For those of you who do not know, we have an intern here at the studio by the name of Jennifer who is spreading her wings and advancing to the level of associate photographer in training at Paul Rich Studio.  She is interested in pursuing family portraiture and has been joining me on a few recent assignments.  On Monday, we had the opportunity to photograph a 3 month old session where she took the lead and came away with some great images.

Make sure to check back to see more of Jennifer's work in the weeks to come.

From Skydiving to White Water Rafting, Paintballing to Back Country Skiing, Oregon Active is about exploring new adventures while at the same time giving back to the community.  In 2007, the organization started the Oregon Active Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to providing outdoor adventures for those in our community that are affected by life challenging conditions. The Oregon Active Foundation focuses on facilitating these adventures for young adults battling cancer, at risk children in challenging situations, and members of our community with disabilities.

This year's Valentine's Ball was a huge fund raising success with both live and silent auctions.  One of the most popular bidding items was a date for 2 with Portland Trailblazer Rudy Fernandez.  As the auctions came to a close, DJ Yaz and DJ Royale kicked the party into high gear getting everyone to celebrate an early Valentine's Day out on the dance floor.  Thank you all for coming out and supporting this wonderful cause. 

To view the entire gallery of images from the event, please click HERE.

Here is a slideshow of images from Oregon Active's 4th Annual Valentine's Ball.

Rachelle & Donny's May 2009 wedding in St Lucia is currently featured on Champagne Wedding & Events' Blog.  Make sure to check out Rachelle's tips and suggestions for planning the perfect destination wedding.  And even if you are planning a wedding here locally, make sure to contact Rachelle & Mandi -- they are a dynamic duo who plan some of the most successful events in town.

Also, stay tuned as we announce the winner from the Valentine's Love Story Giveaway where couples submitted their love stories for a chance to win a free engagement session from Paul Rich Studio!

The 7th Annual Stride & Ride event took place at the Lloyd Center Mall this past Sunday morning to raise money for the MDA -- a nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research.  Paul Rich Studio and Channel 12 KPTV were there to document the event which raised over $30,000.

Mandi & Rachelle with Champagne Wedding & Event Coordination would like to help coordinate a FREE photo session for you with Paul Rich Studio.  They are hosting a Love Story Giveaway this week and are asking couples to submit their love stories.  Champagne Wedding & Event Coordination will select their favorite love story and the couple will receive their choice of a complimentary 2 hour engagement session or a family photo session of up to 5 family members. 

Make sure to submit your love story by no later than February 13th.  A winner will be announced on Valentine's Day!!

To enter the contest, simply click HERE.

Best of luck to everyone.  We look forward to hearing your love stories and please make sure to check out Champagne's incredible list of services on their website.  In addition to weddings, they also plan surprise parties, cocktail parties, anniversary parties, baby showers, wine tasting tours, and much much more.

Here are some samples of our recent engagement sessions:

Time and time again we are blown away by the creative talents of Mandi and Rachelle with Champagne Wedding & Event Coordination.  The service they provide is absolutely top notch and they are continuously at the forefront of trends happening within the wedding industry.  Mandi & Rachelle go to great lengths to bring the very best to their couples.  They are currently hosting a "30 vendors in 30 days" series to educate couples on "who's who" in the wedding industry here in the Northwest.

Today's blog post features Paul Rich Studio.  To read the complete interview, click HERE.

While I was back east for the recent Martha's Vineyard wedding, I added an extra week on to my travels to spend with close family and friends.  The timing of the wedding and the holidays was absolutely perfect.  I took the opportunity to capture a family session of my aunt and uncle and their "grows-way-too-fast" son Jamie.  Here are some of my peoples...

Over the course of the next 2-3 months, wedding photographers receive an enormous influx of wedding date inquiries.  We affectionately refer to this time as "the booking season."  To assist couples in locating their wedding photographer, Randy Kepple started a photography blog called My Portland Photographer.  The blog is updated M-F by 20 of Portland's top wedding photographers.  We are each assigned a day of the week to create a new blog entry accompanied by a single photograph that best represents our individual style.

This past year I was nominated to be one of five photographers who make up the My Portland Photographer Committee.  The experience has been tremendously rewarding and the success of the blog continues to grow.  We have just recently added an Availability Checker.  Enter in your wedding date and the Availability Checker will indicate which of the 20 photographers are available.  We are all very excited about this recent enhancement and look forward to continuing to improve the My Portland Photographer experience.

All of the photographers recently pooled their resources and placed a full page ad in the 2010 Oregon Bride Resource Guide.  Go to their website and register to receive your free copy!

Of the 20 photographers' work that is represented in the ad, can you recognize which one was shot by Paul Rich Studio?

When you choose your wedding photographer, you are making an investment in the type of photography that will document your wedding day.  So make sure you are selecting a professional who knows what locations, camera angles, and types of lighting are the most flattering.

A great example of this is when photographing the wedding dress.  Ever wonder why you see so many shots of wedding dresses hanging in the window?  It is because the lighting is so flattering for the subject matter.  The photograph becomes ethereal and very dream-like.

This is the same reason we encourage our brides to get ready by window light.  This beautiful natural light compliments the subject matter and transforms the documented moment into a creative piece of art.

To view more of our work, please visit the Paul Rich Studio website.  For additional tips on how to make your wedding photographs look their absolute best, just fill out our contact form.

Outside In is a non-profit healthcare and social services agency located in downtown Portland, OR.  They are in the process of updating their website and requested photographs of some of their staff as well documentation of their buildings and the various programs they offer.  In 2009, Oregon Business rated Outside In as one of the 100 best non-profits in Oregon.  There are a number of ways to donate to Outside In.

My wife's highly acclaimed photo series opens at the Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco on November 5, 2009 and continues through until December 24, 2009.  We are flying out of Portland today to be there for the opening and will be returning back on Sunday the 8th. 

Here is the press release for the show: