10 Lovely Summery Things

I've come to expect and accept an ebb and flow of the universe, so while there is bad, there is always also good. Today, I'm focusing on the positive that the summer has brought me. Here are a few photos of small, delightful things I really like, all thanks to the summer of 2010!

1.) Seeing up Matt's nose when he takes my photograph with his Hassleblad


2.) Tie-dye colored peppers


3.) The random photographs in our building's lobby of the Rat Pack and the Godfather.


4.) Watching friends fall in love


5.) The streetcar stop RIGHT outside our new apartment with Matt's new store just behind it across the street


6.) Wine tastings in the Willamette Valley


7.) Shopping at the farmer's markets


8.) Big fancy dinners with friends for hours and hours of eating


9.) Winning lots of CA$H money at Boiler Room's pictionary night


10.) Drawing in dust

Abigail & Peter.

towering over the night
Originally uploaded by SYeakle

McMenamin's Edgefield is quickly becoming one of our Portland favorites. What a neat place! Boasting a brewery, winery, distillery, restaurants, par 3 golf course, movies, and more it makes for a beautiful, & character driven, wedding destination!

Abbie and Peter had a beautiful wedding here, complete with friends, family, dancing, wines that had been made right on site, and lots of love to go around! It was so neat to see the photos I had taken for their engagement session printed and framed all around the reception site! It was a wonderful summer wedding and I'm so glad they chose us to photograph it! :)

3 things I'm pretty wildly excited about!

1.) Matt is opening his new iPhone Repair shop in Portland! It's called Wired iRepair, and it's right off the streetcar line in NW! We will be announcing the grand opening soon, so stop by if you're in PDX! Also, check out the new website blog WirediRepair.com and watch us do to the store's build-out on FB: Facebook.com/WirediRepair



2.) It's SO difficult to describe the quality of the wedding albums I offer via e-mail, so I made this quick video of my latest one! I use the absolute highest quality products and custom design each and every layout to create these unique and beautiful keepsakes. After the amount of work that goes into them, I grow a bit attached, so this was a lovely way to say good bye to Brian and Tanya's album before shipping it off. :)



3.) Last night, at craft night, I painted some cheap kicks to remind myself of my FL roots. I even featured my favorite sea creatures in glitter! A shark and a seahorse, but of course! :)

Wedding Talk: The Group Shots

As much as your wedding is about you two love birds officially coming together as a couple, it's also a union of (and often reunion for) your two families. It's important to document their presence, as it plays a big role in your big day.

Formal group photos have been the preferred route to accomplish this for who-knows-how-long. The breakdown is simple: everyone lines up, girls hold their flowers at their belly buttons while the men fold their hands neatly. Then, everyone plasters on a big grin and waits for the photographer to count to three. But, it really doesn't HAVE to be this way anymore. Or at least not if you hire So Many Moments!

My goal with every wedding is to take the best possible photos for each unique couple's celebration. I strive to capture their style. And being that I'm so lucky, I keep getting fabulous clients with loads of style! (*knock on wood*) But, they don't always seem to know what they're "allowed to do". Is it ok to NOT do formal photos all together? Are there other options for group photos? YES and YES. You can do whatever you want! It's your day!

But really, why I'm bringing all this up in the first place, is to talk about how much time these photos take. Time that is inevitably keeping us from shooting the fantastic things happening that we can't always catch if our cameras and lights are positioned to take a formal shot. I try to encourage my couples to skim down their formal lists, in hopes that they will realize there is so much more magic in the actual interaction between their families and guests when they aren't lined up classic formation. I've also found that the playful moments in between the formal poses can be a really fun way to grab photos that tell a story with a bit more flavor.

A classic debate between Matt and I is the future and necessity of the formal shots all together. I believe they are important, but should be done in a fresh way. He thinks they'll fade out all together. What do you think?

I'm going to close with my favorite of Matt's group shots from our last wedding; only because this little girl that was NOT into group shots and it made for a wonderful one!



If you've hired So Many Moments for your upcoming wedding, and have some fun ideas for a less traditional approach for your group shots, shoot me a message and let's chat!

Have You Seen My Face?

First of all, thank you SO much to my friends who keep in touch with me via Facebook! I love that I can keep in contact with friends from around the world, especially past clients I've had the pleasure to work with! If we aren't connected yet, PLEASE join my page here: Facebook.com/SoManyMoments


And while we're on the topic... perhaps you have friends that are getting engaged? Or REALLY like their new puppy? Or perhaps you have a friend who is expecting a baby... or maybe they have always secretly wanted to have nude photographs taken? ;) I can take care of all that! It would be the absolute biggest compliment and my facebook dream come true if you could do one quick thing for me! Suggest my photography page to your friends!

1.) Visit Facebook.com/SoManyMoments

2.) Click the "Suggest To Friends" button right below the main photo

3.) Click your photo-friendly buddies (remember, I love to work ALL OVER the place, Florida, Oregon, and BEYOND!)

AND TA-DAA!!! You've magically made me the happiest photographer ever! Be sure to let me know if you do this for me so I can be forever indebted to your ridiculously awesome kindness. :)

Thanks friends!