Enko Photography Blog

Creative Group Portraits with Notesferatu

enkophoto — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:46:05 +0000

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

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

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

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

Saturday: Sweet F.A. Fashion Show!

enkophoto — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:09:46 +0000

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

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

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

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

enkophoto — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:01:27 +0000

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

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

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

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

Actor With a Side of Model – model portfolio and headshot photography in Portland, Oregon

enkophoto — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:15:28 +0000

Andrew came to us ready to kick-start his career as an actor, and was also open to modeling, so he chose one of our model portfolio packages, and we tailored the looks to fit his goals! We made his actor’s headshot our first priority, because he’s most interested in acting, and we brought in our stylist partner Tabiba Styles to make sure he had a clean and polished look from start to finish. We also explored looks inspired by commercial, fashion, and athletic styles in-studio, to show his potential in different areas of modeling, while still playing to his relaxed and easygoing attitude.

He also chose to order comp cards through us, so we hooked him up with a clean comp card layout, and a batch of 100 cards printed on high-quality stock! We’re always ready to provide headshot prints and comp cards to our clients, and we make it affordable, so you can get the most for your investment, even if you’re new to the industry. If you have several shots you love after your session’s over, ask us about our rates, and we’ll gladly add it on to your package.

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

Valentine’s Day Portrait Specials – portrait and artistic photography in Portland, OR

enkophoto — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:47:19 +0000

We’ve been busy with portraits, weddings, and even a couple dashes of fashion shooting, but we wanted to pop in and let you know about our Portrait Specials for Valentine’s Day. If you’ve been looking for a good excuse to get special portraits in or around the Portland area, this could be the perfect time for you to do it!

Our special package for Valentine’s Day 2010 includes:

TWO HOUR SESSION — enough time for several outfits, poses, and lighting styles
We shoot in-studio, on-location, or even at your home… it’s up to you!
A personalized look by one of our top Makeup and Hair Stylists
Private online proof gallery, for convenient viewing and ordering on your schedule
THREE professionally retouched final images of your choice
$60 credit towards prints and products from your final selections
Order additional prints from your gallery anytime — in case you decide you want more!

…all for $250!

You can take advantage of this seasonal special anytime between now and February 14th! You can book a portrait session before Valentine’s Day, or you can also give the session itself as a gift certificate, to treat your Valentine or share it with them.

Enko Photography – glamour, boudoir, and couples portraits in Portland, Oregon

Pumpkins and Falling Leaves – portrait and artistic photography in Portland, OR

enkophoto — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:50:30 +0000

We got together with Alyson and Jeff on a chilly fall day, to snag some casual engagement photos! They took advantage of our Try Us On special by scheduling their engagement shoot with us, and because they also booked us for their wedding, they got to keep the engagement photos at no charge. (Hint: you can still get in on this special, just by mentioning that you saw it on our blog! Be sure to contact us to book an engagement portrait session, before our wedding calendar fills up.)

The weather at the park was beautiful, and there was plenty of fall color to play with… and we even had pumpkins on hand to pose with! They started the session trying to look more sedate and composed for the photos, but Jeff–or as Alyson likes to call him, “El Jefe”–is apparently pretty notorious for not keeping a straight face in photos. But, we LOVE it when our portrait clients loosen up and clown around during a session, so we captured some parent-pleasing photos, and the spontaneous shots that showed them as the clever, funny, and utterly non-serious people they are when they’re together.

We’re really jazzed to be the photographers shooting Alyson and Jeff’s wedding this coming Fall. It’s shaping up to be a blast, and we’re sure it’ll be anything but ordinary… just how we like it.

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

Baby Loves Science – portrait and artistic photography in Portland, OR

enkophoto — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:52:58 +0000

Bringing up a new baby can be tiring and time-consuming, so when we were setting up our portrait session with Baby Ben, we thought it’d be easiest on the whole family if we brought the session to them, by shooting it in-home. New mom Dynee welcomed us into their living room, where we took advantage of the big windows letting soft light into the room, and just let the little guy roll around and enjoy the afternoon. Dynee and Michael are really excited to share their love of math, science, and games with Ben as he grows up, so we included his outer space blanket in the shoot, and we made sure to get a few shots of baby and mother together, too. Shooting the session in their house made for a very relaxing environment, and we had Ben’s toys and bottle close at hand, in case he started feeling cranky.

