Dawn Bentley Photography

This is a great option for dads looking to make mama happy or moms looking to give grandma something extra special on Mother's Day this year.  I will be running mini sessions (1/2 hr. each) in Howard Amon Park on April 21st and using those images to create some sweet small photo books for the extra special ladies in your lives.  These minis only cost $50 and you will receive a custom designed photobook prior to Mother's Day.  I will only have about 10 of these sessions available--so hurry!  :)

I'm happy to report that I've decided to focus on wedding photography and children's photography in this upcoming year.  It's not that I want to stop doing portrait photography for seniors and families, and I will still be available for those bookings.  After being in business for three short years, I'm starting to realize that I cannot be a mile wide and an inch deep in my marketing and focus.  I continue to learn from experience, workshops, and education in many forms.  This year that education will revolve around children and weddings.  I plan to attend a Keri Meyers newborn workshop in Bremerton this summer and for those of you that do not know her work, please take a look.  Keri is absolutely gifted when it comes to working with newborns and their parents and you can see it in every shot.  I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her during this hands-on experience. I recently updated

What a fun-loving family....kids were silly and sweet, while completely well-behaved.  Mom and Dad were good sports for sitting (and rolling, at times) on the ground with the kids.  We had a nice time on an unusually sunny day after Thanksgiving.  Their family had "never done portraits like this before" and they were great!  The four of them were so clearly a close-knit family with a true love for eachother.  They were a joy to photograph.  Thank you, Karla, for bidding on my silent auction donation!  :)

Okay, realizing that I have higher expectations of my time than I can actually manage....so, I guess we had two days of Christmas posts instead of five.  Bad, bad, Dawn!  Only coal in the stocking this year.  Oh, well.  Such are my good intentions.  I will try to be more realistic in the future. I do have one personal picture to post here.  My six year old daughter, Avery, and I had the opportunity to see the Nutcracker again this year.  Her Nana bought us tickets, Grandma bought her a beautiful dress, and this particular dress even came with a "dollie" dress to match.  She promptly chose her snow leopard to wear this lovely ensemble and this was our first pic from our outing together. Merry Christmas, everyone!  God bless!

Dog food?  Really?

My Grandma Gloria gave me sentimental and fun gift last week.  She dropped by and gave me a stack of my Great Grandma Downing's Christmas magazines from the 60's.  She left a note on top telling me how much my Great Grandma treasured these and how she collected them each year.  My Great Grandma has long since passed, but these magazines piled up next to me now still smell like her kitchen.  She had a wood-burning stove to cook on and her kitchen was always warm and steamy.  She had strawberries on her curtains and her tap water was always cold like a mountain stream.  It's funny the things that you remember. I will be sharing a few recipes, advertisements, and crafts over the next five days for anyone else that likes to trip down memory lane at this time of year.  Here's the first article:      

Oh my, the four of us froze out there yesterday morning, but it was worth it.  That frost is so pretty!

Know someone having a newborn in the next couple months?  You can book a newborn session in December or January for $99 and receive a $30 credit toward your print purchase.  This makes a great Christmas gift for friends, as well.  The session itself does not have to take place in December or January--you only need to book it during one of these months.  Pretty sweet deal.

This shoot is one I'll never forget.  For those of you that know Misty, you know why.  I was contacted and whithin 24 hours we were meeting and taking an emotional set of pictures.  God Bless you and your family, Misty.  Your strength truly inspires me and everyone who knows you.

Sara and Trevor spent some time at Howard Amon Park with me a few weeks ago.  These are their first family pictures since the boys were born.   We chose this area of the park because it echoed another important event for them--their wedding day.   These boys are so lucky to have Sara and Trevor for parents--they are going to laugh their way through childhood. one last picture to end on...or begin on....whichever way you look at it