On July 31st I had the honor of photographing a young couple for their engagement. Brandon had recently finished training in the USMC and only a few days to visit family and friends before reporting to Camp Pendleton California. Brittany is still living at home here in Central Oregon. They are a lovely couple and while photographing them I go me thinking about why it is important to get portraits done.

Portraits do several things. They give us a chance to focus for a moment on ourselves. In this busy world we often find we spent a lot of time taking care of others and neglect ourselves. It’s nice now and then to pause, get all dressed up and have a portrait taken that tells the world, “Damn I looked fell good”.

Portraits record the changes we go through in life as they track our personal growth and development. They also record memories of ourselves for revisiting in the future by us, as well as our family and friends. Let’s face it. Our time on this planet is short and tomorrow is never a guaranteed. When we are gone those portraits give our loved ones something to remember us by.

I was honored to take Brittany and Brandon’s portrait and I wish them many years of happiness.