Delia & Darren 04.19.08

Even though it was supposed to rain, I just knew that the weather would be hold out for Delia & Darren's wedding on Saturday. I guess I should say that it did snow in the morning, and was freezing all day, but the sun came out a little before the ceremony, and lasted until the second I finished the bride & groom pics. When it was time for a large group pic, and the bonfire, though, the rain went away again. Delia & Darren are one of those couple's that you can just tell they'll be together for the rest of their lives, and I wish you two the best! Thank you for letting me be a part of your family for the day, and have a great time in Hawaii!

I'm listening to Ilona V (Beautiful!!)

The view from where Delia got ready (unfortunately, we didn't go back for the B&G pics, but that's alright)...

I stumbled upon the "love shack" on the other side of the creek while waiting for people to show up...


Everybody loved the swing...



The ceremony was short and sweet (luckily, since it was freezing!), but almost brought tears to my eyes...




You just might be able to see the goosebumps on Delia's arm...


The happily married couple...


The absolute BEST carrot cake and chocolate mousse EVER!



The bride's grandmother was so sweet...



This was one of only FOUR (woo hoo!) formals I took...

Here's #4 of four...









Thanks for looking!

-Jessica
Jessica Watson Photography

Saying "No"...

I hope you had a great weekend, and I will be blogging Saturday's wedding soon. Some things to look forward to..."love shack," swing time, and staying cozy by a bonfire...it was a very fun wedding (but not nearly as dirty as that sounds, lol).

Something that I've been thinking about lately, is allowing myself to say 'no' sometimes, and my fear of letting things go. I read about a study that showed how people like to keep their options open, even sometimes to the detriment of themselves, and I feel I tend to take on too many tasks, then end up feeling overwhelmed and not having any time for myself. I'm learning that my son doesn't need to practice every art and sport in the world, and it's okay if some dishes get left in the sink...sometimes it's best to spread out meetings and volunteer work, and even end a relationship. It is always difficult when I choose to close a door, or when it gets closed for me, but in retrospect I'm always happier, and less stressed. So, recently I decided that taking over two hours every Tuesday to take Noah to tennis was a little much, when he already does Kendo and rock climbing. I even thought about hiring someone to clean my bathrooms, but when I brought it up with my husband he said, "No! I'll clean the bathrooms." LOL That was a little nugget of wisdom I learned this week...tell your husband you're going to pay somebody to clean something, and he'll end up doing it for free! ;)

-Jessica
Jessica Watson Photography

Bike Back the Night!

We'll be riding together to create a visual impact that will raise awareness and encourage individuals to join PWCL in supporting survivors of sexual violence at Portland State University's Take Back the Night rally and speak-out.

Bring your wheels, bring a friend, and Bike Back the Night!

Not many of you know that I am on the Board of Directors at PWCL (Portland Women's Crisis Line), but I've been on the board since June 2006, and wanted to let you know about a super fun event coming up next week....Bike Back the Night on Thurs., April 24th in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

PWCL was one of the first five sexual violence crisis lines in the United States, and provides 24/7 immediate access to:

Crisis Intervention
Advocacy and Support
Safety Planning
In-person response for survivors of sexual violence
Information and referral
Emergency housing resources
Danger to Safety transportation assistance
Agency and Community Support Groups

Although my term is up in June, I still plan on supporting PWCL financially as well as continuing to volunteer to shoot their events. Hope to see you on Thurs. to Bike Back the Night!



-Jessica
Jessica Watson Photography

If it's on the internet, my husband will find it!

My husband, Spencer, can find anything on the internet, and is always telling me about the strange or cool things he comes across. Today, he found a website, GelaSkins, which has some really awesome skins for laptops, phones, iphones, and even ones for the PSP. There's some great artwork on there, so check out the site. These are my faves for my laptop...I can't decide which one to get!

I love weird cute things...


Flying spaghetti monster!


What more could I want...pretty colors, cats, a butterfly & a skull...


I've been stuck inside for the last few days with sick boys...I'm going a little stir crazy! My busy weekend will be here soon enough, though.

-Jessica
Jessica Watson Photography

2 Shoots Real Quick

I'm going to post two shoots from Sunday really quick because I have two sick boys at home with me...Andrea's senior session, and Nick & Renee's engagement session. Saturday was hot, like I mentioned (and all you Oregonians know), but Sunday cooled off, and I was a little worried Nick, Renee & I would get rained on. Luckily the weather held out (unfortunately, tonights e-session was canceled, though). Anyway, I haven't even looked at every image from both shoots, but here are my faves so far! Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday!

I'm listening to Flight of the Conchords

First up (but shot second), Nick & Renee's e-session...

Dimples!! I never really cared for dimples until Calvin cracked his first dimply smile, and my heart melted. Now I think they're adorable...


They're both so silly, I just thought this image was funny...



They were also sweet and cuddly, too!


Woo hoo! I found something that had bloomed!


Andrea's senior session...






Andrea and her mom, Cathy...


Thanks for looking, I'm going to go take care of my boys now!

-Jessica
Jessica Watson Photography

Tiffany & Jason E. Session

Tiffany & Jason drove down from Everett, WA on Saturday for their engagement session. Tiffany originally wanted to do the shoot at Wintler Park, but since it was about 83 degrees, the park was totally packed, and we couldn't even find a parking spot. So, we drove down the street to Officer's Row, and then walked around downtown Vancouver. They are such a sweet couple, and I can't wait to shoot their wedding at Cannon Beach in July! They even invited my kids to the wedding...we'll see! Here are a few of my favorites. It was super bright out, and HOT (for April), but I had fun playing with the shadows.

I'm listening to Portland's own, The Helio Sequence.

In the warmer looking shots, I added the warmth to simulate evening light since it was just so dang bright out!







I love it when stuff like this happens. I sat them down here because of the tulips and pretty light coming in through the trees behind them, but then realized the building behind me acted like a giant reflector, perfectly lighting up their faces. So, this is all natural light (actually all these shots are natural light, but this one wouldn't have been possible w/o some extra light).





Thanks for looking!

-Jessica
Jessica Watson Photography