dorothyhuynhblog.com

Brand New Website and Blog!

2010-11-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey all, just a heads up... I have switched blogs and have a brand new website. Check it out here.

Manya | SENIOR

2010-11-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed photographing this girl. She's stinkin' rad and I mean that in the best way possible. Check it.

Manon + Mimi | SENIORS

2010-10-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

This was by far one of my favorite Senior sessions up to date. Manon and Mimi were so great to photograph and you could just tell these girls were enjoying themselves when I was photographing them. I love when that happens. Mimi was one of my Senior reps this year and Manon is the exchange student from Belgium that her family took in this year so it was awesome to work with the two of them simultaneously. Plus they're both stunning- you've got to check out their gorgeous eyes! F'real. They were up for anything and in the rain too! Hope everyone is having a safe and fun Halloween weekend!

Manon

Mimi

Sam | LIFESTYLE

2010-10-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Whoaaa, I haven't blogged in nearly three weeks. Sorry for my absence. These last few weeks have been about school, school, school. It's been a hard quarter. Anyway, gracing my blog this morning is my friend Sam, who happens to turn 19 TODAY! Happy birthday Sam! I know, he's a young'un, but that's fantastic because this kid is full of energy and life and passion. Sam's a musician, loves Jesus and knows how to have a good time. We decided to take some photos for fun a few weeks ago and I told him he'd have to wait 'til his birthday, so here is me fulfilling that promise amidst my insane life right now ;) Enjoy these photos and if you have a twitter, wish Sam a very merry, happy birthday!

Melissa | SENIOR

2010-10-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

You should recognize Melissa. I enjoy these as I enjoy her.

Christine & Matt | Wedding

2010-09-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

Photographing this day was such a joy for me. It really was. I felt honored to be welcomed at this wedding as not only Christine and Matt's photographer, but as a friend. Christine and Matt were married a few weeks ago at the Olympia Mansion. It is a 100-yr-old home and when you walked up and down the stairs, floors creaked. It was a great venue for this small, but love- filled wedding. I'll be honest, I teared up as Christine and Matt were exchanging vows. If you know me at all, I don't cry easily. It was definitely a very relaxed day and guests came before the ceremony began to talk and to catch up. Matt and Christine really wanted their guests to enjoy their time. There wasn't any pressure to rush through the 'list' of things you're supposed to do. I loved that.

I would also like to thank my friend and assistant for the day, Shelby for coming along!

Tim | SENIOR

2010-09-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from Seattle and getting back on the work bandwagon. So much for a break. The past weekend didn't really help me de-stress at all. It was a nice break from the editing screen though. To get things started up again, here is Tim! I've had the privilege of photographing him before so it was great to meet up with him again for his senior portraits. I had a great time with Tim-- he was super easy to work with. At the end of the session his girlfriend, Alexis, showed up for a few frames. These two are adorable! Thanks for a fun session Tim :)

Break!

2010-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

I hope you've all been enjoying my almost-daily blogging this past week. I've been at it every single day trying to catch up on all my editing. I tell you, sitting at a computer screen for 5+ hours is no fun. Multiply that by almost every day this week. Shoot. me. (No pun intended) Anyway, as you're reading this, I'm on my self- declared 'vacation'. However, it's not really a vacation. I'm up in Seattle this weekend for a leadership retreat at my university. I landed the lead photographer job for the yearbook a few weeks ago and it's considered a leadership position. Anyway, I'm happy to be up here this weekend, reuniting with my out-of-state friends, and away from work. I still have plenty more Seniors headed your way though. I'll be back at home on Wednesday so until then... I leave you with these Seniors to be blogged. Enjoy!

PS: Random fact... all of these Seniors are from the same high school except for one.

Stephanie | SENIOR

2010-09-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Stephanie is a senior at Olympia High School this year... isn't she gorgeous?! I asked her if she liked to dance, she said yes. You can see below ;) These are some of my favorite senior photos that I've taken this season, hands down. Thanks for the fun times and congrats on your senior year Stephanie!

Brandon | SENIOR

2010-09-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

This year has been rad with Seniors- I'm getting some of the funnest kids! Brandon is undoubtedly one of them. Within the first 10 minutes of photographing him, I told him that I knew that it'd be a fun session and he laughed and agreed. Obvy! I'm kind of jealous of this guy. I mean, look at his eyes. I'd kill for some eyes like Brandon's. Also, this kid is a super star Varisty soccer player and I admire any soccer player because it was the closest thing I got to being athletic back in high school. Brandon, thanks for putting up with my weirdness. You seriously rule. Congrats on your Senior year!

Alisah Part II | SENIOR

2010-09-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Check out this pretty lady in the big city of Seattle. Part One here.

I Love Living in Washington (state that is...)

2010-09-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I was able to see three of my good friends from attending Brooks: Karen, Steph and Tim. I'm sure you'll recognize the latter, since their beautiful faces have been on my blog before. Here are photos from our day trip to Sequim and Port Townsend, both places I have never been before. I can tell you one thing, it won't be the last time I'll be visiting. I loved these quiet little towns!

King & Bell Family | Portraits

2010-09-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

What can I say about this family? They're about some of the funnest (is that a word?) and funniest people to be with. Logan is a friend of mine that I graduated high school with and a few weeks ago, I was able to photograph his family in their element. We had a blast just walking around their neighborhood, capturing them as they joked with one another and what not. Logan's two sisters, Sarah and Kaitlyn, had their boyfriends come along as well so it made everything twice as fun. Thanks to all of you for inviting me into your home and letting me photograph your family! It was so fun!

A Little Bit of Coloradoooo

2010-09-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the 8 day gap between blog posts. It seems like I've been all over the place as of late but it's mostly all the driving I've been doing. I'm attempting to make this blog a little bit more diverse in my work in that I'll be sharing more of my personal photos. Be warned: I take a lot of photos of food. It screams to be photographed (to me anyway). So with that, I'll leave you with some of my favorite images from my recent trip to visit my friends in Denver!

We went downtown Denver for some grub at Illegal Pete's. I ordered some taquitos!

On one day, we went to the Denver Art Museum. It is definitely a lot cooler than the S.A.M.

I really enjoyed the photography section of the museum and I especially loved this quote.

Joe and I kinda stalked this guy... in the sense that we kept trying to get a photo of him. Check out Joe's photo here.

Driving up to Daniels Park!

Have you guys heard of the campaign Falling Whistles? It's a campaign for peace in the Congo. Anyway, they sell these whistles as awareness and Joe has the 260th whistle. It's engraved on his! If you buy one now, they don't do that anymore since so many are being purchased now. So neat that Joe has his!

Colorado sunsets definitely own any that I've ever seen.

At night, we headed to The Shoppe: a cold cereal bar. They also sell cupcakes and other delicious treats. I tried the S'more cereal combination. It's such a neat little shop- board games, local art and sweet music!

Thanks for the fun times Hailey and Joe!

Alisah Part I | SENIOR

2010-08-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

Alisah is super rad and so is her family. I'm super blessed to have this family in my life- they've done so much for me and her mom is always baking me treats! Photographing Alisah for her senior portraits was the least thing I could do for them :) I was really excited for this session because it was on a farm and with a horse! We got some great frames. LOVE.

Alisah and her horse, Desi ;)

Aren't they pretty?? My other mom :)

Zac and Brian | Portraits

2010-08-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on the airport floor leaned up against a window a couple feet from a gate that I should've boarded an hour and a half ago. Instead, I sat at a table and enjoyed some breakfast while prepping this post and then I decided, What the heck? Why not blog it now? I should be in the air right now but am waiting on the standby list for the next flight out to Denver. If I don't make this flight, then I'll have to wait for another 8 hours until the next one. I'm not feelin' that so I'm crossing my fingers. It is, however, my fault since I slept wayyyy past my alarm. Things happen for a reason right?

