This annual report represents to the city council that yes, the arts are important to us as a city and a community!

Bodies present at this meeting are so important, it’s even listed in the PDX Pipeline.  Numbers speak, so represent.

RSVP for the event on Facebook

From press release:

RACC State of the Arts Report
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
9:30 a.m. | FREE | All Ages
@ Portland City Hall, Council Chambers, 1221 SW Fourth Avenue

As this will be the last State of the Arts Report for Sam Adams – a tremendous arts mayor – please join us in saluting his leadership in increasing public funding for the arts and arts education. Last year’s event was standing room only, so please arrive early. And wear your CAN button if you have it, or pick one up as you arrive to show your support!

And if you haven’t sent an RSVP yet, please do: RSVP@theArtsCAN.org

The 10th annual contest started on March 1.  Will the entries this year be as impressive?  If you’ve got a great photo floating around, you can enter it here.

Our professional hair stylist sees you with a fresh perspective and their training and expertise will help them find a style that will accentuate your hair, not work against it.  Your stylist will work to reduce stray hairs and frizz for your portraits, and they’ll make sure your hair is properly framing your face for your senior pictures.  Remember, these are the photos you’ll be showing to your children in 20 years and you don’t want them to fall down laughing when you do!

A professional MUA (makeup artist) will ensure that you don’t look washed out under our studio lights and also that you don’t look like a clown.  And contrary to popular belief hair and makeup is not just for girls!  A little bit of powder goes a long way for reducing the appearance of acne and oily skin for guys and girls alike.  All the guys on TV are outfitted by professional MUAs before appearing on camera.  Our MUAs are professionals who have all the right products to fit your skin type and coloring.  And guys, we won’t tell if you don’t want us to!

We offer complimentary hair and makeup with our ultimate session, and can be added on to any of our sessions.  Remember, hair and makeup is also complimentary with our senior model deal.  Book yours today, before they’re all gone.

We chose to feature this post in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Enjoy!

Bridge Town Photography Celebrates Black History Month

Lighting is a mysterious beast.  I’ll share a little tip with you – the more direct the light on your subject (you!), the worse it will look.  Have you ever tried to take photos of people in the sunshine?  It’s hard to even keep your eyes open for the picture when you’re looking into that bright orb.  On a bright sunny day, we’ll spend our session running around looking for shade, blocking light, and turning away from the sun.  Which is fine, when that’s what you have got to do…

On a day with even cloud cover, however, everything is fair game.  This frees us up to look for cool locations and backgrounds.  In order to make the images more dynamic, we’ll just introduce a little supplementary lighting and voilâ, it looks like summer, only better.

Check it out!  This is a head shot portrait Serra took last weekend on a dark cloudy Saturday.

Using supplementary flash to make beautiful light

Notice how even the light is on her face, and how open and bright her eyes are.  If this was a bright summer day and she was looking directly into the sun, she would be squinting, and there would be harsh shadows on her face under her eyes and nose which is highly un-attractive.

The faux-sunlight approach is one way to go in the winter, but if you prefer you can also go all winter all the way.  We absolutely  love accessories here at Bridge Town Photography, and winter offers ample opportunity for you to sport your cute coats, hats and scarves.  Check out this great series that Darren shot last year:

Senior Portraits With Cute Winter Accessories

Now she would have been cute in any outfit but we love the way she brought her personality to this shoot and made these portraits truly authentic.  Again, notice how gorgeous and even the lighting is.  Winter is one of our favorite time to do shoots, and it should be yours too!

As we’ve mentioned, we are looking for a few good young people to represent us to the graduating class of 2013.  If you like what you see and want to get involved, fill out our online application and we’ll do our best to get you into our senior model program so you can get your session for free.  Spaces are limited so act fast!

Be A Bridge Town Senior Model And Get Free Pics!

As you’ve almost certainly noticed, we’re in the process of expanding our model to focus not just on events as we have in the past but also on senior portraits.  We are very excited about this change, as it allows us to bring our creative touch to individuals and focus a lot more time on what we do best: making you look spectacular.

Help us get a jump start!

We are currently offering free portrait packages to 2012-2013 seniors who are willing to refer their friends.  We are especially interested in getting a diverse group of students, so if you think you have a unique look and want free senior portraits, please call or e-mail today for more information!

What about the great event photos, and the sweet photo booth?!

Don’t worry, we are still doing dances, events and photo booths!  Information about our school dance photography has been moved to: http://dances.bridgetownpdx.com.

Bridge Town Photography Senior Portraits

We know you’ve been wondering what to wear for your senior portrait session.   It’s a question that every senior asks themselves, and it is an important question to ask.  Really, how do you choose just one outfit to represent <strong>you</strong>?  Whether you’re in the band, into skateboarding, a young politician or a hip hop artist, here are some tips that will guarantee you look your best!

• Be yourself. Wear an outfit that reflects who you are and allows you to feel comfortable. This will bring your originality to the final images, and allow you to enjoy the shoot rather than worry about your clothes.
• Simplify. Bold colors=GOOD, Small patterns=BAD. The camera will love your solid color top, but a small-checkered shirt will upstage you in the photo.
• Keep it classic. Wear styles that will stand the test of time. You don’t want to be looking back in 20 years saying, “OMG, what was I thinking wearing that?!”.
• Diversify. Bring multiple outfits for us to work with. Pick a few casual looks as well as some dressy pieces to add variety. We will help you choose the outfits that make you look fabulous!
• Accessorize. A colorful scarf, or funky belt can often times make your final image stand out. Props such as a guitar, volleyball, or skateboard add personality. Hats, scarves, necklaces, bracelets, watches, belts, and multiple shoe styles are encouraged.

We are currently booking sessions for 2012 seniors. Our packages start at $295 and include over 50 prints. See our previous post on senior portraits for more details.

Read the Huffington Post Article and Jen McKen’s clarifying blog post for yourself.  Then take our poll to let us know what you think.

What encounters have you had with bullying?  Is it a big problem at your school?  Do you think it’s just a normal part of high school?  Should students who experience bullying learn to deal?  Do you wish more adults and students would speak up?  Start the discussion by leaving a comment below.