Tara.

lagoon
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

While I was in Florida this month, I had the opportunity to photograph soon-to-be mama Tara. Our schedules left us to shoot on a day with a forecast thick with torrential thunderstorms through the afternoon, so we opted to get an earlier start. Despite our best scheduling efforts we couldn't beat the rain clouds, but gladly accepted the small breaks in the weather to take her maternity photos.

On the plus side, it kept the beaches clear of tourists and families, leaving us with plenty of welcomed privacy. And Tara was lovely to photograph, while the clouds permitted it. ;)

Giovanna.

giovanna
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

Between my neighbors changing over their laundry and locking up their bicycles, Giovanna quickly stripped down in my basement for this sexy little photo shoot! The location proved to have more foot traffic then I'd anticipated, but I like the way it photographed (& it kept us on our toes!)

Giovanna has a variety of tattoos, but the flowers down her left side are what inspired this series of non-revealing nude portraits (is that an oxymoron?) ;) When she asked me to take her portrait as a surprise Christmas gift for the guy she's seeing, I already had this shot planned out.

Now that the holidays have passed, she's given me the go-ahead to post away! (He loved the gift by the way! YAY!)
Keep this in mind ladies! Valentine's Day is drawing near... ;)

Erin & Daniel.

winter
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

MY WINNERS!!! Erin won the free engagement shoot from the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal show!
We set out yesterday, in the bitter cold, to take a few shots with her groom-to-be Daniel and one giant balloon. This couple was a blast to photograph, even in the windy frigid conditions. They just played and interacted with each other so well; and the balloon helped keep them busy too of course!

And how cute is THIS: they had done their homework by watching the Friends episode where Monica and Chandler try to take an engagement photo! What a well prepared couple! :)

The Ripka Fam!

Family portrait
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

Let me start by saying Lily has one super cool mom! Shannon has come up with such creative ideas for our two shoots together. It's really lovely to collaborate, as it assures me I'm taking the types of photos the family really wants to have. It's also incredible to see how much Lily has changed since our last shoot, in just a few short months! (I suppose this is the way with babies!)

Bridal Show

The Perfect Wedding Guide bridal show at the Heathman Hotel was a great success! My amazing neighbor Caitlin tagged along to help out for the day. We had a lot of fun showing brides-to-be my new sample album and passing out the spankin' new So Many Moments brochures. And most exciting of all, I had a give away for a FREE engagement shoot which went to Erin Wagner! I'm looking forward to the shoot! In the mean time, here are a couple shots of Caitlin and I manning the booth at the show!

Desiree & Eric

Happy bride
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

Our friends Desiree & Eric got hitched in West Palm Beach and we were there to capture all the action! Please head over to their Flickr set to view their wedding photos!

Ashley & Brandon.

Hood River
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

We're shooting Ashley & Brandon's wedding come January, but in the mean time we had a great engagement shoot up in Hood River! Check out my Flickr set for MORE photos!

Jessica & Dave

Kisses
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

Jessica & Dave tied the knot on the beach up in Jupiter! Check out my Flickr page for their set of photographs! :D

Bridget & Chris

Bridget & Chris
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

I've posted a set of photos from Bridget & Chris' beautiful S. Florida wedding on my Flickr page! Please, stop by to check it out!

PWG Bridal Show!

I'm VERY excited to announce I will be participating in my first Bridal Show this November in Portland! To launch the *NEW* So Many Moments wedding photography service, I'm giving away a FREE engagement photo session at the show! Be sure to stop by and say hello! :D

new SPECIAL!

Are you interested in ORIGNAL portraits?
Would you like me to DESIGN and STYLE your shoot from the ground up?
Check out this special! INCLUDES EVERYTHING!

Click HERE to see the ad, because this silly blog cuts it off! :)


Visit SamanthaYeakle.com or email SYEAKLE@GMAIL.COM today!
Limited availability remaining!
Currently booking Portland, Orlando, Miami, Sarasota, and Palm Beach!

Rachelle.

avant-garde
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

Rachelle wanted to update her modeling portfolio with horses and I was lucky enough to be hired for this really rad gig! I'd taken Holly's portrait with her horse back in Orlando, and absolutely loved what we came up with so I was totally stoked to work with such large animals again. What I didn't realize is HOW LARGE they get! I knew Holly's Phoenix was a smaller breed of horse but WOW they get MUCH, MUCH BIGGER! :)

Being from the east coast of Florida, I never spent a lot of time on farms, in barns, or around horses. So, this job was a real treat. It's amazing to be working in an entirely different environment on the west coast and I'm really digging the results. Also, I got to meet and work with a new super talented hair and make-up artist on this shoot! All in all, an exciting day. And of course, there are few more on my flickr

