Jeannine Pound Photography: Blog

Kjell - Class of '23 High School Grad :)

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Wed, 24 May 2023 20:11:56 GMT

My good friend Kim connected me with Kjell's family ~ Kim and I have so enjoyed making her daughter's portraits, one session at home on their farm, and the other at the waterfront in Seattle :) I received a phone call from Kim one afternoon - she was in a car with her good friend, Teri, and Teri's son, Kjell - Kim introduced us to each other above the cacophony of the road, and wow! we were on our way to making plans for senior portraits!!! Can I mention how I love meeting people via recommendations!! I so love all the people-connections :) I visited Kjell's home soon after, and we sketched out his many ideas came up with a plan for his super fun and personalized shoot!

I was so intrigued with Kjell's first idea - 1910s-style photographs with a model of the Titanic he had put together :)

We decided on his pea coat for an ocean-going look,

and found contemporary photos of the Titanic's owner, architect & captain to inspire us :)

Kjell's mum, Teri, is a hair designer, so Kjell's hair was 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 for his photo day!

Thank you to Jo James for assisting! Every shoot is even more fun (and easier for me!) with Jo :)

We made these photographs in Kjell's home, because our next scenario was on his home turf :)

And with his animals!

Let's call her Henny :) ~ Autumn ~

Kjell's whole family was present for this photoshoot ~

parents, sister, brother, nephews & nieces ~ and everybody joined in for family photographs,

we had a ball!

Our mutual friend, Kim, helped too!

The indoor pets were represented as well :)

I am so grateful for the adventures I get to enjoy alongside my clients, getting to know each family and making friends along the way.

I love bright new ideas and the dive I get to take with my people into their lives for an afternoon,

I'm grateful I get to experience the people & places & pets & activities that are special to each heart.

My prayer as I peruse these memories:

"Lord, bless this close-knit family!

Further encourage their close relationships with You and with each other

as Kjell leaves high school & experiences his next moves in life!

Amen" :)

Ashley - Eastlake High School Class of '23

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 21 May 2023 21:53:52 GMT

I have known Ashley since she was an itty bitty at Samantha Smith Elementary! I get nostalgic with these young adults ~ especially when I can still picture her as 4 feet tall! Ashley enjoyed Varsity diving for Eastlake High School this year, so even as we had hair and makeup happening earlier in the day, we knew we were going to splash all the work away into deep cold dives by the end of our Photography Session!! Going with the cool water theme, we started our photography at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah -

Thank you to Kelli Strok (makeup) and Gretchen Delusky (hair)!

Services provided one after the other at Ashley's home - so convenient!!

Ashley has a passion for her Band family!

She has played her euphonium with this group for nearly half her life!

Fantastic inspirational band teachers at Inglewood Middle School ~ like "Taps" and Mr. Tran ~ inspired students into a HUGE Band at the middle school, emphasizing the teamwork and "family" of band students.

Two years of COVID restrictions and at-home school were a challenge! Mr. Dahlberg was swept into his Band teacher role along with the beginnings of COVID, and managed the transition to Teams online studies(!) When the high school band were able to play in person again, he was a newbie to the longstanding Eastlake halftime show culture! AND unfortunately was out with COVID for 10 days just before Eastlake's first halftime show in years! It was an awesome opportunity for upper classmen who had played halftime shows in the past to provide leadership for the younger students!

Our marching band at our football games enjoys putting on a show, Ashley was section leader this year :)

Each year, the Eastlake Band holds at least one celebration at Beaver Lake Park ~

so this park on another lake was another obvious choice for a senior portrait location for Ashley :)

And like my Eastlake kid, Joy, it was important to Ashley to make portraits in her regular every day clothes

in addition to her dresses that she loves -

especially for her senior yearbook portrait :)

Her Big Hero 6 bomber jacket & fun concert T's or logos to the beat of her own drum - these are Ash's staples :)

Thank you so much to Ashley's mom, Annette, for helping on this day,

and Jo James for assisting ~ Jo, I love working with you!

Thank you to Fiona! for making us so welcome at your home on the lake for these diving & swimming photographs ~

as the diver ended her beautiful September day with a dip in Lake Sammamish :)

Thank you Suman Chakrabarti for welcoming me to borrow 2 of your Canon lenses, I love the fisheye effect on the photo that begins our "Session Movie" :)

Session Movie Session Movie

Ashley!!

I had so much fun with YOU!!

You are a fellow imaginator & whimsicality lover ~ and you also possess a precise brass-tacks logistical mind that will enable your dreams to come true :)

Congratulations & I hope you enjoy your graduation next month!!!

❤️

Zach - Class of '23!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Tue, 09 May 2023 21:11:54 GMT

Big Congratulations, Zach! Soon to be a graduate, Class of '23!!

This was our SUNRISE Senior Photography Session last summer!

I'm so grateful for your willingness to make this happen this early - we had the baseball field all to ourselves -

and the sunlight was gorgeous:

Zach's Dad, Dan, played catcher & fed me great input for fun baseball shots!!

Zach's mom, Elaine, likes to plan ahead :) I am so happy that she discovered my little photography biz

and booked Zach's session a year in advance :)

As last summer approached, we refined Zach's booking beautifully

into his busy summer work and baseball schedule.

My friend Jo assisted, making video clips (see Session Movie at end of post) and a variety of photography angles :)

We are thankful for Tiffany Blake for Zach's family's hair styling

and Kelli Strok Makeup for Elaine, because we made family portraits as part of Zach's session :)

Tiffany & Kelli both arrived at Zach's family's home before 6am!

We liked this old painted & rusty metal background, I think it is interesting & it matches Zach's eyes :)

This forest is a place Zach knows well.

The trails are a common terrain for his cross country team, and close enough to his own home that he runs here often.

I love combining a more casual look with a dressier look, so a sport jacket on the trails was perfect :)

Our Session Movie :)

Zach's family chose a Signature Album with a brushed metal cover image.

We used an artsy black and white on the cover :)

We made several drafts, customized for Zach.

The day that Zach's mom, Elaine, received her Signature Album, she texted me:

"Thanks again, Jeannine. The book is exceptional and exceeded our expectations!"

Zach and Family, thank you for trusting me with your Senior Portraits!! I'm thankful for you :)

Joy Melody - Eastlake High School senior 2023 - and my kid :)

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 21:16:20 GMT

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, quite hopeful and content, & a tad overwhelmed -

I've photographed so many so fun high school seniors over the years but - this girl is mine!!

My Joy will walk at graduation in 2 months! :) :) :)

Joy has assisted my photoshoots over many years, and it was just fun for me that she had been imagining ideas for her own senior portraits :)

We invited Kelli Strok, our makeup artist, and Gretchen Delusky for Joy's hair to our home the morning of our shoot,

and service at home was sooooo convenient & appreciated!

Joy envisioned her portraits in a field of tiny white flowers - and we were blessed with a verrrry looooong summer so we still had flowers in mid-October(!)

We were treated so well by Angela at Sweet Blissful Blooms in Fall City. Angela welcomed us to roam her fields and make our portraits. We bought bunches of flowers and had a BALL!

Cute video showing off this treasure of a flower farm is here: Sweet Blissful Blooms on YouTube.

Little white flowers! Asters :)

The jacket, the petite dress, so much fun...

Here's a secret ... there were only two rows of the tiny white asters left! They had been harvested, but the Lord provided - two rows was all we needed :)

And these lovely autumn standbys coming into bloom were just the colors for Joy's light carefree dress -

It was fun for our family that Joy used gifts or ideas from so many of us in her clothing choices -

It was a fun surprise for Grandma Janice & Grandpa Bill when they saw her photos and recognized her cross necklace.

Grandma Trish placed a few perfect stitches in Joy's dress to customize the fit so nicely :)

You'll see below the hat which was a souvenir from a special trip with Dad :)

And I enjoyed treasure hunting w/ my girl for pieces especially for this day!

The flower field was lovely - I felt like it could be the whole shoot and finished, but

on this day in Fall City it seemed that everywhere we looked was fun & picturesque -

and we wanted a couple more looks ;)

Over the river and through the woods -

Joy knew she wanted to use her cowboy hat -

She picked this up at a horseback ranch in Montana that she visited with her Dad, Tony, during a daddy-daughter vacation together when she was 16.

Serendipity is beautiful -

the summer had been smoky but all that mess in the sky made for a gorgeous orange sunset on this night!

The color in the sky went really nicely with the vibe of Joy's hat,

and then we noticed the dandelions in seed,

and these last portraits are some of my favorites :)

The album Joy chose is at home on its shelf in our living room:

(The framed photograph behind it was taken by my cousin, Amanda, when Joy was born!)

That's it except for a little video...

I'm just going to tear up now and swallow this lump in my throat -

I love this kid!!!

Marisa & Ben - RECEPTION!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 11:44:46 GMT

Ben & Marisa have just been pronounced Husband & Wife ~ see the previous blog post ~ & the party is just beginning! The newlyweds took a few private minutes to savor the moment and realize how their lives have changed. Then they made their Grand Entrance from the "cabin", beneath the lights...

... to open the beautiful feast catered by CG Public House of Kennewick and featuring a separate creation by cooks (& friends of the family) Greg & Gregg: their BRISKET was mmmm- savory amazing goodness :) a highlight of the meal :)

Games & activities were everywhere during Ben & Marisa's reception,

even a visit by miniature donkeys for the kids!

Plus "Mr. & Mrs." corn hole

& giant jenga ~

& guest collaboration painting a canvas of memories in brushstrokes for Ben & Marisa,

the Bridle Bar serving up custom lemonades & a Mac & Jack's on tap & a fun lavender cider

Guests & Family at Ben & Marisa's reception, download your photographs here!

The white tent was beautiful with seating for all

Party favor place cards were created by Marisa's Mum, Lauren: homemade jellies with various (sometimes personalized) levels of spicy hot peppers :)

The exquisite rustic chic cake by Kerri's Cakes

Toasts & Speeches! Ben's Best Man, Gavin:

Marisa's sisters & Maids of Honor, Kara & Julia, introduced new lyrics to a classic Italian love song...

Dr. Wickerath & Dr. Titus -inspired lyrics

but were... corrected / interrupted... mid-song...

by a classicist -

You MUST watch THIS,

I was dying, I loved this interruption...

(THANK YOU so much Dave Davidson for contributing this phone-video!)

Video Clip 4 TY Dave Davidson Wickerath Sibs at Reception

This family!

Bud & Jim each toasty-roasted their kids!!

And Popi took his turn!

& Marisa thanked Eduardo for all of his help with all the wedding prep:

I loved the roses & birch round for the simply delicious cake & cupcakes by Kerri's Cakes

And as the sun began to set,

Ben & Marisa moved to their outdoor dance floor :)

Floor installation & string lights & white tent & tables, etc., were all set up solidly by Bear Event Services.

Our Entertainment Plus Disc Jockey was ON IT with the sound & music throughout.

I am so looking forward to video from videographer AWolfey Productions, but meanwhile, our first dance from my perspective:

Father Daughter time?

Sedate & Classic?

Let's get this party started!

Mother & Son dance - it is rumored that Bernadetta found this layered perfection dress at Nordstrom :) Love how it flows!

And with that, our guests are called to action :)

Let the night begin!

Dance Off!

Hmmmmm..... which guests will tie the knot next????

Let's find out -

We dance :)

Eventually, everyone moved closer to the music :)

Under the tent:

Thank you to my dance partner & 2nd photographer on this night, Jean Nissen (ne'e Webster, a newlywed herself!) who kept me dancing instead of only photographing & reminded me to eat and drink and did not allow a single piece of equipment to be left behind! You were awesome!

True to Tradition,

Ben & Marisa are not going to have a grand send-off and leave the party ~

they are going to dance until the night is through ~

I am SO HAPPY for B&M!!!

And their families :)
My heart is still so full from just participating in this day ~

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I'm looking forward to completing their wedding album :) :) :)

Guests & Family, be sure to find & download your photographs here :)

Goodnight All!

Marisa & Ben ~ WEDDING in Cascade Mountain Air

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 03 Jul 2022 03:28:00 GMT

This family is a joy to just "be" with ~ I feel so blessed to be welcomed into the midst of them all !

Today I am describing July 2, 2022 ~ the wedding celebration of

Ben & Marisa :)

A bonus of this occasion for me was the presence & assistance of my Adventure Buddy & 2nd Photographer, Jean :)

Jean & I had access to Ben's groom's quarters in Roslyn, mid-morning on the wedding day - after we found it - I admit, I committed a city girl faux pas - eyes on Waze - or it was more likely Apple Maps because... we may be the first photographers to detour down a tiny little cart path in our search for this stylin' Groom's House! Found it! after a 12-point-U-turn :) This was the home of Ben's father's friend, Walker. It is a quintessential groom's house, this place is cool...

All the boys were there, having breakfast and telling Ben-stories :)

Yep, golf is on TV and just below the wall of glass overlooking a pretty tee and long fairway dropping away for a view of rolling Cascade foothills, at Sun Country Golf Course :)

Jean & I were fortunate enough to be present for the popping of the celebratory champagne :)

... and in a quieter moment, Ben wrote a note ...

Meanwhile,

the girls' house was as full as could be of action & makeup in mirrors & silky floral robes & flowers galore...

This is Marisa's family "cabin" in Cle Elum.

This is the place with the view of the Stuart Range across the pastures, the place where she grew up riding her horses, the place where she hosted a group of fellow University students for a getaway from the strain of medical school and that is when this became the place where she fell in love with Ben :)

I believe that Marisa's sisters joked that M had long known she wanted to be married at this place, and then needed to find the perfect man :)

Check!

Friends & family set tables beneath the white tent in the pasture, and delivered bouquets by Simplified Celebrations: layers upon layers of petals & sage green leaves:

Inside the home, with all the pattering of bare feet up & down stairs and sharing of mirrors & hugs, Marisa gave gifts apropos to this place & time ~

silver handmade bracelets from Stampede Jewelry by the Sisters in Suede :)

Mimosa refreshers with champagne identical to the boys’ :

& after Makeup with Kelli Strok, & during hair with Esther, & before trading her robe for her wedding dress,

Marisa read her note written from Ben ~

& then she was ready

This occasion, this commitment before loving friends & family, has been delayed & anticipated ~

Ben & Marisa's engagement photography sessions were in the summer of 2020.

