An Oregon Summer

I'll let you in on a little bit of an unamerican secret.

I don't particularly enjoy camping.

I mean I enjoy it in certain locations. I don't enjoy it at the coast. And that happened to be where we camped this summer. Twice. Our most recent trip was just a few weeks ago, and although it wasn't all bad all the time, it did start raining the moment we arrived at 10:00 that night. Thankfully, our friends went ahead of us, and our tent was already set up and waiting, complete with a blown-up air mattress. We just needed to wrap it in tarps. Had we needed to put up a tent in the rain, I might have very well left and gotten a hotel room at that moment. But because they so graciously helped us out, we were in and out of the rain in no time.

The next morning, I woke up and was surprisingly comfortable. I was in a protected little cocoon, listening to the sound of the rain dropping on the tent. Josh was on his way out to get another EZ-up canopy, and promised to bring me a hot latte and breakfast sandwich from Starbucks. He definitely knows the express-lane straight to my heart. This is a quick photo I took of us inside the shelter the boys had just built for us. He's so cute when he's sopping wet!


The rest of the weekend was full of crabbing, lunching, shopping, and surfing. And the occasional magazine or crossword puzzle to fill in the gaps. ... Ok.. it wasn't occasional. My whole Saturday pretty much consisted of Brick by Brick puzzles which I am now officially obsessed with. On the beach, at the campsite, in the car. All day. By Saturday morning, I was ready to go home. Those darn puzzles kept me sane until we left!

The trip was salvageable. And I have the photos to prove it. Maybe not liking to camp is unmerican. Maybe people can't relate. That's ok. I still have a husband that loves me, and does his very best to make camping for me as comfortable as possible. For that I am thankful. I might be looking back at this trip through rose colored glasses... but I suppose it's better than rain-soaked ones.

The next time I enjoy the beauty of the Oregon coast, it will be through the picture windows of a dry beach house with a hot tub in the backyard, a hot coffee on the table beside me, dinner cooking on the stove, and a rousing game of cards going. Now that's my idea of a vacation! Anyone want to join me? And if you'd rather camp. More power to ya. I won't hate you for it. But know that when it's raining, there's a dry house, and a good friend waiting to welcome you with open arms. Hey.. that's what friends are for.

The Class of 2009: Carly

As I got out of my car in Ontario, a beautiful girl with a funky polka dot sweater, gorgeous curly hair, and fun red glasses met me in the driveway. From that moment, I knew it was going to be a great shoot!

Carly and her family moved to Eastern Oregon a year ago from Lake Havasu, Arizona, and their house is adorable. We began our shoot there, then piled up Mom's SUV with the "road crew" and a couch, and made our way out to discover what Ontario had to offer. I have to say, this was one of the most fun shoots I've done. As we climbed on trains, walked through aspens, found abandoned roadways, and maybe borrowed a corn field (...shh don't tell), Carly told me of her passion for marine biology, and specifically her desire to help with the conservation of sea turtles. She busted a pose like no other, and had fun with every thing I threw at her. She certainly was a very fun and easy model!

Carly, enjoy your senior year. I would throw out a rousing "Go Tigers!" but I think my husband, and my father-in-law (Baker Bulldogs through and through) might disown me.

Celebrating Adoption with Boone

My favorite thing about the Celebrating Adoption sessions I have the honor of doing is spending time with the couples involved and hearing their stories. How they got to the place of adoption. How they came to be parents to this chosen child. And how their lives have changed since. Every time the story amazing to me. And Boone's story is no exception.

From the day Boone's parents first started talking about adoption, to the day they held him in their arms was almost exactly nine months. Yet instead of a growing belly, their hearts grew daily for the boy they were about to meet. They went to the hospital the moment he was ready to come out. And three hours after Boone was born, Carolyn and her husband found themselves brand new parents, making their way home as a new family. And when the topic of conversation is on Boone... their eyes glow.

Congratulations little Boone and your family! And p.s... I just love his name!

If you are a family who has added to your family through adoption within the last year, and are interested in the Celebrating Adoption program, please email me at jane@ethniphotography.com for more information.

