It was raining. Again. My clients (the GORGEOUS Khemlani family) and I had agonized over whether or not to reschedule, but with no clear skies in the foreseeable future, we decided to just go with it. I'm so glad we did! The rain broke as soon as we arrived and started up again JUST as we were leaving. The stormy skies and even, overcast lighting created such a wonderful mood. When I was working on location proposals for Shinel and fam, her wishlist included somewhere with views, tall golden grass, and within an hour drive from home. This wine country spot is one of my go-tos and worked out perfectly for them. Combine the great location with the tones of this stunning expectant mama's dress and skin, throw in a dapper dad and a big brother with the cutest dimples and curly hair EVER and I'm going to count this one as a total win. The last shot is their sex reveal announcement photo, with pink roses indicating a baby girl is on the way. Congratulations!
A little background, I have known this beautiful couple since 2009, when Vishal was my roommate and Shinel was still just his girlfriend. I was in art school, majoring in photography, and Shinel would model for my assignments. Over the years I have captured headshots, marketing shots, engagement photos, family portraits, and more for these two. They are such amazing people and I am so honored to now be presenting their maternity session! Photographing families and relationships and careers grow over time make me feel like I get to be a little part of it, which is a truly incredible feeling. Thanks so much to this family, and all of the families who have stuck with me through the years! Love you!
A NOTE ON MY LEAVE NO TRACE POLICY: While shooting a hiker came out of nowhere and started screaming at us about how it's "people like me" who are ruining nature and destroying this beautiful location. We were literally just standing there taking photos and chatting quietly, so I have no idea what her deal was. I was totally in shock and kind of just stood there in stunned silence, then apologized to my clients about this random rude person's behavior. BUT, if I had been able to speak in the moment, what I should have said was, I have a very strict leave no trace policy. This means that during a session with me we will be respectful of nature and we will leave it in the same or better condition as when we arrived. ALWAYS. We will never trample or cut down vegetation, we won't litter, or play loud music, etc. Anyway, I thought it was important to let people know this is a priority of mine, as a native Oregonian, a nature lover, and just generally a not shitty person.