Marisa was not able to have her grandmothers physically present during her in-store wedding dress shopping, but she brought them with her virtually :)

& then, fittingly, she had found the dress she was excited for via the 2020-way, online shopping :)

... Delicate lace train & buttons forever.

Ben & Marisa will be together always ~ so a small delay of just over one year from 2021-2022 to allow COVID prevention measures to take effect ~ what's one year in the grand scheme? Because of the delay, instead of being married as "baby docs" - newbie MDs - following their UW graduation, now they each have one year of full credentials lined up after their last names, they have now been

Dr. Titus & Dr. Wickerath, living & working in Denver, CO for over a year ~

So the "First Look" ~ the surprise factor at the beginning of this day ~ was very special for them. Marisa had managed to keep her dress a secret from her Ben, and it still fits her like a glove.

Ben's pale green bow tie & grey suit were splendid with the colors of the desert green succulents in the bouquets, and the bright pastel grass of the fields & spring sagebrush ~ there was an excessive amount of rain on the Cascades this Spring!

Ben left for the wildflower lupine field first...

And closed his eyes.

Family "Formals" were made with Ben & Marisa's wedding arch, a ranch style arch showcasing the mountains beyond with eucalyptus leaves:

Fun boots with flowing fabrics :)

This is when the heavy clouds began to roll in ~ and the wind to blow ~

and guests arrived & were seated ~ and the string trio began to play fun songs :)

On the strings are Marisa's godparents & their son, the family:

Carrie Rehkopf Michel on violin

John Michel on cello

Bryan Michel on violin

Pastor Dennis Hickman took his place and our families & bridal party entered :)

The wind arrived & played with dress fabrics throughout the ceremony :)

THANK YOU so much to the Wickerath & Titus family friends who contributed this phone-video clip of

Ben & Bernadetta & Bud walking the aisle to the Michel family's arrangement of "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles:

Video Clip 2 TY contributor - Ben walking aisle - Here Comes the Sun

& TY to the person who gave the Mother of the Bride this phone-clip of Austin walking his mum Lauren:

Thank you SO MUCH to both: Dave Davidson for this first phone-video clip, and our Italian family friends for the 2nd clip

of Marisa & Jim as they walk toward Ben who is waiting for them at the Arch

as the Michel family plays their arrangement of Elvis' "I Can't Help Falling in Love":

Video Clip 5 TY Dave Davidson Marisa walking aisle and blowing kiss Video Clip 3 TY Italians - Marisa walking aisle - i cant help falling in love

Marriage certificate is being signed

& we are officially...

Husband & Wife

Ben & Marisa are grabbing a few private moments before making their

Grand Entrance at their RECEPTION!

Next post!

Family & Guests of Ben & Marisa, please find and download photos here!

Celebrating THIS couple ~ Marisa & Ben

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 19:33:10 GMT

Today I am contentedly diving into memories of this beautiful engagement session for...

Marisa & Ben

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8 days from today - we will be celebrating with them as they tie the knot in Cle Elum, WA...

The memories shared today are actually from 2 years ago, the Spring of 2020.

I'm so looking forward to being with them again next week!!

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I'm starting from the end of our day ^ back in late June 2020 ~ We hiked the Saddle Rock trail to be there at sunset. This trail was new to me and gorgeous. The views overlook all of Wenatchee. The mountain is always there above the city. All the colors were pinks and deep red-browns. The trail was steep and worth it.

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Ben & Marisa met at the meet & greet for the UW medical school student body... each on the verge of the exciting and grueling world of medical school - I'm sure the occasion was celebratory - each student had been accepted to begin this new chapter in life - and I'm guessing there were nerves as well - hopes & dreams while trying to push away fears?

They had been acquaintances / friends within this larger group of med students ~ their impressions of each other increasingly positive ~

(LMK, M&B if we need edits to your story!)

And it was during a group trip to Marisa's family cabin / home in Cle Elum

that Marisa fell for Ben head over heels all-in :)

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Next weekend, July 2, 2022 ~ their WEDDING ~ will be at this same family home where they fell for each other :)

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Ben was a city kid growing up, and he fell in love with a rodeo princess -

he's been learning horses ever since!

I remember at Marisa's sister's wedding reception -

Marisa & youngest sis Julia stood up in their bridesmaids' dresses & cowboy boots with their microphones in front of the entire banquet tent & teased their new brother-in-law Eddie about how THE test he had needed to pass was whether he would like horses ~ or maybe whether the horses would like him?? ~ and Eddy had passed the Wickerath test with flying colors ~

Ben is right there on that road!! I think he's passing the test!

He only had a minor issue during this particular photography day ~

It seemed that our palomino, Louie, was a little...

jealous?

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I think Louie wanted to prove something to Ben -

and thus was created

one of my most favorite photos of all time -

because there is so much to love in this image!

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But Louie forgave Ben for smooching Marisa,

with a kiss for him as well:

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Test passed!

Yahoooo!

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I think I laughed at that series just as much writing this today as when it happened ^

When I received Ben & Marisa's original Save the Date card in the mail,

and I slipped the card from the envelope...

my breath was taken away...

[insert photo of save-the-date when I find my copy!]

We had permission to use a beautiful apple & cherry orchard...

It overlooked the Columbia River.

The sun was behind them...

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and I am SO LOOKING FORWARD to photographing these two more next weekend ~

with their families & friends ~

Ben & Marisa delayed their wedding in order to celebrate as a group without so many covid concerns -

I'm so glad -

SO MUCH has happened between then and now!

Cheers, all!! Until next weekend!

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Alex - Eagle Scout & Lake Washington HS Graduate!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 12:32:08 GMT

I am so grateful to my past clients & friends who recommend my little biz online or over coffees with acquaintances ~ this is how I meet such fun people who I may not have opportunity to photograph otherwise, including Alex!
My first meeting with Alex was still prime COVID time, so we met in his backyard living area, with the toasty fireplace & covered deck, with beautiful greenery all around ~ which suits him!

12 - Alex - Jeannine Pound Photography

A lot of the words & thoughts that came up during our Planning Session were things like: rustic wood, metal structure, patina, boulders, bridges, river, rapids, forest, old growth, alpine, lichen, granite… polaski axe!

094 - Alex - Jeannine Pound Photography We settled on 3 locations we could use for variety within our 3 hour Photography Session. The weather was rather stormy in early November, so I was grateful for the block of several days we had reserved to be sure this could happen without TOO much precipitation (!)

We started with his haircut at Gene Juarez in Redmond:

& then to the 100 year old hop shed in Fall City for our rustic authentic solid timbers:

& then the boulders & dense forest of the Snoqualmie River :)

10 - Alex - Jeannine Pound Photography

Sometimes you find a clothing brand that fits your personal style perfectly. Most of Alex’s favorite outfits for his senior portraits are

Faherty brand. Casual & easy. :)

Fun fact about Alex's family: they own a guitar collection - some interesting pieces too! Fun with this one:

07 - Alex - Jeannine Pound Photography

067 - Alex - Jeannine Pound Photography Alex's family enjoy each other and I loved the stories and the teasing between them. I enjoyed learning about Alex's Service Project in a local park & earning his Eagle Scout Rank. The camaraderie between him & his Dad was obvious and the love of the outdoors is strong in both of them. Alex's Mum is fun-loving and determined and she has the devotion of her boys & husband; they have a loyal & fun dynamic ~ so much fun to witness.

CONGRATS on your Class of '22 graduation, Alex & !!!!!

Slideshow movie:

Alex_-_Class_of_21_Instagram_version Alex_-_Class_of_21_Instagram_version

Grace in Seattle - Class of '22

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 16:34:51 GMT

I do enjoy escapades in the city - this time, Grace toured Pike Place Market & the waterfront with me. She had affection for the area because she had recently played the tourist there with her boyfriend :) And we also discovered picturesque corners that neither of us had tried before.

We started our afternoon at the small North Seattle studio of Hannah Bush, owner of Urbanista Weddings :)

Usually, I like to make our hair & makeup fun photographs in black & white, to block out any color distractions...

but Hannah and her studio are color cohesive & pretty, peaceful & beautiful just the way they are!

And into the city :)

The entrances for the Pike Place Market Parking structure are on Western Avenue.

The shops along Western Avenue have made this road quirky fun with bright colors ~ a perfect place to start!

The old brick walls lining Post Alley are favorites of mine!

So great to support the Pike Place Market vendors!

Local Color :)

I'd like to go back to the Hillclimb stairs between Pike Place & Western to photograph each of

artist Dan Webb's lamp holders who light the way...

he modeled them after friends of his, and they are each in plain sight but you need to have open eyes to spot them all :)

Grace is off to Whitworth University in the Fall!

She has already completed a couple years of general requirement courses during her Running Start at Cascadia College ~

and while there, she enjoyed sparking and planning social occasions for that student body ~

I'm sure Whitworth will be blessed by her imagination & project management skills in similar ways!!

I'm impressed by you, Grace :)

Grace's mum, Kim, was part of a women's bible study I was part of for several years post-college, in Seattle,

during those very formative parts of our lives when we were seeking the Lord intently during many big life decisions.

I can't tell you how the Lord strengthened me, and blessed me including with these friends for life, these witnesses of my journey :)

I was thrilled to reconnect with Kim one year ago and make portraits of Grace at 17.

That adventure story is here.

Session Movie for Grace's Senior Portraits:

Congratulations, Grace, on finishing & beginning :)

❤️ Grace_-_Pike_Place_in_Seattle_-_Class_of_22

Justin Class of '22!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Tue, 31 May 2022 00:27:23 GMT

Sooooo much fun for me... I met Justin when he was in 4th grade and he was so cute,

and it was Veteran's Day & yes, Justin, I'm doing this:

click here 🇺🇸 for that Veteran's Day family photo shoot when Justin was 9 :)

26 Playing together
🇺🇸

Justin is looking forward to a career in the American Military :)

But for this photoshoot we started a little bit cowboy :)

And you really should have heard the encouragement whoops from drivers on the nearby highway going through North Bend / Snoqualmie, this was so fun!!!

Justin is awesomely responsible with a firearm,

I felt completely safe with him :)

I was the only one shooting ;)

This Winchester is from 1896!

Justin's desire is to join SFOD-D

Special Forces Operation Detachment Delta

🇺🇸

making his way up to be a sniper team leader.

Face your enemy.
Live with courage, honor, commitment & faith.
~ “The Way Forward” ~

Color or Black & White? I can't decide!

I am quite fortunate in that we still have 1/2 of our shoot with Justin to go -

I think a guitar may be in order ;)

Happy Memorial Day

Thank you to current and future U.S. military!!!

Thank you in advance, Justin, for your future service :)

Alexis & Sunshine! ~ Class of '22!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 29 May 2022 22:14:57 GMT

Oh such joy for me to photograph Alexis :)

Her sparkling dark eyes &

her spontaneous mind searching out fun spots & angles with me :)

Alexis_-_Emerald_Ridge_Class_of_22 Alexis_-_Emerald_Ridge_Class_of_22

We were fitting in our photography session between dramatic bouts of rain &

Lexi's busy high school BASKETBALL season!!

Thank you to Blushing by Jen on makeup and Lori's Lovely Beauty on hair, who both came to Lexi's HOME:

& thank you to Kris, Lexi's mum, for corralling Cooper in the back yard & standing over my shoulder to get Coop to smile :)

We used locations between home & city hall & we found fun surprises along the way

like these gorgeous fall leaves :)

and the neighborhood basketball court worked well for us!

The sun is especially welcome when it pops out during a rainy week!

Sunshine!

Lexi is the daughter of my high school friend / college roommate, Kris.

Kris has always been so faithful to me! She has always seen the good in me & loved me & encouraged me to be strong & to be confident & to be kind, even when I was going through years where I was quite selfish and nearly-narcissistic & not the best me. She saw ugly sides and still loved me. We have seen each other through :) We both really came to know God / solidified our trust in God around the same time :) Kris is more than just a longtime friend, she's my solid & prayerful friend, and she is so much fun :)

I see so many of the best of Kris' qualities shining in this beautiful soul, her daughter, Alexis!

What a thrill for me to make senior portraits with Lexi!

Lexi,

Congratulations!!!

Class of '22!!!

Jillian! & gardens ~ Class of '22!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sat, 21 May 2022 01:24:39 GMT

I think it is impossible to not smile when seeing

Jillian's smile ~

let your brain get happy & smile back :) :) :)

I believe I met Jillian when she was... two :)

so so so much fun to see you now & remember you then!!

The images in our minds' eyes for these portraits (and in our Pinterest picks) were floral ~

disregarding spring showers,

we went for it :) at Bellevue Botanical Garden ~

Thank you to Carsen at Gene Juarez Redmond for Jillian's hair today ~ and

thank you to Kelli Skok Makeup Artist, for providing Jillian's very natural fresh look :)

Jillian's mum helped throughout, Tiffany is used to doing this with me, this was our ~ I dunno ~ seventh time? between family and headshots and a sweet sixteen and senior portraits? See a handful of our past adventures here...

one older sis whose portraits Jillian loved...

another older sis who led the way for her family...

as my model at a horse farm...

and my first sweet sixteen shoot...

I think Jillian was definitely prepared!!

Engaging bright eyes :)

Little previews of Jillian's Album & Grad Cards :)

Jillian, I am so thankful to have spent this time making these portraits with you!!

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation!