I was up in Seattle a few days ago starting my internship with Sarah Rhoads (I know right?) and wanted to kill some time so I visited my friends Zac and Brian at their apartment right next to my school. These two guys are hilarious and I'm pretty sure I was laughing or trying not to laugh the whole time. Also, both of them are freaking talented and are in the process of building up a graphic design company. When they're all finished, you can be sure I'll be blogging about it ;) I'm sure I'll be learning a lot from them since the three of us are all in the VisCom major. There are so many ridiculously talented people at my school and I feel blessed to be where I am. It's definitely been a privilege befriending and working with these guys. I photographed them awhile ago but wanted to take advantage of the fast-fading sunlight (that makes me sad) so we just walked around and had some fun. I really dig these frames so I hope the feeling is mutual. Thanks Brian and Zac! You guys rock.

They fed me. I like them.

Bryce Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-08-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Bryce is an upcoming senior all the way from the grand state of Montana. He's here in Washington visiting his dad, who joined in for the last frame of his session. Also, meet their awesome dog, Buster. It was my first time photographing with a dog! Thanks for choosing me as your senior portrait photographer Bryce :)

Zach Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-08-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Zach is an upcoming Senior at Black Hills High School. Woop- representin'. My first Senior guy as well as my first Senior session from my old high school. Zach was a lot of fun and real easy to work with. His great- grandparents live in an absolutely amazing house and it was a real treat to be invited into their home to photograph him. Thanks for being so great Zach!

Deanna Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-08-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited to be blogging my first official Senior session for this upcoming year! Meet Deanna. She's crazy stunning-- I had an absolute blast photographing her around town. Deanna's boyfriend, Kevin, tagged along as well and we got him in a few shots. Deanna will be a Senior at Olympia High this Fall and has plans to take over the acting world-- a hard business to get into, but with her looks and personality, you better watch out for this girl :) Thanks so much for a fun evening Deanna!

Andy Phan | Portraits

2010-08-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Mr. Andy Phan is a talented upcoming worship artist whose album is in the works! This is the second time I've been able to photograph Andy- the first time being about a year ago. Since then, Andy has grown so much in his walk with Christ and of course, his music! I was able to hear him perform this past weekend and he sounded so good. Really really. I'll be sure to announce on the blog when his album is released. Until then, enjoy these!

Marci & the Girls | Portraits

2010-08-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

Who remembers Mandie?! Everyone should be raising their hands, because I've mentioned her plenty a-times in my blogs ;) Mandie is a wonderful friend through school as well as a crazy, talented photographer. I've had the privilege of having her as a second-shooter and in a few weeks, I'll be doing the same for her. Back in the Fall, she mentioned wanting some family portraits done and a few weeks ago, we finally made it happen.

I really had a great time photographing her mom and sisters. They're a fun, sassy bunch of ladies. They had these great polka-dotted dresses for the second half of our session and they looked b-e-a-utiful, don't you think? Mandie's oldest sister, Stephanie, is getting married in a few weeks so these girls will be in front of my camera again soon :)

Love love love from me!

Family Reunion!

2010-08-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

Work hasn't been much of a priority lately... I do wish that I had more time to devote to it within the past few days but life's been kind of hectic lately. My mom's side of the family decided to have a family reunion this year. It's been eight years since our last one. My grandma turned 80 back in April... so they thought this year would be great to get together and celebrate her belated birthday as well. Some background- my grandparents had a total of twelve kids but only eight of them are still living. All of these aunts and uncles have their own families of course and a couple of my cousins are married and have children... So, as you can imagine, I have a pretty large family. Not everyone could make it but we still had a successful get-together.

My room, actually my whole house, is playing guest house apparently (except for the rents' room), so I've been living at my aunt's (on my dad's side) for the past few days with my cousins. We come here for the night and go back home for the day. Good thing I only live a 2 minute drive away ;)

Anyway, here are some photos from last Saturday's festivities. To see more, click here. And yes, the blue was planned!

Also, I have two pending sessions to post but I honestly don't know when I'll be able to get those up ;) Thanks for your patience!

Cousin Nataly- she's feisty.

The Fuzzy Cuzzie Clan (the unmarried ones essentially hahaha)

Aunt #4, my mom (#8), Aunt #5, and Aunt #10 (In Vietnamese, we call them by their number in the order of birth)

All the family (keep in mind we have like 4 or 5 families missing...)

Danny and Melissa | Wedding

2010-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Danny and Melissa were married on July 24th at the Port Plaza here in Olympia. Boy was I excited when I found out that it was on home turf-- this area of downtown is pretty popular and such a great place to have a small wedding. I loved the fact that their wedding was so intimate and simple, with just close friends and family present. These two wanted their day to be special and I could definitely sense that while there. We were able to do a First Look as well and it was awesome to witness these two see each other for the first time. Photographing Danny and Melissa, along with their children (who happened to be their wedding party), was so fun! Thank you for having me!

I also wanted to give a special thank-you to my second-shooter, Yee Feng, of Feng Images. He captured the following detail shots (aren't they great?)

Melissa made all the flowers! She did such a great job with them.

Florist: Melissa Eakes

Wedding Cake: Tasha Nicole

Wedding Dress: David's Bridal

Caterer: Anthony's Home Port

Jordan Renshaw | Portraits

2010-07-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

I met Jordan back in March through our mutual friend, Shalom, at the Copeland show in Seattle. Shalom had told me a lot of great things about him, but I had no idea how talented of a musician he is. He was in Olympia a week ago and we jumped on the wagon to get some portraits of him done. He'll be coming out with a full length album at the end of the summer. Check out his Facebook page here!

I'm a fan of this frame.

My best friend turned 20!

2010-07-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Shalom turned 20! Yep, she's no longer a teenager. Her mom, sister, nephews and niece, Josh and I celebrated her birthday by having some homemade dinner and just hanging out, enjoying the summer. It was so fun! Shalom, thank you for being you. I love you so much.

Chris and Christie | Wedding

2010-07-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

In high school, Christie and I were in symphonic, marching, pep and jazz band together. We also were on the bowling team (don't laugh!) as well as the same recreational soccer team with her sister too. Annnd, I went to my sophomore Homecoming with her older brother, John (who wasn't present on her wedding day unfortunately). So, you can imagine how excited I was when Christie emailed me and asked if I could photograph her big day!

I love Christie and Chris together. There was not a moment when I looked at Christie and she wasn't smiling- these two were so happy to be finally married and I loved witnessing that! They made it official at the Portland Oregon Temple, which is honestly one of the most breathtaking buildings I have ever seen. Look for yourself!

Also, I would like to thank my good friend Mandie Sodoma for coming along and second shooting for me. I know I speak for her as well as myself when I say that we were so blessed to be a part of this day! Thanks you two :)

Danny and Melissa | Engagement

2010-07-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

These two are tying the knot in a week! I was able to meet with Danny and Melissa for a little bit last weekend to talk, check out the venue, and get comfortable with them. They're having a small outdoor wedding out on Olympia's waterfront and I couldn't be more excited to photograph their special day. While we talked, I was able to capture a few fun frames of these two lovebirds. Can't wait for next weekend!

HEY CLASS OF 2011! (featuring Portraits of Tyler)

2010-07-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Book book book your Senior sessions now! I know you're all out enjoying your summer but the sooner you have your portraits taken, the better. Plus, it'll just be one thing you can cross off your Senior to-do list! July may seen early but really, it's not. We have a few more weeks left :) August is a tight month as far as my schedule. September is also a great time to get your portraits taken. I'm trying to plan this year's sessions so that they can be spread out a bit. I had over 40 Seniors this past year and it was crazy when they were all jam-packed into the Fall, especially when I was in school full-time up in Seattle!

