courtney jade’s blog

I’ve been wanting to get a “stylish” camera bag for quite a while now, and my recent trip to Costa Rica was the perfect excuse to finally invest in one!
I wanted something cute, stylish, functional, and discrete. Toting around all of my expensive camera equipment in another country made me nervous enough, I didn’t want to LOOK like  I was carrying all of that expensive equipment.
I was reading through all of my favorite photo blogs one day, and I can’t remember exactly where I saw them, but I read about these awesome new epiphan!e bags, and totally fell in love.

Right now they have three styles available, and I agonized over which one would be the best fit for me. I love them all!!! The colors of  Belle were my favorite, but the style of Lola was my favorite… and then there’s Ginger. Ginger would be perfect for weddings as far as being suttle! And not to mention, it would match just about anything. But in the end, Lola won my heart. First at least

I love that it is a deeper bag. I’ve been pick-pocketed before, so a deeper bag makes me feel better about toting around things. Also I wanted to be able to throw a scarf or something on top to cover up my equipment if needed. This may sound silly, but my camera is my other baby and needs the utmost protection! Another thing I love about it is that it has a zipper!

This is the most purse-like camera bag I have been able to find! I know there are a couple of other brands that make “stylish camera bags”, but they are still camera bags. Epiphanie bags really look like purses, and can be worn either way! One of the great features of this bag, is that it comes with a matching detachable padded shoulder strap. A shoulder strap is a necessity when shooting for me. I don’t like leaving my bag places, and for weddings you’re constantly on the move. The hardware on this bag is nice and strong too!

Here’s a view of the top and inside…

Lola came with more then enough padded separators. They are soft, and have Velcro on 3 sides so that you can move them to fit your equipment exactly, which is really nice because photographers are always upgrading and changing out their equipment. It gives awesome flexibility, and I can rest assured that my equipment is packed away safe and sound!

There is even a nice hidden zip pocket inside to store things you want kept safe like money, id, extra memory cards, etc.

A couple more great features of this bag are the 2 deep pockets on the outside that I love to use for my cell phone, business cards (for easy access), and my shoot list. The photo with my iPhone doesn’t accurately portray the depth of the pockets, but I wanted to give you a size ratio. the pockets reach all the way down to the bottom of the bag.

The bag also comes adorn with an adorable little charm! This might have been my favorite detail, for funs sake!

I received my bag just in time for me to throw my camera in, and head to the airport (literally!). I couldn’t be happier with it, and I’ve gotten SO MANY compliements on it so far! I absolutely adore it, and I feel so stylish while shooting now! It also has enough room to hold my other “purse-items” like my wallet, point & shoot, pen, phone, etc. so I’m not lugging around 2 bags, which is a HUGE relief- literally and figuratively!

Here is a pic of Lola in Costa Rica enjoying the beach, she had a blast

I can’t wait to see what bags they come out with next!!! I’m hoping for a cute purple one
The girls who I’ve been in contact with are all super nice too!! Amazing customer service!! Thank you SO much for creating a bag I could only dream of! This is truly an innovation that I’ve been looking for for quite some time now

Check out Epiphanie bags for yourself, what are you waiting for!?

<3

she’s even more beautiful on the inside.

this is jaimee.
jaimee works for Toni & Guy.
she is my hair stylist.
she’s been doing my hair for almost 6 years now.
the first time she did my hair was right before i flew out to meet mark for the first time.
she is beautiful.
she has one of the kindest hearts of anyone i know.
her laugh is even pretty, and infectious.
my dog de-flowered her dog (hehe!)
she has a great sense of humor.
she is creative, and full of fun ideas.
we shot this photo at our condo in Costa Rica last week during a mini-photo shoot.
i heart her <3

more to come soon…

Yesterday my bestie Ben, and his sister Jenna introduced me to what is now my favorite restaurant in all of Portland: Jade Teahouse & Patisserie

Located in the adorable Sellwood neighborhood, off of 13th and SE Lexington, is a beautiful green building. One of the reasons it was love at first site was the design of everything. From the moment you spot the place driving by, to the second you walk through the door, it’s beautiful. The colors, the lighting, the furniture, even the fonts on the menu board create such an upclass, yet homey feel. You can tell that everything has been carefully thought out and cared for with a whole heart. These people want you to feel comforable!!

The atmosphere is completely beautiful and warm. There’s a peace about it, and there are fun little details everywhere. Just look at the rack of loose leaf teas!

