The H's: Part II ... Florence Oregon Family Photographer

No, I didn't. I promise! I know what you're thinking, but the answer is no. Despite the fact that this is a group of TEN, and that you will not see a man, woman, or child looking remotely unhappy in any of these pictures--I did not, I repeat: I did not do any head swapping or any other such tom foolery in Photoshop! They were just having that much fun. For real:


(I love how most everyone is looking at Nana and Pops in this one; especially how R is leaning into his Nana... SO sweet!!)


You're all going to have to invest in some 10X20 frames, because I was just seeing everything as a panoramic for some reason:



(As we were getting ready for this one, I told everyone to just pick some sort of fun/funky stance, and I threw out a few ideas: Charlie's Angels, hands on hips, arms crossed... The minute I said "arms crossed", Uncle Bruce hollered, "I'm doing THAT one!" ..... It was shortly after this that he said in Aunt Lynnae's ear, in one of those classic louder-than-a-talking-voice whispers, "She's taking a lot of pictures." Ha! He would die if he were to be subjected to a real JAZ Session! Ha ha haaa!!)




Now, I didn't intend to process this next one, much less post it. I just did it to get the kids warmed up and set a fun tone... I said, "Everyone jump when I count to TEN. One, two... TEN!" So of course, not everyone jumped at the same time or anything, but when I saw the air that the two girls caught, I knew I had to post this. Check out little B one the far left (who was significantly downhill from everyone, by the way!), and little R by Uncle Bruce... WOWSALOOZA:

Also receiving honorable mention in this jump shot: The expressions on Aunt Lynnae's and Uncle Bruce's faces. ;0)




You guys might have to grab up a square frame or two, too:


Love you all like crazy!!!!!

To book a wedding or session, e-mail me at jamie.zanotti@gmail.com

Family: H's ... Florence Oregon Family Portraits

We had our annual extended-family White Elephant Extravaganza at my folks' on the coast this weekend, and I got to snap a few shots of my Aunt and Uncle, and their kids and grands in-between all the food and games... All of the kids were in a GREAT mood, and Ashley was at her best doing who-knows-what behind my back to illicit smiles, and I ended up being surprised by the # of shots I loooove for just 15 minutes or so of shooting outside my parents' front door!? I'll post a few more later, but just had to throw this one up for now. I'm sure it's my fav, because it reminds me of a childhood photo of my brother and I sitting on the couch and laughing our heads off with these guys' dads... quite like this. It feels so strange, yet so fun, to have come full circle, and be the one smiling down on these precious cousins, while standing next to mine--all of us now in our 30s... And still laughing our heads off whenever we get together... Good times!

To book a wedding or session, e-mail me at jamie.zanotti@gmail.com

Merry Christmas!

olive juice ... Eugene Oregon Engagement Photographer

From time to time, I like to share a password to an online gallery for those who'd like to see how it works and whatnot. So if you're curious, or you just want to see more from Julie and Doug's Engagement Session, go to my website, click on the "client galleries" tab, and enter the password: olive juice

Don't ask... ;0)

Thanks again for letting me share your password with the world, Julie!

To book a wedding or session, e-mail me at jamie.zanotti@gmail.com

Yet another fun JAZ Book idea ... Eugene Oregon HS Senior Photographer

Mistie's Mom had the great idea to archive her Senior Portraits in a JAZ Book! Mistie opted for both an early summer session and fall session, so we had TONS of fun and different images to fill these pages... Here are a few more of my favorite spreads:


(I apologize for my late night, get-er-done-quick-so-I-could-give-the-book-to-Mistie-and-her-Mom-ASAP, poor quality snapshots! They don't come close to showing the stellar quality and beauty of these books!)











I also wanted to share that all JAZ Books are now printed on lay-flat pages:


To book a wedding or session, e-mail me at jamie.zanotti@gmail.com

These are a few of my favourite things...

Cue the Mary Poppins music...

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
brown paper packages tied up with strings,
these are a few of my favorite things..."

You're welcome. For me sticking that song in your head. ;0) Sorry, but that's all I could think of as I went to do this post... about some of my latest, greatest, favorite things!