Anddddd to end this post, here are a few frames of my wonderful friend Tyler. I was able to visit him this past week when I was vacationing in California. Be on the look out too- I have a few more blog posts comin' your way :)

Ninh and Rosemarie | Engagement

2010-07-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Ninhzie is what their closest friends refer to them as. They're two silly kids. I met Ninh almost five years ago and have known Rosie for about a year and a half now. Both Ninh and Rosie were in the wedding party of this wedding I helped photograph (if you've been following my blog for that long). I was able to become really good friends with them when I accompanied them on a short missions trip back during the time I was still living in California. Since then, I've visited on several occasions (including these past few days) and each time, I've been blessed by the friendship of these two.

The weather was perfect for this shoot. I did, however, totally forget that it gets darker here in SoCal than it does in Washington during the summer. That was kind of a bummer (rhyme not intended), but nonetheless, we got some fun frames! :)

Stephanie and Tim | Portraits

2010-07-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

Remember these two?? Tim and Steph are two friends I was lucky enough to meet during my time at Brooks. They're here for part of their summer vacation and yesterday, I had the chance to come up to Seattle and spend the day with them. The three of us saw Eclipse (Tim reluctantly), had some food and coffee, and overall, some good times. I, of course, had to photograph them. It was pretty much mandatory. Ha. They're a pretty good-looking couple... am I right or am I right?

If you've got nothing better to do, check out Tim's work here and Stephanie's blog here! You won't regret it- they're rad.

Hai and Kieu | Engagement

2010-06-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

I've known Hai from my home church ever since I can remember. I also remember thinking to myself, "I wonder when he'll get married?" So you can say that I was really excited when his fiancee, Kieu, called and asked me to photograph their wedding. It's about darn time! These two were up for anything I asked them to do which was awesome. The allergies started hitting me pretty hard when we went into the grass, but it was soo worth it. I just realized that Hai and Kieu together almost looks like the word haiku. That was random haha! Anyway, thanks for spending Sunday afternoon with me! Can't wait for your August wedding :)

Faezah and Anjum | Wedding

2010-06-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the other wedding I was able to photograph alongside the oh-so- talented Jamie Delaine back in May. This was actually a Mendhi ceremony and when Jamie emailed me and told me, I was excited/nervous/antsy/stoked all at the same time. The decor and the amount of color involved at this ceremony was so gorgeous and it was such a unique experience to photograph. I just wanted to share some frames of some of the details as well as the guests there! You HAVE to see Jamie's portraits of Faezah. She. is. stunning. Anywho, here ya go!

2011 DHP Senior Representatives!

2010-06-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Meet this year's Senior Reps! This post has been delayed a week and I'm sorry for that. I'm really excited to have such great people promoting me at their high schools. It was such a pleasure to meet and hang out with all of these students. I know they'll do a fantastic job putting my name out there. So here are all 11 of them. Yeah, I know... 11! I'm so blessed! :) Without further ado, here is Hannah, Rohin, Meghan, Mimi, Lindsey, Melissa, Patty, Meghan, Sammi, Chris and Lauren. They rule.

Capital's HS Prom 2010 | Portraits

2010-06-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

I wasn't planning to blog these, but who am I kidding? These kids were too good-looking not to share on my blog. I had a lot of fun with this session because I wasn't on a time constraint. This was the only group I photographed last Saturday and I was really excited to spend a little bit more time with them! You can probably tell :)

Daniel and Jeanette

Joe and Marie

Kent and My Linh

Anna and Chris

Lynn and Chris

School's Out! An Update

2010-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I'm done with my second year of post-secondary education! Junior status (although that doesn't mean much since I won't be graduating on time). This feels great. It's been a long and stressful year attempting to balance college and work. But it's summer and my full attention is on my business. I'm beyond excited for what this upcoming year will bring. For now, I'm back in Olympia and enjoying life as is. I'll be traveling back and forth between home and Seattle a bunch though! Look for a post featuring all of my 2011 Senior Reps in the next few days. And..... because blog posts are always better with photos, here are a few quick frames I took of my gorgeous friend Emily the last day of class. We did this in like 15 minutes before I said bye to her :(

Patty Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-06-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to have Patty be my final Senior Rep for this year's Senior season. Patty happens to be my friend, Hannah's, younger sister and it was so great to have her come along as well as their mom. We walked around Fremont last Sunday night and were able to get some great photos. Patty was a ball of fun and was constantly laughing. I think you can definitely tell the kind of girl she is in these photos :) Enjoy.

Stephanie and Matt | Wedding

2010-06-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends and awesome photographer, Hailey Moore, asked me come along with her last weekend to Denver to shoot a wedding alongside her a few months ago. Of course I said yes! A chance to get out of Seattle and enjoy some Colorado warmth, who wouldn't? It also happened to be the weekend before our finals, so we thought it'd be a great distraction from all the studying we should've been doing! Ha!

Stephanie and Matt's wedding day was great and everything ran so smoothly. The two of them decided to do a 'First Look' before their ceremony, which I think is such a fun option. I loved witnessing and photographing the moment these two first saw each other. Stephanie made a stunning bride and you could just feel the love between the two of them. They're beautiful people! Also, their reception made Hailey and I just really want to dance. But we had a job to do ;) I'm honored to have been able to help document their 'day'!

Matt and his dad, who also happened to be his Best Man

"You can turn around now!" So great.

Stephanie's mom and stepdad

Love this!

The flower girls

First dance as Mr. and Mrs. Madsen

Don't these frames make you want to move? ;)

Shearer Family | Portraits

2010-06-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial weekend, I was asked by this family to photograph their eldest son, Thor's, 3rd birthday celebration. We took some time out too and I was able to capture some frames of the fam. Hong, his mom, used to be my Sunday school teacher back when I was a little one. How rad is that! Her husband, John, is really into photography as well and offered me his 5D MarkII to shoot... um yes please! I was more than happy to come by and spend some time with them. Their two kids, Thor and Percival, are the cutest boys! Seriously, I'm not being bias or anything ;)

Haha look at his face!

Percy was so sleepy...

Love all the colors in this

Thor and some of his friends who came to celebrate!

Chris Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-06-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

I used to do Tae Kwon Do. Chris went to the same elementary school as I did, but I mostly remember him because of Tae Kwon Do. It's unbelievable how fast time goes by and that this kid is a Senior! I'm happy to call him another Senior Rep for this year! (It's so hard to get guys to get into the whole Senior photo thing!) Thanks for a great shoot Chris :)

Rohin Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-06-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

This wasn't my first time photographing Rohin. I actually met him last fall when I was able to photograph his Homecoming group. I'm super excited that he's one of my 2011 Senior Reps- this kid has a great personality and I know he'll do a great job with it. Last weekend, I was able to meet him and his mom at his high school campus for some quick promo shots. It was sprinkling a bit so you might notice how wet it was in these photos. It was also great to have his mom alongside us- I was able to get some great captures! Here are some of my favorite frames.

PS: This is my second post this week! :)

Alice in Wonderland Portraits

2010-05-30T21:29:00.001-07:00

I decided that I need to be a more consistent blogger... at least in regards to this specific blog. I'm making it a goal of mine to blog at these three times a week whether or not I have portrait sessions to share. Yes? Yes.

I have to share this fun birthday party I attended this past weekend. Two of my friends, Sydney (20) and Rachel (19), had a joint birthday themed Alice in Wonderland. Everyone looked great so naturally, we had a mini-portrait session. I just had to share them on this blog! These are fun. Really.

Here's Alice (Rachel)

Red Rose (Kaili), White Rose (Christina), Dandelion (Hailey)

The Walrus and the Carpenter (Clay and John)

The White Rabbit and a Card (Lainey and Lisa)

Classy

The Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat (Nate and Janet)

The Caterpillar (Megan)

Queen of Hearts and Alice (Sydney and Rachel)

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (Kelzer and Sam, Sydney and Rachel's younger brothers)

Chantal and Dave | Wedding

2010-05-23T00:33:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, I was asked by the awesomely-rad-and-freakishly-talented Jamie Delaine to come second shoot with her in BC. This post is definitely a tad delayed by the way, but I'm so thankful for the opportunity to shoot alongside Jamie and to learn from her. She is definitely a force to be reckoned with! Chantal and Dave were such a great couple to work with and the whole day went so well despite the hot weather. The wedding took place at The Falls Golf Course in Chilliwack, BC- a small but intimate venue. I had a fantastic time and the food was deeeeeeelicious. I really enjoyed all the little details from this wedding so I hope you do too as well :) Visit Jamie's blog and see this wedding from behind her lenses here!

