Elisabeth A. • TPD Senior Delegate • Sammamish High School

I am so excited about my senior program this year. I have spent countless hours refining the what and the how. Here is the promo I created for my rep for her to share, as teens love to do with those iPhones and Androids! I really hope this thing goes viral!

I am equally excited that my studio team is coagulating so well. I truly feel blessed. I now have a photo assistant/studio manager, a hugely talented second photographer and a hair and makeup artist to die for. What more could a girl ask for??

Hello, world! I'm out from under my rock!

My goodness. Such time has been lost. I'm still trying to pick up the pieces. The beginning of March was met with some unexpected emergencies in the form of a severe reaction to peanuts suffered by my daughter the same day I was supposed to run a Charity Booth fundraiser. Luckily, a very gracious photographer happened to be at Pioneer Coffee, where the event was to be held and he ran the booth for me while I accompanied my little one to the ER. Funny how things unfold and just seem to work out in spite of life throwing nails in the street you are driving down.

The event went forward without a hitch and we even made the paper! You can see the resulting images here. Thanks to Cedric Duty for covering for me and Deanna at Pioneer for hosting and her continued support!

My daughter's reaction was very scary. And led me to disseminate  a message to parents of non-allergy sufferers to coach their children on the importance of not sharing treats with their friends in case of those allergies. Coincidentally, the funds raised at Charity Booth event will be used to launch a safety awareness program in the school district next year and while it is still in its infant stage, I'm hoping that this message will be able to be communicated along with the message of the use of helmets while doing sports, such as skiing, skateboarding, snowboarding, etc.

Her reaction also sent her immune system out of commission and she developed a pretty severe flu, which was then passed to my son, me and my husband. We are all just now starting to feel normal again. We are a healthy family and save the normal sniffles winter brings, we have never had the flu in our house. It really is debilitating! In turn, I had to bump a shoot with two beautiful newborn girls so I didn't put them at risk. It made the shoot that much sweeter when I was finally well enough to come and capture them! Here are few favorites. The knit headbands were lovingly created by my mom.

March is also the month of my daughter's birthday and so there was some planning going on in there, too, and the day before her birthday is our wedding anniversary so throw in trying to maintain an immaculate home due to having it on the market, this March was pretty insane. Somehow, we made it work. 

I found a sliver of time to do a quick birthday shoot with my daughter, the results of which turned out absolutely beautifully. I am so very excited to start shooting in this style with girls and women. Stay tuned for more information on my makeover experience and more styled shoots! Thanks to the countless hours of studying the work and concepts of the incomparable Sue Bryce, I am truly starting to understand all that goes into making a truly beautiful, genuine, connected portrait. I am so excited to bestow this gift upon my clients!

I must also extend a huge thanks to all of my clients, fans, supporters, friends and family members who voted for me in the Macaroni Kid Snoqualmie-Issaquah Family Choice Awards! We walked away with our very first award! Without your votes, I never would have taken the cake so thank you, thank you, thank you! If you are a parent in the Issaquah/Sno Valley area, you should sign up for Mac Kid! It is truly an invaluable resource for families! If you aren't local, go to the national Mac Kid site and find the newsletter nearest you and sign up!

Weddings, Forming Partnerships and an Interiors Shoot • Erica B. • North Bend

I often grapple with the question "What sets me apart from other photographers?" The answer is quite clear when I think about my goals when meeting/shooting with clients. And how I make initial contact. This is where you will see the cross over between the photography side and the branding/marketing side of my studio. To illustrate this point, let's start with how Erica and I met. You may take away some insight by hearing how I see and ultimately approach projects.

