bundle wouldn't show up before our session, we finally got it done.
Well, After Kelly saw the photos online, she loved them all and couldn't wait to give Maneesh the artist print she picked out for him and just had to show him the images online.
It was a great surprise for me to open my studio door to see Maneesh standing there with Kelly when they came by to pick up his special gift print. They were so appreciative and grateful for what I could do for them.
Truly...two of my favorite people!
Here's a small sampling.

Family day

I spent part of the day today with my good friends, Jed and Ellen, on Vashon. After many years of living in the great northwest, they are moving to Maine. I've photographed Jed and Ellen throughout the years as they marked the special events in their life...the two of them as a couple, Ellen's pregnancy, the birth of their son, their new family, new puppy and now at our last photo session together, Jed's mom and husband.
I wish them well as they embark on this new adventure. Thank you guys for letting me and my family be a part of yours. You will be missed!

Halloween on Vashon-the show

Tonight was my artist opening for my "Halloween on Vashon" show at Cafe Luna for the 4th year in a row.
This project started as something personal many years ago that has turned into an annual tradition on Vashon Island. Free Halloween portraits for anyone in costume, then an exhibit of the best 25 images the following February at Cafe Luna.

Dogs

Dogs...They are our best friends, our 1st kids, sometimes our only kid. Oscar is our dog of 3 years. A little quirky at times, goofy, but a great dog.