A Modern Family Photographer serving the greater Seattle area.

Sep 26 2011

Clark Family Portraits | Carillon Point | Seattle Family Photographer

Posted in Families, Kids, Siblings show hide 3 comments

Depending on how you look at it, I have about 9 siblings. But most of my childhood was spent with two younger sisters and one younger brother. The two youngest were (and still are) lovingly referred to as “the girls”. And even though I am also a girl, I am not one of “the girls”. The Girls wore matching outfits and were roughly the same size and only separated by one year in school. The Girls had the same friends, the same enemies, and at any given moment were each other’s best friend or worst enemy. They wanted to be me and I wanted to be an only child.

There was a time when I hated my sisters borrowing my clothes. I didn’t want them in my room and I didn’t want them touching my stuff. Unless of course, they were cleaning my room, which I paid them to do on more than one occasion. Sadly, my underpaid wages are no longer enticing to them anymore.

Nowadays, we all have a collection of each other’s clothes in our own homes and closets. I love it when someone compliments my outfit and asks where I got it. “Oh these shoes are my sister’s and this shirt…belongs to my other sister”. And I love it when they’re in my room. My living room. My bathroom. My dining room. My kitchen. I love it when they’re in my space and I love that we can share all kinds of stuff. Gone are the days of tossing the youngest down the laundry chute. These are the days when we giggle about laundry rooms gone up in flames and the miracle of magic erasers (Seriously. What is in them!?).

So it was an absolute delight to photograph my friend Jon with his girls. These girls who have so many things in common and yet are all so very different. His girls are confident and sassy; hysterical and oh, so pretty. Poor Jon is clearly outnumbered by this troupe of girls and such a good sport. They all make a pretty good team. After a trip to Uwajimaya for homemade sushi fixin’s, we strolled through Carillon Point just a couple of hours before sunset. Each girl flaunted her own unique personality and I felt like one of The Girls amongst their dimpled smiles and bouncy hair.

After an hour plus of skipping and giggling we returned to their casa for comfy clothes and a smorgasbord of sushi. A truly impressive display of teamwork and artwork went into the assembly of enough rice, fish and veggies to feed a small army. We finally called it quits when the last of the rice was used up. What happened next still gives me heart squeeze.

The Girls setup pillows and blankets across the living room floor and they huddled together around their buffet for family movie night. Delicate fingers stuffed giant balls of delicately wrapped sushi into their hungry mouths. And for the first time in hours, it was silent. With heavy eyes and a full belly I left them before the end of the movie. But not before we hugged it out and made promises to hang out again soon. Those girls.

Thank you for a spectacular sunny afternoon. Thanks for letting me be one of The Girls. I loved it more than you can imagine.

Clark Family | Carillon Point | Seattle Family Photographer

show hide 3 comments

Kellie Stutzman - This family is truly beautiful. Jamie, for the record… You never paid us to clean your room. If I remember correctly you said “whatever money you find, you can have if you clean my room”. We only ever had enough to get 2 or 3 candy bars. Love you.

Jon - Thanks Jamie. Again you have made me look almost as great as my daughters!

Lena - What a sweet looking family. I think you’ve captured them beautifully. I especially like the shots of them running down the narrow path.

Sep 20 2011

Elmore Family | Bellevue Botanical Gardens | Seattle Family Photographer

Posted in Babies, Families, Kids, Newborn, Siblings No comments

When I show up for a photo shoot I really have no idea what will happen. I may have an idea about what my clients will be wearing and if any special props will be involved but nothing much beyond knowing who will show up and roughly what ages they’ll be. What usually unfolds is I quickly scan my clients for size and move-ability then scan our location for a good place to start. I never start in the “best” place first. I usually pick an “easy” location where the need for posing is minimal. It sounds something like, “hey let’s sit in this patch of grass for a minute” or “how about we lean against that wall” or “I’m going to stand over there. Can you walk towards me?”. Easy-peasy. It’s a little like a first date in the way we build up the act. At first, everyone is on their best behavior and very polite. But soon enough, if it’s a good date (an it’s always a good date), you start to see the equivalent effect of a couple glasses of wine. I do like my clients to have a good time! By then end, I hardly need to tell them to do anything at all. I just let the magic unfold in front of me and stand ready to capture it.

And this is pretty much how I live my life. On the go, in the moment, and fully flexible. It makes me feel good to indulge in not having it all figured out. Following instincts and obeying intuition is an act that helps me get through most situations with confidence and creativity. It helps that I have partners and clients in my life that allow me to live and work this way. When I act boldly, without fear, I earn trust. And there’s a special magic that happens when my value’s match up with someone else’s. We reach a sweet spot where we all come alive and create something special. A bond. A connection. A smile. A beautiful memory. A series of photographs that tell an entire story about who we are right now. And it makes me really happy.

Kelsey, it was so lovely to see you and your growing family again. Thank you for wandering through the Bellevue Botanical Gardens with me despite the heat and swarms of mosquitoes. I hope you enjoyed every moment of togetherness as much as I did.

