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About Me

I have been writing and posting on this blog since April 2, 2006. Wow. I did not even realize its been that long. I know facebook has taken over a lot of blogging but even with our facebook account I still enjoy making an official blog post. Facebook is fast and gives more instant gratification but I want to be able to share a little more about me, my life, my clients and anything else I find interesting. I know I have clients, friends, family and fellow photographers who have become blog stalkers over the years and I thank everyone for it! I hope you guys continue to check up on me and continue to enjoy learning a little about me and what I do.

In case you dont know me...I am Whitney Stevens and I live in Portland, Oregon with my wonderful husband, Dan Harlacher and our daughter, Lily. Dan and I have been married seven years now and still love every minute of it (yes we are one of those couples!). I have been photographing for about 14 years now and couldn't imagine not having a camera. I still remember being a kid and owning a little camera and not knowing what I was doing with it...but it was a blast. My grandmother bought me my first official camera when I was in High School (it was a pentax k1000...remember those?) and I have been shooting ever since. The digital world has of course opened so many doors and turned photographers into designers as well. I would consider myself as much of a designer as I am a photographer anymore. One of my favorite things to do is design albums! Its such a great way to tell the story of my clients. Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!

Life out loud...

Whitney

Client Share..

February 1, 2012 – 7:39 pm

Its always fun for me to see the finished art hanging on my clients walls!  It is also fun for me when I am able to share some of the finished work with you!  I photographed Tori’s Senior photos as well as a few family photos to include her brothers and we ended up with a funky 20×20 custom collage in a bloom frame, a beautiful album displayed on an easel and a photo of each of her brothers also in bloom frames.  These all sit in two little cutouts in the Schott Family’s living room. It is AWESOME!  Excuse the not so wonderful quick iphone snagged pics but I had to share anyway! Thanks to the Schott family for showcasing Bliss Art so beautifully!

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Baby Brynn

January 30, 2012 – 5:11 pm

LOVE this little girl. Beautiful name. Beautiful Baby.  Brynn was a perfect Angel for her first photo session with Bliss. And props to new mom, Emily as well.  I have such a great respect for my moms who can get their babies to me in their first week.  I cant say I was that good myself but I LOVE my moms who can do it. I hope to continue watching Brynn grow over this next year and make some beautiful Art!  Brynn’s session took on a bit of a vintage feel which I am really loving. Here is a couple of my favorites and also THANK YOU to Emily for bringing your little sweetie to see me! Hugs!

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Little Ones | Tagged | 2 comments         Hide Comments | Add a Comment
  1. bliss   -  

    Yeah! Me too Emily….That couch one surprised me. I was so happy with it! It would make a beautiful wall portrait :) See you saturday!

  2. Emily Recht   -  

    Love them! Janice and I especially love the couch one! Can’t wait to see the rest on Saturday!!!

Soft Challenge…

January 23, 2012 – 1:33 pm

My good friend, Dave Hutt and I have been working on fun little photo challenges and you may have seen our posts. You can visit his blog www.davehuttblog.com to keep up with his side as well.  This month’s theme is “Soft”.  Ill admit rarely do I take photos without people in them.  So its good to branch out from time to time.  I took this photo yesterday and its completely random.  I was driving to the airport to pick up a couple family members and I was really enjoying a little “me” time. I might have even drove extra slow so I could stretch it out.  Being a mom is exhausting. Dont get me wrong. I LOVE my little girl but I do tend to cherish any amount of time I get to myself.  I ended up arriving at the airport a little early and so I drove to a hotel parking lot to eat my sandwich and just enjoy the quiet. As I was sitting parked in my car with the rain pouring down I was staring at this lonely little tree. Through my windshield the world was soft…Well rainy. But soft :)  So I took the opportunity to snag the pic. It took a couple tries but I managed to get what I was hoping for.  This photo was taken with my little iphone (all I had on me). Through the windshield of my car in between my wipers going off.  I needed a somewhat clear view.  A little PhotoShop well…actually Instagram Love and Here We Go…

 

Kinda cool huh?  Im still going to try and get some more “Soft” pics if I can. But I do like the feel of this one!

~Whitney

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New Year…New Project!

January 12, 2012 – 7:09 pm

My good friend and fellow photographer Dave Hutt and I are going to be posting fun little photo projects this year to keep us on our toes.  You may have seen our “red” post awhile back. If not you can check it out HERE.  This month Dave has chosen the theme “Soft”. This is pretty vague and can be open to interpretation. I know there was a few of you who were interested in playing along so please email if you have anything you want to submit as we will both be posting photos along the way.  At the end of the month (or so) Dave and I will each select our favorite image and put it up to see who ummm….Wins?  Well the loser just gets to buy coffee so not too bad.  If you want to take a peek at Dave’s blog you can go to www.davehuttblog.com. He should be posting about the little project any day now.  So now its time to come up with some ideas!

