Erin Elizabeth Photography

Many years ago at a coffee shop in Northwest Portland, I sat across from the sweetest couple who had just moved to Portland. They were recently engaged and looking for a wedding photographer. Not just any photographer, mind you. They wanted a photographer that could grow with them over the years.
We hit it off.
It’s now many years later, and so many sweet moments that I’ve been able to capture over those years. It’s a privilege and honor to capture your love and your family, Alicia and Anthony! ❤️
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Savoring the last of summer. Golden hour is always my favorite time of day to shoot, but it may not work for family schedules! It can be tricky to shoot in bright direct light in the peek of long summer days, thats why you hire me! t it sure beats the heat (and we had a few close moments with many kiddos climbing rocks on the river but no kids were harmed or drenched in the making of these photos!)
I had a blast with this (returning!) family who brought the rest of the fam for an extended family session!
***I have a few more mini spots open this month-DM me to see my availability before I close my books before the years end!
Thank you for allowing me to capture your memories for over a decade now. Even if it’s a little bit less these days 🙏

I was Kevin and Cassidy’s wedding photographer back in 2015. Good lord, I adored them from the second I met them. I have loved getting to know them over the last nine years. They have a beautiful love story that I’ve had the pleasure of capturing over those nine years.

We hadn’t done family photos in a few years, so it only made sense to do this year's session at their new home. These are my favorite kinds of sessions because they show such realness.⁣ Connection. Joy.
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Families like these are my inspiration. Always have been always will be. There is a reason why I kept this little business going for almost 12 years now - on top of full-time busy careers.⁣
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Back in 2020, when I was having a midlife crisis, I thought about the things that brought me joy. I needed joy back in my life, and corporate life wasn’t doing it for me. A lot of my joy was in this photography business. A large part of that was really getting to be a part of my client's lives, being there for all the big moments and capturing those tiny moments in between. Helping people through a process they don’t do very often and usually feel awkward at. I’m there, guiding them and working my magic, helping them feel comfortable. To them, it feels chaotic. My favorite is going through all the images, choosing my favorites (which are always too many) and late hearing “Oh my gosh, you made magic happen. You captured so many beautiful moments.”⁣
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I wanted more of that in my life. I wanted to combine everything I had just done for so many years, working towards my dream career at my dream company, while also focusing on my passion. I needed more time with my daughter, I needed more flexibility in my life. I was scared as hell, but this business told me I could do it.⁣
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Just like that, my jump into real estate was born. While real estate remains my full-time job, photography still gets me in a way that nothing else does. I need to create, and photography is my medium.⁣
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All because of families like these.⁣
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Thank you, Kevin and Cassidy, for trusting me with all those big moments of your life.

Fun fact, I bought my very first digital camera and anticipation of my nieces birth. It was a Canon point and shoot but it really helped me fall in love with the art of photography. That spurred my interest to learn more and eventually take film classes and learn how to use a film camera, shoot in manual and well…here i am. 13 years with this business, celebrating my favorite person to photograph. My incredible niece, Rylie.

Today she is 18!! years old! I still remember the day she was born when I got a call saying she was born and I flew out of work so fast and headed down to the hospital to hold the most perfect little angel.

Proud Auntie Brag Alert 😜
She’s so smart and determined that she finished high school early, so she could head off to (💜🐸) to play D1 soccer. She’s kind, strong, and has lights up the world with her smile and signature giggle. What a gift, the day she was born. I can’t wait to see where this world takes her.

I don’t do as much photography these days, so the sessions I take on hold so much more meaning. It was an honor to fly down to San Diego this last fall to take Rylie’s senior portraits. She’s stimply stunning and she’s always been one of my favorite people in the world to photograph.

Love you so much, my

Today this human is 18!! years old! I still remember the day she was born when I got a call saying she was born and I flew out of work so fast and headed down to the hospital to hold the most perfect little angel.

Proud Auntie Brag Alert 😜
She’s so smart and determined that she finished high school early, so she could head off to TCU (💜🐸) to play D1 soccer. She’s kind, strong, and has lights up the world with her smile and signature giggle. What a gift, the day she was born. I can’t wait to see where this world takes her.

I don’t do a lot of photography these days, but it was an honor to fly down to San Diego this last fall to take Rylie’s senior portraits. She’s stimply stunning!

Love you so much, Rylie Monahan

Oh hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. 🫣⁣
Still here, still doing photography. It inspires me find these moments of joy when life allows. Being so much more intentional than ever and it’s photos like these that make my heart so full. ⁣
A bigger than my heart thank you to my families who have allowed to capture life’s fleeting moments for YEARS now. It means the world to me than you’ll ever know. ⁣
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Give me that early fall light, that golden glow illuminated by electric leaves. Give me room to run around and explore, so they forget there’s a camera in front of them. Give me the remnants of summer, where you don’t have to hide in layers or are chilled to the bone. Give me families ready to listen to my silly directions. Give me a great location that requires some off-roading for the perfect setting. Give me siblings hugs and little giggles. Give me little sparks of job.
This session gave me all of that and what joy we found wandering around this beautiful setting.

Soaking up the last bits of summer as it quickly slips through my fingers like sand.
Also, grateful for beautiful moments like these with a last bride and groom, ready to embark on their next adventure.

Erin Elizabeth Photography updated their address.

