family of four stands in the rolling hills of Oregon's wine country near Portland Oregon by photographers in McMinnville Oregon Samantha Shannon

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This is where connection, light, and timeless storytelling meet. As a Portland family photographer, I craft images that reflect the beauty of your everyday moments—soft, sentimental, and full of heart.

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There’s nothing quite like Oregon wine country in the summer–except, well, Oregon wine country family photos in the summer! I might be biased, but the sun setting over the rolling hills of Yamhill county just has my heart. It’s such a short drive from Portland, but for families looking for a slower paced, country feel […]

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family of four stands in the rolling hills of Oregon's wine country near Portland Oregon by photographers in McMinnville Oregon Samantha Shannon

Families

Oregon Wine Country Family Photos | Photographers in McMinnville, Oregon

There’s nothing quite like Oregon wine country in the summer–except, well, Oregon wine country family photos in the summer! I might be biased, but the sun setting over the rolling hills of Yamhill county just has my heart. It’s such a short drive from Portland, but for families looking for a slower paced, country feel […]

Personal

Trappist Abbey Hike in Carlton // Wanderlust Wednesday

It’s been a while since my last Wanderlust Wednesday post! Today I’m sharing one of our family’s favorite lesser-known trails, Trappist Abbey in Carlton. We love this family-friendly hike near Newberg for the beautiful country landscape, views of wine country, and great mix of forest trails and oak savannahs. My husband’s from the northern California […]

oregon fine art family photographer

Families

Light and Airy Portland Family Photo Session

The last time I saw this family, their sweet little girl quietly cuddled in to her mama the whole time. It doesn’t feel like that long ago, but this year she was the most active, energetic, and talkative kiddo! It’s such an honor to see families year after year and I just love seeing how […]

large family photo session oregon photographer

Families

Summer Family Photos in Newberg

When you have a large family and the kids are a little older and have their own lives and their own schedules…it can be hard to get everyone together in the same place at the same time! I know this can be a challenge even when my parents want to get the family together–it’s just […]

light and airy family photos in hillsboro, oregon

Families

Light and Airy Family Photos // Hillsboro Family Photographer

Oh friends, this session! The adorable family. The light. The dog. The swishy dress. The perfect little cheeks on the baby. I can’t even. Megan contacted me for light and airy family photos and I loved working with her on all the details to make that happen! We chose a field in summertime for the […]

how to include dogs in portland family photos

Families

How to Include Dogs in Portland Family Photos

Updated: For 2023, I’ve come back through and updated this post with my top tips for clients who want to know how to take their family photos with their dogs! This is something so many of my clients request and I am HERE for it, so let’s chat about how we can work to make […]

rainy portrait session in oregon

Families

A Rainy Photo Session in Newberg

Since we live in the beautiful (and rainy) PNW, I spend a good deal of my time watching the hourly weather forecast during portrait season!  Fall sessions in particular are pretty likely to get some rain during them.  I’ve written a little bit on how a rainy photo session could unfold here, and shared a […]

Tips

Documenting Family Milestones During Quarantine

Hey friends! This is a crazy time right now, but you know what? LIFE is still happening! My son had a birthday last week. I’m getting inquiries from people bringing home new babies, or whose kids are having milestone birthdays–you know, the things I love to document for my families! While Oregon is under a […]

oregon wedding photographer samantha shannon

Business

Staying In

Gosh, a lot can change in a few weeks. Just two weeks ago, I was blogging about my plan at SSP to serve my clients best during the pandemic. Since then, we’ve had several orders and extensions of orders from the federal and state government as the virus keeps expanding. So, I thought I’d pop […]

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