My prayer for you from Mark 12:30, that you may always

love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength

and from Numbers 6:24-26 may the Lord make his face to shine upon you & be gracious to you,

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace

xoxo

James - Gamer! & Eastlake Class of '22!!!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 22:34:00 GMT

Planning / brainstorming sessions are ALWAYS so fun for me ~ when I ask "What do you like to do? Where do you like to go? What makes you smile??" ~ that is when I get to dive into my client's world and hang out there, learning about it all through my clients' personal "lens". Then we get to make up where our photoshoot will happen. James chose FOREST :)

We came to our location decision in a roundabout way; one of James' favorite games online is called Dota 2 & sports lush greenscapes interspersed with blackened destruction and all kinds of rocky mountainous terrain. We brainstormed public forests with awe-inspiring large old growth, and decided on a location that is also close to a beach and downtown Seattle... Discovery Park has it all!

Now, what would be a way to tie online gaming into portraits in our forest scene?

Then this happened!!

James' online buds, his Team, had this honorary T-shirt made for James ~ and he received it in advance of our shoot, it was perfection :)

The T celebrates their team's 1st place finish in a Dota 2 tournament that happened in August 2021, with an Illegal logo & "CHAMPIONS" squarely on the back:

and their team name, Illegal, with logo on the front (above), and James' gamertag thesmallnut written down one sleeve:

And can I even tell you how fun it was to me when James brought his Toothless slippers to be included in our senior portraits???!!? Awwwwww I love How to Train Your Dragon!!

Hi Toothless!

Next up: the car as the sun sinks in Discovery Park :) There seems to be extra gleam off these surfaces this evening :)

In our next scene we included beloved family pup, Bella ~ but she nearly stole your show, James!! What better than beach fun for a sweet pup?

My daughter, Sasha, was helping with pups (Bella and our Hana) and as the sun set on this rather COLD Autumn evening, she had her heaven by caring for both dogs in a nice cozy car while James' mum, Juliette, took over "photography assistant" duties as we ventured into the streets of Seattle. Here we found beautifully crunchy brick walls near Pioneer Square that I thought worked well with the jersey for James' rugby team, the Eastside Lions.

Fun fact: James has his roots in South Africa. His family's lyrical accents are fun to experience (yes, James, probably from growing up with your parents you still have a tiny bit of a proper sounding accent, it's great!!). And the South Africa flag has great colors for this same environment :)

I reallllly love to have a segment of our photoshoots reserved to dress "as dressy as you go" and THIS was SO MUCH FUN for me, atop the Butler Garage in Pioneer Square:

Thank you for viewing!

And thank you, Gene Juarez Salon in Redmond for James' hair :)

Our finalè today is a short video montage, our Session Movie :)

James!

I'm grateful to have spent the afternoon with you on that fine day :)

I'll be praying for your life and future every time I see your fun portraits!

Which I think will be often, as they scroll across my website!

I'm glad I was able to dive into your world for this day!! Thank you!

~ Jeannine

Faith ~ Class of ‘22

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Making our Senior Portraits during Covid is… a little sad for me. Architecturally beautiful public indoor locations are not available for portraits showing noses and mouths ~ so we applied a little imagination & I love our results!! Faith dressed the part ~ elegance and beauty personalized with her own fun & outrageous details!! ~ then she wrapped sheer black tulle over her “cloth face covering” to beautify her mask for the occasion ~ see below …

This is not a political statement ~ it is simply a fact of our times:

We cover up hundreds of expressive facial muscles that are meant to communicate intent. By now we have all spent time with classmates, co-workers or friends without ever seeing their noses and mouths ~ our minds make up a story about what that person’s face looks like, and what expressions accompany that voice, then we interpret words based on our guesses. Sometimes we laugh with delight when we see each other outdoors sans masks; a little disoriented when a face and smile are not at all what we had imagined. The last two years of Faith’s high school career have taken place behind masks. Maybe some of us welcome the ability to hide, but I think it feels so good when others are interested in seeing the person behind the mask :)

Autumn gave us a riot of fun color for backgrounds:

The University of Washington campus looks nearly fairytale at times.

And sometimes positively Harry Potter-ish

Seattle has a crown - a CORONET of a park,

filled with such a variety of very individual gems -

Discovery Park on Magnolia Hill

and let's call its rocky windswept beach with the flashing lighthouse a bright gem flashing in golden sunlight:)

This was the part Faith looked forward to THE MOST :)

Faith's hair was styled at the Gene Juarez Salon at University Village.

I found such joy while getting to know Faith a little bit during this afternoon. She reminds me of a very good book, the kind that has plenty of laughs and even tears and lots of surprises, the kind of story that continues to delight & fascinate over a lifetime. Even though I've only seen a couple pages from the middle of this story, I can just tell already :)

I'm grateful to all who passed along the recommendation of my little portrait biz to Faith's family, we were a great fit!

Faith_-_Eastlake_High_School_Class_of_22

Daniel at Pioneer Square & Queen Anne

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 23:17:17 GMT

Field Trip! Daniel took us into Seattle, from Kerry Park to Pioneer Square ~

We started at Gene Juarez in Redmond, for hair touch up with Design Specialist Michael M:

Then caravanned to Seattle's Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill:

Then the Sinking Ship Parking Garage in Pioneer Square, at the foot of the Smith Tower

I enjoyed photographing Daniel with his very customized MINI Cooper, sooo photogenic.

The car has a lot of Brit accents as befits the kid who is headed to England for college post-graduation, and is a huge Liverpool soccer fan (jersey at top, and the red version below!) as well as a world traveler who enjoys meeting people and sinking into culture wherever he goes. Familiar Liverpool FC red:

And on to explore. Pioneer Square has buildings that have survived a lot of changes, the structural brick has character, is crumbly, and is interesting to the eye. I liked the texture and details to Daniel's' Timberland jacket in this area as the sun was sinking:

My daughter, Sasha, joined us to make little video clips and help carry "stuff" and that was fun for me. We inserted a handful of her clips into a slideshow of Daniel's favorite portraits here:

Daniel - Class of 22 - full length Daniel - Class of 22 - full length

At a different time, we also met for some local color and portraits with Scouse, Daniel's pup :)

I am thankful to have been able to make senior portraits for Daniel & his family!!

It was crazy being in Seattle again for the first time in a long while during this COVID era!
So much is happening with the viaduct down and the view opened up.

I enjoyed a tiny taste of a former tradition of mine when we stopped by Dick’s after dark, just prior to Daniel heading out to a movie with friends ~ Sasha and I contentedly savored hot food on our drive home, after the chilly October weather… good times 😊

Zoe - let's play !

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 21:54:04 GMT

Zoe already had a host of FUN straight-face awesome UNEXPECTED images posted on her Instagram, so I could SEE how she likes to play, with images & attitudes & expressions & clothes & IMAGINATION ~ Zoe is all about being playful :)

At the beginning of our afternoon...

we met with Corey T at the Gene Juarez Salon & Spa in Redmond.

From there, Zoe & Mom Brenda drove the

Zombie Outbreak Response Vehicle

(more on this below)

to Snoqualmie Falls Park, the lower parking lot. There is a gorgeous boardwalk stretching from this lot to the incredible Snoqualmie Falls - but THAT incredible area is well protected against trampling photographers and fun-loving river play, and we were more interested in being IN the river than simply admiring the view, so we used the downstream boulder field where that churning snowmelt rushes through, post-Falls :)

Outfit #2, the gown! This swirling dress was purchased with the sole PURPOSE to be photographed in this shoot, even if it was destroyed in the process (Zoe is a very good shopper!) so we were free to twirl and swirl & climb and cavort ~

Oh my goodness!

I was in photographer heaven!!

unpredictable pixie?

daring princess?

or... Wife of MacBeth??

Which dramatic role would Zoe choose?

There are mischievous depths to those brown eyes!!

Next stop, next outfit :)

Monochromatic?

Ivy of SnoFalls Lavender Farm has a Zoe-sized yellow rose TREE adjacent to her home.

We were welcomed to photograph with the yellow as well as with the lavender, and we purchased yellow roses to bring to the river :)

Jenny & Ivy Cheung's small business is the you-pick SnoFalls Lavender Farm in Fall City :)

I have been so blessed to photograph here in the past as well (click here to see)!

Zoe's summery yellow frock was whimsically ideal!!

And now, "golden hour" is available for reservation :)

Literally: Brilliant!

The sun is sinking - darkness is creeping along the path -

This moment brings us to...

The Zombie Outbreak Response Team:

Zoe's commitment to her cause is emblazoned like pure truth across hood, door & rear of her jeep (black as the witching hour) ~

People. Zombies are out there.

Someone needs to step up and - just - Thank You, Lord, for Zoe. And for her mother. And for her grandmother.

But don't think that the enemy takes this -

lying down...

The ghouls get revenge through haunting Zoe's property each year... on October weekends... Please use caution... the links are... screamingly hair-raising:

Haunt of the Woods

Haunt of the Woods - Scare Edition

^ See Zoe unfortunately zombified at 8:05

NEXT!

DEFENSE is in her BLOOD on the field as well as in the woods: Next we paid honor to Zoe's love of playing GOALIE!
Keeper Zoe :)

And below is Zoe's mum's favorite of all our portraits:

Zoe laughing :) With skeleton goalie gloves. Seems entirely appropriate!

Then, our finalé portrait!

In the gentle eddies of the Snoqualmie River at Fall City

In the periwinkle Ball Gown

w/ a smattering of falling rose petals ~ (thank you, props-person, Zoe's Mum Brenda!)

I had a blast with Zoe, pure jolly good fun ~

I FEAR a wickedly good time at her haunted property this year ~

and I am so grateful to the Lord for the clients He has blessed me with ~

THANK YOU :)

Vinny - So Long, Sammamish

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 01:04:31 GMT

Grad & Gone!

Vinny graduated from Skyline High School in June ~

so he is now grad & gone & immersed in his real-life-brick-and-mortar-sunshine-and-classrooms

college experience at Claremont McKenna College in SoCal :)

But this was our time,

just before his high school graduation in June...

130 - Kakani Outtakes 2021 135 - Kakani Outtakes 2021

We began the (very early) morning with expert barber, Alex Ishmatov. Alex is on Instagram, @alex.ishmatov :)

Then we toured Sammamish for our photos ~

Vineeth was preparing to say goodbye - he wanted photos in his hometown,

nostalgia before leaving the lush PNW for the sun & city in California ~

We started at Pine Lake Park :)

055 - Vineeth 2021

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Where we were joined by Sarath for Brother portraits :)

112 - Kakani Outtakes 2021 114 - Kakani Outtakes 2021 115 - Kakani Outtakes 2021 114 - Kakani Outtakes 2021
Vinny's parents & I had brainstormed ahead of time, sharing ideas that we would particularly like to try.

Instagram and Pinterest are beautiful sources for photo inspiration... it is amazing to absorb the beautiful ideas worldwide. Sudha had seen a portrait posted by @khalidalameri on Instagram, black & white profiles of his family, and he posted how he loves that portrait. And Sudha and I loved it. So we were inspired to make one with Sudha and her boys, too :)

I also love the walking photos that are much more candid, and Kalyan really likes that idea as well, so we went for this idea, below, as we continued our Sammamish tour at the City Hall area, just across the street from Skyline High School:

I particularly wanted black and white athletic portraits of Vinny.

He will throw discus for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Track & Field.

016 - Vineeth 2021

018 - Vineeth 2021 019 - Vineeth 2021

002 - Vineeth 2021

001 - Vineeth 2021

Thank you for trusting me, Vinny!

These are so fun!

036 - Vineeth 2021 037 - Vineeth 2021

It was Vinny's idea to include his car... resulting in some of MY favorites of our session:

044 - Vineeth 2021 Thank you, Vinny & family, for allowing me into that little slice of your lives!

Vinny, I am so excited for your adventures at college WITH your big brother, and the Track & Field team, at Claremont McKenna!!

I soooo feel for your parents being empty-nesters!! 😭

It's all good 🥲

Little slideshow video :)

Slideshow Video - Vineeth Slideshow Video - Vineeth

111 - Kakani Outtakes 2021

Alaina's Road Trip to Sunflower Fields!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:48:22 GMT

Alaina! Senior at Skyline High School, Class of 2022! We came up with a vision... forests, rivers, and sunflower fields... so we took a little road trip :)

(Just a note: this portrait session was during a magical time: we were post-vaccinations and pre-D-variant...thus.. we rode together!)

Pre-session: Salon 074 in Sammamish for a quick blow-dry for sleek & smooth hair, with Stefany :)

1st leg of our Road Trip: Fall City:

Oh, would that I had a daughter with pink hair! ~ my dream since each of my 3 were born!

As I wait for that momentous hair day, I thoroughly enjoyed photographing you, Alaina!

One thing I love about portrait photography - we get to PLAY!

I just think "play" brings joy, contentedness, and peace.

Cardio exercise, agility, stretching and strength training all keep our bodies happy & healthy.

I think creative-physical play - like learning a new dance, or playing charades, or performing a photography session scenario, does the same for our minds.

We may start with something "normal" for us, and then "imaginate" to take off on any different trajectory, in a safe environment. And in "play", your finish line is in your control...

Alaina's mum, Jeannine, joined our car in Fall City.

Next Stop: Top o' the Pass

with one Alaina & two Jeannines :)

To Kittitas

Bliss is a babbling brook!

Yes, Alaina chose a forest scene with a river because - beautiful! and so PNW -

& we had a second reason - a forest green theme seemed perfect for...

our Girl Scout cookies scenario!

Alaina just doesn't brag,

she doesn't announce her accomplishments with blinking lights,

she doesn't shout about her winnings from the rooftops,

but

she is a WA State record holder!!

This young woman has SOLD

more Girl Scout Cookies than any other,

year after year after year... yummmm!!!

Ok, I ❤️❤️❤️ the semi-serious shots where my client's eyes are windows to her soul (farther above),

and the laughing mischievous shots transitioning to pure out-and-out crack-up moments :)

3rd Leg of our Road Trip:

To Kittitas

I like for my clients to choose some favorites from the Pinterest board I curate for my own inspiration, to help get ideas rolling for their own session. One of Alaina's favorites was my niece, Taylor, in the sunflower field that her Daddy planted & raised specifically for Taylor's senior portraits :) Acres upon acres upon acres of gorgeous healthy sunflowers :) Taylor's senior portrait session is here.

