All Good Things…

I couldn’t help but give a nod to my beloved Star Trek: The Next Generation, as I make this posting. It’s been decided for a while now, but now that we’re getting more situated, it seems a good time to clue y’all in: Enko Photography has officially closed its doors, and we’ll each be working independently as photographers.

Our past three years in Portland have been equal parts amazing and educational. We learned a lot–from our clients and from each other–about this business of photography. We learned more about what we wanted to do as photographers, and about who we were as people. Three years leaves a lot of room to explore and grow, and we each eventually came to realize that we want different things out of our work, and we want to be doing different types of work. So, with that in mind, we’re parting ways amicably. 🙂

Where can you find us?

Sarah will be working with Continuum Photography, and shooting independently as Linger Studios. Sarah is booking weddings, senior portraits, and family portraits with her new partners at Continuum Photography, and is also shooting select fashion, editorial, and musician/actor/performer promotional work under her Linger Studios label.

Ben will be shooting independently as PhotoBenjamin. He hopes to focus his work on fine art, glamour/boudoir, and advertising work, and potentially explore opportunities for travel photography.

We’d love your support, as we each go forward in our photography ventures. Thank you all for making our three-year run even more fun, interesting, and inspiring!

–Sarah

Work or Play?

Yeah, we know: we’ve been having good times out there doing our work, and there are plenty of blog posts that we should probably write about it… and we’ll certainly do that, before long. But with this pitch-perfect weather, who’s spending their spare moments thinking about work?

The weather has made for some great shooting, both on-the-job and off, so here’s a shot from the Oregon Coast, as a reminder to a moment on this pretty Monday, let your mind wanter off the job for just a minute, and savor what might be waiting for you just outside your window.

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

Snapshot: Musical Expression

Last week, we had the pleasure of trekking down to Eugene to document the happenings at the Oregon Leadership Network’s Spring Conference, and the lunch break had a particularly interesting surprise for us: a performance by Mariachi del Sol, a student mariachi band from nearby Springfield High School! Word is, the group came together after seeing and being inspired by the only other school mariachi group in Oregon (from Woodburn High School). After a lot of fundraising and practice time, Mariachi del Sol is getting to be well-known around the Eugene/Springfield community, and is spreading an infectious combo of music and Hispanic culture.

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

Headshots for Professionals

We were introduced to Shannon and Jason of LEA Management Services by our friends at SmashCut Studio, and they were in need of professional headshots for their business endeavors together. Jason and Shannon came in from Bend to work with us, and we put our photographic talents together with the styling prowess of the team at SmashCut, who put the perfect touches on Shannon’s hair and makeup.

After giving the two of them a quick and easy session in-studio, we’re all pretty thrilled with the final photos. We’re definitely looking forward to seeing where they go with them next!

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

NOW SEEKING Class of 2011 Senior Reps!

Class of 2011 Seniors: now’s your chance! We’re looking for a few warm-hearted, fun, and outgoing students to work with us as senior representatives for the coming school year. If that sounds like it might be you, keep reading!

How does it work?
We do your consultation and senior portrait shoot free of charge, so you’ll get excited about your photos before you even start repping. You’ll get a full session, and we’ll talk about any styles, ideas, or hobbies you want to bring in, to make the shoot your own. After the session, you’ll also receive a personalized proof book with a selection of your favorite images.

After your session, all you need to do is recommend us to your friends and classmates! Show off your proof book at school, share your favorite shots on your Facebook or MySpace, just get the word out, and we’ll take it from there. We’ll set you up with handouts and cards, so you can give them the details they need. Each Class of 2011 Senior who books with us will receive a bonus print credit because you sent them to us, and you’ll earn your choice of rewards, including prints, digital copies, albums, and more.

Sounds awesome! How do I get started?
Just contact us by phone or e-mail, and let us know what school you go to. If we have an opening for a new rep at your school, we’ll help you get the ball rolling.

