Photography & Portraits in Portland

Though they began as hobbies, art and photography had become focal points for Amanda Lindahl-Lemke by college. After six years studying both subjects stateside—with a stint at art school in Florence, Italy, in between—Amanda made the leap to the pros with A. Lindahl Creations. Whether clicking away in her studio or on location, she primarily photographs newborns and children, all adorably posed in color and black-and-white prints that subvert expectations through her use of props and surreal backdrops. Before her sessions even begin, Amanda discusses expectations and aesthetic preferences with her clients and takes time to forge bonds with each child, expectant mother, or family she photographs. That attention to detail earned her a spot in the top 10 of "Red Tricycle’s" Totally Awesome Awards, which led to "Blue Tricycle’s" subsequent Even More Awesomer Than Your Awards Awards: No Tag-Backs Edition. After their shoot, clients can share a private online gallery with family and friends or peruse it for the images they want to preserve as prints.

Skilled photographers Neil and Miriam Haugen draw on more than 30 years of experience and finely honed aesthetic sense to create stunning portrait shoots, earning them awards from Kodak and the Professional Photographers of Oregon. These talented shutterbugs use their artistic prowess for good by providing clients with portraiture in various styles including pregnancy, childhood, wedding, and graduation. The couple photographs on location around the Willamette Valley or in their intimate studio, working to put subjects at ease with their easy manner and comfy, warm environment with exposed-brick walls.

The photographer behind the lens at Encore! Portrait Design does more than capture his subjects’ best angles. He also captures the bonds that his subjects share with one another, such as parents and their children, grandparents and their grandchildren, or siblings. He also snaps away as dogs and their owners pal around, and freezes four moments in the early life of a baby so parents can look back on the growth of their wee one from sleeping soundlessly at infancy to whittling their first bottle at one years old.

Capturing True Emotion is driven by a dynamic band of instructors who rove across the continent with cameras and teaching skills in hand. By fusing their narrative, tech-savvy minds together into one oversize head, the educators provide comprehensive guidance on both camera operation and creative visualization, giving participants complete control over all of their camera settings. During the hours spent in the company of other pupating shutterbugs, students convene at a tantalizing location to practice skills such as controlling depth of field by adjusting the aperture, composing a family portrait so there's not always a burning zeppelin in the background, using alternative angles to avoid red eye, and other techniques.

When not re-creating classic poses, Portland Pin-Ups's owner and resident photographer Mike Long travels the world, but it's no vacation: he spends his international journeys teaching other up-and-coming shooters the photography techniques that have come to define his career. His experience now stretches more than 20 years and began with retouching other photographers' work—some clients include Apple and Adidas—long before the invention of Photoshop or smiling. It was a serendipitous learning experience for Mike, who took to heart the many ways mistakes could be avoided during shooting, leading him to discover his own passion for photography.

Mike's career continues to prosper with every shoot at his intimate Portland Pin-Ups studio. Here, he helps customers select poses that flatter their figures, then accents images with vintage patinas and backgrounds such as a beach, a World War II airplane, or a train station. Subjects can also choose to amp up their looks with help from resident stylist and makeup artist Hollie Olsen, who draws from her performance-art background to help bring a photo session's story to life.