🌻 Thankfully, Brent & Kirsten have continued to grow sunflowers! 🌻

The 3rd stop of our Road Trip was at Taylor's family's home, in Kittitas.

The talented hair artist who created Taylor's curls,

Kristen Hoffmann

blessed us by meeting us at our venue, armed to curl :)

I feel so incredibly blessed that Taylor just happened to be HOME from college & from summer counselor work, on the very day that Alaina & Jeannine & I arrived to make sunflower portraits. Taylor was way excited to join us as official assistant and make more sunflower magic :)

Taylor, the Ellensburg Local, took us to the local photography background spots :)

Graffiti wall, ever changing art

a party dress :)

& fun with backlight & white fabric:

Next, our in-house local guide took us to those mid-town Ellensburg old crumbly alleys

new & old and official & unofficial murals

& the patina of age and sun, wind & weather:

Alaina loves musicals, and I kind felt like we were in one, we didn't go so far as to bust out singing, but... it wouldn't have been out of place :)

And onward, to the Sunset, to the Sunflower Fields... this was along the way:

& after bumping and lurching and trusting Taylor that my vehicle could make it through some tall grass and over a little bridge: The sunflowers were there waiting for us!

Ok, so there was this idea... of floating petals all around our girl... so Taylor & Jeannine (mum) gathered & tore, positioned on each side of the camera

... and threw!

At this point, the sun had set; we were on our way home... but there was this truck... So...

And that was our finalé :)

We gathered sunflowers for our homes, compliments of Taylor's family,

and we were stocked with drinks and Girl Scout cookies :)

as we meandered back west, over the Pass, to home!

It was a bountiful good time :)

I am so happy to have had this playful adventure with you, Alaina & Jeannine!

May the Lord bless you so richly with lives full of play :)

^ I love this song, Pocket Full of Poetry, by Mindy Gledhill :)

Jon! The Mountains to the Matador...

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 10:05:43 GMT

I SO ENJOY repeat clients! Like Jon's family!

Jonny had a lot to live up to, I mean, THIS was pressure, I mean, his big brother is my cover model - not just for a sample album showing off portraits I ❤️ but Jon's big brother is THE cover model for my STYLE GUIDE. And he's all over the inside of it too. That's like, having your older sibling score straight As and graduate valedictorian and the teacher knows who you are before they met you because they liked HIS work. How was Jonny going to hold up???

I loved how we made this Jon's own - I mean, his shoot was completely different from brother's, and Jon rocked it his own way :) yeah, i must have just made all that up about pressure ^ what? pressure? Jonny don't care! We went hiking!

^ This is Snow Lake :) ahhhhhhhhhhh.... peace & serenity....

although i think there may have been a barbaric YAWP!

or 2 or 3... echo echo echo

Jon LOVES the great outdoors! I am betting he is out there now ;) His whole family is woodsy - Jon's mom, Denise, hiked with us - Hi Denise!! - and I was hearing about stone water slides and all these tremendous places I have yet to BE! - VERY inspiring. Like an REI ad :)

Jon nearly split a portrait session with his good friend Zach. Zach's rock climbing - I mean - senior portrait session here. I'm very glad we did his own, though, it would have been fun either way but this way I got to know specifically what Jon likes best :) This was my first time hiking to Snow Lake, one of his all-time favorites, and I am grateful :) The entire hike was astounding.

A viewpoint where we stopped:

_96A7577

Jonny's hike was in the Fall. We achieved the serious goal of attaining a senior portrait for the yearbook ✅ But y'know, he wasn't going to actually graduate until June... so... in the Spring, we made some more :) This time, we were in a picturesque block of Redmond, with the walking path, near Molly Moon & including the crumbly old brick and black accents of Matador.

This HAT was Jon's Great Grandpa's - and we so enjoyed including it :)

Jon's hair was cut & styled just before his Spring shoot, by Jo at Gene Juarez Men in Bellevue. Jo has a talent for knowing just how to shape a man's hair to fall into place naturally. Way to go, Jo!
The black door in the old brick wall on the street side of Matador is one of my favorite places to shoot :) This is why :)

Jon, I'm glad you were good with using me for your photographer!

I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for you!

I'll be praying for loads of His peace as you're movin' on movin' on this Fall!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I've so enjoyed photographing Jon's family, I had to include link to [big bro's photos] ...

AND... Jon's DAD is in this photo below...

this was our church band a few years ago... will you guess which one he is? 😁😁😁

? ? ? ? ? ? ?

ERICA! 2 Seasons ~ Skyline High School Grad 2021!!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 01:36:42 GMT

Autumn...

AND Spring!

Ah, I think this could be a new senior portrait package! 2 seasons!

Creativity flourishes under limitations, right? Erica's senior portrait "limits" started with COVID ~ like limits for all of us last year!

We had NO options for hair styling or makeup... two things Erica had been looking forward to in her senior portrait session...

luckily, Erica is capable & made boho beauty DIY style...

I love Erica's dark eyes... so expressive! windows!

One of Erica's first location ideas had been the little old historic Shell station on Front Street in Issaquah... great idea!!!

The building was used for a variety of purposes through the last 100 years, but is now owned by the

Downtown Issaquah Association and is being restored to 1940s-ish glory!

^ Between shots, my daughter, Joy, was rushing a feather-filled parka to Erica because...

this was 6am and it was not warm & sunny yet!!

Cheers & kudos to Erica who put on her best summer afternoon vibes for all her fun portraits this first time around!

Sometimes, random stairways are just really fun for photos...

i think this could be an album cover. Erica, what will you sing? what will you play?

Oh! and we met up with this fun silver backdrop... with a spotlight :)

Another gem in Issaquah is ... The Blue Door!

There is a seriously heart-warming and inspirational story behind The Blue Door ~

a story of how one young person with an idea sparked personal relationships between

people of 2 cities a world apart from each other :)

The Blue Door is a gift to represent friendship, from the people of Issaquah's sister city, Chefchaouen, Morocco.

Erica had been a cheerleader for Skyline High School for years, so portraits in cheer attire were a MUST!

Can you feel the love?!!

Thank you to Erica's family and all of you who trusted me for photographs during 2020!!

YOU (& masks and hand sanitizer) kept me in business :)

NOW for something fun that Erica's family decided to do...

a second senior portrait session, close to her graduation date in Spring of 2021!

This time, we had the full portrait session going on ~

still masked up much of the time, but I was able to enjoy a nice long session with Erica

at several locations around Bellevue, just simply having a good time :)

We started with Bernie! On hair, at Gene Juarez in Redmond

We took advantage of Erica's voluminous hair in her Autumn portrait session...

so she went for sleek & shiny for her Spring session ^ :)

Thank you, Kelli Strok on make up!!! You are not only gifted, but fun 🤩

Kelli was makeup artist at Gene Juarez Redmond for many years,

but during COVID, salons were required to shut down makeup, and the sector is not yet back up to speed.

Kelli, however, is!! With Washington's opening-up policies, she has agility!

has-makeup-will-travel! SHE CAME TO US!!

how cool! Thank you, Kelli!

Erica's Autumn portrait session had been in old-town Issaquah.

Her Spring portrait session? Downtown Bellevue. Sleek & smooth :)

To all the people who provide public art in towns and cities ~ thank you!

In old town Bellevue, just south of the bright & shiny downtown, is an alley.

It used to be a very plain alley. Not memorable, not a destination (hahaha!),

not cute or pretty in any way... but that changed recently...

Thank you!!!!! to Crick of DOZERArt

Your art is MADE for public interaction, how perfectly wonderful for me, and for Erica, and for YOU :)

And a huge thank you to the sponsor of this artistification:

Thank you!!!!! to Eduardo of “TEH” The Enhanced Home in Bellevue

for this public-welcoming #dozerfly at The Enhanced Home :D

Skyline robe and cap and all!! 2021 Grad :)

A hat toss :)

Erica!

I so enjoyed my days with you!

Huge graduation congratulations!!

You are modest & resilient & quirky & fun & daring ~

and those are just the things i like most about you!

❤️

Anthony - Woodinville High class of '21 !

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 06:03:52 GMT

Anthony!

Thank you for choosing my little biz!

Your photoshoot was so much fun for me :)

Mostly because of our jolly banter.

YOU are a lot of fun :)

Where to start... where to start... at the beginning!

Anthony was my first under-18-er ( NOT already in my mobile's address book ) to contact me via text about making his senior portraits,

... and I was really wary that this supposed-high-school-senior-yeah-right would actually be a Colombian scam-artist who preys on naive American small business owners ~ I was just waiting for the misspellings... followed by the circuitous request for dollars or bitcoin! 😆

BUT HE WAS FOR REAL! yay! Anthony, I'm glad you're real!

It was a great clue when he texted that he needed to ask his Mom about photography dates :) 👌🏼 Then I was feeling ok :)

Yep, in my entire experience (8 years?) until Anthony, in cases where I don't already KNOW my high schoolers, it has always been a parent who contacts me about senior portraits ~ So I was impressed with Anthony's maturity & ask-for-what-you-want-assertiveness right out of the box.

(A, did your parents TELL you to contact me? If so, DON'T tell me; don't ruin it, just let me continue being impressed!)

Last Fall of course, we were well pre-vaccine; "vaccine" was just a goal / a dream with about 20 companies planning or recruiting clinical trial participants; but the vaccine dream was like a horse race with no finish line in sight. We were still in stay-home-stay-safe mode, physically in our own little sanitized boxes.

So I first "met" Anthony via text, then email, then finally Zooooming a Planning Meeting ~

But meeting for his trim & style at Gene Juarez on Photography Day was the first time we met in person :)

Thank you, Michael (@mmenhennitt) at Redmond Gene Juarez, for Anthony's trim & style!!! ^

Anthony's Dad, Phillip, met us outside Gene Juarez afterward, and we caravanned to Anthony's home:

Anthony's true home ^

that is- a beach :)

Not necessarilllyyy for sunbathing :) Mostly for finding the critters :)

He's a goal-oriented young man, with an inquiring mind, and a passion for the sea... critters!

So Golden Gardens oceanfront park in Ballard was an ideal location to start shooting.

...then we took a little roam... south and over the canal... with new opportunities to pull over & explore new places...

... and so we came to Discovery Park :)

"Discovery" Park... how appropriate...

Anthony is a natural born scientist. He gets it from his Mom, Melinda! Nature? Nurture? Gotta be both :)

His curiosity flows into original ideas which flow quite naturally into action. I don't know whether his family knows that for most people, an idea is just an idea- people don't generally DO something about their ideas. But here's one of those who may not separate the idea from the doing, if it's a good idea, he does it. That's the impression I had anyway! Where is the fear, Anthony? Where is the possibility of failure tucked away in your mind? Nada.

So, he likes to run experiments.

At the time of our shoot, I believe Anthony was testing standing water in local neighborhoods for the presence of micro-plastic pollution, and then tracking concentrations of the micro-plastics in closed systems (baggies) over time in hopes of discovering plastic-chomping microbes,.. (??) This could totally turn into a mad scientist movie where he develops these microbes and they get unleashed on the world muah-ha-ha and eat up all our plastic life conveniences plunging us back into a time of biodegradable drudgery like the last 70 years never happened! oh the horror!

He's been entering science competitions for half his life (or more)!

In 8th grade, his curiosity was inspired by the movie "The Martian" ~ would plants be able to grow on Mars withOUT a weather-vulnerable pressurized greenhouse? Hmmm... who knew? so - he took action to discover answers - why not? He put a variety of food-plants into a vacuum chamber in his basement & added carbon dioxide, to simulate Martian atmospheric composition & pressure

- AN 8th GRADER! -

and then tested the plants' enzyme functions versus identical control plants at timepoints up to 3 days ~ and THEN crafted the results of his study into a presentation cutely titled

"No Pressure: The Effects of Martian-Like Atmospheric Pressure on Enzyme Catalyzed Reactions in Plants"

which took him to the top 300 then the top 30 then to a Technology Award at the national science competition Broadcom Masters.

Dude!

^ VERY nice portrait

~ confident, humble, hopeful ~

PERFECT for ANY occasion a headshot could possibly be wanted over your next several years ~

but let's add some "yeah" because this is senior portrait time ...

awesome ^ !

but i do want a little more...

how shall we say...

superhero scientist out to save humanity -

that's it! ^

and THIS is why my photoshoot with Anthony was so fun for me :)

We were giggling like school kids and having a ball the entire time

and making super fun portraits :)

Our next couple portraits in this series...

may be described by Anthony as "the Discoverer" ~

like the intrepid explorer who plants a flag on the moon, or on a desert island ~

while I may describe the same portraits as "the Gatsby":

Yes! see what i mean??

Link:

I'm especially intrigued by one of Anthony's previous science-y projects... It wasn't the most exciting for him, if I remember correctly, because the study involved hours upon hours of watching video of an aquarium octopus (instead of being there in person) to understand its behaviors / movement patterns / probability that it would be in one part of the tank or another ~ was this the creature that would get bored and block up the water flow of the tank to get some tank-cleaning-time excitement?

Anthony's octopus-observing totally inspires my imagination... on macro-scale quantum mechanics, as applied to an octopus under study. Dear Reader, please allow me to nerd:

And the sun went down...

And we were given a gift :)

o da weetle baby! all washed up awone! ^ Anthony had noticed a sign with a phone number to call in case of baby seals on the beach. He made the call and encouraged the gathering crowd to keep well away from baby :) he was in his element.

On our walk back to the cars, Anthony's dad, Phillip, shared an astounding video clip of orcas interacting with the family's kayaks during a recent family vacation. This was such fun for me to "immerse" myself into this family's life for a day!! Thank you, Anthony, Melinda & Phillip! I hope to touch base now and again to see what science-y things the next years hold for Anthony at

Stony Brook University

Congratulations!!!