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

Wedding Candid – portrait, event, and wedding photography in Portland, Oregon

I was just flipping through some wedding photos, and thought I’d share this one. Candid shots–from ANY type of shoot!–always seem to have a way of becoming sentimental favorites of mine, even if they don’t quite make it into the portfolio book.  But hey, sharing beloved shots that aren’t in the portfolio is part of what this blog is for, right?

Our bride Adejoke took a minute to pose with her brother and sister, when the wind picked up and blew her veil over his head… little brother apparently wasn’t too wild about the prospect of playing dress-up! 😉

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

Spring is here! (mostly) – portrait and artistic photography in Portland, OR

It’s been a busy few weeks! I’ve been on the road quite a bit, and since Ben’s not so much the blogging type of guy, my absence from the Internet usually means radio silence on the blog front. 😉 Anyhoo, here’s a taste of some of the things we’ve been up to:

Senior portraits in the snow…

Model portfolios with some avant-garde edge…

And, just in time for spring, some Spring/Summer fashions. (see more of these at www.alysonclair.com!)

And that’s not to mention the events we’ve had the pleasure of shooting, too! Hopefully, I’ll have time to share more in-depth looks at all we’ve been up to these past few weeks, but if not… we’re looking forward to what’s ahead, and we hope you’ll be part of it!

Also: potential Senior Reps for 2011, stay tuned! Details are coming soon!

Enko Photography – event and fashion photography in Portland and the Willamette Valley

Creative Group Portraits with Notesferatu – portrait and artistic photography in Portland, OR

If you’re a fan of music and games, then you’ve probably already heard about the phenomenon that is Rock Band! We certainly have–Sarah likes to hop between the mic and the guitar, while Ben prefers the drums–and we were jazzed to do a shoot for a small company that was inspired by the game. Notesferatu is a three-person team with extensive backgrounds in music and technology, and they’re bringing their skills together to help other musicians, by translating tracks into playable songs for release on Rock Band Network!

The theme was a dash of rock ‘n’ roll and a bit of steampunk, so the team dressed to the nines, and we brought in Sabrina Cayne to lend her artistry to Amy’s makeup. With the weather looking a little sketchy, we started off with some indoor shots, and then moved out to Cathedral Park  for some final group shots, to take advantage of the weathered stone and the structure of the arches. And, well, we couldn’t help throwing in a bit of fog, just for fun. Add a bit of vintage-y processing, and voila! Eye-catching promotional photos!

If you’re part of a company, a band, or any kind of group collective, we’re always up for getting more conceptual with promotional photos. Just ask us, and we can work with you to build a photoshoot package that fits.

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

Saturday: Sweet F.A. Fashion Show! – event and fashion photography in Portland, OR

Just popping in to let y’all know that tomorrow night is the Sweet F.A. Fashion Show! It’s been called “the best fashion show in Portland,” by more than a few, and this round of fashions should be awesome! The lineup includes some of our favorite clients and collaborators, like Alyson Clair, Carolyn Hart, and Adam Andreas, and we’ve gotten a peek at just a few of their new garments for spring and summer… they’re definitely not to be missed!

Doors open at 8pm, with the runway show at 9pm and dancing afterwards… we hope to see you at The Fez tomorrow night!

Enko Photography – event and fashion photography in Portland and the Willamette Valley

Getting fashionable with Spirit Hoods! – fashion, commercial, and product photography in Portland, OR

We kicked off our fashion shooting for 2010 on our first week back from vacation, when model and producer Jillian Rabe–one of our favorite PDX movers-and-shakers!–brought us in to work with a truly unique new product: Spirit Hoods! This fun and funky headgear brings together features of hoods, hats, and scarves, (check the cute pockets for your hands at the bottom!) and it definitely makes a statement while keeping you toasty through the last bit of winter.

We created these photos in the expansive shooting space at  SmashCut Studio in the Pearl, and really enjoyed working in the space. The shoot was a ton of fun–and really, how could it not be, with this as the product?–and the energy was off the charts! Spirit Hoods got such a great initial response that the product is already on backorder, but their web site is online, and they’ll be restocking and launching their online store really soon.

These are just a few of the shots from our session, made into promotional images for their web site.

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