Stay tuned for my images soon…

Whitney

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Little David…

December 21, 2011 – 11:50 am

Another new addition to the Bliss Family…Little David. LOVE HIM!  I have been photographing his big sis Alexandra for a few years now and was so excited to meet David. David was a sweetie for his session and made my job easy.  However this little one week old little boy thought he would show us just how strong he was as he ROLLED off the box I had him on! Oh my goodness!  Never underestimate what a baby can do.  Dont worry he was safely caught and I sat there in shock. Whew.  Thanks to the Miller family for coming to see me so soon after David was born. Janice..YOU ROCK!  Looking forward to the next year!

Here are a couple of my favorites…

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Little Kason…

December 19, 2011 – 5:09 pm

What a precious sweetie little Kason is. I had the pleasure of meeting him first in the Hospital just a few days after he was born and then again for his newborn session at the studio.  He was loving my camera and giving me the most innocent looks.  Or he might have been wondering who this crazy lady with a big black thing is? Either way it was perfect!  If you have been following on our facebook page you may have already seen a few of these but I wanted to make an official post and showcase a couple more for fun.  The first couple images are from the hospital followed by his actual newborn session.  Thanks to Kason and his mommy for joining the Bliss Family. I am looking forward to helping tell the story of Kason’s first year! Hugs!

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Winners!

December 17, 2011 – 12:02 pm

Time to announce the winners!  First we will start with the “Photographer Getaway”.  This will include a free “Perfect Effects.”

#7 Is the winner- Viktoria Hawkins

CONGRATS!

 

Next we have the winner for Bliss Studio. This includes a free session and a 16inch gallery wrap!

#18~ Angela Rasmussen!

Congrats and thanks to everyone who entered!

Happy Holidays~

Whitney

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5 Days Of Christmas FINAL Giveaway!

December 16, 2011 – 8:00 am

Many of you have been following the facebook 5 days of Christmas and now its the final day! For the 5th Day of Christmas Bliss will be giving a FREE Session WITH a 16inch Gallery Wrap for 2012!  This is a value of  $500!  The best prize of the week!  But instead of the first person to email me…I am going to have this be a random drawing (using random.org to select the winner). You have until midnight tonight to post a comment on this post. I will post the winner tomorrow (Saturday).  Anyone is welcome to enter (including those who have already won a prize this week). The only requirements is ONE-You must post a comment on this blog post.  TWO- “LIKE this Post” And THREE-You must be a “Friend” on facebook of Whitney At Bliss!  So send me a friend request if you are not already friends with me! Just search the name Whitney At Bliss and you should find me. Good Luck everyone! I am super excited for this giveaway and cant wait to make ART for the winners wall!

Make sure you leave an actual comment on this blog post. When you hit the “like” button it will ask you if you want to leave a comment. That is JUST for facebook!

Happy Holidays and GOOD LUCK!

~Whitney

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Products, My Bliss | 28 comments         Hide Comments | Add a Comment
  1. Samantha S   -  

    I am getting mine in right before the deadline. I would love to win!!

  2. Tiffani   -  

    Awesome giveaway!

  3. david   -  

    best contest ever!

  4. Bret DeCair   -  

    What a great gift. Thanks!

  5. Jonathan   -  

    Hmmm maybe :)

  6. Matt Rasmussen   -  

    Pick me, pick me!

  7. Jamie   -  

    I love gallery wraps!!!!!

  8. Marci Hampton   -  

    What an awesome prize, fingers crossed :)

  9. allaire rosenthal   -  

    A family gallery wrap would go great with our engagement wrap. :)

  10. Courtney Vail   -  

    I want to win! Haha

  11. Angela Rasmussen   -  

    This would be so fantastic! I hope you enjoy your first Christmas as a family of three (while we’re enjoying our last Christmas as a family of three;-)).

  12. Brian Vernon   -  

    We are ready to win super excited for you to meet Coen

  13. elisabeth rice   -  

    Hands down, best giveaway ever! Fingers crossed! xoxo

  14. Sarah Curry   -  

    What a FANTASTIC prize!

  15. Katherine   -  

    What an AWESOME prize!

  16. Carlee Huff   -  

    Ohhh! Just what I need to personalize the vacant walls in my new apartment! Fingers crossed!

  17. Jayci Cronin   -  

    Such a great/cute idea Whitney!! I’ll be crossing my fingers haha :)

  18. Melissa Henry   -  

    Whitney,

    I love the 5 Days of Christmas idea! Thank you for giving this gift opportunity to all of us! Enjoy the holidays!