Frankie = Mr. Independent

I had a session with Frankie two weeks ago, and I must have said "he's so CUTE!" at least 25 times during our hour together. He certainly is Mr. Independent, and our time was spent with me following him around. He only did something if he thought it was a good idea, and was entirely uninterested in the few poses or suggestions I threw at him. As much as I begged and pleaded, he had no interest in climbing into the prop-ready boat twenty feet away from us.

Such is life.

Instead, he appeased me for as long as he could stand. Letting Frankie be Frankie, I discovered two things that make him smile: bugs and his marbles. I discovered that he calls cigarette butts "cancer" (clever Mom!) and must point them out whenever he spots one. I also discovered that he loves climbing to the top of the slide... then turning around and walking back down without actually going down it.

We played the discovery game for a good amount of time.

Then, when he couldn't take it anymore, I got the magic shot. Frankie held his face in his hands in utter despair, probably pleading with God for the crazy lady with the camera to just go away.

And it is quite possibly my favorite shot of the day.

Frank's mom owns the cutest Etsy shop, aptly named Frank and Me, where she sells handmade, boutique-quality items for baby, including the infamous (and adorable) Burp Monster!

Frank, thank you for just being you. You're adorable.

Ethni Paper Shoppe: Urban Baby Series

I'm just putting the finishing touches on a brand new Urban Baby series! These baby shower invitations, birth announcements, and thank you cards were designed with the urban mom in mind who doesn't necessarily want all the pastels and teddy bears typically associated with new baby items. Set the tone for your shower subtly, and announce your little one while still expressing your hip, urban style!

All pieces will be available for purchase in the Ethni Paper Shoppe very soon, and might include one or two more patterns to choose from. Although each piece is offered individually in the Shoppe, the set is also available for photographers to purchase as .psd files to make available to your clients! If you would like to be notified of new sets as they are released, or are interested in purchasing this set of templates, please email papershoppe@ethniphotography.com.

Dawson + Anna

(This is the last weekend of the COBA Tour of Homes! Make sure to stop at house #38! They picked up five awards on Tuesday, and it's no surprise! The house is incredible! Go see for yourself why Bilyeu Fine Homes won: Best Architectural Design, Best Kitchen, Best Interior Finish, Best Master Suite, and Best of Show for the $350,000-$400,000 category!)

After weeks of secret planning, plotting, and scheming, Dawson found himself sitting on a plane. He was flying across the Atlantic to visit the love of his life in the most romantic city in the world. The only thing was... she didn't know he was coming. He planned the surprise trip with the aide of Anna's twin sister, Rebekah. With him was a diamond ring he had completely designed himself. A one-of-a-kind creation for a woman unlike anyone he had ever met before.

Once they reached Paris, Dawson surprised Anna, and the crew embarked upon a day of sight seeing. They stopped at all the expected destinations, even posing for some photos with the Eiffel Tower in the background. That night, they made their way up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. As the lights of Paris glistened far below, Dawson made his way down to one knee. There he proposed, with Rebekah catching every glorious digital minute.

Josh and I had the pleasure of spending some time with Dawson and Anna in Corvallis for their engagement session a few weeks ago. They have been incredibly patient with my insane hours these last two weeks, even through the excitement of seeing their proofs. Dawson: nice work! Anna: you are going to be a gorgeous bride! We love you guys!

Five Little Monkeys

I spent some time with these little monkeys as a surprise for their Grandmother's birthday present. Josh and I have worked for weeks to win over the two oldest girls. They are like fish tucked away in their coral. If you look carefully you might see an eyeball looking at you before it looks away. But once you get to know them, they are out of their hiding place and swimming all around you in their bright, vibrant colors.....

*insert scratching music stopping sound here*

(not the best description, but you know what I'm talking about, don't you?)

What? Did any of that even make any sense? Well... it made sense in my head. Yes, Megan, in one post I called your girls monkeys and fish. I'm also going on day four of 16 hour work days, working my tail off to get the August issue of True North completed on time, and trying to edit photos in between building articles. My brain is mush at best. And I almost deleted this whole thing altogether and started over, but what is this all worth if I'm not being real?

I think I'll just stop talking and let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy the weekend!