Yasmeen ~ Post Alley

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Oh so fun - Yasmeen's family was one of my VERY FIRST FAMILIES to give my little biz a try ~ and when I delivered her album (masked and all distanced of course!) there were photos of her from that very first shoot right there in the hallway! What joy in my heart! (feeling poetic!)

Find itty bitty Yasmeen at ye old blog post, click here to go back to 2013 :)

So to take her seniors last October was SO MUCH FUN for me!!

Yas is graduating from both high school & from the school where she actually takes her classes:

Bellevue College!

We made our Senior Portraits last October :)

Near the waterfront of downtown Seattle, at Pike Place Market. & Post Alley

I just love all the texture of the crumbly brick walls,

the odd nooks & unique doorways

& the unexpected colors

and the jovial people

in the Pike Place Market area.

Yasmeen is a PLANNER.

It's her nature :) Inborn.

And Yas is opinionated. She KNOWS what she likes & knows what she doesn't.

This benefitted me.

I liked the texts back-and-forth prior to our shoot.

I appreciated SEEing the outfits under consideration, in advance.

The colors, shapes and their combinations were able to roll & meld in my mind well before, allowing me to consider backgrounds prior to reaching our location.

Whew! That is a huge stress-reliever for me! Just FYI!

It's like athletics, right? Envision in advance for best results :)

Thank you to Miguel at Gene Juarez in Redmond, for Yasmeen's beautiful fresh cut & style :)

Thank you to Cody, for your easy-going encouragement & readiness to join in!!

Cody & Yasmeen are both taekwondo teachers!! ^

Maybe I'll get to photograph them together, each in a dobok (training uniform) & ddi (belt) :)

- I just learned that dobok literally means "clothing of the way"

~ any Mando fans out there? ~

Love this:

CONGRATULATIONS YASMEEN, 2021 EASTLAKE AND RUNNING START GRAD !!!

❤️

can't resist this last memory...

2013 Itty bitty Yasmeen w/ li'l sis!

Dhruv! ... and my thoughts on films... and in-between moments...

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 18:25:31 GMT

To the person who recommended me to Dhruv's family for his senior portraits ~ thank you :) I have so much fun meeting friends of friends of friends, and i think it's funniest when I don't know where or when our extended friendship chain began :D I'm totally curious, would love for you to LMK if you are the person who placed your recommendation with Shalini! :)

Dhruv! You are almost there!

Graduation June 11th :)

Let's walk back down a tiny memory lane from the Fall & Dhruv's senior portraits:

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I LOVE Dhruv's choice of outfit here! It's the NW twist on All American with great textures, great cozy factor,

and of course, great shoes :)

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You know how... in a film...

the best stories are the ones that stretch to ALL the emotions ~ from the serious parts... to all-out laughter! ~

I think that's how it is with Portrait Sessions as well :)

The serious moods are so personal,

and the laughing shots are the best ~

but you need both to highlight each other ...

otherwise ... like, say, for example, an action flick that

never ever ever slows down or lets up for a moment -

just one emotion for over an hour can be quite -

boring.

A roller coaster is only fun if it has highs and lows,

and a portrait session for me is AWESOME when it includes both

open-soul-serious eyes

AND

laughter that you can practically HEAR :)

And everything in between!

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I also adore the in-betweener moments!

Those always end up being favorites for me -

ok, i won't tease, ALL people-portrait moments are my favorite moments! -

But i like in-betweeners

like when my client takes a moment aside & is thinking...

below, i might've said something like

"let's imagine you are going to turn in my direction & suddenly see an OLD FRIEND (instead of ME with a CAMERA),

and you're surprised and pleased and you greet me like I'm a good buddy..."

so here's that in-betweener moment, that thinking look...

as he decides how to look when he suddenly sees an old friend...

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... and then he would come up with one of the looks above ^

The smile, the laugh, the genuine self ~

and here's another favorite in-betweener moment I love,

It's when my client takes a moment to brush back their hair and I see it and-

"STOP!"

and they look up and

click click

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^ yep, unconsciously

Hollywood

People of all ages / genders happenstance into those moments; we all do - but unlike Flynn Rider (Disney's Rapunzel, film clip below), in life & photoshoots the moment is completely unintentional, it happens when you've been taking photos for quite a while... or just hanging out with friends for quite a while... & you're completely unconscious of yourself... but the camera just happens to be there ~ along with someone who SEES IT :)

I recall a girls' San Juan Island weekend 3 years ago

(Cara, Beth, Camilla, Jean, Linda, you know the weekend)

We're the only 6 people hanging out on the rocky NW driftwood beach & the August sun is bright & my girlfriends are all wearing summer fabrics & the world seems so colorful

& I'm bending to pick up my camera & Beth says

"STOP! Stay right there!"

and she gets her phone and click click!

I love those pictures!

Those are images of what others see -

when you are just you. It's what your friends see. It's what people passing by see - when they see you.

That said,

Beware... intentionally going for an e-boy / Hollywood or dreaded Insta-girl-kissy-face look don't work... grammar intentional... don't selfie that.

Altogether a successful photoshoot.

Right down to our primary goal...

our senior yearbook portrait :)

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Thank you, Dhruv & family!

I pray for the Lord's love to bless you through and through.

I'm excited for Dhruv to begin a next-chapter of life,

and I feel nostalgic sad-happy for his parents who are finishing a chapter of their own,

although I'm sure the next part of the story will be fun as well!

Thanks!

Jeannine

Thank you to Abby at Gene Juarez Men for hair :)

Grace at Seventeen

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 09 May 2021 05:11:54 GMT

This Spring, I had the immense pleasure of photographing the daughter of a long-ago friend of mine. My friend is Kim, and this is Grace.

Kim highly values photographs, as I do. I remember that 20+ years ago, she had an eye :) And Grace has taken two years of Photography electives in high school, so we were 3 of a kind. We had our Planning Session via Zoom. and had communicated via text & email about outfits & locations, so we didn't actually meet in person until the day of our shoot, and that felt surreal. Kim & I are the same but older. How did that happen?? But seriously, it is so comfortable to be with her, she loves me and I love her, and although it has been several years since our last in-person time together ( I had brought my daughters to meet Kim & Grace & their many horses! ) the relationship is like no time has passed.

I met my mother daughter pair at the place where nearly all of my shoots get to start, at a Gene Juarez Salon. JC set Grace's hair according to Instagram photos Grace had brought on her mobile, to get just the right look for this day. Her hair would flow and bounce for hours :)

We had decided our outfits in advance, so there was no stress over what-to-wear in the days just before our shoot. Grace had it all wrinkle-free & in the car. However, one item that is a little difficult to plan ahead, is a location where cherry trees would be blooming beautifully ON THE DAY that we shoot ~ so the three of us had been keeping eyes open, watching the blossoms wax and then wane here and then there. We knew we may not have cherry blossoms on THE day, but we were hopeful. Grace is the one who found our location ~ ideally situated at a small church :)

5- blurred

Thank you, Lord!

The trees were our first stop, barefoot, with swishy dress, and to me, it felt like heaven.

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13 7

6 10 8

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Grace's next location choice was a riverside park, on our way to her home. The water was low. The mountains were white. The river rocks were laid bare, and huge tree trunks from winter storms had been piled high. I love that two younger girls stopped me on my walk to the river ~ they'd noticed my camera and were excitedly telling me about a log fort they had made near the bridge, and were hopefully suggesting that I could take some amazing photographs there :) How fun is that!!! However, I was too swept away having the fun we did, and neglected to look for the fort! Another time :)

Grace. Thick knit white sweater & jeans. & rain boots :)
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And look! My friend Kim agreed to jump in! Mother-Daughter shots!

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Grace wanted to shoot at her home. They purchased this home about 18 months ago, and of their menagerie (they had operated a horse rescue) they brought 3 horses, several cats, 2 dogs, and pygmy goats :) The 5 acre property has a ranch arch over the entrance - with their last name on it!! Almost, one letter different, but still ;)

I was able to meet Sam:

He's been in this family nearly as long as Grace has!

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and Grace's own pup, a young squiggly wiggly kinetic sweetheart named

Georgia May

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Recently, the family has installed this pretty blue-grey-green flagstone patio ~ a great place to enjoy various views of their property.

It was a fun place to shoot Grace in her Docs.

Doc Martens :)

I love these chunky boots too :)

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Grace's Mum, Kim, and I had been in a very tight knit Bible Study together, starting 25 years ago, and lasting several years. We were small, about 5-8 people meeting in the group as it fluctuated over the years. It covered our lives as singles post-college and then through dating and into our first years of our marriages, and then through our first children... I'm more than thankful for the grounding these women gave me back then. Our friendship bloomed out of our shared commitment to the Lord. I remember Kim's mission trips, I remember her deep-dive into love, her wedding, her Mom passing, her baby girl born... that was about the point where all us Bible Study Girls were swept up into our family lives and we might see each other once or twice a year or less now, but the love and appreciation is strong. That "iron sharpening iron" we shared in our Bible Study was our formation as young adults... Strong love. God's daughters. Sisters in Christ :) It was beautiful to pray with Kim & Grace at our shoot.

I love this little movie-memory of my day with my beloved friend and

Grace at Seventeen!

Greg's Seniors! Lake Sammamish - Bellevue - Carnation & Tolt

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sat, 01 May 2021 07:54:00 GMT

Oh that COVID hair was SO FUN!!!

Beach bum looks on every man!

Greg was agreeable to photographing his lengthy locks before cleaning him up!

Why not In the ski boat?

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We agreed it was unbearable to chop the front flop

so Val

at Gene Juarez Men at the Bravern

took off the hair in the back, shaping & texturing to Greg's likes:

Greg's Mum, Nici, played sherpa for us :)

& my daughter & baby pup were with us enjoying the city!

My 12-year-old Sasha didn't want to appear in this post, but 3-month-old Hana did not complain!

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DUDE!

9 10 25

680
26

Then he transformed, back to Mr. Casual :)

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Oh, I didn't. Yes, I did! I have photos of Greg from years and years ago ...

POP QUIZ

43 45

Greg has an eye for composition:

Shapes, lines, colors, textures ...

Sometimes a photo of his just makes sense compositionally like ahhhhhh ~

& other times he chooses a unique point of view ~

& sometimes it's like whaaaaaa ? ? ? ? am I looking at ? ? ?

y'know, intriguing, a puzzle for the brain :)

This is a stolen sampling of Greg's photos that I love, from his Instagram :D

Do you see what I mean???

On Instagram :)

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Greg's Mom & Pop are from Iowa.

His Grands and relatives are there.

Farms & fields are in his blood :)

He's a little bit Country ~

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He's a little bit Rock 'n' Roll

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hmmmm...

i seem to remember another photoshoot...

with Greg...

and a field

and a fence...

Pop Quiz!

CONGRATULATIONS, GREG!!!

Eastlake High School Graduation!

On your way to

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

for Aerospace Engineering :)

I have had so much fun photographing your family over the years!!

Greg's sister, Olivia's Senior Potraits, and Family Portraits from when I very first started my little biz!

Greg, I will enjoy watching your college career, your years in Iowa, your ambitions and your photographs :)

I'll be arrow-praying for you every time I think of your family :)

Thank you so much for allowing me to make your Senior Portraits!!!

Elly ~ Eastlake Class of 2021 !

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 23:09:19 GMT

Zip zip! That was Elly! I honestly have never had a client who wanted to be finished with photos as quickly as Elly wanted to be finished with photos ~ I used to say that every client has fun, even the guys ~ but now I may have an exception! Maybe she had fun... oh I dunno, maybe not! But ... SHE DID IT :) She did it for her Mum :) She did it for her yearbook :) She just wanted to get it behind her as fast as possible ! I have photographed Elly once before, and she was fine... maybe because it was an ENTIRE FAMILY shoot, and she could be part of the crowd instead of being the end-all-be-all-center-of-attention! Anyway, she had LOVED her hair at that shoot, done by the experts at Larissa Sofia Salon, in Klahanie :) So we went there again for her senior portraits ! And her hair was styled just the way she likes it, yippeee!!

Elly's first choice for location is Beaver Lake Park, in Sammamish :) Sunlight filtered through the canopy for us, it was a gorgeous place for portraits!

Patented Elly smile, love it :)

Next, the cutest little flower farm... gorgeous :)

And Snoqualmie has a fantastic steak house, Woodman Lodge ... it was closed for COVID, but the exterior is still fun, and had gorgeous flowers...

I so love the colors in this one ^ :D

Next, for sunset drama, Elly really wanted Mount Si !

The mountain turns rosy red if we have clear skies at sunset.

We took in the view from the visitor center at Meadowbrook Farm :

Lovely!

A successful senior portrait shoot for Miss Elly!!

She likes her portraits, she loves them, so the way I tortured her was WORTH IT!!

I am glad I know you, Elly! I'm glad I have known you since you were LITTLE!

I appreciate how the Lord made you just the way you are ~

your quick sense of humor,

your ability to build tight long-lasting friendships,

your humility & attention focused on others instead of yourself,

your love of the outdoors,

your strong relationships with your family :)

Yeah!

Congratulations, Elly!!

2 months until graduation!!!

Zach's Rock Climbing (senior) Portraits :)

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 01:53:24 GMT

DO YOU SEE HIM?

... look at about the halfway point of the cliff, on the right side of the waterfall ~

~ In Zach's free time, you'll find him in the mountains ~

:D woot woot! This was near the completion of our time together ~ we built UP TO the waterfall ~ we started (relatively) smaller :)

First: completion of preparations: Zach scheduled a neat trim-up with Barber Val, at Gene Juarez Men, at The Bravern.

All he needed was packed in his car, so immediately after the Barber, Zach drove East to Snoqualmie Pass.

I followed, and when arriving at our first location, I was a bit confused - I never saw the trailhead.

The entrance felt hidden & secret ~

Zach led the way through tall off-road undergrowth. The moment we were standing at the entrance, I didn't know how I could have missed it ~

a huge wildlife tunnel led to our climbing range. Within thick summertime foliage, the yawning tunnel is discreetly hidden from the nearby mountain road.

Headlamps? Check.

