Caroline Morton from Eugene Oregon, at the Sandy River Delta Park for her high school senior pictures. What a smile!

If you love and appreciate photography and Photoshop, check out Jessica Rosten’s absolutely brilliant video parody statement about beauty in our society. Clink on the link to watch.

Fotoshop by Adobé

Jamie, Richard and Adrian at the Rose Garden in Washington Park.

For a few summers now, the Peters family has been getting together and renting a big house. This year was a special occasion as Chris was retiring from teaching elementary school after 20 years (that’s her in the lower left). She is currently in the process of sorting through her enormous collection of children’s books and generously giving favorite titles to her grandchildren.

We had drizzly and rainy weather for the entire shoot, but the light was fabulous and we managed to take some really special photos despite soaking feet. All in all a fun time was had by everyone. The kids were great.

ONE: Ruby Jewel

Lisa Herlinger-Esco and her sister, Becky Burnett, joined together to open Ruby Jewel Scoops in July 2010. Lisa, with a long-standing cult following from her ice cream sandwich business, wanted a permanent spot where people could come. The Scoop shop, located at 3713 N. Mississippi Avenue in Portland, Oregon, answered this desire. While Ruby Jewel Scoops has become an instant Portland icon, you can still get Lisa’s ice cream sandwiches at local farmers’ markets, and at many grocery stores throughout the Portland area and in many other states. One of my favorite stories about Ruby Jewel is how Lisa got her start and a leg up. Lisa won the first annual “American Food Fight” contest created by Portland’s Food Innovation Center. Her win gave her a professional marketing agency to redesign and produce new packaging – the beautiful packaging you see today. AND, Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwiches were featured in O magazine! If Oprah loves them, you know they gotta be good. My favorite of course, is the salted caramel with dark chocolate.

You can follow Ruby Jewel on facebook to check out some of their specials.

TWO: Black Wagon

Located at 3964 N. Mississippi Ave. in Portland, Oregon, Black Wagon is a wonderfully creative and earth-friendly kids’ store. The owner, Sarah Shaoul brings style inherited from a family with many generations of gifted shoppers. Her first venture was Retread Threads where she brought together vintage and modern classics. Once her first son arrived, Sarah, as a new mom, was motivated to find unique and eco-friendly designs for him to wear, and Black Wagon was born.

In addition to eco-friendly clothing, Sarah is also committed to supporting local and independent designers. She is a small-business advocate for locally owned and operated businesses and serves as a consultant for, and is a member of, Portland’s Small Business Advisory Council. What a model she is for us all!

You can see or buy some of Sarah’s great products including books, clothes and toys at blackwagon.com

THREE: The Hip Hound

The Hip Hound is located at 610 NW 23rd Avenue in Portland, Oregon. Owner Jennifer Heckman was inspired by a need for a life change and a love and passion for furry creatures when she decided to open her store. Her two handsome dogs, Bentley and Malcolm, help create a warm and welcoming environment with their everyday presence in the store.

The Hip Hound is a boutique pet store with a great variety of options for your pet. Jennifer strives to provide the best quality food, treats and accessories for Portland’s pet-loving community. You can find the Hip Hound at hiphoundpdx.com

Bentley & Malcolm

Sapphire Studio photography is looking for 2012 High School Seniors to be Model/Reps. Get a FREE Senior Portrait Session! E-mail us at photos@sapphirestudiopdx.com for more information.

Sauvie Island during spring break is a wonderful place to be. Especially if you are a high school senior. Trees are beginning to bud and daffodils are coming up everywhere. It is spring’s nod to hopefulness and winter being behind us soon. The best part, though, is that people do not start to come to Sauvie Island for another couple of months, so we had the place to ourselves. What a treat. Wilson High school senior Anna and I spent the afternoon at many of the special spots around the island. Beautiful Anna, with her sparkle, and her it’s-all-good attitude, made the day special and delightful.  It was pretty cold outside, but she never once complained and instead just enjoyed the spectacular, ever-changing sky. After sitting out a thunderstorm in the car, our patience was rewarded with a picture-perfect rainbow at the end of our day.

Did I mention Melissa? Melissa is Anna’s patient mother who did a great job of giving Anna space, while at the same time also giving her love and support and clothing ideas for our photo session. Thank you, Melissa. We could not have done it without you.

Never underestimate the value and importance of presenting yourself and your business in a professional light. This includes everything your business produces: everyone agrees a logo is very important, but equally important is your photographic image. A professional portrait can set you apart from another business. It shows that you care about how you look and how you present yourself to others. If you present yourself professionally, you will be treated as a professional; it’s that simple. A professional portrait shows that you take yourself and your business seriously – something many people endeavoring to run their own business often forget.

Right now, Sapphire Studio is offering a professional portrait session at 20% off. Something we do only once per year. Take this opportunity to set yourself apart from your competitor. This offer is valid until February 28, 2011.

What can I say about this amazing family? They are gorgeous, charming, independent, headstrong and very entertaining. Check out their blue eyes! We spent two hours in the studio working with Mary Jo and her three children, Libby, Abby and Nick. We also spent a bit of time with their three dogs, Sophie, Doug (the pug) and Lucy. Everyone had ideas of their own for the shoot – I love it when clients do that. It made for a great afternoon – with great results!