Thank You

The kids and I spent this Memorial Day at the coast with some of my extended family. After the parade, Uncle Bruce and Aunt Lynnae had us all out to their place for hot dogs (Costco's chicken and applesauce hot dogs by the way, which were amazing!). Uncle Bruce expressed my heart perfectly when he said a prayer of thanks "for all who gave it all".



There is absolutely nothing Kendra likes better than a parade:



As for Micah? Well, he's all about the candy:

My Winter (turned Spring, and probably going into Summer) Project .... Oregon Photographers

I decided to tackle a living room/dining room makeover this winter, and have been sloooowly clearing out the "first year of marriage forest green couches" and "leaning tower of DIY armoire", etc.... We've been living with forest greens and fall colors, mixed with splashes of red for quite some time. I still feel like the fall colors worked well with our little cabin in the woods, but therein lies one of the problems. Our living/dining space is little. But our furniture was big. So, I'm trying for light, bright furniture that fits our space and lifestyle! It's funny, because I'm always talking about how much I love color, color, color, and yet I'm going for a very neutral browns/whites/tans palette. As my Aunt Lynnae lovingly put it when I was telling her about it: "What color scheme?" Ha ha! She helped me decorate our all-white bedroom about 10 years ago, and it still pains her that it's so void of color. Anyhoo, I thought I'd share the work in progress:



As my sweet, sweet hubby painted the walls (with the FOURTH color I tried--I owe you, Babe!!), he asked, "Isn't this that 'Master Bedroom Mistake' color?" And it IS! It totally IS!! The 'Master Bedroom Mistake' was another Aunt Lynnae thing--when we first moved in, she gave me a couple gallons of paint for our then-guestroom, which she had labeled with Sharpie: "Master Bedroom Mistake". LOL! I love that color. Obviously. Because here I am using it again. Prepare yourself when you come for your next visit, my dear Auntie, because it's all over the house... the living room, the stair wells, the hall, the kitchen...



My style is fairly minimalistic, and I love mixing old/new/quirky/sentimental... At the risk of this whole post turning into an Aunt Lynnae article, I have to share what she said to me once... It was the best decorating advice I have ever received, and I absolutely live by it. She said, "Don't worry about trying to emulate one certain style, or about being able to categorize it--like country, or modern, etc.-- Just stick what you really love, and it will all work together." So, here's something I love: A couple of beautiful wooden spoons we brought back from Liberia:





Prior to photography, I'd only made two other entrepreneurial ventures. One was selling lady bugs when I was 6 or so, and the other was crafting and selling vintage-look signs. This was never one of my favs, but hey, it matches:


I found this fun calendar on Etsy! It's made by a Moscow, Idaho artist and includes fun facts on--and drawings of--the Palouse. Corey and I both got our Bachelors at the University of Idaho in Moscow. (Mine is in Communications, with a Business Minor.)



This comfy rocking chair started out in Kendra's room when she was a baby, and has now graduated to the living room:









Yup, here we go... Another Aunt Lynnae thought!? She is a phenomenally talented Potter and all-around clay worker. (Plus seamstress, plus decorator, plus florist, plus plus plus... When I told my tomboy Mom I was engaged, she said, "Congratulations, honey! Call your Aunt Lynnae!! ;0) ) I had the pure joy of taking a few of her classes, and spending some of the most relaxing hours of my life throwing pots and such on the wheel in her shop with the wood burning stove on full force, rain coming down so hard it almost drowned out the praise music on the crackling old radio, out at their super secluded cabin in a valley surrounded by gorgeous woods... Those are some of my very favorite memories! Believe it or not, this pitcher was one of my best efforts:





While I was on a roll last weekend, I updated our family/home school daily routines, and got them up on the fridge:



So there you have it! A bit of what occupies my time when I'm not taking photos. ;0) It's clearly still a work in progress, and I'll try to post more as it comes together! (I'm taking a Saturday shopping road trip with some fellow homeschooling Mommas, so hopefully they'll be able to help me fill in some of the gaps! Yes, yes, we're supposed to be looking at curriculum and such, but I'm planning a few other stops along the way... ;0) )

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

Diamond Lake ... Oregon Photographers

Here are a few more snaps from our Diamond Lake excursion...







I normally reserve these "scrapbook-ish" shots for our family blog, but I thought it was worth noting that it is very nice to have a 24mm 1.4 on hand for tight spots like on a boat:


(Micah's favorite new phrase is, "Mommy! Get the net! Get the NET!!!")





