Thank you & Happy New Year!

2006 was a fun year for photography. We have met so many new and wonderful clients, made some new friends, and started a positive relationship with an amaising charity, Sparrow Clubs.

We want to say Thank You to all of you for your faith in us and your love of our photography. Stephanie and I are photographers because we love the craft of photography and how it allows us to meet so many unique people, and, though it sounds cliche', we couldn't do it without all of you!

So thank you a million times!
We are egar for 2007 and have many new features to offer this coming year!

See you then!
Happy New Year!
Joseph & Stephanie

The New Face of Senior Portraits

Senior portraits used to be a Tux for guys and a black drape for girls. As our culture evolves, people are understanding more about what their lives mean, to them, personally. From time immemorial, teens have been the most bold, daring, creative, out spoken and passionate people in society, and for just as long has the rest of society treated them as upstarts, rebels or most common, that they have no idea whats going on. Todays high school senior is more in touch with whats going on in the world than most adults thanks to the internet & great teachers.
Teens are expressing their ideas freely & becoming more interested in the arts, politics & sports and are taking those steps towards their dreams.

Todays senior portraits reflect these changing times. We are constantly trying to capture images that represent who you are right now in this important time of life. You can influence your world & don't deserve to be shuffled to the side and we want to use our photography to help you show the world who you are. I recently photographed a senior from Ashland, Dennis, who has a band that is writing their own songs (which are really good! check out their my-space: myspace.com/yasgursfarmashland) So I shot the needed yearbook shot, some creative shots for his family, then some that I feel reflects his persona. In total we took a lot of pics, had a great time & produced something to be remembered, check 'em out:


So if you havn't found the right photographer for you senior portraits yet, or are worried about cost, don't wait any longer. This is an important year in your life, a transition. Celebrate your individuality & creative spirit by using my creativity. Give me a call & we'll talk - 541-779-0863

-Joseph

Senior Portraits in Napa

This is senior portraits in Napa!

Brittney, Max & I went all over down town Napa finding all sorts of cool places to shoot. We had a great time and shot some beautiful pics of Brit. I'll be back in Medford Thurs. to photograph some great seniors there too & can't wait to meet you all & have some fun shooting all over the Rogue Valley!

See you soon!

On-Location

This week, or at least until Thursday, I'm in Napa to photograph some family, new babies, seniors and a really cool cheer team (Go VC!). I'll post some pix when I get back.

This trip I decided to ride my motorcycle down rather than take the car, and I have to say I5 is booring! So I decided to take a detour through lake county and ride up the valley at the end of my ride. So there I was zipping through Lake County with the mountains, lakes & small vineyards and in the twisy & turney road coming down Mt. St Helena, stuck behind this minivan that was slamming on its brakes every time we came into a bend (maddening!), when the road went from steep walled embankments, like a canyon, on both sides of the road whos tops were trimmed in both oak and pine to a gradually blooming expansive view of the north end of the Napa Valley spreading out infront of me. Illuminated from the west by the soft light of an early fall sunset my end of ride anxiety from the long time in the saddle, being stuck behind terrible drivers and need to "get there" just dissapeared while the light was coloring the tops of rustic barns and vineyards with its delicate warmth of sunset. So this is how I dropped down into the valley where so many summer memories were made, and I felt refreshed as I roared past places whos ghosts I cary. Fall is coming to the Valley of past and present home. Times that change can challenge us, there will be a winter, but Spring is just that much closer.

Photogenic Winner

Congratulations Krystle for winning Beyond Images Photogenic award at Miss Southern Oregon Teen USA pageant! You did a great job and we're proud to have you as our winner and as representitive for Southern Oregon. Also we'd like to congratulate PJ for winning Miss Southern Oregon! Good luck to both of you during the big Miss Oregon/Miss Oregon Teen USA pageant. We are all cheering for you!

Senior class of 2007

New senior packages are ready for download at beyondimages.com!
Yup, it's time to get ready for school, and for us that means we get to meet new seniors, take cool pictures and have tons of fun!
Over the next few months we're going to be shooting a lot! So, if you're a senior this year, CALL US! Make your appointment soon so you get the time & day you want, we can't wait to meet you!

Check out some seniors we've photographed, get pricing, learn more!

One small child can change the world

Recently we started working for a charity called Sparrow Clubs. This is a group founded by an overweight, picked-on middle schooler who saw the moment where he could actually make a difference. Most of us go through life missing these moments, or thinking we really won't make a difference. Thanks to Sparrow Clubs I realized that our children need to see that they really do matter in this world and that even one small child can change the world.

Below is a recent shoot I did at Red Robbin where the sparrows were having a luncheon. The kids below are beautiful and filled my heart. Each of them has a major medical issue and Sparrow helps them, through our healthy children, to raise money to take some of the burden off these wonderful families. If you have time, visit Sparrow Clubs web site at www.sparrowclubs.org.

Congratulations Chelsea!

I can't believe it. Time flys by so quickly, it seems that just a couple of years have passed since I first held you, all wrapped up in a blanket, new to this world. Now look at you! Your combo graduation/birthday party this weekend is going to be fun, then its off to europe!

We love you chooch!

Happy Anniversery Rebecca & Rob!

Just a year ago we were photographing your wedding!

Your family & friends were fun and spending time with all of you during your wedding day was great! You really made us feel like a part of your family, and now here we are!

