I’ve got two options this year for Christmas mini sessions near Portland. I invite you to click the images below for more info.
Baking Mini Sessions with Santa and Mrs. Clause
These Christmas mini sessions are a light and bright baking theme with Santa and Mrs. Clause. They will be held at my studio in Tualatin. Click here for more info.
Unicorn Christmas Mini Portrait Sessions in Sherwood, OR
These shoots have been in the works for quite a while and I’m so excited to announce that I’m currently booking appointments for Unicorn Christmas Mini Sessions to take place on November 4, 2023. I’m collaborating with Todd Acres on these wintery mini sessions. Dewdrop, the miniature unicorn is so sweet and he creates such a magical experience for the kids.
The unicorn Christmas mini sessions will take place at Todd Acres, a family owned and operated farm in Sherwood, Oregon. Each session will last approximately 20 minutes. If you have more than one child to be photographed, I highly recommend booking a slot for each child, back to back. We can use the combined time to photograph each child separately and also take some beautiful images of the children all together. If you have multiple kids, feel free to get in touch with me and we can talk about what would work best.
The wardrobe
After you book your session, I will reach out to you for a wardrobe consultation. I have some great pieces in my studio wardrobe that are available to use. I can help direct you to some online options, as well.
The Images
About a week or two after the unicorn Christmas mini sessions, I’ll invite you to my studio in Tualatin for your ordering appointment. The session fee includes two stylized fine art portraits of your choice that are enhanced with glowing effects. They will come in digital format so that you can use them on your Christmas cards or share them with friends and family in other ways. Printed products and additional images will be available to purchase and are optional.
Let’s chat about your unicorn Christmas mini session!
If you have any questions about your unicorn Christmas mini session, please send me an email or give me a call at 503.828.2973 and I’d be happy to discuss the session with you. If you are ready to book now, you can click this link to schedule your photo shoot.
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Baking with Santa & Mrs. Clause – Mini Sessions 2023
If you are looking for a modern beauty photo session with a retro twist, you’ve come to the right place. My “pin-up” sessions aren’t necessarily akin to what you’d see in a wall calendar hanging up in the garage of some greasy dude in the 1950’s. Rather they are beauty photos that burst with classic femininity, inspired by the golden age of Hollywood. I invite you to watch this video that Clay Drinwater created for my clients to get a taste of what a pin-up photo shoot experience is like in my studio near Portland.
I thoroughly enjoyed my pinup photo shoot session! Rayleigh had a ton of fun ideas and the pictures turned out AMAZING. I was relaxed and felt at ease in her beautiful studio. And it showed!
Miss S
Professional Hair and Makeup
I’m sure you all know how to do your hair and makeup with a 50’s inspired style, right? No? Yeah, either do I. I haven’t a clue. But my talented hair and makeup artists do and they do it so well! The lovely Crystal, pictured below, even stays during the shoot to give touchups. It’s so great having her there to make sure you keep looking stunning throughout the entire experience. If only I had someone like that to follow me around on a regular day. Ha!
It’s always such a joy to see the transformation from “I woke up like this” to “Just call me Grace Kelly.” When my ladies step away from the makeup chair and head over to the mirror, their reaction makes my heart so happy.
Wardrobe
A wardrobe consultation with me allows you to feel confident in what to wear for your pin-up photo shoot near Portland. I have a guide that you can check out here, which is super helpful. We can also personally discuss what would work best to create your dream pin-up session. I have a number of 50’s style wardrobe pieces in my studio that you are invited to borrow and I can help you find some great options online, as well.
Props
I have quite a few vintage props and accessories in the studio that we can use for your pin-up session. Vintage phones, suitcases, an iron an ironing board, purses, glasses, hats, gloves, kitchen things, and a gumball machine, to name a few. I’m continually on the look-out for more retro props to keep the variety fun.
Pin-Up Photo Shoot Experience in Portland
Do you have any questions about a pin-up session that I can answer for you?
Let’s chat!
If you are ready to book your shoot or if you have any questions, please send me an email and we can start creating your dream Pin-up photo session!
I have exciting news! Not only is Santa coming to town, but he’s bringing the lovely Mrs. Clause! This year during my Santa sessions in Portland, the kids get to bake cookies with Santa and Mrs. Clause. Not only is the experience a blast, but the images turn out simply adorable.
Skip the mall photos and enjoy a unique and comfortable Santa experience in a private studio.
Santa Mini Sessions
The Santa mini sessions will be held at my studio in Tualatin on October 7, 2023. Spots are limited!
The session fee is only $195. This includes a baking photo shoot with Santa and Mrs. Clause and 2 digital images of your choice. Additional images will be available to purchase, optionally.
If you want a “Christmas morning” feel, then I suggest dressing your kids in pajamas for the session. Alternatively you can go with something more dressy or day time casual. Once you book your session, we will have a wardrobe consultation to go over ideas. I do have some hats and aprons available to borrow.
