From the Haugen Heart

Jessica and Dan got married on September 19 under a brilliant Autumn sun. God smiled on them and gave them a perfect afternoon after showers in the morning. The ring bearer's name is Pudge and I am fairly certain that there has never been a more beloved ring bearer in any wedding anywhere! It was a bit of a challenge to get him down the aisle but, with the promise of a treat, he was willing to waddle down the aisle! There were a few tears, well chosen words from Grandfather, and a smashed cake in the face to top it off. Dan and Jessica's life is off to a great start!

I just photographed Abby to celebrate a milestone in her life: turning 10. It was a perfect day to be wading in a stream. Abby found that she could catch the tiny fish at Dallas City Park. Getting her to look at the camera was a challenge after awhile.

Self-discovery, stretching, growing, learning new things. That has been what my life has been about for the last two years. As part of a quest to redefine myself, I have been doing a lot of reading, some photography, some inspirational, some self improvement, some business. Last night I was reading "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. It is a business book about major corporations that made the jump from being good companies to great companies. Although I am certainly not part of a major corporation, I am finding lots of food for thought about leadership and change. Living With Adversity There is an amazing story in the book about Admiral Jim Stockdale , the highest-ranking US military officer in the "Hanoi Hilton" POW camp during Vietnam. Tortured over 20 times during the 8 years, Stockdale lived out the war without any prisoner's rights, no set release date,and no certainty as to whether he would even survive to see his family again. He shouldered the burden of com...

Lizbeth grew up in Monmouth/Independence and even went to school with Anna but we never had a chance to photograph her until she got engaged. Bart kept hearing about Haugens and he insisted that they needed to come in and talk to us about photographing the wedding. We are SO glad you did, Bart. It has been a joy getting to know the two of you. Loved the Mariachi Band and the great food!

It was a perfect day. Clear sky, farm land stretching up to the foothills of the Cascades on the east and Marys Peak smiling down on us from the west. A perfect day that Jenna and Trevor had been planning for a year. The day they laughed, cried, danced and partied. The day they said, "Like it or not, you are stuck with me now!" Jenna, you have an inner beauty that shines through you. Trevor, you are a true "class act". It has been awesome to get to know the two of you and I look forward to photographing your babies some day!

Neil and I have been working in partnership with Club Services of America for the last 2 1/2 years, photographing the membership of Country Clubs. The owner of the company is Paul Gittings, a name that is legendary in the portrait photography world. His father was a pioneer in the area of dye transfer printing and Paul, Jr. was the youngest person to be awarded a Master of Photography by the Professional Photographers of America. When Paul called, asking if we would be interested in photographing Creekside Golf Club, we jumped at the chance to work with him. In July and August, we will be traveling to Seattle to photograph the membership of the Inglewood Golf Club. With a beautiful club house and one of the oldest golf courses in the Pacific Northwest, we are really looking forward to this. It is a chance to meet new and interesting people! Here are a few sample portraits from other clubs we have photographed.

June 14-16 was the annual Professional Photographers of Oregon Summer conference in Bend. It was a great time for learning and sharing with other photographers! My passion is centered around photographing people, so I rarely photograph landscapes. This time I had an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. Friend and colleague, Adrian Kline, led a sunrise expedition to photograph Mt. Bachelor at Sparks Lake. It meant getting up at 3:30 in order to get to the lake by 5:00 am but it was totally worth it! The predawn mist rising over the lake was just magical and turning the camera in the direction of a bunch of photography geeks was an opportunity not to be missed. :-) Here is a word to the wise: 1) If you plan to get up at 3:30 am, it is best to get to bed before 1:30 am. 2) When hiking befoe dawn in the high Cascades in June, dress warm! I forgot to put in my hiking boots and only had sandals. After the first 10 miutes, my feet lost all feeling and I was fine.

The winner of Haugen's 2009 Children's Contest is.... Lindzee! Congratulations to Lindzee and her mom, Kristina. They will be receiving a 24-inch wall portrait for their home! Now, we weren't planning on having a prize for second place, but we just couldn't help ourselves! This next little guys got way too many votes to ignore. So, Our second place winner is... Austin! Austin's and his mom, Jill, will be receiving an 11x14 portrait! Thank you to everyone who participated in this years contest!

We will be announcing the winner of the Children's Contest TOMORROW!!!

We know a lot of you are busy voting for the Children's Contest right now, but can you spare a minute to vote for us? Statesman Journal.com is is inviting it's readers to vote for their favorite businesses in Marion and Polk counties. Just click here to vote for Haugen's! Thank you so much for your support!