At one point, as I followed Zach, his silhouette was so picturesque, and to my eye, shows so much that we don't see in color photos, I had to pause:

Our Wildlife Tunnel leads to "Fun Forest" , a quintessential PNW rockscape of climbing routes.

Fellow climber, Brenna, is here to belay & double-check all the safety equipment ^.

I also appreciate our sherpas, thank you Joy & Nancy!

Okay, Forgive Me Now! for mistakes in naming Zach's climbing routes - or better yet - message me the corrections you can see are needed, please!

I LOVE route names!!!! They are whimsical, fun, fantastical :)

Here Zach is starting a route called:

MYSTICAL GARDEN OF FREE-WHEELING ANIMALS

The bolt Zach has clipped into ^ is shared by several routes: "POST-WIRED", "KILL ME IF I START TO LIVE", and "FLIGHT TO MARS" after the 4th bolt ~ these names make my heart sing & laugh & give me big smiles :)

Given, it seems that there are likely multiple names for the same routes! Because... everyone who conquers a route would like to name it ;)

To me, THE iconic route in this part of the playground is inside the detached pillar that forms:

CHIMNEY EXPRESS

Luckily for this photographer, there is a semi-circular scramble around the back, rounded side of the cliff ~ that brought me to a closer view as Zach climbed:

YES! Our Warm-Up is finished ;) Next up, Franklin Falls!

I LOVE Franklin Falls, I've enjoyed photographing here several times and its beauty is outrageous. I have yet to do a Winter shoot here with the "ice fall" and snow all around... hmmm...

A delightful trail through old growth forest leads to a narrow staircase, where we stopped to take some potential yearbook shots :)

The wet slick rocks are FAR too dangerous for climbing. Zach will rappel.

Securely roped above, and with Brenna belaying below, Zach carefully began his descent.

Waterfall top to bottom:

At this point, Zach is in the middle at about the mid-point of the Falls :)

Exhileration, through the misty view ~ a couple more moments as Zach finishes his descent:

HOORAY!!

Successful Senior Portrait Shoot! Whew! Oh my!

This was exhilarating for everybody involved. Thank you to Zach & his family for offering this opportunity to me :)

CONGRATULATIONS, ZACH!

Eastlake High School

Lake Washington Institute of Technology.

Class of 2021

Phoebe! Sun, Lake & Bamboo !

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 02:08:24 GMT

Phoebe is my kind of girl :) That is to say, we love the same types of photographs :)

She lives in a semi-minimalist, tall & slender house (how picturesque!) on the lake. Her home doesn't have a lot of "stuff" and each chosen furnishing or piece of decór is ~ unique ~ fun ~ different ~ interesting! I think, it is, quite an interesting allegory for Phoebe!!!

I really think so! Phoebe prefers less. She prefers unique. She prefers simple. She is herself.

So we started Phoebe's portrait session at sunrise, on her lake :)

We were invited to photograph in a private garden nearby, a spur-of-the-moment invitation, when the owner chanced to see us making portraits. Oh, did we have fun in the garden :)

This inviting garden was irresistibly MADE for bare feet, and aqua-painted toenails! There was even a stone dragon guarding the bamboo!

The first time anyone is in a Photography Session, we are all a little self-conscious, I wonder if it's more so when posing in bamboo?

We DID have an audience, after all. Parents Gavin & Kim were present, although not watching too obviously, and my Joy was there assisting & we also had another gracious neighbor with us, Mr. Sherwood!

Within a few frames, and after looking at some of our results on the back of our camera, Phoebe & I were professionals :)

Moving into our original plan at our host Mr. Sherwood's sandy beach, we were delighted with the tall golden-flowering reeds at the shore. I just love the name Sherwood ~ Here we are, at the lake in Sherwood Forest! - oh, yes, and we had bubble guns. Thank you to Phoebe's Mum, Kim, and to my daughter, Joy, for manning our rapid-fire bubble guns !!

Behind-the-scenes: The blue bubble gun at top left in the first photo is Kim, and the blue bubble gun making an appearance at the right side of the second photo is Joy :) Decisions, decisions! - how many bubbles are enough? how many are too many? where to aim the bubble guns? at Phoebe's head? her face? her heart? in front of her? behind her? The wind is taking our bubbles away, oh no! I was laughing pretty hard as we all experimented:

< ^ bubble guns behind-the-scenes

I'm so glad we did this; the portraits with floating bubbles in Sherwood Forest are so fun :) I think I like to view them all at once:

We had begun at our shoot at sunrise (6am-ish) ~ partly for the pretty light, and partly to avoid the rain in the forecast ~

At about this time, the rain came tumbling down...

...with perfect timing! We were ready to move on to the INDOOR half of our Photography Session plan. I would experience Phoebe's kitchen ~ Magic happens there :) Photos soon ~ but prior to that:

LOOK at how cool this is!!! PHOEBE GIRL OWNS A BIZ!!

Click to check out Phoebe's baked delicacies :)You make me smile, Phoebe, I love your sense of humor!!!

& she shares her recipes :)

https://phoebestressbakes.weebly.com

on Instagram as @phoebestressbakes

Thank you, Phoebe, Kim & Gavin, for choosing to make Phoebe's senior portraits with me! I'm so glad I know you!

Daniel, Senior Portraits in Seattle's International District

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 23:39:28 GMT

This was fun for me, as we went places I'd never been before :) Exploring Seattle is one of Daniel's favorite pastimes, and of the options for exploration, the Chinatown - International District is THE favorite! The food, the sights, the International Model Toys shop, the grocery store, the murals & graffiti; everything about it. I was interested ~ I'd always enjoyed my bus ride through the area, past huge dragons twisting around light poles ~ so it was perfect for me to have my own tour guide in Daniel :)

We started at my favorite spot for mens' haircuts / styles: Gene Juarez Men at The Bravern in Bellevue.

D'Angelo, in his canvas barber's apron with leather & metal accents, with all the tools, in conversation about Daniel's favorite books as he trims & shaves:

Heading West, Daniel's first location choice was this lovely crumbly brick alley that I had stumbled upon once before, and never could find my way back to it ~ In the evening, it has hanging glass globes light the night, and if you take a little staircase up the side of a building, you might find yourself overlooking the Seattle waterfront. It has long black iron fire escapes, and interesting carve-outs for loading & unloading to business back doors:

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Next, we met at the bold mint & red pavilion in Hing Hay Park. The sun started peeking out, and we returned friendly smiles of the ping-pong players and their audiences ~ so fun! The large park is made up of a series of smaller more intimate areas on various levels, with stairsteps and small tables & chairs and sculptures (& ping pong tables!) & trees providing separation of conversational areas, and making the winding walk interesting ~ Hing Hay was designed by the same architects who designed Freeway Park, which similarly seems to bring people together.

In this area, central Chinatown - International District, the shop windows were still covered with plywood. And PAINT!

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I'd love to include names of mural / graffiti artists if any of you know the info!

Seattle's Chinatown - International District (The CID) had A LOT of ups and downs in 2020 ~ there is a fantastic 7-minute documentary from Northwest Asian Weekly relating this roller coaster, I hope you see it! A strong upside was a grassroots call for artists, who came and transformed a shuttered CID with vibrant color, fun forms, and beautiful testimonies & honor to fallen Americans!

Daniel's favorite model shop partook... with an uncomfortably close... (Zaku??!!?)

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Daniel & I both gravitated toward the whimsical for his Senior Portraits :D I'd love the names of these artists !

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This one will appear in his Tesla STEM High School 2020-21 yearbook :)

A crisp day in Autumn, and venturing out, we were all masked up, we were pleased with the amount of care others gave us as well, wearing their masks on sidewalks. Daniel always had his on when he was not actually on camera, and let me take a shot of the bandido look:

7 - Daniel - Jeannine_Pound_Photography We also experimented with a variety of expressions, and laughed quite a bit when looking at the back of my camera, because when Daniel gets his serious expression on, and he can look... SCARY! Intimidating!! hahaha!

But then, as he brings a tiny smile to the corners of his mouth... with intensity in his dark eyes...

a little petite woman passing on the sidewalk at that moment suggested:

"YOU LOOK LIKE JAMES BOND!"

Daniel busted out laughing and his face was so red, it was my favorite moment of our shoot ;)

And we ended up with a good strong headshot for any occasion :)
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Thank you, Daniel & family!!! This was so fun for me, and I look forward to visiting & supporting our Chinatown - International District again soon!!

Zach ~ Skyline High School Senior Photos ~ Class of 2020

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 19:12:38 GMT

I mean it about having fun :) Might as well! I mean, you'll get used to acting like your smile is quite real, but getting those honestly-I-can't-help-it-smiles are a lot easier when you're doing something you enjoy! Like for Zach when he dribbles around me, or makes lay-ups while I'm shooting down from above the neighborhood hoop :) I like those smiles!

Zach's senior photoshoot was like a triathlon ~ without the grueling sweating parts! Basketball, golf, and a visit to his summertime river jumping bridge. That was really fun to know about the bridge jumping ~ it's a long way down (!!) Sounds soooo fun tho -

Zach's parents, Bob & Michelle, joined Jo & Zach & me on this super early misty morning! Michelle held the base of my ladder :)

Zach plays for Skyline Spartans Basketball and is looking forward to this, his last year of high school ball!!

Our morning had started crazy early, in the dark, because ... well... I thought we'd find ourselves amongst a huge herd of elk... but - uh - we didn't. It was nice of a moms & infants group to at least show up in the background for a moment :)

Elk bums...

So... bridge jumping spot, basketball, the third leg of our photo triathlon was Mount Si Golf Course, Zach's home turf :) Photographers generally don't enjoy shooting in full sun with harsh shadows - but I thought the lighting suited Zach :)

We started picking up the leaves, but ... I don't mind them :)

So this is like, I'm photographing Zach in the wild, his natural habitat, ssssshhhh :)

With all the action shots, we weren't quite positive that we had THE ONE, the yearbook shot :) So we went to... the back yard :) And all we did were headshots.

I absolutely love that black & white, above. We also had brilliant yellows, greens, and this garden plant with gorgeous red leaves... at first I dismissed it, thinking the leaves were too sparse, but Zach thought we might just try it... and I so love the results! As Bob pointed out later, at Zach's ordering session, this background gives the look of an impressionist painting - and I could stare at those old masters' paintings for hours (like the museum scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, remember?) so that perfectly explains why I love this so much!

And we found it, THE ONE for the yearbook :) He and his parents all agreed! THE Zach smile:

And that is the end of our show :) And Zach is the end of senior portraits for this family!!! I met Zach's family a few years ago. My friend Ali was showing Michelle photos of her daughter, Taylor. I had photographed Taylor's Sweet 16 birthday with girlfriends as one of my verrry first photoshoots, and Ali was showing Michelle Taylor's senior photoshoot which we did at Golden Gardens long sand beach & bath house in Ballard... (& possibly Taylor's Skyline Varsity Basketball Banner photo?) which was just a ball to shoot. And THAT sharing moment led to a beautiful photography relationship with Michelle's family :) There's nothing like being set up by a mutual friend! (Thank you, Ali!) First I met Zach's sister, Natalie, for her senior portraits in Seattle with Gasworks Park, so-temporary University District graffiti, and Freemont Funkiness. That seems like YESTERDAY. For me, it was love at first click. Then I met Zach's brother Jackson for his senior portraits by the water! I got to dive into his world of rowing, and get those smiles when I asked him about his girlfriend (they are still together, cute!!!) And now Zach's seniors! It has been a lot of fun getting to know (at least a little bit) each of the siblings separately, and each time I have been able to have experiences that are new to me. I treasure each.

Zach, each time I see my past portrait sessions pop up on my website, I get to pray for that person ~ and you made it really easy on me, with your verse right on your Instagram page, one of my faves, Joshua 1:9, so when I see your portraits, I get to pray for you to be strengthened in the Lord's commands, strong and courageous, that the world's discouragement will fall away, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go :)

Fun little vid of our athletic senior portrait session to finish our story:

Cameron - Bellevue Christian Senior Photos

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 09:30:38 GMT

Happy Senior Sunday!! 1 The idea was simply to get one good yearbook portrait for Cameron :) In the past, Bellevue Christian High School has always hired a pro studio to take all the senior portraits, and they are always very good portraits. But the excitement that shines when portraits are based on a person's own unique ideas, I suspect that would be missing. I had so much fun photographing Michael from BCHS in different ways ~ although none of those portraits could be submitted as his yearbook portrait, it was WELL worth the adventure of making them for his family, take a look here. 2019 was the first time families could submit senior photos from their own photographers at BCHS, and wow! The 2019 senior section is beautiful, with such a fun variety of images, all tied together with a consistent style for names, and a paragraph per person beginning with that person's chosen Bible verse. A beautiful tribute to graduating seniors! I'm so glad I get to contribute to the BCHS 2020 yearbook ~ Cameron gets to choose one of these for his senior portrait! We only needed to make one good one but when we started shooting, it was just too much fun, we kept going...

Cameron's Mom, Michele, told me a little bit about Cameron's cherry red BMW... THIS car was her DREAM car... then she earned it! This car was her reward to herself once she made it in the business world, and she loved it. And now, this is Cameron's car, and he is giving it all the TLC it could need :) It was glowing for its photoshoot ;) This baby is in good hands -

33 And car-care is for real, not just for show - Cameron knows his engines :) He has been training, and earning both high school and college credits, in STEM courses for Automotive Technology through WANIC at Bellevue High School. He splits his school days between the automotive lab at BHS and his "regular" classes, at Bellevue Christian High School.

Cameron's eyes are unforgettable, and highly photographable! Icy blue? Crystal-blue. Unique. With deep blue iris rims - my camera loved his gorgeous eyes and locked focus soooo easily, even as the evening light passed away.

