A Temporary Vortex in Time for Aaron Courter Photography

Posted by Aaron - 08/03/10 at 01:03:43 am

So all of you know, I am currently on the road, psyching myself up for the upcoming (and insanely busy) wedding season by attempting ManTrip 2010. ManTrip 2010 is basically a lot of driving in various states and taking pictures of things that are interesting. I will share more details when I return.

Do not fear. I shall return a newer Man than the old one, yet better, shinier, and with more laundry.

Nicolette & Fritz, Engaged

Posted by Aaron - 26/02/10 at 02:02:32 pm

As soon as I sat down with Nicolette & Fritz at the Albina Press, I knew they were my kind of people. Both are musicians, both creative, and both have this incredible connection and trust.

After hearing about their wedding plans (It’s going to be SO fun! I hope I don’t forget that I’m supposed to be taking pictures!), we walked around the Mississippi area making photos.

Thanks Nicolette & Fritz, can’t wait for this summer!

> > > See MORE pictures of Nicolette & Fritz, Engaged…

Julie & Moises, Pre-Wedding Portraits

Posted by Aaron - 23/02/10 at 11:02:01 am

I am so excited to shoot Julie & Moises’ wedding celebration because:
1. They are ridiculously adorable and kind and have this amazing friendship.
2. They are already married, which means their wedding is going to be stress-free (for the most part) and a huge fun party with their friends and family.
3. They are serving mexican food and I have mandated that they feed the photographer.
4. King’s Valley + Summertime = gorgeous, and
5. Julie & Moises will be there and I like them.

I met them in St Johns this weekend and also had the amazing Ashley Forrette join us to flip this photoshoot Pancake-Style.

> > > See MORE pictures of Julie & Moises, Pre-Wedding Portraits…

My Friend Kimi, Sandy River Delta

Posted by Aaron - 18/02/10 at 11:02:35 pm

Sunshine, tall grass, blue sky. Dogs off-leash and frolicking in the open fields. Mt Hood peaking over the horizon. Kimi and I had planned to get out and take some fun pictures and it was the perfect day to do it. She made me stand in blackberry bushes, but I don’t blame her.

Thanks Kimi for a really fun day!

> > > See MORE pictures of My Friend Kimi, Sandy River Delta…

Pancake Day

Posted by Aaron - 16/02/10 at 10:02:07 pm

Ashley and I have been shooting together for awhile now and I’m so excited to create awesome projects in the coming months. In honor of Pancake Day, we have released our intent to do stuff together under the name The Pancake Studios. It’s been an absolute honor to photograph with someone so talented at showing the beauty in people as well as willing to work as a team to push the limits of what we thought possible.

Plug it in your rss feeds and follow because we’ll be posting stuff only at The Pancake Studios that is unique and world famous and syrupalicious.

Here’s a photo we did last summer.

A Tribute to a Valentine

Posted by Aaron - 14/02/10 at 07:02:07 pm

Some people hate Valentine’s Day. A time for corporations to make an easy buck off chocolate, cheesy love cards, and overpriced flowers. A time for celebrating the impossible compatibility of two people who can have the otherwordly ability to ignore each others faults and make googly eyes at each other, while the rest of the people on the bus throw up a little. And sadly, it can be a time when those we love do not love us back.

Some people love Valentine’s Day. These are the recipients of the corporate chocolates, cheesy cards, flowers, or the ones whose hearts have just been punctured by cupid’s arrow. The newly engaged, the recently married, the ones wrapped up in the toasty-warm blanket of bliss. Life can take them anywhere as long as their lovers eyes and lips are within a breath.

However cynical or romantic you are, you have to agree that love is remarkable. That two people, against so many odds, connect with one another in a way that goes beyond personality, family, age, and status. Where two people grasp a selfless bond, relinquishing their own self-protection to devote themselves with complete vulnerability to each other. When one hurts, the other hurts. With joy, joy is shared. As with all the greatest love stories, love transcends time, fear, ugliness, passion, and brands herself on you, never to be forgotten. Even in those days where life couldn’t be more harsh or messy, one glance, one brush of the skin, one memory and we remember we are loved beyond what we deserve and can do nothing except return the love given.

So what if we made an institution out of it? For the cynics, they can be glad the dentists will have a lot of drilling to do in the spring. For the romantics, they can rejoice that on Valentine’s Day, the world is reminded of the love we so often take for granted. Celebrate your love and if you have lost it, find it and never let go.

My valentine, Kristen, today, with her valentine husband:

Ellen & John, Engaged. Crissy Field, Bicycle-Style!

Posted by Aaron - 09/02/10 at 09:02:02 pm

On our last engagement shoot of the weekend in San Francisco, we met up with Ellen & John who had rented bicycles so they could look all cute and ridiculous along San Francisco’s Crissy Field. Loved it and loved them. Crazy sunshine, I had forgotten what it looked like in a camera.

> > > See MORE pictures of Ellen & John, Engaged. Crissy Field, Bicycle-Style!…

Yoon & Dan, Engaged

Posted by Aaron - 05/02/10 at 12:02:21 pm

The day we photographed Yoon and Dan was the day I saw the sun. It was amazing. As an Oregonian, about this time every year is the time I begin to forget that spring will come again, that the White Witch has cast a spell of permanent grey winter over Narnia (yes, I obviously have kids). So with the sunshine on our faces, it was even more a joy to walk around Yoon & Dan’s stomping grounds and have fun and make pictures.

> > > See MORE pictures of Yoon & Dan, Engaged…

Love on Film

Posted by Aaron - 03/02/10 at 01:02:21 pm

Recently I’ve been admiring the differences between film and digital images. I’ll never be one to take a hard line stance on one or the other because they are special in their own way. Kind of like beer verses wine. Or Marvel verses DC. Or computers verses typewriters…ok, not like that. But they are unique.

A few things I love about film:
1. I pee my pants with excitement every time I drive to pick up a roll of film.
2. After reviewing the images, I have a strong desire to do better next time. I do this with digital but it’s way more instantaneous and sometimes I forget what I want to adjust.
3. Film has a soft quality that is beautiful.
4. Film is VERY forgiving. (Thanks Film, you are so kind! My digital camera would have called me names and then made me spend an hour in Photoshop correcting that, but you just gave me a hug.)
5. No post processing on film. This is a HUGE benefit. It is what it is. The color is right (or interesting at least).

I recently purchased a Nikon FE camera which can use most of my lenses, so while on our engagement shoot weekend, I captured these with Fuji Provia 400, hope you enjoy! And thanks to Larissa & Craig, Yoon & Dan, and Ellen & John for letting me snap a few extra with that strange film machine.

I love how the film blew out in direct sunlight and made this more abstract image:

A few extra from the weekend:

Larissa & Craig, Engaged. c/o the Napa Valley.

Posted by Aaron - 02/02/10 at 07:02:50 pm

The first engagement shoot in a triple threat weekend with Ashley in the Bay Area and how stoked were we when we met Larissa & Craig. If you were going to make Awesome Soup, you’d have to put in some Sweet, some Hilarious, a handful of Laughter, a sprinkle of Dumb Jokes, a wallop of Sickly Adorable, and Napa Valley. I know, that’s cheesey, but if we added Cheese, the Awesome Soup would be unbearable.

> > > See MORE pictures of Larissa & Craig, Engaged. c/o the Napa Valley….

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