After a couple of years of shooting weddings solo, I decided to take a step back and wait for a new opportunity to redevelop my wedding product. I knew that I would recognize the opportunity when it appeared to me. (Ever heard of Carl Jung's idea of Synchronicity? If not, now would be a good time to read about it. This is how I approach life, business and my pursuit of happiness.) One day, I was driving down 202 and saw Erica's sign for Just B Art & Design. After going home and doing some research finding that she was taking her years of graphic design and interior design experience into the wedding industry, it put the thought of undertaking weddings back in my head. So I reached out to her. Fast forward some months, we finally met and connected on many different levels; creatively, personality-wise and had some aligned professional goals, as well. During this period of time, I also connected with my now wedding photography partner and I am busily developing the brand for this new venture. (Case in point: Listen to your gut, you find what you need.)

At this point, you may be wondering why these details are important. My answer is this (I will try to be concise): I constantly strive to develop meaningful, personal relationships with the people I want to do business with. This is the foundation for developing my own business and ultimately, helping my clients develop theirs. It is one thing to cold call and meet for coffee. It is another to see value in a connection with a person or business before even meeting them. And this is synchronicity in action. If you can learn to have this awareness, the connections you make with other people in your personal life, business life and beyond will be that much more valuable. This is the nature of my network. I don't do a lot of cold calling. My social media followings are modest but they are valuable. I have met a majority of my fans and followers in person. My clients become good friends and I pride myself in that. 

These concepts are often easy to forget in the era of social media. Everyone has access to everything and often, especially in the creative industry, a thousand 'Likes' on Facebook can be misconstrued as this business is better than that business because of that fact alone. I am here to tell you that this is absolutely not the case. Don't misinterpret this statement as me discounting the value of social media as a business development tool. For that purpose, it truly is valuable. But only if executed properly. My studio provides this insight in the form of an array of branding and marketing solutions geared toward small (and large) businesses.

With all of this in mind, let's go back to Erica and what she does. She is a treasure trove of talent (pardon the unintentional alliteration). I get so excited when I encounter people like Erica because I know that I have followed my intuition and there is a reason our paths have crossed. You can imagine how excited I was when she hired me to photograph her biggest portfolio piece: her home. This is the ultimate compliment. She entrusted her art to me by allowing me to use my own to capture it. (Note to other creatives: when you are hired by another artist, PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK.) 

Erica can take a space and make it come alive. Her use of colors and textures, contrast and compliment and personalized pieces with meaning tell me that, she, too, is an intuitive artist and has a pulse on her environment and how to shape it to its fullest potential.

The great room exudes warmth, welcome and eclectic charm.

Erica is always good for conversation over a cup of tea. We chat about texture, color and life.

The media room offers a more neutral palette and plenty of natural light. Although it is open to the great room, there is a perfect balance of contrast and compliment so you know you are entering a separate space and the design remains insightfully cohesive.

Oranges in the kitchen were literal and interpreted, warm and familial.

The dining area brought natural light and neutrals with bold darks, warm lighting and natural fixtures full circle to naturally transition outdoors, where we'd find Erica's masterminding space.

A modest independent structure, erica's office is lovingly bespeckled with meaningful decor pieces that she says is the basis for her interior design philosophy. She enthusiastically professes her love of designer, Nate Berkus, who's book, The Things That Matter, is never far from reach.

For more information on Erica and her work, visit her website at www.justbartanddesign.com. Go 'Like' her on Facebook, too!

If you are interested in your own advertorial like this one, call 425.281.8312 or email me and I'd be happy to answer your questions.

Quarterly Newsletter • Issue I • 1st Quarter

I hope all of you had a phenomenal winter holiday and feel as excited to take on this new year as I do! I really feel like 2013 will be a great year! I will be unveiling some beautiful new products and, as always, great moments in your lives as I capture them for you behind the camera. But being behind the camera is not really what it’s all about, is it? It is just a small part of everything that I do. This year, I really want to shift my focus to developing my relationships with all of you and how I can make your experiences with me that much better which will inevitably affect the quality of your images, the strength of your brand and online presence and the success of your business. This year is about connection.

