Sarah + Brandon

Our last wedding of the season was a PERFECT one to end on! To sum it up with a simple math equation: "Sarah + Brandon x Manliness + Sexiness divided by Cameras (x2) = Super Sexy Bride & Groom Wedding Photos". We had such a blast hangin' out with these two on their E-Session, and we had even more fun at their wedding in downtown Salem, OR. They were pretty much down for whatever and they offered a lot of creative input while we were shooting... You guys rocked our world! Lets find an excuse to shoot some more photos of you and your friends STAT! Thanks for letting us be apart of your big day, it was a true honor.




Check out their SLIDESHOW on our website: CLICK HERE and navigate to "YOUR IMAGES". Type in "Sarah" as the password (case sensitive) and enjoy!

Branding: Apologetics Conference

Just got done BRANDING an Apologetics Conference that J.P. Moreland is coming to speak at. I loved the phrase they used in our first meeting to describe what they were looking for in a brand: "Something where Old World meets New World." So to get the desired result, I brought in a muted color pallet, mixed two different fonts together, created a rustic cross for their brand-mark and threw in some random textures. I will also be apart of a media team who will be documenting the event (HD Video, Audio and Photography) for next years marketing materials. What a great client, they gave me a lot of creative freedom, and it was a true pleasure to set the tone for the future of this annual event.

RAVES

Hey folks, just added some RAVES to our website. We've been receiving some great reviews regarding our photography skillzzzz.... ya'll are too kind. Check-idy-check-it by CLICKING HERE

What's In A Name?

Although our little baby has a few more weeks of cookin' to do, we finally settled on a solid name. Introducing "Joelle Zoe Christenson" (Joe-el Zo-ee)... cute, yet ferocious - like a tiny bear cub. Nothing is more weird (and time consuming) than selecting a name for someone... the name they will forever be known as... it's just weird. Anyways, here's the DL on the meaning: "Joelle" means Jehovah is God, "Zoe" means Life and "Christenson" just so happens to mean that you're pretty much a Bad-Ass! So yah, we got it ALL covered :) Watch out world, here she comes.

Keri + Matt

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to shoot Keri & Matt's wedding for good friend Ben Edwards. It was pretty much bliss for me... shooting a stellar couple on a beautiful chilly FALL day (yah, it really feels like fall up here). My biggest BEEF with wedding photography is that most weddings seem to routinely fall on the HOTTEST days of year! What's with that?! "Record Highs Today folks, I know yesterday was only 40 degrees, but somehow-someway, just in time for the weekend, the weather jumped up to 102" - Stankin' weatherman! Anyone who knows me, knows that I literally MELT away in hot weather :) All that to say, Keri & Matt's wedding was a perfect 60+/- degrees... truth be told, it was probably really cold for everyone else, but I was lovin' life running around the joint taking photos without breaking a sweat. Even if it was a bit chilly, it was still a beautiful day and a lovely wedding.

We had some fun with some brews before the ceremony. The fellas even had a toast (note the milk for Matt's younger bro, it made for an awesome milk mustache).

Designing Pain

I just wrapped up a few design concepts for a new sermon series at antioch. It's starting this week and titled The Problem with Pain. It'll be out in DVD/CD after it's all complete. Should be a good issue to tackle for a lot of folks dealing with this "ultra-fabulous, on the rise and almost back to normal" economy. (in case you didn't get the sarcasm, our economy = suckage :) Tell all the folks that are foreclosing, bankrupt and without work that we're not in a recession.

Boating

We had a little get-away this weekend to a stellar cabin overlooking Prineville Reservoir... and man did we get our "boatin' on"!!! Courtney even got in on the action... no big deal, almost 8 months prego and rockin' it (surfing behind the boat). Make sure you view the video below (sorry about the low rez, but hey)... good times, great oldies.



Prineville Boat Trip from Gary Christenson on Vimeo.