  19. Debbie McCord   -  

    That is AWESOME!!

  20. Joanna Stephenson   -  

    I love the giveaway!!

  21. Brandy   -  

    what a fantastic prize!!!

  22. Doris Towery   -  

    Would love a new one! The one we have with us on the beach still hangs in my living room and get lots of comments to this day.

  23. Lindsay Kieling   -  

    I love all your fun contests! Such great ideas!! Would be so excited to get a gallery wrap of our new little fam! Great prize!

  24. Katie Kieling   -  

    Whitney is the coolest most awesome photographer ever!!! lol YOU ROCK!!! ;-) Love you!!!

  25. Tierney Kraft   -  

    Pick us! Pick us! This is our year for a family photo…..the kids don’t have any funky teeth and Brian insists “I’m gonna be HOT in 2012″! His “hotness” needs to be captured with a little “Bliss Love”! Are there boudoir shots for men? (Totally kidding….not sure that’s a pic I need on my nightstand) :)

  26. BrIttany DeCair   -  

    Awesome prize! Thanks Whitney

  27. Julanya Richards   -  

    Love all the fun giveaways!!!

  28. Dawn Schott   -  

    This is fantastic! Gallery wraps by bliss are amazing!

5 Days of Christmas PHOTOGRAPHER giveaway…

December 15, 2011 – 12:43 pm

Some of you may have seen the 5 days of Christmas giveaways that have been happening on my Whitney At Bliss facebook page! They were all for clients but now I have one just for Photographers. I have received ONE copy of onOne Software’s newest and bestest Photoshop Plugin “Perfect Effects.”  You can view a before and after I posted HERE. Its super simple to enter for this drawing. First please leave a comment on this post! I will be selecting the winner using RANDOM.org from the comments. Second make sure you “like” onOne Software on facebook (click HERE). Third “LIKE” this POST!  And that is it!  Three steps and you are entered!  Make sure you do ALL THREE steps. I will check the winner! I will let this go until Friday at Midnight and winner will be annouced on Saturday morning!

Good Luck and Happy Holidays!

Special thanks to onOne Software for the donation!

 

******MAKE SURE TO LEAVE AN ACTUAL COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST!  There has been a bit of confusion as when you hit the “like” button it will say add comment. That is JUST for Facebook.  I will select the winner using Random.org and need the comments on here!  Thanks and sorry for the confusion!

 

~Whitney

By bliss | Posted in My Bliss | 17 comments         Hide Comments | Add a Comment
  1. bliss   -  

    Hi Sue…the winner was posted on its own post. You can see results here http://blissstudio.net/blog/?p=3906
    Thanks! Whitney

  2. Sue Burnett   -  

    Who was the winner of the Photoshop Plugin Perfect Effects?

  3. Ed Johnson   -  

    This would be a great expansion to my tool bos. Thanks for the offer

  4. Kelsey Sanders   -  

    This looks absolutely fantastic! I would love to win. :]

  5. Sue Burnett   -  

    OnOne software is an awesome tool. I would love to be the winner of this new Photoshop Plugin. I hope I win! Thanks for doing this.

  6. Dave Hutt   -  

    This is the one software program that I truly could not live without.

  7. Debbie McCord   -  

    How amazing that would be to win! Awesome!

  8. Doris Towery   -  

    Yes please Santa :)

  9. Jennifer Dworek   -  

    Christmas is coming early this year for a lucky photographer! Hope it’s me!

  10. Kim Smith   -  

    Awesome! Sounds like a great deal :)

  11. Viktoriya Hawkins   -  

    Feels like Christmas again… great give away! Thanks OnOne and Whitney.

  12. Joshua Carter   -  

    How cool for OnOne to donate this! The new plug-in looks awesome!! I would be a grateful winner! LOL!

  13. SIMPLY DASHY PHOTOGRAPHY   -  

    yay! i want to win! what a perfect christmas present for myself. =) thank you! =)

  14. Tom   -  

    Dear Santa,
    Please deliver a nice and shiny tilt shift lens for my good friend Dan Harlacher. From what I’ve heard, he’s been a very good boy and deserves it!

  15. Jen "the winnerLewis   -  

    I must win, and of course I already “like” onOne and I will like this post because I like you :)

  16. malkhaz   -  

    Thank you very much. done all necessary steps!

  17. Leanna   -  

    I would soooo love to win. :)

Must Have :)

December 10, 2011 – 7:35 pm

I love all the “bliss” items I come across. While browsing blogs today I found this and now I am pretty sure I NEED some! I mean Bliss Hot Chocolate? How can I go wrong? So excited to look for it…

Ps…sorry for the “Screen Shot” of the packaging. And I am not sure what blog I stole it from?  I was just took the pic and away I went.

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