I think the thing I love about photography the most is the second you look at a photo; it takes you back. It takes you there; you instantly remember that moment. You see the moment frozen in time. You pick up cues, the context of a time that was before the present.
Last year around this time, I haven’t gained an Angel, and it was this sweet baby girl.
Addy’s time on earth was short, but the impact she made will last a lifetime. I look at this photo, and I see a proud, strong mother. I see a father protecting his baby girl. I see a beautiful baby girl who IS so loved by her family.
I never take it for granted that people trust me to capture the present moment, so that they can hold these tangible memories in their hands, and etch them into their hearts forever.
I think about this sweet baby girl often. I think of her parents, her three big brothers.
It’s an honor to tell someone’s story, and a joy to see that story told in photos.
Thinking of you, sweet Addisyn Erma. 💗

Life feels overwhelming, complicated, intense…it sometimes puts me at a loss for words and makes me want to curl up under the covers and escape with sons bad reality TV.
But then there are these beautiful moments that makes me heart leap once again.
Here’s to the beautiful moments full of hope and wonder.

I can’t begin to tell you how difficult it was to pick a sneak peek photo, so here’s a little sneak peek photo dump of this stunning maternity session with one of my faveeeee couples!
I met A + A back in January 2018. They had just gotten engaged and we’re looking for a photographer that could grow with them. It was a match made in heaven, and it’s been so much fun getting to know this couple over the last few years!

A lot of small business owners talk about “your ideal client “and honestly, these guys are it. It’s clients like these that help me realize that this business is so much more than photos, it’s the people. It’s being with them on their journey, it’s taking the uncomfortable and making it an adventure. It’s about doing things like sliding down sand dune‘s and splashing around in a fountain on your wedding night.

It's clients like these that helped inspire me to take what I LOVE about this business and take a leap of faith into another .

I’m grateful for every person that is brave enough to get in front of my camera, and even more grateful for those who have watched me grow along the way.

As I say that, my business continues to grow and evolve. My last wedding will be this September and my last newborn session will be in October...at least for now. Families and maternity are more my focus, as are headshots and occasional branding photos! That's hard to write as I love both weddings a newborn so dang much, but it’s time to evolve and grow as both businesses continue to flourish and I still need to manage my home and personal life as well!

ETA: I’m still doing families, maternity, and now evolving into more business photos (branding/headshots!) Just simplifying a bit. 🥰

This session remains a reason why I’ll keep getting behind the camera, as capturing moments like these give me life and remind me that there is beauty in the moment, if we just stop and take it all in.

Now back to drooling over this session. never let's me down!
Also, peep that DIP we had to recreate from their wedding photos! GAH! So much fun.

There’s no where like the Oregon coast.
This was also the workshop that changed things for me. It made me push more towards the authentic, to seek the wild, to get sand in my toes, and to start pushing myself more.
I’ve grown more since this time, almost 2 years ago to the day. I’ve had moments where I’m so stoked with what I’ve created on camera, and other times where good old “imposter syndrome” starts knocking on my door.

It’s a reminder that when we find out why, the daunting mountain ahead suddenly becomes the platform upon with the views are breathtaking (and sometimes a little scary) Growth is good, my friends.

Now...back to this beautiful family, one of my favorite client dresses (I bought it after this workshop in 3 colors!) and the stunning Oregon coast.

Raise your hand 🙋‍♀️ if you have a LinkedIn profile pic that is:

A. From 8+ years ago
B. It was cut out from another photo someone else was in
C. You don’t have one

If you raised your hand, you might want to join me on Tuesday afternoon! I’ve been doing more headshots and calendar is pretty full until the end of September, so get in while you can!

I’ll keep it short and sweet, you get an updated headshot, and maybe leave with a plant or 5 from this cool modern nursery!

I only have a few openings so DM me quick if you want to snag a spot!

You know the phrase about taking a village to raise a child? Well, it took a village of Tulip Farm visitors to get this little smile but it was 1000% worth it!
While I had big dreams of Woodburn Tulip Festival minis this year, dang COVID squashed most of those.
Luckily, we were able to fit this sweet family in on a weekday afternoon!
It couldn’t have been more perfect for this sweet little girl, as BOTH of her parents have Dutch lineage and family in the Netherlands.
Oh, and the best part? This Mom and Dad are from a town nicknamed “Tulip Town”
Could there BE a better setting for this tulip loving cutie?! 🌷🌷🌷

Motherhood. It looks different for each and every one of us. It’s complicated and beautiful and challenging all at the same time.
It can both expand and break our hearts in ways we never imagined possible.
It’s as unique as a fingerprint, and it’s impression upon each one of us is ever changing yet constant.

I’m grateful for all the beautiful moments I’ve had a chance to witness. The tears, the love, the heartbreak and the simple joy in moments that pass through like clouds in the sky.

To motherhood, in whatever way it represents itself to you.

@ Portland, Oregon

So... it's 2021, and we're 11 months into this thing. We're Zoom experts. We’ve adjusted our dreams, postponed them, adapted them. We never did entirely run out of toilet paper. We are exhausted.
After a challenging parenting day, my husband and I felt defeated and did what I like to call MVE, “minimal viable parenting,” which basically means allllll the screen time and early to bed.
When it's days like these, I try and remind myself that right now is a particular time, and it won't last forever.
My weekends, already a precious commodity with photography many weekends, will soon be overtaken by real estate as well. All too soon, Ro will want to spend all her time with friends. Though it seems like a lifetime away, we will spend time with friends and family again in all of our time in between the chaos.
We are trying hard to breathe in these moments when we just want to scream.
Grateful for the beautiful moments that remind me to be more present during this wacky, wild reality.