Hauser Photography Blog » Portland

Sivan and Josh — Portland, Oregon Engagement Photography

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:24:27 +0000

I’m a little late getting around to posting these on the blog. It’s been a busy month! I think I have something like 10 studio sessions planned for November and December, along with a couple of outdoor family shoots and this engagement session. We shot around the Pearl District in downtown Portland. One of my favorite Sushi restaurants, Sinju, is located in the Pearl. Every time we eat there I notice a really cool brick wall that at one time was the front of a building. Now it is a decorative front that separates the road from a parking lot for some other restaurants. I have always wanted to shoot photos in it because I love the bright red bricks peppered into the worn white brick. The Pearl district actually has tons of great places to shoot and I think we visited nearly all of them. I guess I should explain the boxing photos. Each of them brought props that they wanted to use in the photos. Sivan brought the red decorative umbrella and Josh, who is a kick boxer, brought his boxing gloves. I was stumped on how to include boxing gloves into a shot, so we decided to make it look like they were going at it. I set two flashes behind each of them and set them to full power to give it that look of flash bulbs going off from the vintage matches. Think it looks pretty cool!

Danny & Nicole — Portland Oregon Wedding Photography

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:24:30 +0000

There is usually a lot of leg to be seen at weddings, but this one probably takes the cake. Danny, the groom, was born and raised in Scotland, and elected for the entire wedding party to be in traditional Scottish kilts for the wedding day. Other traditional Scottish influences that were to be seen this day were: bagpipes, scotch and scotch. (Did I mention scotch?) The picture in front of the bridge was actually pretty tough to get, simply because it’s a heavily used road/bridge that crosses the Sandy River. To make it even more difficult, the spot where we shot was on a blind corner. I had two groomsmen stationed on either side of the bridge to block traffic. I figured the sight of a man in kilt would, at the very, least get someone to slow down. This was a feel good wedding. It’s great to see two different families from different parts of the world come together, and that is after-all, what it is all about. Best wishes to Danny & Nicole, thanks for letting me be a part of your wedding day!

Overall, it was a great wedding season. I feel like I learned a lot about lighting this summer. Since I am a self-taught photographer, I learn more by trial and error than any-other way… For example, I learned that when I set my flashes up for the ceremony processional, I need to take into consideration that everyone will be standing for a bride. If I put them too low, someone tall standing next to the isle could block the light from front of one of my flashes and cause a dark shadow to be cast over the most important person in the room. Most importantly, I think I improved my ability to think quickly and creatively. So when I make the aforementioned mistake, I can quickly correct it and not miss an important shot. I look forward to what next year has to offer. Weekends are already being booked, so if you know anyone who is still looking for a wedding photographer, please send along my info!

Doug & Lisa — Portland Oregon Wedding Photograpy

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:45:19 +0000

As promised, here are a couple more images from the wedding last weekend. The reception was at the Zoo and the staff allowed us to shoot virtually anywhere we wanted. We even had an escort with a stretch golf cart to wheel us around. I’m sure it was so we could be supervised, but it was nice not having to lug my gear all over the place! Maybe I should roll up to weddings in a golf cart from now on… My only regret was not getting a shot with the foot fetish penguin. Check out the book, Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland Oregon By Chuck Palahniuk, if you need to know more about this notorious penguin.

Rex & Emily – Portland Oregon Wedding Photography

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 04:29:41 +0000

Here are a few images from the wedding on Mt. Hood this past weekend. Things were a bit dicey for this wedding earlier in the week. There is a nasty fire burning on the Northeast face of Mt. Hood that has consumed roughly 4,000 acres and is only 4% contained. Cooper Spur Lodge, which is on the Northwest side of the mountain, had a lot of smoke throughout the week, but the winds shifted this weekend and pushed all of the smoke to the East. There was a constant stream of helicopters and fire truck throughout the day. It was kind of creepy knowing that a large fire was burning only 10 miles away and a change in winds could quickly bring it in the direction of the lodge. When the sun set over the back side of Mt. Hood it illuminated the smoke in the air to a bright red. The sunset shot has no color correction to it, that was the true color of the sky during sunset! The only other unfortunate event, of what turned out to be a great wedding, was that my main camera broke 5 minutes into the day. I had to shoot the entire day with my backup camera. Because I was down to one camera body; I was unable to have two lenses loaded for the ceremony. So, I strategically placed my lenses around the parameter and ran to each one, changed the lens and snapped a few shots. Need-less-to-say, I look forward to getting my other camera fixed, all though I shudder (shutter) to know how much it’s going to cost! (pun intended)

