Bliss Studio Blog

Monthly Archives: June 2009

Click on the title of the blog post to view the entire entry.

Just Real Quick…

June 30, 2009 – 4:45 pm

I know I have several of you still waiting for your sneak peaks…I promise I am working away at them. I feel like I have been a blog maniac with all the posts! For those of you who have been following me on twitter (@blisswhitney) or facebook (whitney@blissstudio.net) you may have heard that we had an unfortunate event last night. I had my camera gear stolen out of a friends car. His brand new car got a window smashed (sorry Pete) and my camera bag was snagged. Ironically we were only a few blocks from the car and the thief flew past us (almost ran me over) on his bike carrying my bag. Lovely. I tried to be thankful that it was only my camera bag as we had my purse, laptops and another bag in the car. But its hard to be thankful when you are upset and feel violated. The worst part of all of it was that I had images that I had shot in Reno in the bag. I was literally in tears. Gear can be replaced photos….not really. There is a happy ending to this story however…Despite all my tears a good Samaritan called me this morning and said my camera bag was found in the boys bathroom at the train station. It was cleaned out of all the gear…but low and behold MY MEMORY CARDS WERE STILL IN THE BAG! The thief cleaned everything else out but left my cards. It has been a very emotional day for me but I can not tell you how thankful I am that I got that call this morning. I brought the wonderful girl who called me flowers and can not thank her enough for taking the time to call. My business cards (thank goodness) were still in the bag as was my drivers license. Many thanks to Sarah and for making me see the “good” in people once again.

So on this note…One of the memory cards that were only “sorta” lost was a shoot I did of my little sister Destiny in a vintage laundry mat. I was so excited for this session and had a vision in my head for it. I randomly grabbed one quick image and gave it the feeling I was going for and wanted to post it. Sorry this ended up being a bit longer than real quick but I thought I would share…

Here is my Beautiful Sister…Thanks for modeling for me!

By bliss | Posted in My Bliss | Comments (1)

Karl & Emily’s Wedding

June 30, 2009 – 4:17 pm

More goodies to share. Now its not just the details. Its the “Day”. I picked random images that stood out to me. There is many more but I will be saving those for the bride and groom to see first. Karl and Emily really made the day a blast for us! They were a joy to photograph and made us feel very much a part of their special day. Thank you to both Karl and Emily for sharing your day with us! Hope you enjoy your sneak peak of all your images…Happy Honeymoon….We will see you when you return…

Here are the faves…

After Karl and Emily had their first meet they “skipped” their way back to the car so we could start their images. I was cracking up…

Father/Daughter moment…On the way down the aisle…

Grandpa…

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Weddings | Comments (3)

Karl & Emily “Details”

June 29, 2009 – 4:23 pm

Well…I gave in…I cant pick just a “couple” favorites from this wedding so rather than fight it, I am just going to make this a two part post.

So Part One: Details.

The wedding day was fabulous. It was a bit cloudy which means weather a bride might be nervous about…However Emily knew better…It was a PERFECT day for shooting. Every detail of this wedding was a photographers dream….starting with the Tiffany box all the way to the car they had rented for the day. We enjoyed being there to soak up all the planning that went into their big day. Karl and Emily had a very “vintage” feel to their wedding which we have done our best to push that further in their images. Here are just a couple of the awesome details…

Car Rented from Dove Express, Owner Vern Benson (who was WONDERFUL…He sat patiently aside while we were all over his car. Well not really…we were REALLY careful but he was the best!)

Bouquet by Patton’s Country Gardens, Owner Bonnie Helsel.

While we were hanging out at the bar eye balling the room (NOT DRINKING…I know what you people are thinking….Remember we have “auto focus” ha ha…wait I didnt mean that). Dan spied this bottle…

And…since we were working not drinking I did not get to taste this Bliss Wine…but now I am going to have to locate a bottle. Might be fun to keep some at the studio!

Just a couple shots of Emily…I know they are not technically details but I am adding them here…

And last but not least. A special thanks to Janice, who’s wedding we shot a few years ago, for sending Karl and Emily our way! Your the BEST!

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Weddings | Comments (1)

Engagement Collage…

June 29, 2009 – 10:52 am

This is one of my favorite Collages that we offer. Its a 24×24 Fine Art Collage. Its printed on Fine Art Paper which makes all the colors rich and beautiful. Its also a good collage for those of you who can’t decide on which images to purchase. Its a very popular collage for both engagements as well as weddings. However I have created children and baby collages as well. Here is one I designed for Brinton and Ashley’s engagements in Bend….