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

Family: The G's ... Eugene Oregon Portraits

Okay, so I'm rewinding a bit... Over Mother's Day Weekend, while I was in Idaho/Washington with Amber, I had the privilege of snapping a few pics of Amber and her beautiful Mom (whom I have already mentally categorized as one of my "other" Moms--she's AWESOME!!), and Amber's kids. The sun had already set, so it was a QUICK venture into the gorgeous yard of her folks' country home, but I do love these photos! (For the photography-minded: The above photo was taken at ISO 640, f/2, 1/100 on a 5D with an 85mm 1.2.)



I met Amber online as we were both waiting to bring our sons home from Liberia, West Africa... And we met in person for the first time in Africa! How crazy is that?!

I rarely strike up "conversations" with people online, but God showed me through Amber that there really are some legitimate "kindred spirits" to be found on the internet... And I had the great honor of meeting another one on my way home!

I have admired Bethany F and her work for years, and had the pure joy of sitting down in a Portland cafe with her before I drove the rest of the way home from the airport. She was everything I suspected: real, and warm, and full of substance! (One thing I didn't expect was how hilarious she is! The girl is FUNNY!!) Thanks so much, Bethany! I look forward to spending more time with you down the road!

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

Diamond Lake ... Eugene Oregon Photographer

Whew! I've only been home for 1 out of the last 8 days... The good news is, I've got lots of fun pictures to sort through and share! This is one from our Diamond Lake fishing trip. (Thanks, Dad, for killing the motor to let me capture this red boat going by with Mt. Thielsen in the background!)

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

Portraits: Amber .... Eugene Oregon Portraits

Talk about a perfect Mother's Day Weekend!! I got to spend it with Amber, shooting a wedding in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho... And we had plenty of play time, too! (Although, really, photography is like play time for me, of course!) On Friday, we walked around Spokane a bit, mostly at Riverfront Park. Amber took some headshots for me to update my blog and site and such, and I snapped a few of her here and there, too:







And here's my sweet friend after the wedding on Saturday, as we were walking back to the car:


Thanks for a WONDERFUL weekend, Amber!! Miss you already!!!

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

HS Senior: Julia (Part II) ... Eugene Oregon High School Senior Pictures

Like I mentioned in Julia's sneak peek post, her session was basically one big party! Meg, Kate, and Jenn helped with her make-up and hair, and even helped style her and brought awesome props and everything... (Thanks so much again for all you did to help, girls-- Kate, for "reflectoring", and Jenn, for bringing that sweet church bench, and Meg, for morphing your car into a boutique on wheels!) Here's some more of Julia's beauty this team helped me capture:



Julia has that classic quality of beauty, and I especially love her "mica" and "pumpernickel" finish images:






A note to photographers, here. I got to use a Canon 5D Mark II for part of Julia's session, and the resolution was AMAZING!!! I rarely crop images, but had to test it out just for kicks... Even with a jpeg file, I was able to do a fairly drastic crop of the above image, and there was no visible loss in quality even at 11X14 and larger! Amazing:



When Julia scheduled her session, she said something about the idea of taking a picture of her with a tractor, and I was thinking, "Oh, fun! A little 'ol vintage tractor rusting into the ground out in a field somewhere..." Ha ha HA! This girl made the tomboy in me smile BIG when I saw that she was talking about THIS tractor (and several others of the same caliber), which she DRIVES. You're my hero, Julia:




We got to shoot right through sunset, which is my very favorite thing to get to do! I love how the sky echoes the colors in Julia's shirt:


Thanks so much for the privilege of doing your high school senior pictures, Julia!

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

Family: The P's (Part II) ... Corvallis Oregon Photographers

I can't even describe how fully I enjoyed my time with the P Family... What a privilege to spend a few hours in a place, and with a people, where there seems to be no distinction between friends and family, where the kids run freely through the fields one minute and hold baby chicks the next, where laughter and contentedness are the order of the day... Thank you, P Fam, for this precious glimpse into your truly, truly beautiful life:



Love the barn, love the red against blue, love Meg's expression... love it love it love it:






Glen is extremely photogenic, and unbelievably cooperative for four! Oh my MY:


Just look at Eva's eyelashes:




I love this candid moment. You know how we're always saying as parents that our kids grow too fast, and we just want to freeze time? Something about the wind blowing, and the way they just happened to line up from oldest to youngest... almost makes me feel like we really succeeded in freezing time:






I'll end with this image of big sis, Adi. (I know it's just a little ways away, Meg, but I claim dibs on doing her senior pictures... ;0) )


Thanks again, P Fam!!

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