Black Hills' HS Prom 2010 | Portraits

2010-05-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

My Senior prom was such a fun experience and I had the absolute pleasure of photographing some of my old (and new!) friends a few weeks ago as they all headed off to their Junior/Senior prom! I photographed about 20 couples that day I think and it was a day full of back to back sessions. Insane! But oh so fun. These are just a few of my favorite frames... I took too many, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that!

I am so behind on blogging- expect a few more posts coming your way!

Hannah Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-05-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

Hannah is my 2011 Senior Rep for Capital High School. We met on a lazy Sunday afternoon (meaning the both of us were yawning the whole time haha!), but we both still managed to have a blast despite the hot weather! We started out at Priest Point Park and then Hannah had the greatest idea of taking photos in the library. I have always wanted to do this and I was so stoked that she was game. We had some good times sneaking around the library and capturing these frames.

Random school bus in the middle of the park? Heck yes.

Love this last frame.

Bret Class of '10 | Portraits

2010-05-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

You might remember Bret from a couple months ago. This is part deux of Bret's senior session. I met him at his lovely home and we had some fun. Kaitlyn, his sister, was home from college so of course she joined in as well :) Bret is headed to Washington State University this coming Fall- congrats!!

Kim and Vinh | Portraits

2010-05-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

I met Kim my first quarter of living on campus at SPU. We connected because we're both Vietnamese... except that she is SO MUCH BETTER at the language than me. I'm only slightly jealous. Anyway, I spent an afternoon with her boyfriend of 2 years, Vinh, and her around uptown Seattle. It was so fun! They are an adorable couple and it was so cute to see how they interacted with one another! Thank you for coffee and sushi afterwards you two!

Anne and Vu | Portraits

2010-05-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

I've pretty much known Pastor Vu my whole life. He is originally from Olympia (where I'm from) but now serves as a pastor at True Living Church. Let me just tell you how excited I was to photograph these two. You know what's funny? I remember being at their wedding reception about 12 years ago! I know, crazy right? I must have been around 8 or 9. So rad!

Anyway, Anne is one of the most down-to-earth people I know and isn't she g o r g e o u s? Pastor Vu is just hands-down hilarious. They are two rockin' people who also happen to be parents to two of the cutest boys ever. (I want to photograph all of you in the future!) I had such a great time on this session. One of my good friends, Joe, went along on the shoot as well for my promo video and the four of us just had a great time laughing and shooting.

Thank you to the two of you for such a fun afternoon! Oh! And for coffee! Love both of you dearly :)

Meghan Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-05-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Meghan is an upcoming Senior at Steilacoom High School this Fall. I was super stoked to photograph this session because she's one of the first Seniors I've photographed from that high school. I have never been to Steilacoom but can I just say it is one of the cutest little towns I've ever been to? I just love the color palette of all the buildings and Meghan dressed to go with it. It was so great! Meghan is a tennis player so we took some on the courts at her high school and then continued to walk a bit around town. Enjoy!

Shalom and Josh | Portraits

2010-05-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

These two are not strangers when it comes to being on my blog... especially Shalom, one of my best friends. It was so great to see her and Josh again and hang out for a few hours last weekend. The two of them have been together for about 2 and a half years now and I am lucky enough to be one of those people who have seen their love for one another grow and mature. But these two kids know how to have fun too, don't get me wrong! They're about some of the silliest friends I've got, no doubt about that! They're so cute in their coordinated outfits, don't cha think? I love their WWU spirit. Sweatshirts+ beanies+ Vans= SO Bellingham. Love you guys!

I think Josh won... maybe?

Melissa Class of '10 | Portraits

2010-05-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

Melissa is the lucky recipient of my 300th fan promotion on my Facebook page! Actually, her friend was the one who won it. However, because he already had his Senior photos taken, he passed the complimentary portrait session on to Melissa, who still had yet to take some. Isn't that the sweetest?

I knew I would have a great time with Melissa when I first met her. She's great and had such a bubbly personality. She isn't from Olympia but comes there often and loves the downtown area so that's where we had some fun. She'll be attending Western Washington University this fall and I couldn't be more excited for her. WWU is a great school and has a beautiful campus :) Congrats on your Senior year Melissa!

Gorgeous!

I think this was my favorite frame!

Dani and Sarah | Portraits

2010-04-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Dani and Sarah both graduated from high school the same year I did. It was so great to see them again and have some fun with some photos. The two of them wanted a 'best friends' shoot and I was more than happy to oblige. It is always a blast to have a photoshoot with your close friends. Trust me, I know ;) These two made my morning great and I definitely got some great exercising in with all the walking we did on the trails. We were lucky to have beautiful weather that morning.

I looooove this first frame. It reminds me of Pride and Prejudice!

Look at Sarah's pretty green eyes!

Aren't they pretty!

Christine and Matt | Engagement

2010-04-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Let me just tell you what was going on in my mind the whole morning/early afternoon before I met up with Christine and Matt. I woke up and it was raining and I prayed silently to myself that it would clear up before our session. Thirty minutes later, the sun was shining and I thought, 'Yes!' Another hour or so passed, I looked out my window and the clouds were once again covering the skies. At this point, I still had hope that it would be okay. This happened on and off until 2 and even during our shoot, it was raining on and off. I know I always bother you with my weather stories and it's always the same thing, but I just want to prove to all of you that if you're game, I am totally game!

Christine and Matt are definitely the type of couple who love to goof off and totally easy- going. I was really nervous for this session because it had been awhile since I've photographed a couple, but can I just say that these two have definitely inspired me and pumped me up for more. Each time I photograph a new couple, I just want to photograph more! So if you know of any couples out there who want portraits taken, refer them to me! Pretty please?

These two are making things official this upcoming September and I can't wait to join their family and friends to document their special day. I went to elementary school with Christine's younger brother, graduated with him, and have known their family ever since my high school days so it's going to be such a fun and love-filled day. I know it :)

I love this.

Haha they were totally sports! Thank you :)

Their normal routine on Sunday mornings...

Don't worry, the street was closed off ;)

Mimi Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-04-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have known Mimi and her family for quite awhile now and it was so great to see her again after so long. She has grown up to be a gorgeous lady, wouldn't you agree? ;) It was literally pouring buckets of rain half an hour before our shoot but we decided to gamble with it anyway. It would pour when we were outside and then when we were under some kind of shelter, it'd be nice. Oh well, that's Washington for you huh? I am stoked that Mimi is one of my Senior Reps this upcoming year. Her and I have some plans up our sleeves for her Senior session so I can't wait to photograph her again!

Yes... those white dots are rain!

We decided to warm up with some good ol' Starbucks...

Love this!

Lindsey Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-04-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have known Lindsey and her awesome family for a couple years now ever since high school when I was a part of AWANA. It's so crazy how time fast time flies. I had a great time seeing Lindsey and her mom again last weekend to get some Senior rep portraits done for her. Both of us were full of laughs the whole time! She was a joy to photograph :)

Definitely my favorite frame!

Mother and Daughter :)

Sweet hat Lindsey's brother got for her

Lauren Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-04-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

The first time I ever met Lauren was when I picked her up for her Senior Rep session. We both wanted some variety in her portraits so we decided to venture off into the historic area of Tacoma. I knew I liked this girl from the moment I read her survey form. Lauren has a very positive and fun personality and conversation between the two of us was so easy! I am honored to have Lauren as a Senior rep this upcoming year. We had so many fun shots- this was easily one of my favorite sessions. Also, isn't this girl's style fantastic? Love it!

Definitely my favorite frames from the session! So fun!