Need some ridiculously cute hair flowers? Need some inspiration for coordinating your family's photo shoot attire? Need a gorgeous, untapped place to get married? Well, here are a few resources for you:


Mindy saved Christmas! Mindy Strauss is a Portland area photog who also offers some of her amazing artwork and other creations on Etsy. I needed some one-of-a-kind, can't-find-'em-at-the-mall hair accessories for my niece for Christmas, and Mindy custom designed these gorgeous fabric flower clips:






Check out her baby/toddler headbands and get more information by clicking here for Mindy's headband blog. Thanks again for crafting these treasures for me, Mindy! I LOVE 'em!!! (And thanks again for the permission to post your snapshots of them!)


Are you fashion challenged, like me? Fortunately for me, my sis-in-law used to work for an upscale shop, and loves all things clothing... and shoes. And accessories. Like shoes. ;0) She also does photography on the coast, and I convinced her to put together some style guides for her clients. They're awesome, and she graciously offered that I could share them with you here, too. So if you've got a family session on the horizon, check these out. They're a great example of layering, and accessorizing, without getting too matchy-matchy:

Guide #1:


Guide #2:



And finally, I want to tell you about East Lake Resort in Central Oregon. Our log home dealers (my hubby and I built our little log home), Cliff and Chris Wheeler of Baker Pond Log Works, told me about this place. Some friends of theirs own it, and asked Cliff to build an altar of sorts so their daughter could get married there earlier this year. In classic Cliff fashion, the structure was being referred to as the "chapel" by the time he was done with it... ;0) Isn't Cliff's "chapel", and this whole setting, breathtaking?

(Thanks, Chris, for letting me post your picture!)

If you're interested in getting more information about doing a wedding at East Lake, e-mail Kathy Jones through their website. The only hitch is, if you end up getting married here, you have to let me photograph your wedding. ;0) Oh, how I would love to capture a wedding at East Lake!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this little departure from my standard fare of photos! Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled programming... ;0)

To book a wedding or session, e-mail me at jamie.zanotti@gmail.com

Wedding: Michael & Kelsey ... Eugene Oregon Wedding Photographer

We started the day at the super cute "Beauty Bar". I could tell right away, with all the warm greetings, laughter, and sun slanting through the windows that it was going to be a fabulous day!



I LOVED Kelsey's bouquet: a nod toward Grandma's garden with the hydrangeas, but with the modernity of jewels and feathers worked into it:




I got to spend much of the morning with Michael, his groomsmen, and his family (while Ashley was tailing the bride and her crew). So much fun:






You know it's going to be a great celebration when the parents are kicking it off like this:




A quick peek in on the bridal prep:


And off to the ceremony:


A couple quick snaps of the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. before they headed in to the reception to greet their guests:




I love the adoration on Kelsey's face as she watches her hubby warmly thank the friends and family who helped them celebrate:


Then it was time for the WWF bouquet toss...







The expressions on the faces of those seated just behind the scrappers are priceless!

Michael and Kelsey took a quiet moment to open a special gift from Grandma. I don't know what all was in the super cute wrapped little boxes, but judging from the look on their faces, you did good, Grandma. ;0) Real good:







Deb told me this young man is headed back to serve, so please take a moment to say a prayer for him as you're scrolling through!

Thanks again to my sis-in-law for inviting me along! Let's do it again, and AGAIN! ;0)

Michael and Kelsey: Thank you so much for the privilege of helping capture your beautiful wedding day! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with you, your friends, and your family. May God richly bless your union!

To book a wedding or session, please e-mail me at jamie.zanotti@gmail.com

Engagement: Julie & Doug (Part II) ... Junction City Oregon Engagement Photographer

Julie is a long-time friend of mine, and former co-worker. (My joke is that she trained me, then she ditched me... ;0) ) This girl is FULL of life! I've often thought it would be nice if I could somehow suck a little energy out of her while she's sleeping or something... She wouldn't miss it... I'm sure she wouldn't. And I could sure use a little extra! Doug told me his Mom said, "Wow! You've finally met someone with more energy than you!" All this energy = an AWESOME photo shoot. We had SOOO much fun!!

















Julie and Doug, THANK YOU for a fabulous outing! I CAN'T WAIT for your wedding in June!!!

To book a wedding or session, e-mail me at jamie.zanotti@gmail.com