Courtney - Prego

I just want to write a quick note about my wife... she's the most amazing women I know, and I couldn't love her more! She's doing so good in her pregnancy and she will be an outstanding mother! She made me a Mix-Tape (CD) of "Daughter Themed" songs and I've been listening to it all day...LOVE IT! I can't wait to be old and wrinkled with Courtney and see our kids having their own kids ;) ...what a trip... first things first I guess... I seriously can't wait to meet our daughter! Soon enough... 10 weeks and counting. Here's some images we've recently captured of the prego journey.

Jessie + Craig: Laguna, CA

Start with one part "beauty-rific", mixed with two parts "fan-tab-ulious"... stir and serve with a side of piping hot "Hansel" (he's so hot right now) and you have yourself the ultra-rad wedding of Jessie & Craig Gipson in Laguna, CA! These two are absolutely wonderful in every way... we HEART you two! Jessie basically booked ALL of our Creative Services, so we're able to spend a lot of time with her and mother Gail to prep this wedding... we loved every minute of it! We did everything from designing the Save the Dates, Invitations and Thank You's, to shooting the Engagement photos in Austin, TX building them a Wedding Website, designing the Table Signs and Ceremony Programs, creation of a Engagement Photo Album for guests to sign, Photography on the big day, and Three Hardbound Wedding Albums (see below for images of a few of the services we did). We've loved working with them and we wish J+C the best in Texas! Don't worry, we won't mess with it... Texas... that is.

Visit their website for a slideshow. View ALL their photos online & order prints (create a free account and take a look at the 800+ images in the gallery) - CLICK HERE, search by name or event code: 510676

MOVING?!

Well folks, we're moving! Don't worry, we're staying in Bend. We're just moving to a different home before the baby arrives... to a home a little more kid friendly than our last "rustic home in the woods." Although we REALLY love our new place, there are few things we will dearly miss:

1) The pine trees, 2) the 2.5 acres, 3) the rock chucks, 4) the doe with her two fawns that visit our lawn, 5) the quail, 6) the birds flying into our doors (when open) and into our windows (when closed), 7) our fire pit in our backyard, 8) walking distance from the everything cool, 9) making fires in our wood stove (got old kinda fast :) but it will be missed, 10) and finally the feeling of seclusion, yet we were in the heart of the city. You'll be missed old home!

Summer Update

This summer is crusin' by so fast! We wanted to quickly give you an update. So far the summer has been filled with lots of travels, camping, boating, floating the river, man-trips, fishing, photography, BeerBQ's, bonfires and babies... yah, babies are EVERYWHERE! Courtney is due at the end of Oct and we will be having a baby girl. During a visit from Gary's side of the family, we tried an experiment and peed on Drano Crystals (which is supposta reveal the sex of your baby - thru magic I guess). Amy (Gary's sister) is pregnant as well. With everyone at our house watching the spectacle, some non-pregos decided to try the test as well and here's the results: Courtney is HAVING a girl, Amy is HAVING a boy, Gary IS a boy, and oldest sister Angela IS in fact a girl. Anyways, so much has happened this summer, and it's not letting up. We leave for SoCal tomorrow morning and the adventure continues... we'll keep you posted! Check back often. Much-o Love-o!

Natasha + Mike Lincoln

Weddings are stankin' sweet... such a blast! Just cruising around taking photos and hanging out with the two most stoked people on planet earth... the bride & groom, of course (incase you were thinking that WE were the "most stoked people on planet earth"... which we are, but that's beside the point - come on, get y'er head in the game)... moving on... Mike and Tasha, it was a true pleasure to celebrate with the two of you! Congratulations!

View ALL photos & order images from Pictage: CLICK HERE
View Slideshow: visit our website and navigate to the "Your Images" page, type in the password "Natasha (case sensitive). Enjoy.

Lincoln Family

We had the best time with the Lincoln Family yesterday (the fam's in town for Mike and Tasha's wedding this weekend - so we took the op to get some family shots). Their interaction with each other was LOADS of fun to capture! We're really looking forward to visiting with these fine folks again this weekends!