Adoring the colors in these...

Lauren, you're gorgeous...

and definitely photogenic!

Meghan Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-04-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Meghan happens to be one of my best friend's younger sister. I knew this girl would make the perfect rep so I'm super excited to share this session. Meghan came up to Seattle this past weekend and we hit up several locations for her portraits. Gotta give it to her this girl- she braved the cold weather and wind when we were by the beach! I loved her style- take notes! I had a blast photographing her as well as catching up with her mom.

PS: Isn't she gorgeous?

I've got several more Senior Rep sessions booked in the next few weeks so expect this blog to be a bit more busy! If you're a Senior Rep and haven't called to book a session yet, please do so soon! Thanks :)

I love the texture in this first photo!

love the colors here

Melissa Class of '11 | Portraits

2010-04-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

Melissa is one of the girls in the youth group from my home church. So of course, I asked her to be my Senior Rep for North Thurston High School. I loved her bright blue dress! (I highly recommend bright colors if you want your portraits to stand out.) Here are a few frames from her session. A few words about what her session involved: cold weather, sprinkles, trespassing, and being real sneaky about it! ;) It started pouring right when I dropped her off so we made good time. I can't wait to photograph her this summer for her 'real' senior portraits!

Take Me Instead | Portraits

2010-04-08T23:36:00.000-07:00

Introducing to all of you my friends, Take Me Instead... (Check out their musice!) I went to high school with these kids! They've been a band for awhile now and are currently on tour through all the Hot Topics around the Puget Sound as well as a few in Oregon. I had a great time with these guys a few days ago as we headed to Discovery Park for some updated band photos. I also invited fellow photographer, Hailey Moore along. You can check out this shoot from behind her lens at her blog here.

The last few times I've photographed this band, we've attempted studio shots. I was so exciting to get these guys on- location and to do some outdoor shots. Love these! Enjoy enjoy enjoy!

Meet Dixon, Isaiah, Jon and Kyle!

Isaiah- Lead Vocals/Guitar

Dixon- Bass

Jon- Drums

Kyle- Guitar/Vocals/Keys

My Brother is a Stud!

2010-04-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not doing a very good job updating and keeping up with this blog. I just started school again last week. My 2011 Senior Reps have been chosen and I'm in the process of booking those sessions and photographing them. I photographed one this past weekend. They turned out great and I'm way excited to show you.

But for now, I'll leave you with two frames of my studly 11-year-old brother. These were just some shots I took during church Easter day. Khiet decided he'd wear a blazer to church that day... so random! But he looked so grown up! I can't believe how fast time goes by...

Dorothy Huynh Photography is in business!

2010-03-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

It sure has been awhile since I've written here! Time for some much needed updates. I apologize for that. What with the stress of finals and taking time to relax during my Spring Break, I haven't had a lot of time to update my devoted followers as to what has been going on regarding my business!

First things first, I am now a legitimate business. Yep- I applied for my business license. About time right? In regards to that, I do have new prices up since I now have to pay Uncle Sam. However, I am always willing to help out those who are on a budget!

Other news... thank you for all of you have fanned my new Facebook page! I did a 300th fan promotion. The winner was announced and I'm very excited to photograph that session sometime in April. I love promotions, give-aways, etc so always be on the look out for those :)

2011 Senior Reps will be announced sometime next week. I have already started photographing some of them- this is gonna be a great season for Seniors! I'm ready to be back out there shooting.

Last thing, I will be attempting to start a newsletter emailing list. This newsletter will be every few weeks/months but to all who subscribe to it, you will be the first to receive news about anything regarding my business! If you would like to be added to the email list, drop a comment! I am planning to send out my first one at the start of April.

What's a post without a few photos? Spring is here and I can't wait to photograph in the late sunset lights. Lens flares are fun so here are a few I took at Snoqualmie Falls a couple weeks ago.

Win a Complimentary Session! New Facebook Page!

2010-03-07T22:26:00.001-08:00

It's all about Facebook nowadays. Because I recently dropped the 'Red Slippers Photography' name, I made a new Facebook page: Dorothy Huynh Photography. I was at about 250 fans last time on that page so to get my new page going, I'm giving away a free portrait session for my 300th fan. Of course, the winner will have be within a reasonable distance for me- I think that's the only set-back.

So please, spread the news about my photography! I appreciate every single one of you. Thanks :)

Aronson Family | Lifestyle Portraits

2010-03-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to share these images with you all! If you've been following my blog ever since I started, you should remember the Brotherston family portraits I took last June. Ellen and Kyle contacted me a week ago and wanted some portraits of their new baby girl, who is officially one month old today! I was very excited because I'd never photographed babies before. It proved a little bit more difficult than we all anticipated, but it really taught me patience as a photographer.

The Aronsons welcomed me into their lovely home yesterday and upon entry, I noticed so many cute details around the house that evolved around Linnea. I really wanted to capture it all so it's important you see these images all together (hence the collages I made). This is one of my goals as a photographer to really shoot a story rather than one single picture. This was my first attempt at a lifestyle shoot, but it won't be the last! I'm glad that Ellen and Kyle were up to being guinea pigs. I don't even know if they're aware of that ;) Regardless, I will say that this has been one of my favorite shoots in awhile. I love the high-key look and just so 'light' these images feel if that makes any sense to you at all.

Anyway, sorry for all the blabber! I loved so many of my captures so this is a lot more than I would normally blog. Please leave some comments and let me know what you think. I would love that :)

Ellen made these headbands herself!

Mommy reading to little Linnea!

Matching bracelets grandma made!

A painting passed down a few generations... so beautiful.

Probably the only image I got of Linnea semi-smiling? Love this.

Post- Processing

2010-03-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

I thought I would blog an image and show a little bit of what I normally do as far as my editing. I took the following photo at about 5:45 in the evening last December... so it was getting dark fast. The settings on this image were at ISO 200, F/1.8 and a shutter speed of 1/80. As you can see the image was a little bit too cold temperature-wise. You can see how blue and dark the sky was in the reflection of her eyes.

I warmed up the image, did some minor retouching on her skin, and whitened her teeth a little bit. I realized then that the image didn't look right after warming it up because there was still the blue sky in her eyes. To fix that, I desaturated that color and lightened it up with an adjustment layer in Hue/Saturation. I also added a Vignette and finally, I sharpened the photo.

This is probably the most I do to an image. Typically all I do is change the color temp., sharpen up the image and call it done. Hopefully that brought you some insight into my post- processing! :)

Here is the Straight Out of the Camera shot and the final Edit:

Class of 2011!

2010-02-24T23:25:00.000-08:00

This last fall I photographed over 40 Seniors and I can hardly wait to photograph YOU, yes YOU, currently a Junior... anticipating all the exciting things Senior year brings. This year, I'm looking for some Reps to help spread the news about my photography. I would love to have 1 or 2 Seniors from each high school. Guys, this includes you too!

Each Senior rep will receive a free session this coming Spring, a CD of images for their Facebook/Myspace and $20 print credit for every referral they make. You could potentially have your Senior portraits taken with prints for free!

All you have to do is fill out this little questionnaire. Click here. The deadline to do so is March 21st! Tell your friends and spread the news out this! You will know by early April whether or not you have been chosen. Thanks so much!

Click here to view more of my Senior gallery.

Hong Family | Portraits

2010-02-24T18:34:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, I teamed up with the rad Mandie Sodoma of Sindisiwe Photography to shoot some portraits for our Haiti fundraiser. We only received one request, but hey $100 towards Haiti is better than nothing. Hopefully we'll be able to do something similar in the future again because with the right advertisement and timing, I'm sure that such a fundraiser would be significantly successful!

We met up with the Hong Family at Bellevue Downtown Park. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day out. David was a fiesty one and definitely kept Mandie and I on our toes as we ran around trying to photograph him.

Enjoy these images! It was so fun to work with Mandie. Check out this session from her camera!