And the menu, oh, the menu!!! Mark and I have a hard time finding a place with food that we both LOVE. Sure, there are places that he loves, and I like, or visa versa… but this place is the perfect fit! They have menu items that are more traditional or basic (but still completely flavorful and delicious), and also items for the more adventurous tongue, and everything in between. I don’t know anyone who couldn’t find something here that they didn’t absolutely love.
They have a huge variety of asian influenced dishes, as well as baguette sandwiches, soups, and delicous baked goods! The head chef pours her heart and soul into every single dish that’s prepared, and you can tell 100%. Everything tastes and looks like it was specially prepared just for you. The people are extremely friendly, and go above and beyond the norm to tell you about the cuisine, even recommending things! All of the ingredients are fresh, and though I’ve only been there twice now, it seems as though they make most everything from scratch! They have a bakery downstairs where the head chef (who apparently studied the art of french baking for a time in France [i think, can't remember exactly what our server said about this.. but I know she studied it over in Europe for a time]) prepares delicious baked cookies, macaroons, and other tastey treats!
I could go on and on all day, but I’ll let the photos speak for themselves

Mark’s Thai Iced Tea & my fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade

A few cute shots of my markie <3

Our delicious food!!!

Hands down, best Pho I’ve ever eaten. Mmmmmm so good

And of course, we had to have dessert!!! Jenna was raving about their traditional cake that they make! It’s green due to the banana peels that they use in it, and it tastes like a light vanilla. The cake is moist and fluffy, and the buttercream is smooth and creamy. There’s a surprise crunchy layer in the middle of some sort of flaky pastry, and white chocolate shavings on top To. Die. For. And not too sweet either!

We also tried this traditional sesame ball treat, which I forget the name of! It was awesome!! It was like a rice/bread doughnut-like ball that was crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and it was filled with some sort of yummy almond paste and coconut. Then it comes with a sweet glazey honey caramel sauce (I think that’s what it was… it was all so delicious and went so fast I can’t be positive!).

Seriously. Best. Restaraunt. EVER. I’m officially in love, and SO excited to find a place that Mark and I are both totally blown away by! I can’t wait to go back, and I was just there 2 hours ago!!

Until we meet again Jade… <3

About a year ago I received an email from a gentleman who wanted to use my photo for the cover of their CD. They had seen the photo via my flickr page, and just loved it!

So we made an arrangement, and I sent off the full rez file… I completely forgot about it, and if it weren’t for the random email updates as to how the album was coming along it may have completely slipped my mind forever. So I was quite surprised and very excited when I went to the mailbox the other day and pulled out a package that read “ROYAL MAIL”. First of all, how sweet is that?! I mean, there’s really not much that’s “Royal” about the USA… I mean, we are the US Postal Service… so boring. Anyways! Here is what I was so excited to open!!!

AAHHHHHHH!!! There’s my BABY on the cover of a CD!!!! SO COOL!!!!
view the original pic here; it’s had over 14,000 views to date, and while I’m not sure exactly HOW they found it, I assume it was through google or something

My boo-boo is FAMOUS!!!! Haha, well at least in the UK!
Anyways, I think it was really great that even though copy writes on photos these days are completely abused and consistently taken advantage of, these guys were awesome enough to not only ask my permission to use the photo but also to pay me for it, and then fulfill their word and send me a finished copy! I was ecstatic!!!

I haven’t popped the cd into the player yet, as I was just too excited to write about it, so I’m not sure exactly what they sound like yet, but you can check out their website here: The Strawbs
Today it is GORGEOUS outside!!! I took Quincey to a local Italian Greyhound meetup earlier, and then we came home. He layed in the sun while Mark and I did a little spring cleaning Here’s a couple of pics of my workspace/psuedo office

If you’re curious about all of the lovely things on my desk, you can check them out here

Until next time!

<3

valentine’s day is my most favorite day of the entire year.

What other day do you get to indulge in all of the hearts, pink, love, and romance you can imagine!?

Ok, ok, so maybe I do that more than just one day a year, but it’s nice to have a designated day set aside to plan for it I didn’t get to do or capture nearly as many valentine-y things as I wanted this year, but I did take a few pics this weekend.

My friend Jenn came over, and we decorated cupcake valentine’s! It was super fun, and there was a LOT of pink happening!!! I didn’t snap any photos of my cupcakes (i know, shame on me!), but I did snap a couple of Jenn’s! Here are some of her fabulous and adorable cupcakes!

First, I just want to say that my boyfriend is the best boyfriend ever. I seriously can’t believe sometimes how lucky I am to  have found such an amazing person to share my life with.

We have been wanting to go to this one particular restaurant for over 5 years… now you might be thinking “5 years is a really LONG time Courtney… just go to the dang restaurant!!”, and I know. However, being in college, broke, always living paycheck to paycheck, etc. we just could never bare to “afford” it. Our anniversary happens to lie on the same date our lease is up, so we’d either be broke from moving or just not have time. And as for other special occasions, it just never worked out right.

