Sophalicious!!!

I planned to hang around Portland this weekend to spend time with my boss Ellen and her family. One of Ellen's daughters recently started her senior year and she is trying to get some good shots for her senior photos. So on Friday night we ran around downtown Portland trying to capture Portland's scenic spots with Sophia's pretty face. It was fun, but it also introduced me to a more goal-oriented approach to photography rather than, "oh, I have my camera, why not snap a few shots? and that's great that I like them too!". The pressure of producing emotion evoking shots on command was not a challenge I adapted to immediately. Luckily, as we both got used to other's stares and glares, we realized that it was more like a game of dress-up. It became fun and I think we had a good first go at it.

My personal favorite shot:

Our second goal for the weekend was to get Sophie out into the ocean for her first surf adventure. She has been waiting patiently to surf the Oregon Coast and Sunday this past weekend was The Perfect day to learn. The waves were beautiful and the weather was hot! We turned it into a family trip. This first pic was mostly a celebration because we had just managed to get the wetsuit on Sophia. I purchased this wetsuit second hand and it is a bit on the old side, meaning that the suit itself is not very stretchy and consequently very difficult to get on. I wore it in the past and I almost feel like it is the rite of passage suit. If you can get this suit on for your first time surfing and you still want to surf again, well then you really like surfing. Plus, upgrading to a newer suit will be like transitioning from an old beetle to a new Audi A4.

Ellen put together an Amazing meal that she cooked on the beach! We had Coal fired Chicken sandwiches with a bruschetta mixture on Naan bread. We also had Sweet Potatoes cooked with butter- Yummy!Here was her homemade fire pit where the magic happened! Here I am stuffing my face between surf outings. It hit the spot!The waves were great on Sunday and we surfed for several hours. Sophie surfed like a champ on her first day, managing to catch her first wave immediately. I think I have found myself a new surf partner.....I didn't think the day could get much better... but it did. We finished off the day with SMORES!!! Ellen rocks! Sophie was getting here SMORE On in this pic-The day was great and I was sad to leave. I managed to snap a shot of one of the more experienced surfers. I wish I was riding the wave like this guy, but I have a few more trips (more like a million) to the coast before that can happen. I think that is why I love surfing so much. The best surfers out there are the old guys who have developed a deep understanding of the wave patterns and how to manipulate their bodies on an object, on a moving wave. There is a lot going on there. Love it....