Being this is Portland and all, the six degrees of separation really didn’t come as a such a big surprise.  But a shared love of good food {and a quest to find the best cheeseburger in town}  just sealed the deal as far as I’m concerned.

Meet my new friends.

Until last weekend, the only family photographs that included me were those of the “self portrait” variety.  You know, the ones that involve turning the camera on yourself and stretching your arm out as far as it will reach and hitting the shutter button.  To begin with, like a lot of photographers I know, I’m not a huge fan of photos of myself (yes, I get the irony)…and these really don’t lead to the most flattering of images.  So for the sake of any future generations who may wonder if my children were raised by a camera instead of a mother, I have our dear friend and insanely talented, creative photographer Michael Schmitt to thank.

And because I know that my style of photography isn’t the right style for every family, I’m very happy to support my friend and fellow lover of all things camera related in spreading the word about the “Portrait Experience” he’s hosting this weekend in his Pearl District studio.   Follow the link to his blog for more details.