Ava | Just Portraits

2010-02-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

I met Ava sitting in the front right corner of my University Core 1000 class. I thought she was an out-going, fun-loving girl who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. This girl wasn't shy. Ava is a Sophomore here and is pursuing journalism. She loves covering current news! You can check out her blog here! She asked me awhile to take some portraits for her website and the two of us needed to hang out anyway, so hey, why the heck not? We took some portraits at the Golden Gardens Park in Ballard as well as a few around Ballard.

In 2007, Ava was Miss Teen Seattle so she definitely wasn't shy in front of a camera. Enjoy these photos!

New Website, New Brand, New Year

2010-01-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

I'd really like to be able to afford creating and hosting a website, but for now I used Showit's free version. I've loved this program ever since I've heard of it and it works really well. Since I met up with Jamie Delaine, I've really thought about the process of rebranding and after getting advice from several trusted friends (photographers and graphic designers), I have decided to give up the name of Red Slippers Photography. You can read about some of my reasoning here for that.

My new brand really focuses on the individual and how I can capture it in a photo. It's a much cleaner look and pretty simple. I love simplicity- I honestly think it says a lot more than a bunch of random things.

Please head to my website: http://dorothyhuynh.com and tell me what you think! All the galleries are updated. For all my former clients, see if your face is on there! :)

I'll probably mess around with this blog sooner or later and update it as well.

Also, don't forget about the Haiti Fundraiser we're doing! Please consider it!

We Can Do This!

2010-01-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

Haiti. In the last few weeks, when we've heard that word, we think earthquake. We think devastation. We think death. We think of praying. We ask ourselves what we can do. I know, from personal experience, that once we've texted Haiti to that one number or contributed X amount of dollars, we think we can justify ourselves in saying that we've done our part. But even before Haiti was hit with this natural disaster, it was already one of the poorest countries in the world. We can not just think that a one- time worldwide relief effort will give Haiti what it needs. We will not and can not forget what the Haitians have suffered. We can do something about it. You can do something it. We can offer our money, our time, our prayers and our hope for them.

So what is this all alluding to?

Two dates. February 15th and February 20th. Mandie from Sindisiwe Photography and myself will be holding 30- minute portrait sessions to raise funds for Haiti. Sessions are $100 and will be donated to one of the following charities of your choice and under your name: World Vision, Mercy Corps., and Save the Children.

Gather your friends for some group shots, maybe update those family portraits, or just get some fun portraits of yourself. Who doesn't like having their portrait taken? The session will also include a free 8x10 print of your choice and access to an online gallery in which you may purchase more prints. A portion of these sales will also be going to bring relief to Haiti.

Make some time. Get some portraits. Bring hope to Haiti. Feb. 15th at Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill or Feb. 20th at Bellevue Downtown Park. Come hang out with us! We're fun.

If you'd like more information about this, feel free to email me at rsp@dorothyhuynh.com or Mandie at info@sindisiwephotography.com. To book a session, contact Mandie via email or at 206. 963. 8676. Book soon; spaces are limited!

Also, please please spread the news about this to anyone you think might be interested. If we get enough requests, we'll more than likely open up another date in the Spring.

Emily | Senior Portraits

2010-01-24T02:55:00.000-08:00

Seattle has been having some gorgeous weather lately; I'm glad that the rain decided to hold out until today. One of my good friends Hailey asked if I'd come along and help her take her lovely cousin, Emily's, senior portraits awhile ago and yesterday we headed out to a few places out in Seattle. I was definitely excited because it's been awhile (or at least it seems) since I've been able to take senior portraits. Emily was such a great sport and I had a lot of fun shooting with Hailey as well. We went to Gas Works, the Seattle Center and finally Pikes' Place. It was a full day of shooting, that's for sure! Enjoy these images-- it was so cold yesterday, but Emily did a great job hiding her goosebumps ;)

My favorite from the day!

Mandie | Just Portraits

2010-01-24T02:14:00.000-08:00

I first met Mandie through cadre, which are small groups broken off from The City Church. She is another local photographer here in Seattle and is currently attending SPU as well. The two of us definitely hit it off through our love of photography and of course, our love for Jesus! We decided to hang out and just shoot for fun the other day so she took me to Kerry Park for the first time, which has the greatest view of the Seattle skyline ever! Anyway, here are some shots from our hangout! After we shot, we had some coffee and discussed some exciting news which I'll be sharing soon as soon as we finalize everything! I'm way excited!

Be sure to check out Mandie's work here! She's awesome :)

Trinh + Hieu | Day After Pt. 3

2010-01-18T23:26:00.000-08:00

I haven't had any recent portrait sessions to share but I haven't blogged these ones yet. However, I have posted a video of some of these images on my Youtube account. I had a lot of fun with these two and the other night, I actually went to see the Book of Eli with my brother and Chu Hieu. If you remember, their wedding was back in September, but I had two portrait sessions with them in August, linked back here and here.

Enjoy these because I sure do!

Stephanie + Tim | Portraits

2010-01-08T10:56:00.001-08:00

I didn't realize how much fun this shoot actually was until I looked back at the photos last night, picking my favorite ones. Steph and Tim are so funny and laughing pretty much is guaranteed if you're gonna hang out with them.

I met these two July 2008, sitting in a classroom at the Cota street campus at Brooks. Stephanie right off the bat impressed me because our teacher always loved her work... not gonna lie, I was jealous. And Tim, well he had this crazy camera, and seemed to know so much that I did not know... I was intimidated by the both of them. I never would've thought that in a million years that we'd friends, let alone have me take photos for them. The two of them started dating a couple of months into school and I think they're a great match- such a fun-loving couple. Both of them are still at Brooks, doing their thing. Tim is actually from Washington so he went home for break. Steph flew in a week or so later to spend the last week of break here in Seattle. We met up yesterday and really had no idea where to shoot. I haven't done much of it in actual Seattle. We ended up around Qwest field, taking portraits in whatever places we found interesting. I really like the results and am surprised that I'm blogging 16 frames for you today. Usually, I do 8-10.

Thank you to the both of you for a great day and sushi! If you have time, please check out Tim and Stephanie's work. They're both amazing and I am so privileged to know them as friends and as photographers. Seriously. They're really good.

Photos in the cones? Totally Tim's idea ;)

Kaasa Siblings | Portraits

2009-12-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

I took these exactly a month ago from today. Chelsey is a friend of mine from high school and she contacted me a few months ago for some portraits of her and her brothers for their parents as a Christmas present. Great idea right? She requested that I didn't blog them until Christmas since they have family members online and what not. Anyway, I'm really excited to share these images with you all.

These were taken at Gas Works Park in Seattle. If you've never been there, I highly recommend it. It gives you a gorgeous view of the Seattle skyline. It looks pretty cool at night as well. Chelsey, Chris and Chad were great and I had an awesome time photographing them. I'm so glad that it wasn't raining that day, but the wind was pretty ridiculous. If you scroll down to the very last image, it is actually retouched by the very talented Majesta Campbell. Chelsey's right arm was up to keep the hair out of her face and Majesta composited it with another image. It looks awesome right? Thanks MJ!

Hope you're all enjoying a lovely Christmas with friends and family. May God bless and keep all of you!

Chris

Chad

Chelsey

Nguyen Family | Portraits

2009-12-24T22:42:00.001-08:00

This is typically not the kind of work I am most comfortable doing. As a photographer, I would want my clients to get the best quality of images. Indoor photography/studio work is not my strong suit. However, I couldn't say no to my aunt and her beautiful family. They're the closest thing to a 'hip' family in my huge circle of relatives (haha). It also happened to be raining this day so we were unable to take some outdoor portraits.