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Products, Bliss Weddings | Comments (1)

Brave Brides…

June 29, 2009 – 10:17 am

I love it when I can get my brides (or couples) to be brave. Almost every time I ask one to do something nutty they agree. I mean its all about the photos right? ha ha. I am “usually” nice to the gowns or at least try to be…again…Its all about the photos! When are you going to wear that dress again? You might as well make it worth the money you spent on it and wear it out! On June 20, 2009 we shot Karl & Emily’s wedding at the Country Inn in Eugene, Oregon. Its been a while since we have shot there so it was fun to explore. I remembered the pond with the scary swans? Geese? Whatever they were…they would chase you. I didnt see the scary’s this time which was refreshing. The pond had icky water of course but it was still beautiful. Here is a couple of shots of Dan and Karl getting Emily setup on the dock (I am of course PRAYING her dress, feet or anything does NOT get wet!) Careful boys…

I’ll admit I was a little nervous but it was all worth it with the awesome shots we were able to get. We took a few of Emily by herself then we added Karl for a couple. Here is a shot Dan took of just Emily…Simply Heaven! Love you honey!

I am working on a full post from this wedding but having a hard time picking just a “few” for the blog. I will do my best to have some up later tonight or tomorrow…Stay Tuned!

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Weddings | Comments (3)

Reynolds Family

June 26, 2009 – 4:00 pm

The Reynolds family are in my baby plan program and we are creating a one year album for little Brady. We made one in years past for his big sister Demi and now its Brady’s turn! Brady has hit the year mark and walking around like a champ. This was his final session for his album. I like to end the book with family photos as well as just shots of Brady. For this session we took the photos in downtown Eugene. I wanted more Urban photos for them and they are always up for something new and fun. The kids were awesome! Demi has always been my perfect little model but little Brady is following right behind her. Hugs to both of them! And thanks to the whole family for letting me toture you! Just kidding….hopefully you had as good a time as I did. Enjoy your sneak peak…

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Little Ones | Comments (0)

Smith Family

June 26, 2009 – 9:38 am

This was the final session for little Avery’s baby plan. She has turned a year and walking around like crazy. We are working on her 1st year storybook album and I was very excited to get the final session complete. I like the final session to also be a family session as I think it completes the story perfectly. These images were taken at the Rose Garden in Eugene. The light was beautiful and made the images really pop! Here is just a few of my favorites…

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Little Ones | Comments (0)

A different kind of Before and After…

June 24, 2009 – 9:08 pm

Kids do the silliest things which is what makes me love them! Kylee is a goof ball and always makes me “work” to get the perfect shot. However when we get it…It makes it all worth it. She has the biggest contagious laugh and smile you have ever seen. So of course since I know that my goal is to drag that laughing smile right out of her. Well…I was able to get it but when I asked her to smile for me this is what I got…

A perfect Angel However the resulting face I got “after” her goofy face was exactly what I wanted! Here is the immediate reaction after I laughed at her goofy face…

Check back for the Smith family “official” sneak peak soon…And Thanks Kylee for being silly! It makes me smile!

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Little Ones | Comments (2)

Before and After…

June 24, 2009 – 8:00 am

I love this shot I took of little Demi last week. Its a good example of how even though I “see” a shot its not always the way I had envisioned it until I put my finishing touch on it. When I edit I do add a finish to most of the images but there is always a few that I want to add a little extra special “Whitney Twist” to it. I know you guys all get to see the finished product but this one had a dramatic change that I thought you might like to see a before and after.

Here is the Before (still a good shot…just not quite the punch I wanted. I was drawn to the tuscan wall and the way the light was falling across it)

You might be thinking that shot is just fine? And that might be the case. However it wasnt quite what I wanted. So with a little work on the image here is the final look that I was hoping for…

An official sneak peak for the Reynolds family will be up soon…Just wanted to share a little from the other side! Enjoy!

By bliss | Posted in Bliss Workshops, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Locks of Love Event!

June 23, 2009 – 8:00 am

I am so excited for this event! I have been planning on cutting my hair for locks of love for over a year and the time is almost here. I have teamed up with Leslie, Owner of Divine by Design Salon and Day Spa for this event. Divine by Design is located in Springfield, Oregon. Leslie and I will be pampering all those who chose to participate in our event. Each person who donates will receive a free haircut, a gift certificate for a free session with Bliss, before and after photos, plus goodie bags will be given out! It is going to be an awesome event! If you are interested in participating we are booking appointments for Aug. 22, 2009. It’s a first come first serve but if we fill up Saturday we will book more appointments on Friday Aug. 21, 2009. This is Event is open to anyone who has hair long enough to donate (must be 10 inches). If you have any questions please feel free to call Leslie or I (or email) and we can help you out. Here is some more information for everyone.