Lily

This is 6 month old Lily! She is the brilliant creation of my kickball team mate Kevin and his lovely wife Shannon. After a morning spent photographing Lily, I've had an awesome afternoon of editing. The composite above was inspired by one of Lily's fabulous tutus! (I'm also quite clearly still on this vintage vibe kick in my post-processing)

It was so interesting to photograph someone who doesn't have an opinion. She really didn't care what I was doing with the funny black machine I hold over my face like a mask when I take pictures. It was also really fantastic to set up lighting for such a TINY person. I really dig baby photography. I'd love to get more into this field. I recently heard of photographers being hired to capture the BIRTH of babies, which sounds SO amazing! To take someone's FIRST portraits. Wow. I need to get more pregnant women to SamanthaYeakle.com! :) And for more Lily, I'm still using my flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yeakle

Lesley.

When our friend's father, uncle, and grandfather set out to build a cabin on a ranch in Idaho one summer, they were with the times. It was the 70's and they were embracing it. Today, the cabin still has incredible style, even if it's incredibly out-dated. Being in a small town with a population of about 400 on a piece of land where you can walk out the front door to fire at clay pigeons with a shot gun at will, was a time-warp all it's own. The decor only enhanced the experience.

Inspired at every turn, my friend Lesley became my willing subject for a few time-warped shots one night. I found a half-sewn pillow case in the basement, pinned it around her waist, and sat her in front of a barn collapsing in the backyard. She was happy to play along until dinner time. So, here are the results from a mini-shoot on my random fabulous vacation to the deepest corner of nowhere and back. :)

Caitlin. Again. :)

It all started with little butterflies made of feathers. Then, there was a trip into the shady part of town for some fake hair and to scout the discount stores for dresses I could alter. And then... TA DAA! Princess nonsense in my neighbor's backyard!
Caitlin is such a good sport. She was SO in from the beginning. It was a blast to build this from the ground up. I've posted more up on my flickr! (note the serious effort to join the flickr community) ;) http://www.flickr.com/photos/yeakle/

Rock the Runway

I shot some photographs at Portland's Rock the Runways fashion show over the weekend. To share the shots, I've created ANOTHER Flickr account. *sigh* I don't USE Yahoo, how am I supposed to remember my Yahoo log-in ID? I think this is the 3rd Flickr account I've started, but I plan to actually USE this one! I even wrote down my log-in name and password this time. I'm thinking ahead. ;) Check out more photos from the show here: SYeakle's Flickr!

Annie

Annie, one of Matt's co-workers at Nell, has been house sitting one of the more elaborately decorated homes I've seen up here in the Northwest. As soon as we walked in I said "I need to take photos here", and this morning, it happened. Before work, Annie and I dug through her incredibly diverse closet and came up with this outfit to compliment the decor. The small dog in the background is hers, which I love because it makes the portrait all the more personal.

I really enjoy creating these types of portraits, and need to make more time to do so. With wedding season in full swing, this site has been a little left behind. I hope I find the opportunity to shoot more like this soon.

Caitlin

Caitlin, a fellow artist, was SO down for WHATEVER and it made our shoot a blast. It feels so great to be creative and have so much control over the image making process. From concept development, to doing her make-up and throwing the cherry blossom petals in the water, it was... rejuvenating! We had a great time & I really dig the results. :)

Nikki Glaser

A comedy festival came to town over the weekend so my neighbor and I headed out to see a friend of hers from college perform. She was on Last Comic Standing and recently appeared on the Tonight Show so, of course: she was hilarious. We ended up setting up a quick shoot before lunch the next morning, which was a blast. I hope to photograph more comedians in the future, so ANIMATED! :) I didn't have to tell her to do anything, I just snapped away! too easy. :)

Claire

The only Oregonian girl friend I've made in my new neighborhood is MOVING! I wanted to photograph her before she drives off to build her new mid-western life. She has these fabulous old cowboy boots that she never wears, so this seemed as good an opportunity as any to get some use out them. They're great, and so is she! I'll miss you Claire, best of luck in St.Louis! :)

Jessica's Family

I could make excuses. I could say, it was moving across the country. I could say, it was because I was busy rebuilding Smatt Wedding Photography from the bottom up. I could say a lot of things but, the fact remains I have neglected this blog for far too long! Well, I'm BACK NOW!

I flew down to Florida to shoot for a medical magazine in the Palm Beaches and while I was in town I got a chance to catch up with my old friend Jessica. Quite a few things have changed since meeting in middle school. One of the more obvious is that she's been busy procreating! Now that she's made some beautiful babies with her fab partner Dave, it was high time for a family portrait.

After shooting something a little more classic, we filled a blow up pool and let little Noah go wild! That FL sun is SO bright, so my flashes and I really had a battle, but that's what keeps me loving this job. There's always a new challenge!