16
We made a long series of yearbook-y shots using his car as our background :) These are 3 of my many favorites:

5 23
Cameron, Michele and I had fun making this photoshoot happen ~ Michele was carrying reflectors and setting up a huge V-flat reflector in the quiet pastoral road, and then deftly directing any sort of traffic that did come along :) Cameron was all about the details and angles, with ideas I would not have thought of! I love the car lights turned ON, little detail, big impact :)

45 19 The sun left us, and the moon rose... and I think we achieved my #1 goal ~ we had fun :) Yep, Cameron said it: the sky turned midnight blue, then black, we were packing up, and Cameron said he hadn't been looking forward to getting his portraits made - but it was fun, it was actually fun ~ goal achieved :) AND he now has quite the selection from which to choose his BCHS yearbook portrait, that's just bonus :) Cameron, I get to pray for your life whenever I see your photos pop up on my website, and that will be a blessing to me. I'll pray that you'll personally know the great faithfulness of our Lord, His power & goodness throughout your life. Amen!

Dancing in Old Seattle - Lauren's Senior Portraits!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 10:28:42 GMT

This portrait session was filled with more fun firsts for me. I love that about my work!! Each person is so unique.

Lauren's family recently inflated.

Her Dad married Nancy, our enthusiastic spark-plug cracker-jack Children's Pastor at Pine Lake Covenant Church :) And that is how I got to meet Miss Lauren, at our "Encore" after-service all-church-hangout-time.

Two years ago, Nancy and I had soooooo much fun making senior portraits with Nancy's daughter, Issaquah High School 2018 grad, Sarah - Sarah's shoot was scheduled during a forecasted thunderstorm but we prayed and went for it, and that storm held off until we were snug in our cars just leaving the parking lot post-shoot. Sarah's shoot had been outrageous & silly-fun, check it out check it out here. And now with a NEW high school senior in her family, I am grateful that Nancy asked me!!!

Lauren is an artist, she loves to paint. She also seems to me to be a really down-to-earth-knows-what's-valuable sort of person. She may seem a little quiet at first, but she is quite comfortable performing for an audience (years of dance training!) and appears to have no fear of my camera :)

We started at Gene Juarez Downtown with artist, Jesse. After her appointment with Jesse, Lauren's hair was light as a feather, floating on the wind. Lauren doesn't usually wear make up any more (totally get that, with her eyelashes & skin tone!) but she tells me of going through a phase where she loved experimenting with it, so she brought her recently-untouched supplies and did her own, beautifully.

I love that her father enjoyed being with Lauren through our whole evening. He definitely has an artistic eye and was verrry helpful with arranging flowers in Lauren's hair and pointing out picturesque spots. He helped Jo carry equipment, drove & parked cars, and he was our Big Bad Bodyguard in the alleys behind Pike Place and Pioneer Square. It was really fun for me to see their playfulness that evening! I'm just getting to know them both.

I love ripped jeans :) I loved this Thrasher magazine T-shirt & jeans combo on Lauren! Ahh, if only we had brought her beat up skateboard :)

Gum Wall (s)... we both agreed... yuck. Looks wild here, though!

Both Lauren & I like the look of Seattle's graffiti / sticker mayhem, and there's been more of it in Seattle lately, it seems (hooray!) - do you think the gum wall is an anonymous form of graffiti? This stickered & gummed graffiti wall was just down the alley. By the way, it's fun how people in Seattle stop and watch photos being taken, and often they join in! It's really a kick. I did a lot of dancing to avoid intentional photo bombers in Post Alley! Not above, but for the photo below - we ended up using the wall instead of the alley ~ People casually just weave into the background, and glance up to take a look, it's totally intentional, and kind of hilarious, maybe I'll post a bunch of my Seattle photobombers one day!

Seattle may be gray overhead but it is COLORFUL down in the alleys. It's a treasure trove of backgrounds and ideas to play with! Examples below. Who you don't see in these photos is my Jo! Just outside the edge these photos, she is reflecting light to fill shadows under Lauren's eyebrows, to bring out the sparkle in Lauren's eyes. I shoulda grabbed a photo of Jo at work :) She's a lot of fun, and she makes my shoots a lot easier for me.

Okay, so... I want to thank my model, Lauren, she is an artist, so she gets me when I really wanted to photograph her with (huge) flowers in her hair :) Lauren really likes the color purple, so we found the closest to purple available at the Pike Place Market that day. Gorgeous! And then I spent way too long trying to get them to stay in Lauren's silky smooth hair! I absolutely love our flower results with Lauren's dark hair & eyes ~ to me, it's kind of like an old Mona Lisa -style beautiful painting, but with today's jeans jacket and Lauren! Thank you, darling Lauren, for obliging me :)

Sometimes when I photograph a person doing something they've been TRAINED in, something they've drilled in, even if it's in their past, that person will change their whole posture and presence as they go into auto mode with that training. Lauren has trained in dance ~ not during her high school years, but before that, through elementary school & middle school. Both irish dancing and ballet. And it is so fun to see her performer come out! I think she smiled the whole time. This was a ball. Irish first!

And now, the drama :) At one of Jo's & my favorite locations, a rooftop with a view...

This was just about 5 days after that incredible purple lightning storm that delayed the UW Football game for HOURS with lightning strikes ~ and my husband & Dad & kids were drenched with rain & as the lightning rained down they left their metal bleachers to wait in the stadium's underground concourse for hours before arriving home at midnight with the game still on weather delay - memorable! And guess what?!?! Lighting was predicted for our evening as well!! I'm so thankful to the Lord that we had so much fun, and a couple extra dry hours given to us that night. From the rooftop, we watched it roll in. Literally, the sky turned purple. The rumbles & lightning (in the distance!) were terribly exciting. And Jo & I enjoyed photographing Lauren's leaps to the music! i mean, to the storm!

Our body guard was also our stand-in to get our camera settings right, under the rooftop lights :)

I think Lauren leaped for us about 80 times!

I love that Jo captured this behind-the-scenes gorgeous finalé, I think it's my favorite of all our leap portraits:

Just as Lauren was removing her ballet shoes, we all felt the faintest pitter patter of rain... and immediately evacuated the area! Very reminiscent of my shoot with Lauren's new step-sister, Sarah! On my drive home, the purple lightning strikes were ... (well, downright scary!) but gorgeous. Incredible. I'm glad to have shared our rooftop evening with Jo & Lauren & her Pops!

Our Session Movie :

I look forward to getting to know them more :) Big welcome to our church family, Miss Lauren!

Taylor & Sunflower Fields

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 20:54:08 GMT

A very very favorite time of year for our family is "Farmcation" :) We travel 90 minutes to a DIFFERENT WORLD!!! A fantabulous and picturesque world! A world where childrens' stories come to LIFE! "The Big Red Barn in the Great Green Field had a weather vane, and a pig that squealed..." I laugh that city kids (& suburban kids!) grow up with sooo many picture books and songs of farm life - the cow says moo, The Farmer in the Dell, they even sing " Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain!" Kiddos point at the John Deere colors in their puzzles & school lessons correctly calling out, "Tractor! Farmer!" But we really never ever actually engage with these storybook characters in real life, they are like... giraffes! elephants! sheep! pigs! mermaids! unicorns!

Our family is soooooooo blessed to be welcomed with open arms into this storybook world ANY time we make the drive east - Our cousins welcome us with open arms - and abundant food :) The views are stunning to me... and the experiences - I gather bundles of wheat for decorations at home, the kids jump in a whole truck full of oats, Joy drives a tractor that picks up hay bales :) Aunt Becca takes her family photos at golden hour each year :) We feed all our food leftovers to the pigs - and wouldn't you know!!! - all that garbage gets recycled into BACON! God is amazing.

Our nephew, Tyson, invited me to make his senior portraits and we had a ball at his farm and in the town of Ellensburg. His senior session here. I was over the top thrilled when our niece, Taylor, Class of 2020, asked me (a year ago) to make her senior portraits in 2019. And she knew already, that she wanted sunflowers. Her Dad obliged with acres and acres of sunflowers that bloomed all together in August 2019 ~ aaaaaahhhhhh heaven :)

And I love flower walls / flower carpets, but we made the first one I've ever seen that was just sunflowers & wildflowers :) Thank you Kirsten & Brent & Taylor, this was ( a lot of quick work) and fun for me!!

Beauty overflows at Taylor's home. It busts out of buildings & blue skies & rose-colored sunsets. My niece, my vibrant sweet niece, allowed me to photograph the beauty God created in her - thank you! :)

Sunset colors :)

Taylor's make up was done by her friend ( let me know who, T!) and her gorgeous waves in hair were created by Kristen at Mangos Salon in Ellensburg. We knew we wanted these waves to last through wind and hot sun that afternoon, and Kristen's waves lasted the entire evening! yay!

The fun thing at Taylor's farm is that every corner is pretty :) Barn is old? All the better. Blue trunk retired from use? It will be perfect :)

Dad stopped by! He protested my photo ask - farm work gets dirty - but that's the fun of it, right? He cleans up good, so its fun to get a candid picture as he crosses the field of view!!

Did you know... that farm kids get up real early?? ... well, not Taylor so much... unless she has an anxious Aunt Photographer trying to catch golden hour :) At 6AM :)

Taylor has enjoyed a variety of athletics, from gymnastics to soccer & softball, basketball, and she really discovered her strongest talent after experimenting with volleyball. No surprise to me :)

Tay enjoys her Kittitas Secondary School volleyball teammates immensely. She has also been blessed with a local club team being trained by amazing coaches - so each year she has been able to travel to Nationals to play at the top of her game. But likely her crowning achievement in the sport (to date) has been journeying two years in a row to become champions in the parent-child division in doubles sand volleyball at the Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament 2017 & 2018... she played with my husband, Tony Pound :) We totally cheated. He's not a parent. Uncle Tony is really more of a 2nd cousin or something, I can't keep it straight. And given, there was a lot of beverage and posturing flowing amongst the parents. I think the smack talk is a traditional virtue for the elder 1/2 of each parent-child team. Okay, and, given, these divisions were not the official Seaside parent-child divisions, they were aprés-play when-a-net-is-free-grab-it homespun tournaments devised by the parents of Taylor's volleyball team - but still, those were tough games ;) maybe ;)

A year from now, Summer 2020, T will be playing volleyball for George Fox University. She is excited to continue the sport she loves at a small college that is devoted to nurturing her & teammates spiritually as well as mentally & physically. (Congratulations, T!!!)

Brent set up a net in the loft of their large barn. This is the loft where generations of Taylor's family have played basketball - and I saw roller skates up there - and it's generally been like a really awesome treehouse clubhouse for kids :)

And we went for some action shots!

Taylor, you're strong in knowledge of what's right, along with a heart for justice. My prayer for you will be that you continue to stick with your gut, your convictions, the ways of your God, and that those around you will be blessed by YOU just being YOU in that fruitful way. I'm so happy for you, I enjoy hearing your thoughts, and I'm so glad to have been able to get to know you even mo' betta' lately!! Love that we could make your senior portrait ideas really happen - Taylor in Sunflower Fields :)

For the Love of Pet Portraits

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 15:35:37 GMT

Our kids are avid dog-sitters and dog-walkers. Earlier this month, we were able to keep "Millie" for a bit, while her humans vacationed in Europe. We considered our home to be Millie's summer vacation home :) When Ronnie brought Millie to us, he carried all of her puppy paraphernalia into our home, with 12 pink roses for me :) Millie turned out to be a snuggly sweetheart. She liked to leap & play & run with the girls, and then find me to snuggle or stay close for nap time - perched in my lap, or atop a fancy child's chair with a wide view out our front window. I had purchased the tiny chair at Value Village, as a photography prop. Days passed quickly. My roses dried when their time was up. They were beautiful dried, and I wanted to photograph a person with them. I happened to be crushing on fancy pet portraits in the 2019 Portrait Masters Competition at that time... and the opportunity was obvious! A strong vision came to mind... Millie... on her favorite perch, surrounded by the roses and HUGE soft pink flowers...

I am really a very shy person, fearful at every moment of "messing things up" / doing things "wrong" / just failing at what I try. So it feels risky to put action to ideas. I prayed that God would help me find the right pink flowers and make this idea into real portraits, and took the leap - to the Issaquah Farmer's Market at Pickering Barn. I put on my brave face, and swept in. Prominently displayed at the "Green Cuties" flower stand was a large vase overflowing with enormous fluttering, pillow-like, soft pink dahlias. Yes!!! Thank you Lord! Perfection. I purchased 10!

Then back to our home to make preparations... a few Millie-treats were ground up into powder and placed in a bowl. Light was tested, and reflectors and shades set up in a tiny corner of our office... it became a miniature studio :) We even had a small fan to create movement in our flower petals and in Millie's luxurious blond hair! The little chair was decorated with abundant Green Cutie gorgeousness. Finally, Sweet-Pup was invited to take a seat :) She received such attention & conversation & praise the whole time - and every 60 seconds or so, she could lick treat powder off my fingers :) That kept her quite alert!

Millie has been my muse in the past. Nearly one year ago, she joined the photoshoot for "her" Alison's senior portraits. One of Millie's portraits with Alison was even published! In the Eastlake High School yearbook :) See Millie's photoshoot with Alison here.

Millie was such a conversation-starter with strangers while we had her - and everyone wants to know... what breed is she? She is a long-haired dachshund, 2 years old. Her tail had an accident before her family brought her home, so she only has a little stub that wags like crazy when she is happy :) She is very protective of "her" humans, and it felt like I had passed a test when she became very protective of me!

Poor Tony walked into his own house that first evening and Millie went nuts growling and barking at this "intruder." I scooped her up, assuring her that Tony is a good guy, but Millie whipped her head around to give him the evil eye and a growl - and then - TONY lunged at MILLIE and BARKED! Not helpful.

But, in the end, after DAYS of suspicion had passed, Millie accepted Tony as part of the family too. Now Tony is one of "her" humans :) Yay!

If you might like to make portraits of your pet(s), I may like to make them with you, and we could imagine fun pet portraits and make them really happen :) Click here to start our conversation!

