A rainy fall day ...

I was honored to be asked to do high school senior portraits for Bret (Class of 2011) which will go in his high school yearbook to be the picture that he will always look back on for his senior year.  (No pressure!)  Our shoot went off without a hitch ... well, other than the rain. BUT we had fun and it really wasn't raining too hard ... just your typical Seattle mist. 

One great thing about the rain is that the overcast sky is ideal for shooting because there aren't harsh shadows or highlights to deal with.  The fall colors were out in force which made for a beautiful backdrop.  Here are a few of my favorite shots from our rainy day portrait session ...

If you know of anyone who is looking for an affordable photographer, feel free to pass on my info! :o)

EFC Woodworking

Photoshoot in the woodshop!  I've been brainstorming ideas for a few weeks now on what I could put on Caleb's business cards for his woodworking.  And then I had the idea of shooting pictures in his woodshop while he worked on an order of custom boxes ... here are a few of the shots I got. 

Caleb's brand that say 'Hand Crafted by EFC Woodworking'

Pictures of the cards will go up when they arrive in the mail!

Pumpkin Carving 2010

We finally were able to carve the beautiful pumpkins that we got about a week ago, and let me tell you ... they turned out great (or at least Caleb's did!)  I have always been amazed at Calebs pumpkin carving skills.  I think this is probably the 5th or 6th year we have carved pumpkins together and each year his keep getting better and mine ... welll, not so much.  Then this year, as I watch him finish TWO pumpkins before I am even done with my one ... the light bulb goes on!  It makes sense ... Caleb is awesome at intricate woodworking, detailing, etc and it uses similar tools (ok maybe that is a stretch) but either way, he totally has an upper hand on me ... at least that is the story that I am sticking to! :)

This year we got smart and finally bought pumpkin kits ... sooo much easier!! 
And of course you need a yummy beer to help you carve!

The master at work ... removing the 'guts'

Prepped and drying out ... ready to cook tomorrow!

Tah - Dah!

Caleb's awesome bat ... isn't he cute??



Caleb's spooky tree and there is a wolf in the lower right but the angle isn't showing it well ...



My attempt at a witch cooking over her cauldron ...

The weather has officially turned here so it really feels spooky out with the heavy wind and rain we are getting with this 'big winter storm' that is hitting the PNW.  Glad the power is still on!  It has been flickering all day.

Pretty Dresses & Boutonnieres

I had SO much fun last Sat night.  Our dear friends Sandie and Scott have a daughter (Rachel) who is a freshman at Monroe High School.  When I found out that they were going to have a girlie day of hair/makeup before their homecoming dance, I knew I could not miss out!  It was such a great group of kids and I had so much fun shooting them before their dance.  It brought back such fun memories of high school and it made me a bit nostalgic, but the other side of me is so happy with where I am in life right now that I wouldn't change it for anything.  Here are a few highlights from the shoot (below) ... you can see the rest at http://www.elyssafreemanphoto.com/

Pumpkin & Produce

Caleb and I picked up our pumpkins today!  And I am happy to say that there is more than 1 week till Halloween so we are ahead of the game this year.  We normally go to a farm to cut our pumpkins but this year in an effort to save money and time we decided to head into Redmond and get our pumpkins at a little local market.  I have driven past this place for years but I have never stopped by, boy was I missing out!  They had a great deal on Red Bell Peppers and I was needing carrots to make a new recipe that I am trying tomorrow night, Carrot Soup!  Thanks, Shelley, for the recipe!



YUM! Fresh!!



Business Cards

 

My business cards have arrived for Elyssa Freeman Photography! I am so happy with how they turned out and I am so proud to have designed them myself.  I had posted this picture (a little blurry from my iPhone) last night on Facebook and I got a really good response of positive feedback.  This is just one step closer to having a full fledged photography business.  If you know of anyone who is looking for an affordable photographer, please send them my way! :) I feel so blessed to be doing something I LOVE for my job!

Portland Apple Festival

As mentioned in my earlier post, one of my favorite things that fall brings are Honey Crisp apples, YUM!  When we were down in Portland this weekend we were lucky enough to make to Portlands Apple Tasting Festival.  This type of thing is so up my alley!  Caleb, Shelley and I pulled out the rain gear and headed out to the Portland Nursery.  I couldn't believe all the different types of apples!  There were probably at least 30 different kinds that we were able to taste.  Here are a few highlights from our tasting trip ...

The tasting line ... so many apples!

My favorite time of year ...

You really cannot beat the gorgeous colors of Fall!! The leaves are just starting to change up here and I cannot wait to take some new fall landscapes photos to add to my portfolio. 

Elyssa's Favorites of Fall:
- Crisp morning air
- Pumpkin (everything)
- Cute boot weather
- Fires in the fireplace
- Honeycrisp apples
- Baking
- Soups/Stews/Bisques
- Bringing out the holiday decor ... and the list could go on
If I were to guess, while I am sure Caleb agrees with the above listed (especially the cute boot weather, hah! Just kidding) he would add College football to the list x10! We are watching the USC/UW game as I type this blog post and all is well as long as SC is winning! :P