A Celebration – fresh portrait photography in Portland, OR

We recently did a session with Jennifer, a lively woman who was never shy with a smile or a laugh. Her significant other booked a session with us as a surprise for her, as a sort of celebration of beauty. She’s currently undergoing chemotherapy, and she was very open about her story and her struggle, but she was full of life and energy throughout the entire session. It was a joy working with her, and we’re hoping for all the best for her.

Enko Photography – creative family and senior portrait photography serving Portland, Oregon

Portland fashion photography

We gave you a small taste of our men’s fashion photoshoot featuring mens’ designs by Adam Andreas, and it’s high time we showed you more! Here’s a couple more shots of his relaxed-and-groovy button-down shirt, and then some photos featuring a cool, slim pant and one of his uniquely ambitious jacket designs. We’re definitely looking forward to working with him again, and looking further into his creative perspective on men’s clothing!

Model: Kent (Q6)

Enko Photography – fashion, editorial, and commercial photography based in Portland, Oregon

Men’s Fashion Photography

Here’s a taste of a short session on Monday. We’d worked with Kent last fall on some athletic photos, and after sending in the runner image we previously featured here for an athletic casting, he booked the job! He’s since been booked for multiple fashion-related projects, including last fall’s Portland Fashion Week, so when he got in touch with us about shooting some men’s fashion images, we were more than happy to be of service.

We also took the opportunity to work with Adam Andreas, a menswear designer with a great personality and plenty of fresh, creative vision for men’s clothing. He was also one of the minds behind the recent PDX Collections runway show, where he also featured a range of new looks for Fall.

This shot is one of many, and it features one of Adam’s more “tame” looks. It wasn’t exactly tame for me, though: I completely covered the back of my sweater in dead grass while getting this shot, and it took a good while to pick it all out. As Ben likes to say, we must be having fun on a shoot, if we’re getting a little messy.  Anyhoo, we’ll be sharing more photos from this session soon, including a second look that shows off some of Adam’s excellent and inspired details.

Enko Photography – fashion, editorial, and commercial photography based in Portland, Oregon

Get more from your portrait session

Having your portrait taken can be an enjoyable and special event, but if you’re not used to being photographed, you might feel a little nervous out about your session. There’s no need to worry, though: when you choose a good professional photographer, it’s our job to make sure you look and feel great in your photos. But, with a little bit of planning, you can help make sure that you get the most out of your session.

Be fed, be relaxed, and BE RESTED. It’s in your best interest to be feeling energetic and in a good mood when you have a session with us. We want you to have fun during your session, and it’s no fun to pose for photos when you’re tired, stressed out, and your stomach’s growling!

Kids are even more sensitive to hunger and tiredness, so it’s even more important for family photos. Even if you’re willing to grin and bear a bit of discomfort, they might not be. If you’re including young children on your shoot, make sure to schedule around naps, and bring a quick snack just in case the shoot runs a bit longer than the kids are expecting.

Pick your perfect outfit. Start thinking about what you want to wear for your shoot before you get there. If you’re doing an individual session, it’s never a bad idea to bring a few different outfits, and shy away from heavy patterns or company logos. If you’re doing a group portrait, consider coordinating the styles or colors of your outfits with each other. If you’re doing a more dressed-up shoot, the right shoes and accessories can complete the look.

But, the most important thing is to wear something you feel good in! Choose clothes that you love, and that fit and flatter you, and you can’t go wrong.

Consider bringing a friend… as long as they’re the right one. We’re always open to having friends and family accompany you on individual portrait shoots. If having your best friend, boyfriend, or parent with you will help relax you and make the session more enjoyable for you, then don’t hesitate to ask them along for your session.

Before you do, though, consider the other side of the issue: is this person going to distract you during the session? Will you feel uncomfortable having your portrait taken while they’re watching? If you think having extra people around will make you nervous, stress you out, or constantly interrupt your session, it’s okay to ask them to step out of the shoot for a while. We have plenty of photobooks for them to flip through while they wait.

Don’t be shy about what you want! Everyone wants something a little different from their portrait shoot, be it funny, spontaneous, glamorous, or something else entirely. No matter what you’re looking for, if there’s something you specifically want from your portraits, tell your photographer. Different types of shots may require completely different approaches, and if we don’t know what you want, then you may not get it.

Also, don’t be afraid to suggest an idea, even if you think it’s “weird.” If you’re working with a good photographer who’s delivering a personalized experience, chances are they’ll be open to, and even excited about trying something different from the norm. We want you to go home happy at the end of the session, so speak up! We’re ready to listen.