What to expect
Sessions will be about 20 minutes long. The kids will have the opportunity to play with ingredients as they pretend to make cookies with Santa and Mrs. Clause. Then they will enjoy some pre-made cookies and milk together, as well. About a week or two after the session, you’ll get to come back to choose your favorite images to purchase.
What if we’re not really in to Santa?
I’ll be sure to capture some images without Santa and Mrs. Clause, as well. If you’re a family who’d rather skip the Santa part altogether, just let me know! I totally get it. We can easily schedule you for a time after Santa and Mrs. Clause head back to the North Pole. A baking Christmas mini session is just as fun, either way.
Let’s chat!
If you are ready to book your shoot, or if you have questions first, feel free to send me an email and we can plan your Santa Session in Portland! (well, actually it’s in Tualatin)
I wanted to share some of the highlights from my Santa mini sessions in 2022. The images from this Santa experience turned out so beautiful and magical. These families will certainly enjoy these for many Christmases to come. If you’d like to find out more information on my next Christmas mini session experience, please contact me.
It’s almost the end of the year and appointments are limited.
Does is seem to you like we went straight from Summer to Winter? Fall is my absolute favorite! So I’m a little sad it was so short this year.
That being said, when planning photo shoots for Christmas, you have to plan ahead in order to get your photos in time for gifting. So the Christmas set in my studio has been up since mid October!
This is a busy time of year and I only have 2 spots left to book photo shoots before Christmas.
Christmas Beauty, Boudoir, or Mother-Daughter Sessions
Are you thinking about booking a Winter photo shoot? If so, reply to this email and let’s chat about your session!
Send me a message!
If you are ready to book your shoot, please send me an email and we can chat!
I’m happy to be hosting my 2nd annual fundraiser for an organization in Tigard called, Breast Friends. Breast Friends is an amazing organization that helps women survive the trauma of cancer, one friend at a time. Breast Friends’ mission is to ensure that no woman goes through a diagnosis of cancer alone.
During the month of October, $50 from every session fee paid will be donated to Breast Friends. This applies to any kind of shoot, booked for any future date, as long as the session fee is paid in October.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Breast Friends, providing portraits to women who have lost their hair due to chemo. I invite you to check out these “Bald Is Beautiful” portraits.
Bonus: special pricing for one day only!
Do you need headshots for your business, your dating profile, modeling, acting, pageantry, or just for fun? November 3rd is the day I’m hosting a mini session marathon at my photography studio in Tualatin, OR. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. Even with the special pricing, $50 will still be donated to Breast Friends. This calls for a happy dance for us all!
In need of something more custom?
If you are looking for a longer and more custom session, like branding photos, a full length beauty or boudoir portrait session, or you just aren’t available on the date of the mini session marathon, just reply to this email and let me know what your needs are. We’ll go from there!
Let’s plan your photo shoot!
If you are ready to book your shoot, please send me an email and we can chat!
Who’s got time and money to waste on, yet, another headshot session that ends up in photos that you don’t like? With Photography by Rayleigh in the Portland area, you’ll be amazed at how much you can love a photo of yourself. With an expert guided process from start to finish, you’ll look and feel your best every time.
Book a Headshot Mini Session and get ready for your best headshot ever.
October is breast cancer awareness month
In support of breast cancer awareness month, I will be donating $50 from each session that is booked in October (for a shoot scheduled on any future date) to Breast Friends. This includes headshot mini sessions during the marathon day or any custom session booked on a different day.
Breast Friends is an amazing organization that helps women survive the trauma of cancer, one friend at a time. Breast Friends’ mission is to ensure that no woman goes through a diagnosis of cancer alone. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Breast Friends, providing portraits to women who have lost their hair due to chemo. I invite you to check out these “Bald Is Beautiful” portraits.
When I ran this same fundraiser last year for Breast Cancer Awareness month, I had the pleasure of photographing Michelle, who works with Breast Friends. She was able to take advantage of the special headshot marathon pricing while also helping to raise money for her organization.
Office and group photos
Does your business have multiple employees all needing business headshot portraits? If so, we can talk about setting up a shoot just for your crew. If you need some group shots, I can help with that, as well!
Looking for something more custom for your personal or business portraits?
There are more options for you to consider. If this date doesn’t work for you, or you are looking for a longer, more customized session, including branding photos (such as the photo below), that is an option I’d love to discuss with you.
Whether you are interested in the mini session marathon or any custom session, let’s chat!
I’m sorry for all you sun seekers, but Fall is here and I am so happy. I’ve busted out my sweaters, even though it’s actually still too warm to wear them. But they are ready as soon as that temperature drops a bit. My house has been decorated for Fall for a couple of weeks as I, admittedly, jumped the gun on that one. But I’m not even sad about it. So when my beautiful client, Teresa, brought in an Autumn wardrobe for her beauty session, I was over the moon. It made my little photographer heart so happy. Fall is my jam! I’d love to share with you this Fall beauty photo shoot that was recently done in my studio near Portland.