Andrew & Michelle — Portland, Oregon Wedding Photography

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:49:53 +0000

I took the day off work today to spend some time with the family and to get myself caught up processing wedding photos. These are from last weekend’s wedding in Parkdale, Or. Last fall, I was hopeful to have Mt. Hood in the background of Andrew and Michelle’s engagement photos, but it didn’t show. So, when it didn’t come out on their wedding day I was even more frustrated. I think I looked to the South every 10 minutes to see if it was out, but the clouds just seemed to keep drifting over the top all day long! With that being said, if Mt. Hood would have been visible it obviously would have been a clear day and one of the things that I really like about the shot in the wild flowers is the dark sky. Oh well, you can’t control mother nature (especially this year). After the wedding I took a shower and found a considerable amount of birdseed in the bathtub. I was standing over 10ft away from the bride and groom, so either someone has horrible aim or I was the target! Best wishes to Andrew and Michelle, and thanks for the fun day!

Christopher & Kylee — Portland Oregon Wedding Photography

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:26:28 +0000

Oh man am I behind at getting the blog updated with wedding photos. Here are a few from Christopher and Kylee’s wedding two weeks ago. They did something unique in that they scheduled a Sunday morning shoot with me downtown at some of their favorite places. Often the wedding day is extremely busy, this eases some of the pressure on scheduling knowing that you still have the next day to get more bride and groom shots. The image of Kylee before the ceremony made me question why I haven’t been using my 50mm 1.4 lens more. Never underestimate the quality that a prime lens can produce. By prime I mean that it doesn’t offer a range of focal lengths like a 24-70mm lens. Prime lenses often vastly outperform their counterparts in terms of quality. I brought it out at the wedding I shot this weekend and it looked great too.

Ben & Ariel Portland, Oregon Wedding Photographer

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:31:06 +0000

Here are a few of my favorites from last weekend’s wedding. I shot Ben and Ariel’s engagement photos last fall, and they graciously asked if I could cover their wedding as well. The ceremony was outside at McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. High afternoon sun is always difficult to shoot in, but once we got into the shade I got the lighting I was looking for with the couple shots. The reception was in the Compass Room which typically serves as a movie theater or live music venue. With its abundance of natural light and arched ceilings, it was a fun location for a reception. During a break in the action I was playing a game with a little girl that was in attendance at the reception. She would poke her head out above and below this chair as if she were trying to avoid me taking a picture of her. I won!

Congrats to Ben and Ariel, and thanks for inviting me to be a part of your big day!

Stephanie & Paul Portland, Oregon Wedding Photographer

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:37:14 +0000

The wedding season is officially off and running! The first one of the year is always a little more nerve-racking, simply due to the fact that it’s been a while since I shot a wedding. I had a great time and enjoyed spending the day with a truly wonderful and genuine couple. Stephanie and Paul met on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, so they decided to travel back to their roots for the ceremony. I have been looking forward to the opportunity to shoot on the campus of Gonzaga for a couple of reasons. First, ceremonies are often held at venues or churches that hold no special meaning to the couple. Since Steph and Paul met at this location I knew it would come through in the photos. (and it did) Secondly, it’s a challenge to shoot somewhere that you have never been! I was a little nervous about the ceremony. Flash photography is sometimes frowned upon in churches and on-campus chapels seem to be dark. I was amazed at how beautiful the chapel actually was. I have been in a lot of Catholic churches, but this one was one of the most unique and inviting that I have ever been in. When I asked the Priest about using my flashes he said, “Do whatever it takes to make her happy”. I knew it would be smooth sailing from that point on. Overall, great day, great couple, great way to start the season! ** UPDATE** Just noticed the word “ERECTED” in the second shot. I’m gonna need to crop that or do some cover-up work before its all said and done. Right? Or am I just childish? I guess the way I see it is if I had the option for having, or not having, the word “ERECTED” in my wedding photos; I would probably choose the latter…

Hood River Enagement Session

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:23:29 +0000

Spring is taking its sweet time to show up this year. This engagement session was for Andrew and Michelle and it was supposed to be in the middle of their family’s orchards in bloom, but I think we missed it by a week. These were taken last weekend and I’m going to bet that with the few days of sun we had last week; things look quite different around that area. We made the most of it though and found some other cool locations that could provide a scenic backdrop. I am shooting their wedding in July, so I look forward to seeing what the area looks like then. Plus, it will be fun to shoot with Mt. Hood as a backdrop!

Avery Booke 4 months

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:13:00 +0000

I officially missed the 3 month pictures, but i wasn’t about to let the 4 month slip by as easily. These were all taken by my big picture window in my living room. The only thing that I will miss about the winter is the consistent light the cloud cover provides for me. I’m going to have to figure something else out for the summer shoots!