Consider booking a makeup artist! Sometimes, if you’re having trouble getting relaxed, having a makeup artist on-hand can help you feel fabulous, and settle into being comfortable in front of the camera. It can be fun to feel pampered while your hair and makeup is worked on, and you don’t need to worry about looking overdone or costumey, either: quality, professional makeup artists like the ones we work with know exactly how to highlight you and keep you looking fresh, so your natural beauty can shine through.

Don’t worry, just HAVE FUN! Life isn’t perfect, and neither is a portrait shoot, so you are occasionally going to blink or make expressions that aren’t so flattering. BUT, we want you to feel the freedom to experiment, and there’s no need to stress about how the final photos will look! Remember that you’ll be able to choose the shots that you like best, and nobody’s going to see the “bloopers” if you don’t want them to. So, relax, have fun, and get creative… just let your energy come to life on camera, and we’ll capture something wonderful.

Enko Photography – event, portrait, and artistic photographers in Portland, Oregon

Punching it up with photo processing

Here’s a before/after from a recent session! Since we have a variety of clients, we play with a lot of different levels of processing and retouching, depending on the individual. For a portrait, we want you to see YOU in the photo, so we’ll clear up the occasional pimple, and mainly play with the color and style of the shot. As far as we’re concerned, Perfection in a Portrait is about capturing who you are, not making you look like a glossy magazine ad.

For commercial clients, however, it’s all about the product, and that often means more involved processing and corrections. For model portfolios, we like to land somewhere in-between. We never want to retouch someone to the point where they’re unrecognizable! But, most modelphotos involve at least some touch-up, so we’ll fix blemishes, stray hairs, and other distracting elements. Then, anyone looking through the model’s book will simply focus on her beauty and potential for a job!

And here’s the before:

Enko Photography – fashion, editorial, and commercial photography based in Portland, Oregon

Family portrait in the park

Here’s a peek at our session with Aundria and Sequoia. We met with them on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, at a Southeast Portland park, and they took some quick poses together, including a few shots with Sequoia dressed in her fairy dance recital costume. It was a quirky, smirky, and adorable shoot!

Enko Photography – event, portrait, and artistic photographers in Portland, Oregon

More bridals, and makeup!

Here’s another bridal session that, unfortunately, had us cooped up indoors while it poured rain outside. But, the mood was light in the studio, and Olivia was a quirky and fun bride with a great sense of humor.

This was also a great time to highlight the work of one of our Partners, makeup artist Sabrina Cayne. She’s done amazing commercial and fashion makeup for us before, and she also does truly lovely work for brides and bridal parties! Sabrina provided makeup and hair for Olivia’s shoot, and did a great job of bringing out her natural beauty and creating a regal look. She’s a wonderful artist, and we really can’t say enough about her!

Her brand-new professional web site will be launching soon, but until then, you can reach her through her MySpace page, or we can put you in touch with her. We know you’ll be happy to have her as part of your wedding team!

Enko Weddings – wedding, portrait, and artistic photographers in Portland, Oregon

Bridal Portraits: Jessica

Our session with Jessica was a two-part session: we started by shooting some lovely, softer close-ups in our studio, to capture a bit of elegance. Then, Jessica switched to an edgier up-do, and we moved out to the Broadway bridge, and got some great outdoor shots with the interest of an urban industrial backdrop. Jessica was a sweet and radiant bride, and we had plenty of passing cars honking in approval while we shot on the bridge. Sometimes, you can’t help but love this town!

Enko Weddings – wedding, portrait, and artistic photographers in Portland, Oregon

Another taste of bridal

Here’s a quick taste of our bridal session with Jessica. The weather forecast was dicey that day, but we got a nice surprise of bright sun in the afternoon, so after some in-studio close-ups, we took her out to the Broadway Bridge, and turned more than a few heads along the way!

Our bridal sessions can go in a lot of directions, so if pretty flowers and church windows aren’t quite your thing, we can take you to places that are a little grungier, quirkier, or simply more You. If you’re considering a beautiful bridal session, you can easily add it on to any of our wedding packages.

Enko Weddings – wedding, portrait, and artistic photographers in Portland, Oregon

bridal portrait session: the playful side

The second half of Aimee’s session was originally going to be a Trash The Dress session, where she’d be playing in the river water! But, despite the sunny conditions, the winds were blowing hard and freezing cold that afternoon, so we had to skip out on her diving into the water. But, she did dip her toes in and play around, so we still managed to trash the dress a little!

Enko Weddings – wedding, portrait, and artistic photographers in Portland, Oregon