Portland Family Photographer: A Candid Slice of Life

Lifestyle and Family
Written By Stephanie Bilinsky

As a Portland family photographer, I view my role as preserving your life in art. A session like this is the perfect way to do that. I used photo and Super 8 to document a candid slice of life for Jan, Nola, and Stella.

A toddler smiles at a Portland family photographer while her parents sit beside her in a pile of leaves.

A Portland Family Photographer for Nola, Jan, and Stella

When Jan and Nola decided to move, they reached out to me to document one of their last weekends in Portland on photo and Super 8. I love working with families to commemorate a meaningful moment like this. In fact, I did the same for another family in Seattle. You can check out that session here. 

A toddler and a small dog run down a street.
A family poses for Portland family photos in front of a flowering hedge.
A father walks down a Portland street with a toddler on his shoulders.
A Portland family photographer photographs a family standing under a pink flowering tree with their dog.
A man smiles at a photographer while his toddler sits on his shoulders beneath a flowering tree.

Nola is also a photographer. It’s always such a compliment to photograph another artist. These photos show so many sides of her. She’s the cool mom, the artsy mom, the baker mom. She’s self-aware, and everything she touches turns to gold. That includes the family she’s built with Jan, one of the raddest people I’ve met. 

A toddler puts a sprig of white flowers in a green bag.
A father leans over his daughter's shoulder to look at the flowers she's holding.
A toddler throws flower petals around her backyard in Portland.
A Portland family photographer photographs a toddler and father walking towards a mother holding out a pink flower.
A Portland family stands in the doorway of their garage.

Celebrating Life Unfiltered in Photo and Super 8

This session was the dream for a Portland family photographer. I met Nola, Jan, and Stella at their house. It was disheveled and full of packing boxes in preparation for their move, and it was perfect. We could preserve the chaotic, beautiful truth of this moment. We walked their favorite paths around the neighborhood and hung out in the yard. Everyone was so at ease that I felt like I could document their life authentically.

A toddler frowns in her front yard with a van parked behind her.
A mother and toddler sit beside a floral mural in their Portland home.
A toddler shows her mother a stuffed animal in a candid family photo in their Portland home.
A toddler and her mother poke her belly button laughing.
A mother carries a toddler through a living room scattered with boxes.
A mother and father play with their toddler who stands in a moving box.

Nola and Jan opted to include Super 8 in their family session. As a Portland family photographer, this is one of my favorite mediums to work with. It’s emotional and real. Super 8 has a lot of vintage appeal because it looks like old school home videos. It’s also really unique and different from the digital video we see all the time. Check out Jan, Nola, and Stella’s Super 8 film below.

Would you like me to be your Portland family photographer? Let’s create art that imitates your life. Reach out to me here!

Stephanie Bilinsky
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