Hair and makeup
Teresa is a hair and makeup artist at Strut Salon in downtown Portland. She arrived with her hair and makeup camera ready. She looked amazing, as you can see. This is her third photo shoot with me and I was thrilled to have her back in the studio! As Teresa can attest, these shoots are such a great confidence booster and can become a bit addicting, in a good way!
By the way, Teresa gave me a hair cut recently and she also taught me how to tame my unruly natural curls. Oh my goodness, you guys. I never knew my curls could look so good! If you need some help with your curls, Teresa is your girl.
Your most beautiful self
Teresa was kind enough to share some sweet words about her experience in a Google review. She said, “Rayleigh made me feel so comfortable from beginning to end! She photographs you in way that is so natural and so perfect. You’ll leave feeling like your most beautiful self!” This is exactly the experience I aim for all of my beautiful clients to have.
Business headshots
The photo below makes for the cutest business headshot for Teresa’s salon. Although my clients always have such a great time with beauty sessions, I’m also a Portland business headshot photographer. A need for business headshots gives a lot of my ladies an “excuse” to come in to my Tualatin studio. Of course, my favorite reason for you to come in is to treat yourself and to allow yourself to feel like the amazing person that you are.
Beauty, business, and boudoir
Photo shoots in my studio often end up a mix of beauty, business, and boudoir photos. When you make the time to come in and have a session, you may as well capture all the facets of your personality. While shooting photos for different purposes, you get the most mileage out of your makeover and your time in the studio. That’s a win, for sure!
A Fall Beauty Photo Shoot in Portland
If you love Fall as much as I do, I’d love to schedule a photo shoot for you in October or November. Just send me an email and we can chat!
“They are just pictures,” she said. “Just go to JC Penney” she said. Sorry, Mom. You got that one wrong. My experience was sorely lacking. 26 years later, I still feel disappointed that I didn’t have a senior portrait experience that made me feel special and beautiful. Instead, when I look at my senior photos, I feel embarrassed to show my kids because they might realize their Mom was totally unfashionable and clueless about hair or makeup back then. They bring up bad memories of being one of the uncool kids. So now I’m on a mission to share my best tips for choosing a Portland Senior Photographer. I hope for other high school girls to have an amazing senior portrait experience where they feel like the special ladies that they are. Here are 4 questions to ask a photographer to see if they are a good fit for you.
Is professional hair and makeup provided?
Whether you wear makeup in every day life, or not, professional hair and makeup makes a huge difference in the final photos. Even if the makeup look you choose is a very natural look, you’ll find that a bit of makeup makes your features pop. Features look more subdued in photographs. Facial features can blend in to the skin. Hair can look flat. A professional hair and makeup artist with experience in working with photographers will know how to apply the makeup in a way that will photograph beautifully.
It’s also true that the time spent being pampered in the makeup chair is an amazing part of the experience. My ladies start their shoot off feeling beautiful and confident. Those feelings show up in the senior photos.
Does the photographer offer studio or outdoor senior sessions?
One of the most important questions when choosing the right senior photographer for you is whether they offer studio sessions or outdoor sessions. Which do you want for your shoot? While some photographers give the option of either one, some photographers don’t have a studio and are unable to shoot indoors. It’s also sometimes the case that studio photographers don’t offer outdoor sessions.
Studio photo sessions are my favorite because I can provide perfectly beautiful lighting. Also, the photo shoot isn’t dependent on unpredictable Portland weather. That being said, I do offer outdoor senior sessions for those who have their heart set on that.
Do you like the photographer’s shooting and editing style?
Every photographer has their own look and it’s simple enough to advise you to find a style that you like. In addition to that, though, please make sure you get a good look at the photographer’s portfolio on their website. Is their look consistent? Can you tell exactly what to expect for your own photos? I urge you not to just go off of a small handful of photos that you see on Instagram. If the photographer has inconsistency in their work, you may not end up getting photos that are what you are expecting.
Is quantity the priority or is quality most important?
Of course, price is an important part of your decision when choosing a photographer, but along with that, you might consider quantity vs quality. Speaking for myself, I’d much rather have 20-30 amazing photos that I absolutely love than 100 photos that are just good (or not so good). That’s what my clients want and that’s what works great in a stunning album layout for the final keepsake product.
Choosing a Portland senior photographer
The last year of high school is full of traditions and social rights of passage. At the end of the school year is prom and graduation, of course. But long before that, the year starts off with the tradition of senior photos. Start the year off right with an unforgettable senior portrait experience. I hope these tips help you to choose the best senior photographer for you.
Let’s chat!
If you feel like I might be the Portland senior photographer that you are looking for, please send me an email and we can chat! I can’t wait to get to know you.