We had a really short session since all of us were headed to our church's Christmas program. Here are nine quick frames that I enjoyed. I especially like the portraits of my cousins :)

Aunt and Uncle

The kids makin' silly faces

Darren, the oldest

Lilly

And finally, Dylan

Vanessa Joy | Senior Portraits

2009-12-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

Before I begin this post, I'll tell you that this was probably the most fun I've ever had shooting senior portraits... only because not did I have a privilege of photographing a dear friend and fellow photographer, but I went along with many of my other San Diegan photographers here. Yesterday I went on a little photo excursion with several of my friends. We had a bunch of photographers and some friends come along... and we all rotated being models and what not. These were taken at Lake Hodges. If you aren't familiar with this place, it's where Phil Wickham shot his cover picture for his album Cannons. I am having an unbelievable time here in California. It's definitely exhausting me... in a good way. A more detailed post with even more photos of everyone else will come soon. For now, here is Vanessa.

I also met Vanessa last November when I went on the missions trip. Before I even met her, I was impressed by the way she held herself and looked up to her because she truly is a daughter of Christ. Also, she is extremely talented... you've got to check out some of her work here and her musical talentness on her YouTube.

What I love most about these portraits are probably the fact that they are so unique from my other Seniors. They're a little bit more on the artsy side only 'cause Vanessa is also a photographer and I wanted to get more of a 'bio' shoot going on. :) We also used a Polaroid camera, which I've been wanting to do forever! I'm privileged to say that I was able to photograph her while I'm down in San Diego. Love you girl!

Had some fun with a Polaroid camera...

MacDonald Family | Portraits

2009-12-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

I honestly don't know what to say about this family. They truly hold a special place in my heart- hands down. I first met Yvonne and her family a little over a year ago. Since I've met them, I've visited them multiple times when I was still living in SoCal and twice since I've moved back to Washington. They are my home in Escondido- always willing to house me and feed me. I am beyond words appreciative of them. The last time I was in California, we were really busy preparing for the wedding so I was unable to take their family portraits then. This time around, I came just to vacation and this portrait session was the least I could do for this amazing family.

Uncle Rick and Aunt Thanh (that's what I call them :D) are two fantastic parents and lovers of God. Their hearts for children blow me away. They're currently in the process of preparing to move to Vietnam next year for a couple months to work on some ministry for the Lord. Megan and Yvonne are Aunt Thanh's biological children and the rest of them are adopted! How coolis that? I'm hoping to visit them in the summer of 2011. The two youngest ones, Jeston and Chloe, are actually in the process of being officially adopted. They are two of the most gorgeous children ever. Joseph and Ryan are two awesome boys and so much fun to be around.

I normally don't do indoor portraits but we decided it would be best to stay at home and take these. They didn't turn out too shabby ;). I love this family and I hope you do too!

The Ladies

The Guys

Kids

Joseph

Ryan

Jeston

Chloe

Megan and Yvonne

Soo absolutely breathtaking

Majesta | Just Portraits

2009-12-12T14:12:00.001-08:00

Majesta happens to be the first friend I made when I moved to Santa Barbara over a year ago. She actually added me on Facebook a few months before we started school. We didn't talk to much on there, but we saw each other the first day at Orientation and hit it off from there. I had the chance to come and visit Santa Barbara and stay with her for a day or two. She needed some bio images done for her website! I was so honored that she asked me. As photographers, we usually don't like being behind the camera, but MJ was definitely workin' it. I love the colors in these images- so good.

Majesta is currently at Brooks, majoring in Professional Photography and concentrating in Digital Imaging. In other words, she's an amazing retoucher. You all should definitely check out her website!

I had a great time catching up with several of my friends from Brooks. It was weird to be back in Santa Barbara, but definitely awesome to have friends who are willing to house me. Love you guys!

Lovin' this

Huyen and Sang | Just Portraits

2009-12-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

Last year Chi Huyen (In Vietnamese, 'Chi' indicates an older sister/friend), turned the big 21. My brother, Sang, turned 18. All of our birthdays run pretty close, so the two of them had planned this epic birthday party together. Because of the heavy snowfall last winter, they had to cancel.... and postpone it until this year. Hopefully it'll happen. Chi Huyen's birthday was this past Tuesday and Sang's is in another week. They wanted some portraits for their invitation... (or maybe they just wanted portraits). In any case, after we went apartment hunting last Saturday, we took some quick portraits. Enjoy!

I like the framing of this photo :)

They came super close to us!

I'm Two Decades Old!

2009-12-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

A bunch load of photos in this post!

I had a great Thanksgiving break and I hope that you all did as well. On Thanksgiving day, my family had a great lunch and that night one of my younger cousins celebrated his 8th birthday so I was fed even more food that night! One of my other cousins, Paul, from Vancouver came down to visit too and that night, we had such a blast singing karaoke. Check out this video! I have a few more I need to upload too. We're crazy.

Paul and I pulled an all-nighter that night because of Black Friday. We went to Old Navy at 3 but the line was too long so we headed to Target at 4. Line was long, but we were there... We shopped for about four hours, got home and then crashed for two. That night, we had a late Thanksgiving service at my home church and then on Saturday, the youth group headed up to Sammamish to hang out and spend the night up there.

The rest of this post is a rant about how crazy awesome my friends and family are. I definitely felt loved!

Yesterday was my 20th birthday (crazy I know!) and since I wouldn't be home in Olympia, the youth group celebrated it on Saturday with a cake. My cousin bought me this sweet Northface jacket! I love how it feels when you first get them... I probably won't even wear it just so I could stroke the softness! Ha, that sounded kind of creepy. Anyway, Sunday afternoon, my mom came home and had bought me a Dairy Queen birthday cake.... ice cream I might add (my absolutely fave!). That was my second cake.

On Monday, after going to class and being sung to (thanks to my friend Ava who happened to shout out to the entire class that it was my birthday when I walked in), I went to Safeway with my friends Mallory and Hailey to get some food. Mallory cooked me an awesome homemade dinner that night. Handmade tortillas with mushrooms, peppers, yummy guacamole and chips. It was super delicious and healthy! We watched Pollock that night for a class assignment... and then had some cupcakes (my third 'cake') and tea. For my birthday, Mallory gave me this awesome book. 25 photographers under the age of 25... there are rad photos in there. I haven't really had the time to look through it, but I am so looking forward to it.

After our mini celebration there, I headed back to my dorm and was working on some homework with Hailey, when Jasmine came in and said that we had a floor meeting. I happened to be on the phone with one of my best friends from high school and I hadn't talked to her in awhile so I was a tad bit annoyed. Come to find out, a few of the girls from my floor had gathered in the lounge to sing me happy birthday. Jasmine had bought donuts and a huge piece of chocolate cake for me. Isn't she the sweetest?

So, that's me in the last few days. I didn't do anything super exciting for my birthday this year. It was definitely a nice change from the usual. Nonetheless, it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had. God is so good and he answered a prayer that I've been praying for awhile now. Praise Him! :)

In conclusion, I'd like to say Merry December! This is so insane! I have a ton of studying to do this week as well as some other homework for upcoming finals next week but I feel as if this week is already going by pretty fast, which I'm really grateful for. I can definitely say that I'm procrastinating though... that's for sure.

Here are some visuals of my weekend. Enjoy!

Dan and I after Thanksgiving Service... ha, that isn't what he actually wore.

Cousins!

First birthday cake from the youth group!

I heart them

Family

Ice cream cake!

Morning of... Thanks to my Roommate!

Random Signs :)

Before our adventure to Safeway

Mallory and I <3

Cupcakes

Definitely will be putting on a few pounds...

Check out the decor Jasmine did on the front of this birthday card! So cool!

Card from Mallory, Ava and Ashley... it's pretty big-- maybe 3 feet tall?

Here are photos of the photo book Mal got for me and earrings Jasmine gave me!

Thanks to everyone who sent me a message, texted me, called me and wrote on my Facebook wall! My birthday was wonderful! I feel pretty darn special with four different birthday celebrations. I also feel old. Ha.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

To all my Seniors. Thank you to all 41 of you- Cathy, Diane, Bret, Kyle, Jude, Carly, Andrew, Andra, Jocelyn, Danielle, Dan, Dixon, Kaitlyn, Anna, Alex, Danny, Gabriella, Veronica, Thanh, Michelle, Ellie, Megan, Han, Nghia, Bailey, Cole, Cody, Liz, Meg, Sarah, Julie, Yun, Rachel, Jessica, Kenzi, Zoe, Felisha, Kristina, Kamron, and Sydney.