I am so pleased to be offering the following incredible new boutique products:

My beloved lab, White House Custom Colour, has introduced a darling collection of boutique framed prints that I know I will be buying for my own home. With multiple color and moulding options, you’re sure to find something to fit your decor. I have framed print collections available that are a great value or you can also purchase them à la carte. Photo jewelry from Kotori, available only through professional photographers. Check them out when you have a chance. They have absolutely stunning pieces. Ask me about hosting a portrait event where you and your friends can get huge discounts on images of your kids and the jewelry. My studio is not just a photography studio! It is a highly-capable multimedia creative engine that offers not only exceptional photographic imagery, but also a useful set of tools for small businesses including boutique graphic design, social media support and creative marketing solutions and now, web design and site management, backed by a strong local development team. I am passionate about making you look good on all platforms and helping you connect with your target client. If you are receiving this newsletter and have no idea why, know that you were a hand-selected recipient and somewhere along the lines, we’ve connected, even if only in some small way and thank you for taking the time to read! To my regular clients and supporters, I am so grateful for knowing you and being a part of your lives. New clients, thank you for becoming a part of the TPD family! I can’t wait to get to know you better. 'Like' us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Visit the Blog

Cake smash sessions available at MyCakes on Snoqualmie Ridge! Love Letter Photography, my new wedding photography studio! Becoming a 2013 Senior Model to get great discounts on products and services! My new internship program for aspiring photographers!

Claire D. - A Model Mom-to-Be

Claire and I were in choir together in high school. We were also in Physics senior year. I was reminded of her obsession with all things red in this shoot and it brought to mind another fading memory of our adolescence. She had this lip gloss that was in a little pot. It was sheer red and I remember wanting it on the spot. I totally copied her and bought it the next day. 

Years have past and she still has a "thing" for red. She is expecting not one, but two girls and she was positively radiant in this shoot. I love everything about these images and I couldn't have asked for a more lovely subject. And her hubby, Jeff, was such a sport and cooperated with all my direction and both of them even appreciated a recently-acquired joke that I wouldn't tell just any clients. Annnnd, when viewing the shoe image, I made a subtle reference to the viral YouTube sensation entitled "Shoes" and she got it! I didn't even have to explain it to her! She doesn't know it (well, now she does) but that made us BFF's for life.

Feast your eyes on some gorgeousness.

I'm Heading Back to creativeLIVE!!!!!

First, I need to thank creativeLIVE for bringing such incredible continuing education to the masses for FREE. If you still don't know who they are and what they do, please go check them out at creativelive.com. No matter what level you are at, there is always something to learn and even if you turn on a workshop for just 5 minutes, you are bound to learn at least one thing. You will walk away wiser. I guarantee it. And the community they are building among alumni of their workshops is the first genuine online photography community I have ever been a part of. I am honored to be called back to be in another workshop.

This time, I'll be learning Lori Nordstrom's Real Kids System. I am so excited for this. Children's photography is very near and dear to my heart. I love capturing children and their different personalities. I'm lucky enough to be blessed with two of my own to experiment with, which I do, relentlessly, often to their chagrin. I can't wait to learn more about marketing this product within my business. Photographer friends, you need to watch this. If you've never watched a creativeLIVE workshop, let this be your first. Plus, you'll be able to see my shining face learning right along side you! Visit http://www.creativelive.com/courses/real-kids-photo-system-lori-nordstrom for more information on how to enroll and where to watch!

In honor of my participation, here are some sweeties to feast your eyes upon! Can't wait to learn and grow this weekend! Thank you, Lori, for selecting me! Can't wait to meet you!

Snyder Family • Gorgeous Fall Portraits

There is a park in North Bend that is full of sugar maples and oaks that change to the most beautiful blend of fall colors near the end of October and if one can dodge the rain, it is the perfect backdrop for family portraits. The Snyder family has been with me from the time I started out and it is clients like them that make my job awesome. Of course, it helps that they are all model quality individuals!!

I have been pouring through Tamara Lackey's book, Envisioning Family, for inspiration. If you are a family photographer, this is a MUST for your book shelf. It is amazing!