I’m happy to say that the stars finally aligned, and we were able to enjoy an incredible dinner together at The Melting Pot! I brought my camera along, but I knew it would be SUPER dark down there, so I wasn’t expecting any amazing shots, but I did catch a few good ones. Here are some fun moments from our Valentine’s day dinner!

We started with the cheese fondue. Not my favorite, but Mark sure liked it! they give you breads, green apples, and raw veggies to dip. I did like the apples with it, but I knew there was so much more on the way and wanted to save room.

Next we had salads, I took a photo but didn’t export it, lol, they weren’t anything amazing, just plated yummy dinner salads. Then the next course: MEATS!! Look at all of that delicious raw meat, just ready to cook. We chose the “Bajo Style” broth, it was a citrus-y garlic broth, and completely delicious!!! Our plate included lobster, filet minon, new york strip, kielbasa, shrimp, garlic chicken, and raviolis. We also got some raw veggies to cook, and a variety of sauces to dip the meats in after they cooked.

And last but most definitely not least: DESSERT!!! This was my most favorite part of the entire meal (of course), and I would go back a million times for it again!! Our server brought out the chocolate and then poured in the fire!!!

a little stir…

a lot of delicious things to dip…

and mmmmmmmm two very happy valentine’s!!! We chose dark chocolate with marshmallow cream

they give you SO many fun things to dip! Cheesecake, strawberries, bananas, pound cake, brownies, rice krispy treats, and different marshmallows… can you say heaven?? They are also all refillable, excluding the cheesecake.

SO yummy!!!

And of course, we had to take a pic of the bill. This is the most expensive meal Mark and I have ever indulged in to date. It might not seem like a lot, but I guess you can say we live on the conservative side. Oh yea, that doesn’t even include tip, hahaha… so awesome. Like I said, my boyfriend is amazing.

Then Monday I had the day off, and I was a total and complete BUM all day. I managed to take Quincey over to my cousin’s house to play with their pup (Quincey’s cousin and BFF) Rufus, so that was fun. I also did ALL of my laundry and folded/put it away. As well as re-arranging our bedroom. But BUM city it was, and it was amazing.

Overall it was a great Valentine’s weekend. Hopefully next year I’ll be able to document more! How was your Valentine’s weekend??

Now it’s time to get ready for Costa Rica!!! I leave in less than 4 weeks now- CRAZY!!! I’m so excited, but I’ve never travelled outside of the country. Advice? Tips? I’d love to hear them!! Also, what’s one thing I should make sure to do while on Vacation? I’ll be staying in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

<3

Can I just start off by saying that I am so in love with this entire session! The colors, the lighting, the subjects, everything just lined up perfectly, and I couldn’t be happier with the photos. This is the first professional portrait session I did with my new camera, and I don’t know about you, but I can tell a HUGE difference!

I met these two darling’s mother Jenn back when we were both working in cosmetics, and I was still in school for graphic design. She was just starting her very own business- a cute, funky-fresh retro themed line of baby apparel, bibs, burp & bum rags, and blankets: Pearly Grey. (Fun Fact Alert!: she was my first “client” for design! I created her logo, hehe) Check out her site and if you know anyone who’s expecting, she makes these awesome little Hospital Take-Out kits that are completely adorable (they even come in a Chinese-style take-out box!)!! I just gave one as a gift at a baby shower I attended, and you should have heard the “oohs” and “aaaahs” it got. Total win.

Jenn and her family are just beautiful. She is such a wonderful person, and her kids are to-die-for gorgeous!!! So of course, when she said she wanted to do newborn photos for her newest addition, little Liam, I was more than excited!!! It’s always fun to work with other artists, and Jen is just so laid back in general, I knew we would get some really great photos!

A lot of people ask me where I shoot, if I have a studio, bring props, etc. I am an on-location natural light photographer. That means that I show up with my camera, a few basic essentials, and my talents. One of the most important things to me is to capture people’s genuine self, which means capturing them in their own element, with things that are special or important to them. When I showed up to Jenn’s house, I was more than thrilled to walk into her completely adorable kitchen!!! These photos were shot in her kitchen right next to a sliding glass door. All natural light. Of course, she has a completely adorable kitchen, I mean, look at the wall color!!! And not to mention the black and white tile floor… my mind is spinning with all of the possibilities that I didn’t take advantage of… well, we’ll just have to do another shoot This woman has got style!!

Now, onto the photos! Welcome to the world little Liam Vincent You are perfect in every sense of the word.