Happy 100th birthday to Sam :)

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 04:59:13 GMT

I love Sam :)

I love his love for Edith :) Please meet Sam's Edith, by clicking HERE

And his stories about working his way to financial success in the USA, and THEN going about finding "the right one" to marry. His own family were still in Austria, which had been taken by Hitler. They had seen the Nazi advance and had found a way to send their 19-year-old son, Sam, to America before Austria was taken.

I like his stories of army life when he joined up to fight with America in World War 2.

I like hearing about his adventures as an intelligence officer, talking with (not "interrogating", certainly no torture - more like... joking around with / befriending(?)) captured German troops to gain information. Of course, his German was perfect, so he could act as a superior German officer... or he could put POWs at ease, offer a cigarette & empathy & conversation... and valuable information eventually finds its way out...

If there are biographers or historical fiction writers out there who would be interested in Sam's stories, please do make a date to talk with him :) Sharp as a tack!

Please meet Sam & Edith as young & in love, AND at their diamond anniversary, HERE

This officer & a gentleman celebrated his 100th Birthday in June :)

He savored the hugs & love from his grandchildren, Hannah & Sarah above, his two sons, and so many family & friends celebrating him together.

Now that his Edith has gone ahead of him, he is living alone. You know what he said is REALLY NEEDED at senior living centers??????

Touch.

Hugs.

A pat on the shoulder.

A shake of a hand, or a held hand...

The little touches that we use every day to show care...

This centenarian laments that our society right now is ... a little .... too careful about that (?) Hmmm.... Maybe I have a future in a Hugs-and-Conversation Volunteer Corps at local assisted living homes :)

In the past few years, it has been such a pleasure of mine to make portraits of Sam's granddaughters - Hannah's senior portraits are here, and Sam and Edith so enjoyed Sarah's Bat Mitzvah celebration, here. Sam paints portraits, and so regrets that he did not get to finish his portrait of his daughter-in-law, Doreen, based on a headshot Doreen & I had made for him - click here to see Sam's favorite headshot of Doreen - (haha! so just kidding, Doreen! not a link!). His fingers won't hold the brush so well any more now! He's one of my biggest fans, and I am one of his!! :) Happy 100th Birthday again, Mr. Sam Butterklee :)

Sam's family please find a handful of birthday moments here :)

(And please correct me if I mis-remembered any particulars from conversations! Thanks!)

My Family - Mum's Birthday :)

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 21:00:31 GMT

My Mom, Janice, just turned 74!

Not a typo! We celebrated with a photoshoot - I've wanted my Mum to have the experience that our clients enjoy :) :) :)

I also wanted to try a studio-style of photography... attempting Sue Bryce style ... Annie Leibovitz style... so this was an experiment with our family, fun fun!

Mumaaa taught my girls to read when they were little little little, and now all of us list good books as one of our favorite pastimes... yep, a bunch of bookworms - I love reading with my kids, because I get to share in the imaginative adventures and know all the characters like we are actually there :) ... So Mom requested this photograph!!! Love!

Another favorite so far! My sis Laura. With Mumsy :)

TOTALLY

UNDER

CONSTRUCTION

ENJOY YOUR FIREWORKS!

SEE YA SOON!!!

JEANNINE

Mihir - the Graduate!!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 14:00:00 GMT

Into the great wide open...

This summer, Mihir plans to pack his calendar with all the most beautiful vistas of Washington. This is his last grand opportunity for travel adventures here in his Pacific Northwest - his lifelong homeland. He graduates from Redmond High School this week, and then has a short 2 months to savor our wild spaces before leaving our State. Like a lot of guys, he had chosen not to make senior photos the summer before his senior year. He's easy-going, and he simply asked a friend to click a photo for his yearbook, and was completely satisfied. With senior year ending, and plans being made to pack up and fly 6 hours to his new "home" for college, he decided he wants pictures to commemorate all the mossy rugged goodness he loves in this home. As an avid skier, he chose to immerse himself in Snoqualmie Pass "backgrounds" for his senior portraits.

NO MANMADE BACKDROPS

I was really excited when Mihir chose us to be his Photographers. He asked for scenes with no manmade structures. Natural vistas in the fresh, sharp mountain air - yes! We are in! The location above was just right, a happy place for Mihir :) The forested hills stretched on and on with dustings of snow and drifting mist. These boulders were painted with lichen in rusts and greens. They reminded me of textured canvas photography backdrops. So Mihir obliged me :)

"IT'S PERFECT"

All our Photography Sessions include optional barbershop or salon services with high quality professionals. We had started our afternoon with Abby at "Gene Juarez - Men", voted #1 Barbershop in 425 Magazine for both 2018 & 2019, located in The Shops at The Bravern in Bellevue. Abby gave Mihir his haircut, style & shave, and when she was finished, Mihir said he liked it. It was good. I usually get more enthusiasm out of my teen clients, and not just the girls. I know Mihir is cool & collected, thoughtful, not prone to gushes of emotion... but I had to make sure... I suggested that Abby can get his look to be just the way he wants it, I want him to have the best, and he responded "No, it's fine, it's good." or something to that effect. I finally explained that I often get a bit more enthusiasm, and Mihir smiled and looked at me and said "It's perfect." So we were good to go!

Mihir wears mostly Patagonia. He likes the way the brand fits & it's comfortable. After this shoot, Jo & Shruti & I are thinking his jacket & jeans want to get out together a little more often as well :)

Aren't these boulders FANTASTIC?! Mihir gravitates to this stuff, so when he was researching & touring colleges from LA & Seattle to Boston this Spring, he fell for New Hampshire & Dartmouth College. This distinguished top-tier school actually has a 100-acre, 2-mountain ski area on the college grounds :) The famous Appalachian Trail runs right through campus. They have thousands of acres of forest to explore. Big changes coming up, but it sounds like Mihir could find a lot of new happy places :)

I have to mention - while we were driving to our locations, Mihir mentioned that he REALLY ENJOYS arguing. (At that, his Mom Shruti in the back seat covered her ears and made a comment about the noise, the NOISE, of arguments in the house! ha!!) Mihir says he will commonly take a side of an argument that he doesn't even commit to himself, just to make the class (or the discussion) more interesting! So I nearly laughed when we were at their home, and Mihir and his Dad, Shantanu, started arguing over which one of them loves nature more. Shantanu was pretty positive he had the greater love, but Mihir couldn't possibly agree less :) That was awesome.

I'm grateful for being given this fun opportunity. I expanded my knowledge of gorgeous photo locations near Snoqualmie Pass, I had great fun with our crew: Jo my incredible right hand & Mihir & Shruti. I got to know Mihir more than I ever had in 9 years of living next door (!) I got a ride in Mihir's Mustang. I learned to pronounce Dartmouth properly. And I love our portrait results!!

Thank you Jo!

Thank you Shantanu & Shruti

& Tanaya (we favored the same portraits!)

and

CONGRATULATIONS, MIHIR!!!!

It's Time for Family Portraits 2019!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:14:03 GMT

Aunt Carolyn's birthday gift from her daughter this year: Family photos! with grandsons!!

And with beloved daughter & son-in-law!

And with hubby!

I LOVE photographing one family over and over through the years, this is such a kick to me!

Last time, we used Carolyn's home-grown flowers, as a gift from her grandson, and we kept that tradition going in 2019:

You never know what you're going to get, with a 6-year-old and a 4-year old in the mix!!

Fun is for sure :)

Prepare your silly mood!

We tried it all :) and totally happy with results, it's real life :) It's fun.

I love Amanda's clothes. Her maternity wear was soooooooooo fun to photograph as well: Lookin' awesome at their second maternity shoot here, and here.

Now, it's not all about the grandchildren, I think Henry has earned some photos with his birthday girl :)

Jo & I were just enthralled with their cuteness together :)

These two met when they were teenagers! It was the '60s, she was in high school, and fell for a young military man she met at the beach :)

Daughter feels the love as well :)

This guy has been a great addition to the family (as they all are!) He wrastles all the kids in the extended family, they usually have to all attack at once to have any chance :) He believes in the importance of family relationships :)

Amanda with her boys' "Pa"

Amanda with her boys' "Nana",

the BIRTHDAY GIRL! (Winter birthday... but the weather is much more photo-friendly in May!!!

One more photo, one of my favorites of my Aunt Carolyn... from the Wedding Reception to Beat the Band :)

Old photos don't fade away... they're digitized :)

Happy belated birthday, to my beloved Auntie Carolyn!

Erin - Drummer for the Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs - Senior Photoshoot

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Fri, 03 May 2019 19:40:05 GMT

Wow! I love making portraits!!! Erin has been growing like a weed! (Or time flies?) I loved having fun together on this shoot!!

I love a people who aren't afraid to be unique, and Erin is that! from her cropped curly hair to her choice to do Running Start and spend more time with her band... the Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. They are playing Saturday (May 4th) at the Issaquah Library at 8:30pm, if you're free! Part of Art Walk :) We started out at Molly Moon Ice Cream...

because the words of the prophets are written on the parlor wall...

Oh wait! We started out at the library... a library-ish place... for our self-described book nerd :)

And moved outside with a whole stack of Erin's own books that have been favorites of hers, only her well-worn books. This portrait might be my favorite... but there are so many more I love :)

A couple hours before this shoot, Caarin (mom!) and I enjoyed watching experts at work: Blake on hair, and Dari on make up, at Gene Juarez Salon in Redmond. I love Erin's choices for clothes, her plaid flannel & ripped jeans are so classic northwest, we could drop her in any decade of the last 4. Love the (also classic) checkerboard Vans, and the Mouse Rat T-shirt made a big impression on a select few people I know! Apparently ya gotta be in the know... I had to look up the "band" up after the 5th or 6th "rad" "love it" "yeah!!!" :)

Yeah, I like Erin's T-shirts :) - - at some point, I may get photos of E with her band, for now, some beats in the park :) Check out the booots! Love!

I was repeatedly stunned at how pretty Erin is during this shoot -

maybe because I lived next door when she was born!

Maybe because we have been enjoying the same church for the last twelve YEARS and I haven't quite realized that she's nearly an adult already - maybe because when I see her smiling and greeting people at the door, or flopped on the couch in our church Cafè with her phone, it's different than

when she looks directly into my lens with no smile (or hair) to hide behind :)

Erin spoke to our whole church at her confirmation ceremony a few years ago, and she spoke with such sincerity and vulnerability, I was so touched. I loved getting to know her a little bit more on her senior shoot :) I've taken Erin's portrait in the past, along with her sister & brother, and all I really knew about her back then was that she was the one most willing to help me out!! Hahaaa! Everyone out there, your family photos go a lot faster when you humor the photographer! Aw, it wasn't that bad, not at all, but Erin did corral her siblings and pull them closer-than-is-comfortable-for-anyone-uh-personal-space!-because-that's-what-looks-best-in-your-photo-for-your-Mom!!

This day, actually hanging out for the afternoon, I discovered that Erin loves the same books I love! Officially my girls' books, but I read them avidly too. My kids and I have been on so many adventures together, even when we read them separately, we still have the same memories in our heads, ready conversations on our lips :)

So fun that Erin performs with her band of the Kaleidoscope School of Music :) I get to say it again - the Chocolate Covered Sugar Bombs :)

I love this one, it was when Erin was deciding what to do next - but I like this just how it is:

I am just so excited to see where the Lord our God takes this girl!

I like her a lot :)

Her irresistibly beautiful smile!!!!

We'll end with a little prayer, and a slideshow :)

God, thank you for Erin. Fill her always with the safe knowledge of how wide, how high and how deep your love is for her, the glorious & unique creation of yours that is her :) Thank you Lord, Amen.

My Jo!

jeannine@jeanninepoundphotography.com (Jeannine Pound Photography) — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 00:35:03 GMT

The Lord has blessed me with such fun folks to work with - and I'm finally doing what my cousin Amanda recommended YEARS ago at her maternity photoshoot, click here to see it) - filling up the great gaping galloping gaps in my business-abilities with someone who can complete those tasks efficiently, with low stress! This brings me too... my Jo!

Jo & Alex James were clients of mine 4 years ago (click to see it), and afterward, Jo volunteered to help out if help was ever needed.

It takes a lot to ask for a person to ask for help, but 2 years ago I admitted it - I needed it - I asked, and she answered -

smoothly & efficiently with no drama, no stress ;)

She's fast too! I barely got her in this frame:

She's amazing. She's the calm in my storm :)

This particular storm was during Kara & Eddie's engagement shoot on a hike to a waterfall (click to see it). Jo carried outfits & camera gear & umbrellas & snacks & waters for all 4 of us. She is so much fun, AND she poses for light tests:

She's also my heavy lifter :) That's why she does cross-fit ;)

(photo credit Scott Cottrille! Thank you! For more of this shoot, click here!)

She hauls me with my camera up & out out of tough spots in rivers...

and sometimes she rescues swimming puppies. For this adventure click here, without splashing

It was another Adventure when I kind of... flipped out... on the way to Sarah's bat mitzvah reception because I forgot the extra camera battery! and Jo listened calmly, thought for a moment, and came up with an efficient solution, one that my brain was not going to figure out!

Jo makes everything easy. + She loves our photoshoots as much as I do!

Now she is taking video clips & behind-the-scenes footage, which really help bring memory movies to life:

and she now helps polish our portraits in the office, post-shoot:

and just this week, I've asked her for help in my greatest struggle - against my arch-nemesis: TIME.

Jo will fight that beastie for me, using the efficient weapon of a simple calendar.

Whew! I have commitment-phobia, calendar-phobia, ink-phobia... but when Jo inks the appointment in the books, we are golden :) When it comes to

* pinning down dates for our shoot(s),

* planning our planning session,

* ordering up our ordering session -

Jo and her calendar will absolutely take care of you and me :)

I soooo wish I kept bloopers of Jo for an occasion such as this, well, here's kind of a blooper...

Jo. With my kids. Typical.

If only this was me with my kids, or Jo with Ben & Hugh!

But no, it's Jo pretending to be the mom of my kids for a pre-shoot light test :) Per usual. Love it.

Thank you for all your help, Jo James, & I'm looking forward to a lot more fun & adventures with "my Jo"!