Your first year is behind you and we feel just as close to you guys as we did last year. Thank you for sharing your growth as a couple with us, Happy 1st Anniversery, may you have many, many more together!

Joseph & Stephanie

Spring Specials!

Spring time is a great time for portraits of your family or just the kids!
Spring portraits, Mothers day, Fathers day, graduation from kindergarten, what ever the reason we invite you to become a part of our family of clients!
Now through June we are offering more than 50% off our sitting fee!
Call or email us for details!
stephanie@beyondimages.com
541-779-0863 or toll free 866-841-0863

Congratulations Peggy & Vince!

On Saturday evening at 6 pm Vince & Peggy became MR. & Mrs. Petri at the beautiful Ashland Springs Hotel.

Their first sighting was romantic, outside in the secluded garden of the hotel with only close family & friends looking on.

We gave them a few minutes to whisper & smile together before we started shooting all the formals, in the same garden. What a perfect day! The sun was out but not harsh, it was warm but not hot, perfect.

Once all the guests were there & the ceremony started you could really see how close these two are with their friends & family. The wedding was really special to all involved, we were honored to be a part of it.

Thank you Vince & Peggy,
May you have many wonderful years together.
Joseph & Stephanie

Saja - 3 Months

Today we photographed Saja, a beautiful 3 month old with big brown eyes and an adorable smile.
Just wanted to say welcome to our family!

Creative & Free

Sunday we did a shoot with Michael, Melissa & myself as photographers and 4 great models(Annie, Ali, Naomi & Twanissa).
The hair & make-up was done by Nancy at Studio Underground in Medford and I have to say, wow! She does a great job!
If you want to see a gallery of some of the images click here to see Josephs work & Click Here to see Michaels work.

Working hard!

I photographed professional athelete Denise Jensen this week, wow!
This woman rocks, she is an accomplished martial artist, body builder, figure model and grandmother!

We're working on a really cool fitness project with her that will be out in a few months so we're going to be doing a lot more shooting and helping to promote her. Lots of fun!
Check back for more, I'll have a link to her site once its up and running!

Happy Birthday Siena!

One of our beautiful babys we get to photograph just turned 1 year old!
We started photographing Siena while she was still in her mommy's tummy and it has been a real treat watching her change over the past year. From her first few weeks to her first teeth we have watched her grow & change.
Thank you Brook & Don for letting us share in a small but fun part of your family.
I can't wait for the next one ;)

Go here to see the album!

Photographers getting together

Friday was great fun!
We had some photographer friends over for food & drink on Friday night at the studio. It was good to see everyone talking, sharing ideas for being creative & just having some fun. We invited all the photographers we could and had a great turn out. Some old friends and some new, I look forward to the next time we all get together, which will be soon!
Thank you every one,
see you next time!

Fun with Allison Machado - Miss Oregon 2006

What a great day!
Monday I had a blast photographing Allison Machado, our new Miss Oergon USA 2006, at Cielo in Medford, Oregon. What a great subject! Ali had her hair & make-up done by Christina Olson, one of Cielo's wonderful owners, and she looked great. Cielo also wardrobed her and we shot through out the salon. We started the shoot a bit groggy, Ali had come in late from Portland the nite before and I didn't get in until 1am from San Francisco where we spent the week shooting & hanging out with family. So after a slow start Ali & I got into our shooting groove and had a fun time. Check out this teaser from the shoot...
If you are ever in Medford & need a massage, facial, hair cut, pedicure or new wardrobe you have to check out Cielo.

Photographing people

Photographing people is more than just being at an event and pointing your camera in the direction of the action. It's more than posing clever situations using fun props with bright colors.

Working with people takes heart, attention to emotions & how certain people act in different situations. Not certain types of people, but certain people. This takes getting involved with the people you're photographing, on a personal level. People are real individuals, not statistics and as our studio grows we have so many opportunities to meet and get to know people. Do we miss some opportunities? Of course, but we still try to make personal connections. Most of the time these connections stay within the context of studio/client but we both know there's more to it than that. Stephanie and I have clients that will call one or the other for favors that we can help with and this gives us the opportunity to give to them on a more personal level. Unfortunately we don't always have the time to help, but because of our relationship we try to point them in the right direction. Some times it's as simple as helping them use their camera, or as involved as producing the programs for their state pageant. Steph gets calls to help with hair & make-up for prom or to help with a suprise for an anniversary.

So what does this do for our photography? Well, when we're at the wedding we know the ring bearer, who happens to be the brides little brother, has a suprise coming during the ceremony. You see, she's only about 5 ft tall & the groom is 6'4"! And the family always makes jokes about her having to stand on a stool just to kiss him! So as the minister says, "you may now kiss the bride" her little brother jumps up and yells "Wait!", runs & gets a foot stool for her to stand on! The entire church is laughing, we're shooting like mad and when they see their ablum for the first time, it all happens again. Getting to know the bride & groom lead us to her little brother who clued Steph in on the prank.

It's a fun road of learning, meeting great people and creating images that become memories of their lives. And the best part of this entire experience is that I get to do it with the most amaising person at my side.

More later...

Welcome to our Weblog!
This is where we'll be talking about our work with some wonderful people that we've been lucky enough to photograph over the years.

We'll be sharing images & fun stories from shoots. Check back often & send your friends!

If you want to know more about Beyond Images, who we are & what we do, go to our main web site & be sure to let us know what you think!