Liam’s older sister Jane Pearl was such a perfect little model for me too! She wanted so badly to be a part of the whole shoot, and I couldn’t have asked for a more cooperative little model. Isn’t she completely gorgeous!? I can hardly believe she’s just 5 years old…

And she just loves being a big sister You can tell she takes so much pride in it. Little Liam, you are in good hands!

These next shots are probably my favorites from the entire shoot. Completely beautiful <3 There were too many good ones. Just look at how peaceful little Liam looks in her arms

Another cute shot of Jane I can’t help it, if only all 5 year olds were this excited to have their photo taken! haha.

Check out those little lips

A few of my faves with mommy, of course!!

I just love his expression in this one, it’s like he’s saying “awww come on mom! geez…” haha, I just had to post it!

And we just had to get a couple of product shots in there for Jenn to use to promote her business!

And of course, the adorable chair shot! (I know, I posted it in the sneak peek, but I just can’t help but post it again I love it so much!)

Thank you Jenn, for being so great, and for choosing me to take Liam’s first photos I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

<3

i have so much to say about this darling little boy and his family, but that will have to wait for the full post, as i am about to run out the door… for now i’ll leave you drooling with these

<3

Have you ever read the book “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman? Well, if you haven’t you should, it’s a very interesting book!

“Of the countless ways we can show love to one another, five key categories, or five love languages, proved to be universal and comprehensive—everyone has a love language, and we all identify primarily with one of the five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.”

At the end there is a quiz that you take to determine which of your love languages are the strongest. My top results were “Receiving Gifts” and a tie between “Words of Affirmation” and “Quality Time”. Everyone speaks all 5 languages to some degree, but it’s natural for most people to have a dominant one or two.

This was no surprise to me by any means. I value gifts, little and big, immensely. Whether it’s a quote written down on a napkin, or a beautiful sparkly something, it has the power to take my breath away. I also love giving gifts! I feel like it’s a great way to show that I’ve been thinking of someone, and I always put great time and effort into selecting and preparing special presents for people.

I believe that this is why I love photography so much. When you take someone’s photo, and then give it to them, it’s a very special gift. No one can ever relive the moments that have passed, and memories fade with time, but a photograph lasts forever. Those little moments frozen in time to remember and hold on to forever. There’s just something so special about that.

So it was to my complete surprise when I opened my mailbox this evening and there was a “You Have a Package in the Manager’s Office” slip sitting atop my mail! I racked my brain trying to think of what it could possibly be… did I order something? Did Mark order something? A print order? A large envelope from the insurance company (you know, one of those horribly ridiculous packs of paper that they are required by law to send out once a year or something.. waste of trees!) None of those. I raced up to the office since it was about to close, and eagerly handed her my slip.

“Ah!” she said as she turned around and picked up a medium sized brown box.

She handed me the box, and it was sealed with SAINT CUPCAKE PACKING TAPE!!!! Saint Cupcake?? But, who? How? Why??? What was in there?! My mind went racing, thinking who would be so nice as to send me something so amazinly sweet and awesome… and what was in it?! I thanked the manager and raced back to my apartment. Once I got in the door, I cut the tape and opened the package.

The glory of it all. I LOVE this place. It is the first cupcakerie I ever stepped into years ago, and I’ve been in love ever since. My good friend is friends with the owners of the place (one who is a graphic designer superstar– in case you couldn’t tell..) How gorgeous is this presentation!?! I flipped the card over…

Of course!!! My lovely bride (and friend of MANY years) Jesse from last Saturday’s wedding! She had asked me for my address and I thought nothing of it. WHAT. A. DOLL!!! At this point I have serious little pink hearts floating all around me, I’m so happy. Pink + cupcakes + amazingly gorgeous packaging/design= DROOL!

I realize that it’s not just cupcakes, but an entire “Saint Cupcake cupcake kit”!!! What the heck!? Completely amazing.

Six un-frosted cakes, 6 containers of different flavored frostings, six spreading sticks, and six little baggies of sprinkles! No sparing on the presentation, this is completely adorable and to die for! Not to mention tasty!1

Naturally, I had to take some fun photos of my kit before indulging

Hot fudge!? That’s my fave!!!!

pink, pink, and more pink!!!

a pile of frosting cups!

Thank you SO much Mr. & Mrs. Thiel & the Davis’s!!! You totally made my day SO much sweeter (literally & figuratively!) You rock, and I was honored to be a part of your special day!!!

Now, something sweet for you… a sneak peek pic from your wedding day!!! Enjoy!

Now if you’ll excuse me, IT’S CUPCAKE TIME!!!!

<3 <3 <3