I connected with Julia right away and felt her warm heart and love through our conversations. She shared about Jeff and some of his story and his battle with cancer. We worked out the details of our time photographing and made our plans to capture their getaway to the coast. Due to some medical complications, plans were put on hold temporarily. After some recovery time and a little extra rest, Jeff & Julia made their way over to the Oregon Coast and we had a wonderful time together.
Agate Beach presented a cool and foggy sunset here in Newport the evening of their session. It was perfect for the snuggles in front of the camera along our scenic coast. You couldn't help but witness that Julia so lovingly watched out for Jeff as he made sure every step Julia made, he was holding on to her. They both comforted and took care of each other. There were a few tears and lots of smiles, shared stories and emotions, and we were honored to capture that during their time here.
Their love and story is as beautiful as they are...
For more information about Jeff and his battle, or for ways to help, you can visit his GoFundMe here: https://gofund.me/b8a6b760
Our first session date was too rainy so we defaulted to our backup date. Owen didn't seem to notice or mind at all...
Owen brought all his energy, running and jumping on the rocks. As a typical 5 year old, he barely sat still for more than a second or two which was a challenge I totally accepted! The rest of the session, we mostly let him run and play while we strategically placed our lights where he might stand in front of them, even if it was a for just a moment!
Halfway through the session, the sky did something I've never before been able to capture... how perfect is this?!?
It was hard to top this type of phenomenon. However, we came prepared with something we heard makes Owen's heart happy.
A bubble machine.
As the sun began to set, we scooped this family up for one last series to incorporate our beautiful coastline views.
It was a beautiful opportunity and we were privileged to photograph this family during their Oregon Coast visit. As of their trip here, Owen's scans came back clear and we're all celebrating with them! To learn more about Owen's story, you can follow his journey HERE.
To donate, visit his GOFUNDME
We did post some behind the scenes from this session on our TikTok page at Simply Design Studios!
]]>Enjoy some of our favorites from Natasha's Family session.
See what I mean about all the beauty away from the beach...
We connected with Natasha shortly after we photographed her sister's maternity session (another amazing session). During our consultation, we learned about her unique property with a sunroom surrounded by foliage outlined in moss covered stones and knew that's what we were going to do! We gathered up all the family dynamics and went straight to work.
We played with the kiddos, poked fun at the adults, and laughed the entire session through!
Visit our tiktok page at: Simply Design Studios for our behind the scenes shanenigans!
https://www.tiktok.com/@simplydesignstudios
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It's almost graduation season and as we wind up our 2022 senior portrait sessions, Sam's family reached out to us. And we are so glad they did!
After a wardrobe consult and a haircut was agreed upon, Sam's family threw out a few ideas of what his session was going to look like. Fortunately, we have some pretty incredible scenic places along the Oregon Coast and in this case, inland just a little bit...
One of the things we love to do with our seniors is find that one thing they love... and as soon as "the car" got brought up, we knew we had to find a way to make it work! Our location was just a bit out of the way but paved well enough to make the trek. Thanks to Sam's aunt, we were able to incorporate this classic black beauty! What senior guy wouldn't love this during their session?!?
The park provided a beautiful backdrop for this edgy senior session and were pretty excited for the results! With his family and girlfriend standing by, we shared quite a few laughs, including when the keys got locked in... but that's for another blog story! We loved working with Sam and his family and although we've tried to tell Sam he should consider modeling in his future, we're content that he was able to be on the other side of our camera.
To see the BTS video from this session, head over to our TT: SimplyDesignStudios
]]>This is Jaylene.
After photographing her senior portraits several years ago, I was beyond excited when her mom requested our services once more when gifting Jaylene a very special type of portrait session. This time, we were asked to photograph her beautiful daughter in capturing her Canadian Plain Cree spirit. This was something we talked about during Jaylene's senior portrait session many years ago but decided to hold off on the idea... until recently.
We brought Jaylene and her mom to one of our most versatile and favorite spots along the Central Oregon Coast. Immediately upon arrival, the sky opened up just enough for the sun to peek out with warming rays that danced along the creek, leaving a golden glow that seem to wrap around her.
The sun quickly disappeared under the PNW fog which provided the perfect covering for our next scenic area. As we set up our gear in the mossy greenery that covered a small forest, Jaylene's mom shared the story of her daughter's regalia, how and where it was made, detailing the intricate beadwork and the beautiful jewelry that accompanied the pieces with the feathers and fur that completed it all.
We completely fell in love with the regal feel of this particular session when featuring Jaylene in her exquisite regalia.
As the temperature dropped during the sunset, we were able to capture a few more portraits in a more traditional regalia.
Thank you for sharing in our most recent portrait adventures!
I was contacted by Jasmyn several weeks prior to her senior portraits where she continued to arrange her session in Newport all the way from Nebraska. The weather was windy for her weekend arrival but nothing we couldn't take on. And then something very unexpected happened. One motel went up in flames and the one next to it caught fire as well. Four souls were lost that day and over 50 victims displaced...
Images from: http://katu.com/news/local/fire-destroys-newport-motel-three-taken-to-the-hospital & www.newslincolncounty.com
My youngest son and I spent the day in the temporary shelter with the Red Cross and the fire victims. We met their families and got to know several of those who came to Newport to visit and were left to find their way home as vehicles were destroyed and personal belongings went up in flames. We helped where we could but at the end of the day, you couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at all the loss and yet thankful for those who made it. I found myself needing a moment to mentally prepare for for Jasmyn's senior session so we pushed it off for just a few extra minutes.
We both arrived at the studio at the same time and in my apology for pushing our session back a little, I blurted out... what a day!
Without hesitation, she replied that she doubts it could be worse than her's and her mom's day.
My heart sank when she responded to my question about where she was staying. Yes, this beautiful senior and her mom were at the motel where the fire was. And after a day of being with the fire victims, our paths didn't cross once.
When we arrived at the beach, she expressed her disappointment about not being able to wear a pair of shoes she wanted as the bottom of her feet were burned from running on the ash as she went back for her clothes for her senior portraits. And she expressed just how much her portraits meant to her.
Needless to say, my heart was heavy in so many ways and we worked hard to give Jasmyn the best senior portrait experience ever.
Jasmyn, you're a rockstar and we are honored to have captured this very important moment in your life!
To view Jasmyn's full senior senior session, visit: http://simplydesignstudios.com/jasmynsenior2016
© Simply Design Studios
www.simplydesignstudios.com
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-Danielle, Coast Event Rentals
(http://www.oregoncoasteventrentals.com)
In hindsight, awesome is an understatement.
From our very first conversation, this man was scheming and planning the perfect proposal for his lovely girlfriend. Over the next few days, I was sent design ideas, music lists, and everything needed to wow his soon-to-be fiancé. From the secret access onto the decorated beach to the little cozy champagne nook, There was no detail forgotten and the perfect proposal went flawlessly.
I've been doing portraits now for a while and though I genuinely enjoy each of my sessions, few of them have taken my breath away quite like this one.