2008 Tour of Homes

The Tour of Homes kicks off tomorrow. Don't forget to make a stop at house #38 and enter to win some great prizes! The house is beautiful, with a master bath I want to physically move into my home. The stand up glass shower has five shower heads!

Josh and I spent three hours this evening filling the walls, and helping to get the house finished. Go check it out: 20072 Calvin Way off of Parrell Road in Southeast Bend. I'll be there all day tomorrow to kick off the Tour. Stop by and say hello! However, if you can't make it tomorrow, you have the next two weekends to make it that direction. And I promise, it's worth the stop!

Word Art

Do you ever have those days where you end up wasting time doing silly things when there is a mound of work taunting you just a few inches away?

I found a great website today that managed to distract me for about a half hour. You put in your blog address, and it makes word art out of the words on your blog. You can customize colors, fonts and layout. Such a fun distraction! I enjoyed going through and reading what words are picked up and displayed in the graphic. I might even try to find some fun way to display it in my office. Anyway, a mindless post. If you want to try it out and discover for yourself just how addicting it is, go to www.wordle.net.

Meanwhile, we are in the thick of the August issue of True North Parenting, and I have shoots stacked up just waiting to be edited. Someday I'll get caught up... but I have a feeling it won't be until after summer has ended!

Awaiting Jude

Remember that old Pringles commercial... once you pop, you can't stop. Such is the case with me and photo editing. I can't just do one or two. I inevitably get sucked into an endless vortex that I can't seem to pry myself out of. Even now, at this moment, I am 30 minutes late for a date downstairs with Josh to watch a movie. From now on, the term "I'll be down in 10 minutes!" will mean nothing to him.

When I sat down tonight, I intended to only do a few. But I was so thrilled with how these photos turned out, I just couldn't stop myself. This was the highlight of my 4th of July weekend. Don't let the photos fool you, the weather wasn't this beautiful for the entirety of our trip on the coast. But when the sun finally broke through, it was beautiful. Windy, but the light was gorgeous. As was the model.

It was the last night of The Fellowship at Bend's annual family camp. Loren was wrapping up the last chapter of our study of Jonah... and (being the model citizens we are) his wife and I snuck away while the remaining die-hard campers gathered at the fire for the last session. It was the tail end of a long, wet weekend that ultimately culminated in me hitting a deer on the drive back to Bend, doing some expensive damage to a truck that isn't ours. But that's another story for another time.

Here are a few of my favorites from our shoot Sunday evening. I really thought Jude would make his debut after Mommy and I hiked up and down sand dunes for nearly an hour. But he's a strong little guy. And we can't wait to meet him!

Ethni Photography & COBA Tour of Homes

If you live in Central Oregon, chances are you make a few stops on the annual COBA Tour of Homes. It's nearly that time again, and the economy hasn't seemed to dissuade builders from putting their best foot forward again this year. 2007 held the record for the number of homes on the tour, and this year boasts nearly as many, with a whopping 74 homes to drool over! I spent two weeks creating every last builder page for this year's book, and there are more than a few I'd like to check out (and move into!).

This year, when you get your guide book in the paper, turn to house #38 and bookmark it. I'm thrilled to announce that the incredible house built by Bilyeu Fine Homes will be fully staged with canvas prints, collages, and framed prints by Ethni Photography! See for yourself how photography can make a home warm and inviting, and get your brain moving for ways to display your portraits in your own home.

Circle it. Dog-ear it. Highlight it. Tear the page out. Do whatever you need to, and stop by 20072 Calvin Way off of Parrell Road in Southeast Bend starting next Friday, July 18. While you are there, enter to win great prizes including a free portrait session, and a $25 gift certificate to the Ethni Paper Shoppe!

I'll be there next Friday to kick off the Tour. Stop by, say hi, and celebrate summer with Bilyeu Fine Homes and Ethni Photography!

Ila Turns One!

I last photographed Ila back in January, and I had the pleasure of another shoot with her last week. We ventured outside as the thunder rumbled overhead, and managed to get in an hour before the rain came. I couldn't have asked for better lighting! The hazy smoke from the California fires, paired with some heavy clouds to the north created some nice, warm light as the sun fought its way through. The first shot is from the last session I had with Ila, and the rest are of Ila now, as a walking one year old!