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!

Guess what? Yep, another creativeLIVE submission!

Children's photography is near and dear to my heart and it would be so incredible to be able to attend this workshop!

Friday Feature • The Old Hen Bed & Breakfast • North Bend

A Social Media Love Story

Despite being in the same town, Old Hen owner, Deanna Morauski and I met via Twitter. I Instagrammed a picture of a little known river view in Snoqualmie and labeled it with the hashtag #snoqualmievalley...since my Instagram posts go to Twitter, she found my Tweet and replied to it. Before then, I never even knew about The Old Hen. We emailed back and forth a couple of times and then both of us had a succession of busy weeks. Finally, our stars aligned and Deanna invited me for breakfast. And when an owner of a bed & breakfast invites you for breakfast, you don't say no. 

Nestled in a quiet corner of North Bend, off of the historic Edgewick Road, The Old Hen feels lightyears away, even though it is just two exits up from downtown. Placed right smack dab in between Snoqualmie Pass and the city, it is an out of town skier's dream. Or, like me and my husband, a local mom and dad's perfect setting for a quick overnight staycation. Our anniversary is in March. We'll be booking the balcony suite!

The road in. 

I've arrived.

Deanna's social media component is refreshing. Many local business owners are simply not aware of the benefit of getting outside of the valley. And we aim to change that. Our community needs some more outside draw. What better way of doing this than cultivating solid followings via Twitter and Facebook? I love this about Deanna. She understands. She even has this sign on her front desk. Yes! We're now not only "Friends", we're actually friends! All because of Twitter.

Athough, I must say, being greeted by a delectable breakfast spread of Nutella-filled crepes, a puffy egg omelet, fresh orange juice and French-pressed coffee definitely helped! This woman can COOK. Which leads me to a very exciting tidbit...airing on October 27 on the Live Well Network, Deanna will be cooking along side host and former boy bander, Joey Fatone, on his new show My Home Recipe Rocks. Be sure to tune in!

Yes, PLEASE!

I wanted seconds.

The Old Hen

The road out.

The Old Hen is located at 47150 SE 162nd St in North Bend. For more information, check out http://theoldhen.com. Go click 'Like' at http://www.facebook.com/TheOldHen and follow her on Twitter @TheOldHen.

I would like to start a chain of businesses working with each other to help build our audiences. If you are interested in being considered for a Friday Feature, please go 'Like' the business featured above and follow them on Twitter, if applicable. Do the same for me at facebook.com/photographybykristintetuan and follow me on Twitter @KristinTetuan. Then get in touch with me via email and tell me a bit about you and what you have to offer! I'd love to meet you!

Katie M. • Acting Head Shots

I was recently contacted by Thumbtack to let me know that I had been chosen to be featured on one of their landing pages as a Spotlight vendor. I have been active on Thumbtack for awhile but had never actually pursued any of the leads I received. It was time to try it out. When I got the lead from Katie that she was looking for a head shot photographer for some acting head shots she needed ASAP, it stood out from the crowd. She wanted indoor, studio-like shots with something a little unique. I love being challenged by client requests!

Of course, I don't have a studio so I had to get creative. After some thought, I called Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue to see if I could use their space. They graciously said yes. I got there to scope it out before the shoot and the room that I was originally told I could use was full of people. It's okay, I thought. I can work with this. So, I asked to see another room that was suggested to me and it was not well-suited at all. No big deal. I am a firm believer in things happening for a reason. The hall outside the room was very dark but had this incredible stained glass window above a staircase. I had my lightweight lighting along for the ride (thanks, Kevin Kubota!) so it was an instant studio!

I spent an hour with Katie, a musical theater actress, and her lovely and very helpful husband, Jordan. We laughed the whole time and it was a blast. Looking forward to seeing where Katie's auditions take her. Break a leg, Katie!

Oh, and while you're at it, go check out my listing on Thumbtack and tell me what you think!