Thank you for trusting me with your Senior portraits and choosing me as your photographer! It means so much and my business has grown because of it. You guys have made me believe that I can do this! :) Congrats on your Senior years!

**pictures are in alphabetical order :)

I'm grateful for my family! They are all strong people and I'm blessed to have parents who support my ambitions, brothers who encourage me and just family who understand my weirdness.

My youth group! So I'm past the stage of actually being in the youth group but I still consider myself a kid even though I'm now considered a leader... ha! Our group has gone through a bunch of ups and downs this last year, but I believe that we're stronger than ever. I've grown up with most of these kids most of my life and each one of them are such incredible blessings in my life.

My Escondido family in California... I've known them for exactly a year now. A year ago, I went on a weekend missions trip with them to Mexico. They honestly are the most fun and loving people I've ever met and their love for God is obvious... in everything they do, I can see that they are motivated by God. I can't wait to see them in 2 weeks!

Lastly, I will forever be indebted to Jesus and what he did for me. He's given me a beautiful life and the opportunity to be at such a beautiful school. He's given me photography as an artistic outlet. He's given me all of the things I've listed above! He's given me every breath I've ever breathed. He is good. And I thank Him.

Melissa | Just Portraits

2009-11-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

I've known Melissa for about 4-5 years now. We met through a mutual friend at the annual AWANA Scholarship Camp (a week of church camp essentially-- it's more fun than it sounds!) We only attended camp together that first summer, but we've kept in touch ever since. She was one of the few people I already knew when I started school at Seattle Pacific this Fall. Melissa is a brilliant writer and is the assistant news editor for our school's newspaper. She is always insanely busy (I guess I am too) so it was nice to catch her yesterday morning. We went for a walk just to the Fremont bridge and back and had a quick portrait session. Isn't Melissa drop dead gorgeous? Makes my job so much easier.

Dark Cloudy Days

2009-11-22T16:11:00.000-08:00

The end of November is drawing nearer. I've got about three more weeks of school left and then I'm flyin' outta here down to California. My least favorite part of Fall would probably be the fact that it gets so dark around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Compare that to 8 or 9 in the evening during the summer days, it's kind of a drag. I'm trying to focus on school right now, but I'm at the point where I just want to be done. It's hard to stay motivated when it regards school. I've got to get through three more days of class this week! This is also my last week in which I can refer to myself as a teenager. I really want to do something fun each day this week in celebration- any ideas?? (Black Friday is already covered haha!)

One of my favorite cousins, Dan, is here visiting from California. He's originally from Canada, moved to Massachusetts a couple years back and now attends Stanford University. He's graduating this upcoming Spring- so excited for him! I haven't seen this kid in 2 years, but his mannerisms hasn't changed a bit! It makes me miss the good old days. He gives hands down the best hugs ever and never fails to make me laugh. Here's a photo we took after church this afternoon!

Okay, so I lied. Sydney wasn't my last Senior. A couple days after I blogged her, I got a phone call for one more and if you know me at all, I have a really hard time saying no. Plus I know how difficult it is to find a photographer to do things for you last minute without charging a ridiculous amount more. Here's one of my favorite shots from today's session. It was pouring on and off, but the sun came out at the end. I won't be blogging this Senior due to the family's request but isn't this location sweet??

Have a lovely week and enjoy your Thanksgiving friends.

Some Inspiration

2009-11-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday, I got the incredible opportunity to meet with the infamous but not in a bad way ;) Jamie Delaine. So. Get this: This girl is just nineteen. Yes. Nineteen. Is that not insane? She's blowing this wedding photography business out of the water! Already booked 18 weddings for the year of 2010. Jamie: get. outta. here.

In all honestly though, Jamie is the sweetest girl. Meeting and learning from her from the 1-on-1 Learning Sessions she offers was so comfortable and relatable. It so wasn't intimidating at all, because she's literally around the same age I am.

Talking to her made me realize that this goal of having a legitimate photography business is possible and achievable. And Jamie definitely gave me some great advice and inspiration. I am so excited to see where I'll be in the next year. I have some ideas as to what I want to do.

Oh also, she took some raddddd photos of me. Here's one here. Check out the whole post and more images on her blog here.

So once again, I'd just like to give a shout out to my lovely sister in Christ, Jamie, you're awesome. Thank you for driving 2 1/2 hours to see me, treating me to lunch, teaching me and photographing me. :) Keep rockin' it!

PS: I just did some minor changes to the face of this blog. Check it out if you'd like!

Jamie at her best? Ha, just kidding. ;)

Sydney | Senior Portraits

2009-11-14T01:28:00.000-08:00

... and here is my last, but definitely not least, 2010 Senior this Fall! Sydney was referred to me by Jocelyn. The both of them are Seniors at Capital High School this year. We totally lucked out with the weather. The whole past week it had been raining and I had been mentally preparing myself for the very high chance of showers. Lo and behold! I woke up on Wednesday to gorgeous sunshine peaking through my windows! (Actually I woke up to my dad telling me wake up to go to the doctors' for a shot, but you get my drift.)

I met Sydney and her brother at Starbucks by Sylvester Park and we went from there. I've shot soo many times in downtown Olympia and it was so refreshing to get some new ideas going on in this shoot. I got some great shots and I'm very happy with them. I hate odd- end numbers so I was so glad that Sydney's mom, Lucy, called me a couple weeks back for a very last minute session (Sydney's yearbook submission is due next Tuesday) Sydney is my 40th Senior! There! A nice even number-- I'm definitely pleased.

Take a look at these photos- I am absolutely taken away by Sydney's outrageously blue eyes! So good!

What did I tell you?

Oh, the power of a reflector!

So about this shot... we were hoping that they wouldn't be working on this construction site since it was Veterans' Day. They were. BUT, Sydney was definitely game to sneak on for a few shots anyway. I think she was less worried than I am and usually I don't mind trespassing! Kudos to you Sydney!

Look at this piece of new artwork Olympia just finished! It is amazing. If you want to see the whole thing, click here. It is soo neat! Glad I was able to use it as a backdrop.

A few shots with her brother, Jake, who is a Freshman this year!

Kamron | Senior Portraits

2009-11-13T23:30:00.000-08:00

Kamron is another Senior at Black Hills. I met him a few weeks ago along with his girlfriend, Kenzi. Kamron was totally laid back and was down for whatever. (After all, guys are usually not into the senior portrait thing) Good thing I had Kenzi, whom I had taken photos for the weekend before. She was there to encourage him and pretty much make him be 'serious'. He was so silly and half of the photos I took are of him making ridiculous poses and faces. These two took some couple pictures during the session and they're absolutely adorable!

(He totally looks like Zac Efron huh? He gets that alot.)

Bailey | Senior Portraits

2009-11-10T01:34:00.001-08:00

I owe Bailey a bunch- she probably has been how I've received over a third of my business this past few months. She wanted to do a quick part two of her senior portraits so I took these a few weekends back near the Capitol. You can view her first session here. I loved how bright and bold her outfit is- she's a character and I love her for it! Isaiah came along so we of course got some shots with him as well!

Tried something new... just put them in Polaroid frames :)

Some shots with Isaiah

Andra | Senior Portraits

2009-11-06T01:11:00.000-08:00

This is part two of Andra's senior session. I took her first session back in September. You can view those here. She really wanted to incorporate the beautiful fall weather and the leaves that came with into some of her senior portraits so we took these up at Tumwater Falls. There were several family portrait sessions going on and I was definitely intimidated by those huge bodies and lenses some of those photographers had... but! no matter, it's the photographer that makes the difference.

Andra and her mom, Mishelle!