Elmore Family | Bellevue Botanical Gardens | Seattle Family Photographer

no comments

Aug 18 2011

My Sister, My Nephews, My Blissed Out Life

Posted in Families, Kids, Personal, Siblings show hide 1 comment

These three humans make my heart explode…in a good way. I love Friday nights when I drive out to Uncle Tex’s property and the Littles are at my car door the moment I arrive, jumping for joy and shouting my name in the cutest little voices with the biggest personalities. I love the moment when I open my door and Ty crawls into my lap and barely leaves my side for the rest of the night. I love how much they love playing duck, duck, goose and the courage and confidence they get from their strong willed Mama. I love seeing my baby sister with her babies and the way she handles every situation with grace and humor where I would melt and cry. I can’t believe how fast they’re growing and how much our lives have changed since Ty joined our family 4 years ago and then little Sawyer 2 years after that. The Littles are getting bigger every minute it seems and I’m in awe. They make me laugh out loud, keep me warm with cuddles and fill my love tank full. It’s the best thing.

Internet, It’s been ages since I’ve shared anything personal here and I miss that very much. I find myself in the heart of a busy portrait season with the rest of my year booked out (thank you). And while this is exactly what I’ve been working towards, I have to be honest about all the other noise going on in the background. It sounds a lot like change, new beginnings, big moves, fresh love…and I can’t quite put it all into words just yet. Only feelings. And they’re spilling out all over my photographs. Tender and raw; restless with many layers. There’s so much of myself that is fully present in the right ways and completely checked out in others. I’m harnessing the energy of new and powerful relationships and feeling it beat deeply in my heart. To be on the receiving end of joy makes me feel like celebrating…every.single.precious.moment. I am so very lucky to be present for this life. These opportunities. This love.

And while I’m being cryptic and gushy I might as well say that a line was drawn in the sand this past Spring and I stepped over it. On this side of the line I feel my essence pulsating through my body. I gush. I laugh. I hardly sleep. To bring it full circle, I see my identity wrapped up in so many things outside myself, like in these photographs, and I get so excited to tear the wrapper off and discover what’s inside. This kind of bliss does not happen often and I do not take it lightly. While honoring my core, I may make a fool out of myself from time to time, but I believe it’s part of the adventure and I’m becoming the finest version of myself to date. These next few months are going to be big for me. HUGE! And while parts of me are paralyzed by how fast things are moving, I know that my life has been leading up to this chapter for a long time. This is exactly where I’m supposed to be.

show hide 1 comment

Erick - I look at these pictures pretty regularly, they are really amazing. You have special gifts Jamie and that is photography and writing, not to mention a beautiful family. Thank you for sharing!

Aug 10 2011

Jennica & James | Elliot Bay Marina | Seattle Engagement Photographer

Posted in Engagement, Love No comments

Jennica and James are getting married this New Year’s Eve at the Mayflower Park Hotel! We had such a fun time during their engagement session at the Elliot Bay Marina. A picnic was set, champagne was uncorked and the sound of seagulls, gently splashing waves and a light breeze made a romantic soundtrack. The perfect ingredients, in my opinion, for a delightful summer evening of love in the Pacific Northwest.

Things I loved from this session:

Her sassy red heels.

The way he swept her bangs out of her eyes.

The symmetry of lines. (i.e. boats in a row, tall masts, her dress, the skyline…)

Those crazy, overcast, Seattle skies against my (second) favorite skyline.

Two bottles worth of champagne explosions (on purpose).

Snuggling in a blanket on the shore of Puget Sound.

Jennica & James | Elliot Bay Marina | Seattle Engagement Photographer

no comments

Aug 02 2011

Langdon Family | Backyard Portraits | Seattle Family Photographer

Posted in Anytime, Families, Siblings show hide 2 comments

Believe it or not, it took some convincing to pull off this photo session. Ariana’s sister and mother live far, far away in Chicago-land and she wanted to surprise them with a photo shoot while they were in town. I wasn’t a part of the conversation she had with them, but I imagine it went something like this:

“Hey, I bought us a photo session with this really cool local photographer. She’s going to meet us at a park and photograph us for a couple of hours. Isn’t that awesome!?”

And before she could even get to the part about planning outfits and the setting sun, they were like, “Are you kidding me!? I’m not photogenic. This isn’t a special occasion. I don’t want to get dressed up and have some stranger making me feel self conscious for 1-2 hours.”

Which is totally normal, by the way. Even Tina Fey gets nervous about photo shoots. She told me. Okay, I read it in her book. My point is, there’s a lot of pressure when you feel like you have to perform and no one wants to see a bad picture of themselves. It’s like hearing your voice on an answering machine – I do not sound like that.

So I assured them that this was not your typical go-to-the-mall-sit-stiffly-say-cheese experience. No, this would be more like hanging out with your girlfriends; no heavy posing or cajoling. Simply relaxed, stress free and fun for everyone. I asked questions. What do they like doing together? What would make them feel safe? This is the pre-close-up. The time when I start to learn who my subjects really are and what’s holding them back.

“We like to cook and eat together,” Ariana told me. So we decided on a session at home with the idea of sharing a meal in the backyard. Whatever happens, happens. At home, they were safe and cozy in a nest where they were free to love each other and be loved. At home, following a relaxing day at the spa, sitting at an adorably decorated table with mouth watering smells and flavors at each place setting, they found peace. They were connected to each other by things that really matter and shared conversations only they could follow. Synergy.

They slowly opened up and allowed me to see the truth of who they are from deep within. And now they’re exposed. Internet, this is a gift to be allowed to lean in and see. Really see. There is energy, passion, push and pull here. There is vulnerability and power here. There is love and beauty here. See…

show hide 2 comments