Ah, Brother and Sisterly love... takes me back :)

Sarah & Brandon: e-photos

We had an awesome e-session with Brandon & Sarah this last week, and we're really looking forward to their wedding in September! What a b-e-a-u-tiful couple! Stunning really! On this particular day, it was overly sun-shiny (real word :) google it) so we took the opportunity to do some experimenting with light... don't worry, we got the regular solid shots we always get, but had a blast getting creative and working with the sun - reflecting if off of shop windows, shooting right into the intense light, getting some sweet flares all over the place... just throwing all rules out of the window and coming up with some fun and creative imagery! Brandon & Sarah, you guys are fun, romantic and so in love! Thanks for letting us capture those things, and thanks for spending the afternoon with us! We really enjoyed our time together!

To view more photos, visit our website and navigate to "Your Images" Type in the password "Sarah" (case sensitive). Enjoy.

Art Book is HERE

The ART BOOK(s) has arrived in all of it's glory. Its sitting in huge boxes waiting for its release date... July 20th - in the evening. The Art Book Reception is going to be sweet! We're going to be highlighting various contributers, displaying the original art pieces from the painters, sculptors, and photographers. We'll also have some open-mic time for the folks who wrote poems and short stories. As well as open-mic for some of the musicians who entered lyrics. Looking forward to celebrating... it took a long time and lot of work to get this puppy done! Facts: 189 pages & 36 featured artists ...

Courtney's Harp Site

Court's Harp Website is up and running (90% complete - just needs some tunes). Next week she will be in the studio recording some music for the site, so look for that in the next couple weeks. Check it out at: www.courtneydchristenson.com

The Belly!

Many of you have been asking for some belly shots of Courtney and "Baby Christenson"... so here's a few shots now that there is somewhat of a belly to show (it's been pretty unnoticeable up until the last 2 weeks). "Sweetness Fact of the Day" is that I (Gary) felt the little baby kicking last night for THE FIRST TIME... unreal! It's actually happening... consider my mind BLOWN! At this point we're pretty confident that "Baby C" is a GIRL. The baby was being very difficult when we were at our last doc appointment trying to find out the gender of the child, so we're waiting a few more weeks and then we'll find out for sure. But we're banking on a beautiful little girl... can't wait... October 26th is the date when craziness happens. Keep us in your prayers.

SoCal Wedding: Linda+Trav

We just returned from La Jolla, CA for Linda and Trav’s wedding! Congrats guys! The day was absolutely breathtaking! Everywhere we turned was a fantastic photo op. Combine that with a beautiful bride and stunning groom, and BAM!, great imagery happens! Along with the wedding we were also able to get some much needed beach time with the Keating family. Court couldn’t surf with her belly, so I surfed enough waves for all three of us :) We flew into Bend late last night and in a few minutes I’m off the Portland for my best buddy Brendon Wiksell’s wedding! Looking forward to not shooting a wedding, and just being apart of it for a change. So here’s to a busy wedding season! Below is an image of Linda and Travis’ true behavior shining through on their wedding day! This is the power of two photographers on a shoot. Two different angles capturing the same moment! What a downright FUN couple to be around. Looking forward to hanging out with the two of you again real soon!

Wanna see their SLIDESHOW: CLICK HERE and navigate to "Your Images". Type in the password "Linda" (case sensitive) and you're there! Wanna ORDER PRINTS: CLICK HERE

The Harp

Courtney is in the midst of launching her harp business (and her website), so we did a little photo shoot with her and her harp to get some content for her new site... which is coming soon! We decided to ditch the signature “Harp Look” – you know what I’m talking about: the braided hair, the white flowing dress, in a field of daises in the middle of some enchanted forest with fairies and elves running around. So instead, we went for a little urban feel to set Courtney apart from the competition and to show her true roots of “style & freshness”. How beautiful is my wife?! Seriously! She’s 6 months prego in these pics too… A-freaking-mazing!

Golf Photography: Tetherow

Just wanted to share some golf photos I recently did for LJ3 Media Group at Bend’s newest golf resort… Tetherow. It was loads of fun shooting this interesting course, but definitely challenging since I’m used to shooting human beings and interacting with them… I could only interact with that golf flag so much… “work it golf flag, work it”