Just because you can't see your comments, doesn't mean they're gone!! We're getting them, we're counting them, we're just hidding them so the contest winner is a surprise. Keep those comments coming, just make sure to sign your name, so we know where they're coming from. Good Luck!!

We're starting to post images from the Children's Contest today! Check back often and leave comments for your favorite portrait. Each unique comment counts as a vote. The portrait with the most votes wins!! We will announce the winner in April.

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General Clothing Tips 1. Stick with solid colors as much as possible. 2. If there is more than one child, pick a color scheme, i.e. everyone in blue and white. 3. Avoid contrast in the clothing like black and white because it pulls attention from the faces. It is better to go all light or all dark. 4. Classic, timeless styles and vintage looks are great. 5. Bare feet are usually preferred. 6. There is nothing more classic and timeless than a naked baby. If they are under the age of 7 months, naked or just a diaper with a nice diaper cover is usually my first choice. We continue to suggest just a diaper cover for some of the portraits up to the age of two. If you are going to be holding the baby in some of the images, bring a change of clothes for yourself in case you get soaked! What about props? If you don’t feel imaginative, don’t worry because simple pictures are often best…but sometimes the right prop can be wonderful. What do you look for? 1. Items that will ...

We have been busy, busy, busy writing articles, making videos, posting galleries and building MyPhotoMentor into the best instructional website out there for amateur and aspiring photographers! Thank you in advance for checking it out, telling us what you think and sharing it with others. Are you an amateur or aspiring photographer? Do you love picking up your camera? Do you look at some of your images and secretly think, “Hey, that’s pretty good!” Would you like to learn more, but: 1. You feel overwhelmed by the technical jargon in many magazines and articles; 2. You wonder if you’re creative enough; 3. You worry about the cost of pursuing your photography passion. What if there was a place where you could gather with people just like you? What if you could learn without feeling anxious about the technical aspects? What if you could pursue your passion in an affordable and fun way? Welcome to http://www.myphotomentor.com/ What do we offer? Articles, Forums, Galleries, Critiques, Webi...

Our children's contest has a whole new look and you're going to LOVE it! The entry fee for the contest is $35 and goes in it's entirety to benefit children in the Mid-Willamette Valley. We support the Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis and Operation Backpack which purchases school supplies for needy school children. You will receive a complimentary 5x7 portrait with your entry. The sessions are 30 minutes with master photographer, Miriam Haugen, one of the Northwest's top children's photographers! View a slideshow of entries from previous years. Sign up and get the Top Five Secrets to Ensuring a Great Portait Session of Your Child absolutely free! How does the contest work? 1. Schedule your portrait session before March 31 by calling the studio today - (503)838-5416 or 1-800-838-5416. This is when you pay the $35 entry fee. 2. We'll email you the Top Five Secrets to Ensuring a Great Portrait Session of Your Child. 3. Select a background and clothing t...

Have you ever had an ache, an inner longing that just wouldn’t go away? Deep within me I have had a need to create for as long as I can remember. Music was the first outlet for me. My mother dutifully took me to piano lessons as she had with my older siblings and I struggled with commanding my childish fingers to do as they were told. One day a corner was turned and I began to feel the music. I loved to play with LOTS of expression. My mother saw the rising interest and bought season tickets for the two of us to the local fine arts series of concerts and took me to the Shakespeare Festival. I never told her because I didn’t fully know it myself, but I didn’t want to just sit there and watch, I wanted to do it. I wanted to act, I wanted to sing. I wanted to dance. As I grew, I became frustrated that my hands and my voice couldn’t reproduce the art that was inside of me. I became an elementary music teacher. It was a practical choice. As I was growing up, photography was a part of my lif...

We are excited to be launching a new and improved children's contest this year! Details to come in Febuary. You won't want to miss out!!

2008 was a year of joy and sorrow in our family, of an ending and a new beginning. Neil’s father, Bob, passed from this life in April at the age of 88. He was known by his friends and family as an avid bowler (he quit when he could no longer maintain a 190 average) and as a storyteller. He had so many wonderful stories of growing up near Minot, North Dakota; a year of living with an Aunt in Canada (after his mother died when he was 8), and getting beat up during recess by the Canadian school children for singing a revised version of “God Save the King”; traveling with his father, Nels, to Norway for several months when he was 9; pitching semi-pro baseball for money (during the Depression) at age 15; and antics with his friend, “Storley”, during WWII. The end came peacefully at home, with his wife Alice and children (Jackie and Neil) by his side, holding his hand. He will be remembered by us as a very loving father and grandfather. The joy came with Nels and Dannielle’s wedding Dec. 19 ...