Art Forever (2006 – Ongoing)

I have an intense fascination with art, especially photography. In college I explored, digital design, dark room photography and also partnered with a studio in downtown Portland. Throughout the years, I find myself falling back into creative projects.

Original – Unedited – Image 2007 – India in Flight – 1

I took the above image. It was one of the first shoots I completed with professional lights. The wonderful girl in the image responded to a post I put up on a modeling website. We had a lot of fun. Her name was India. She made the photo come alive. She knew how fly!

I wanted to be an artist. Applied and got accepted into PNCA Then accepted it was too expensive . Then accepted art loves hustle and I will always love art.

Maybe someday we can meet in the middle.

Below you will find a few outtakes from some of my photo shoots.

The photographers self portrait. Bad lighting test shot.

Anatomy Clothing:

Unedited Original Image – Anatomy Clothes – Startup Clothing Co – 2007

Wedding Photography

To get a little experience under my belt, I reached out I offered at cost services for low key weddings. Which I quickly discovered are the best weddings. The wedding above was a several years after the fact affair. It was a magical day. Easy to photograph – happy beautiful family. I often think of these wonderful people and hope they are well.

Portraiture

Unknow Subject 2007 – This woman was on the Portland punk scene so hard. She never gave me here name. Fearless, unique and fierce.

Kye K. 2007 – Original – Unedited – No one was more fun to shoot than Kye. Strong, Alaskan outdoor adventure girl living a PNW life. The amazing clothing are from an amazing local latex designer – Squeak Designs, who had a penchant for forays into the Victorian. The incredible makeup and hair from Anna Webber – such a cool collaboration. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

More images from my collaboration with Anna Webber and Squeak designs – 2007 – The woman did nude modeling for PNCA – She knew how transform. I wish I had gotten to spend more time photographing her.

Portland Fashion Week

Anna Webber, the always cool makeup artist, I had befriended and who was fun to work with got me an invite to Portland Fashion week 2007 – along with some backstage photos. I didn’t realize it then, but you know, I was kind of the only photographer backstage.

Nude Photography

The couple in these images agreed to be photographed and were friends of the studio I was collaborating with. Black Chair Photography. As a young woman I was not incredibly comfortable with photographing nudes but I was able to learn a lot in this session, and really appreciated my models vulnerability. They had recently gone through significant loss and the shoot was cathartic for them as well.

Black Chair Photograph Collaboration: Steve and Debbie Frick.

Black Chair Photography Studio – PDX 6th and Couch

Steve Frick worked at OHSU hospital as a medical photographer and has had many of images published from both his professional and independent photography. He found me on craigslist. I had a very amateur blog about my photography interests. He reached out and said come hang out. I did and he gave me access to a lot of incredible equipment. We made a deal, I would help him with his shoots and work around the studio for access to the gear. I have never really spoke about this experience, because Steve had a passion for risqué art and counter culture that at times was uncomfortable. He photographed a sexual subculture in Portland. He exposed me to a lot of interesting people, ideas and artistic experiences.. However, I had the realization after a period of time that photography was like a sex act for which I had become a vehicle – the images a sort of souvenir for the experience of being objectified. To this day, I cannot look at some of the photos I helped stage. I still feel extremely conflicted by the experience.