If you’re interested in family portraits or baby portraits for your session, on-location shoots are never a problem, and that location can also be right in your own home! If you’re in the Portland area, we’re more than happy to bring the photoshoot to you, for no extra charge.

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

Snapshot: Goodbye, 2009 – portrait and artistic photography in Portland, OR

enkophoto — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:15:03 +0000

After an awesome, surprise-filled, and at times exhausting year, it was high time we took a break! So, Ben and I each spent the holidays with a bit of travel, a lot of family and friends, some amazing edibles, and very little internet.

We’ve already welcomed 2010, and it’s looking like a big year already! But, 2009 deserves a little farewell, so this seemed appropriate: a photo from the last bit of shooting I did in 2009. I was rushing northward, trying to get through the mountains before the big snows came in, but I passed near Shasta Lake and couldn’t resist the opportunity I was seeing through my car window. I got off at the next exit, and took 5 minutes to shoot a few frames, before continuing my journey up I-5 towards Portland.

I honestly couldn’t have timed it better. The forecast was stormy and snowy, and it had rained quite a bit further south, but when I got up into the mountain passes, it was gorgeous. WORTH IT. Happy new year!

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

Help-Portrait PDX – portrait and artistic photography in Portland, OR

enkophoto — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:55:01 +0000

Last week was especially busy for us, but I (Sarah) still found room in my schedule to be a part of the Help-Portrait event held here in Portland last Saturday. The mission of Help-Portrait? Find a needy person, take their portrait, create a print and give it to that person. Helping one person just wasn’t enough, though, and after several planning meetings and a flurry of e-mails and Google spreadsheets, we had over 30 volunteers coming together to shoot portraits for dozens of people in need!

I could only stay for the first half of the day, but the energy of the experience lifted my spirits all weekend. The atmosphere was warm and collaborative, and considering how many professional photographers were in the room, the space was ego-free. We’d share tips and chat about gear, lend a hand holding a reflector or testing lights, and back each other up whenever someone needed an assist. The volunteers who weren’t photographers were on-point and ready to help with hair and makeup, contacting organizations, sorting through images, or even just staying with folks who were waiting to have their portrait taken, so they wouldn’t feel lost in the shuffle. It was all about the people we were helping, and making it a positive experience for them.

No matter how many times I see it, it’s always a little surprising for me, to see the faces of the less-fortunate. When I visited China back in the summertime, I found myself shocked at the extreme circumstances of some of the disadvantaged people I encountered on the streets. At Help-Portrait, however, those less-fortunate faces didn’t look much different from my own. A lot of people, from all walks of life, have come up on tough circumstances these days, and it’s not hard to see it, if you look around you. Still, there were some very sweet families and freakin’ adorable kids who came to get their portraits done, and it was a lot of fun to meet all of these people, and watch them truly enjoying with their photo sessions and interacting with all the volunteers who came out.

Honestly, it’s hard to know what else to say that would even begin to encompass this experience, for someone who wasn’t there… it was just an amazing event all around, and watching the slideshow this morning was such a treat. I’m absolutely doing this again next year, and I know it’s only going to grow bigger and better!

Here’s the slideshow, with plenty of photos (including quite a few of my own) documenting the events of the day. It’s always enjoyable for me to simply watch people being themselves, and capture the bright moments.

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

Seeing a Different Shade – senior portrait photography in Portland, OR

enkophoto — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:09:48 +0000

We’ve been busy working through holiday print orders, but we finally have a few minutes to share another of our senior portrait sessions. Olivia is an intelligent, thoughtful, and artistically-minded girl, and she wasn’t exactly accustomed to having her photo taken, when she came to us! It can feel feel pretty unusual at first, when you’re suddenly the focus of a 2+-hour photoshoot, but we got her feeling comfortable and her personality began to poke through.

Starting with natural light and a casual outfit made for a great way to warm up–a lot of her favorite shots and ours came from the first set! Then, we moved towards a softer feel with a romantic thrifted blouse and window light. Finally, we had Sabrina Cayne there to lend us a hand with creating a glamorous dress look that Olivia’s mom requested! But, it wasn’t long before we added a book into the scene, so Olivia could pose with it and show a little more of what she’s about. We had fun exploring with her, and her family and friends will definitely be seeing a different side of her… but one that’s still true to her.

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