Elizabeth & Michael's Dreamy & Intimate Wedding at Opal 28 in POrtland

Elizabeth & Michael's Wedding at Opal 28 was elegant, simple and beautifully classic. They are both adorably sweet and couldn't seem to stop smiling the entire day. Opal 28 has the most gorgeous natural light and is close to Laurelhurst Park (one of my favorite parks in Portland), where we went for photos with their bridal party after the ceremony. They had family fly in from all over the world and it felt truly special to be a part of their day. I still can't get over how stunning Elizabeth was, such a beauty. Congrats Elizabeth & Michael!

Allison & Mark's Dreamy Country Wedding in Big Island, Va | VA & PDX Wedding Photography

Allison and I have known each other our entire lives. She's my first cousin, but might as well be my sister. We spent every snowy winter sliding down massive hills, we took dance classes together until college, we started our own lemonade stand, we devised secret plans to torture our siblings and we would meet at the "rock pile" in-between our houses whenever we got a chance so that we could hang out. Now that I live on the West Coast we don't get to see each other very often, but when we do spend time together I'm reminded of how important she is to me and how similar we are. We both grew up in Sedalia, right below the Blue Ridge Mountains on Mountain Run Farm. When she asked me to photograph her wedding, I was so excited. Being able to capture the beauty of the farm we lived on growing up seemed like such a magical experience. And it totally was. The wedding was absolutely perfect. The weather was perfect. Allison & Mark are perfect, and these photos are some of my favorites from last year's wedding season. <3

Congratulations Allison & Mark! Love you two so much! 

Venue - Mountain Run Farm
Photographer - Myles Katherine Photography
 Event Designer/Coordinator - Melissa Coleman
Makeup - The Bride and Sarah Angelini
Hair - Kassy Newman
Cake/Dessert - potluck dessert by friends and family
Caterer - Millstone Tea Room
Florist - Irvington springs farm, island creek farm and Nature at Mountain Run Farm
Officiant - Trevor Newman
Ceremony music - Adam DeGraff
 DJ/Band - Chris Baker - In Debut Music - The Cole Men - Jeff Gorman, Aaron Pettine and friends
Wedding Dress - Reformation
Jewelry - great grandmothers ring and brides earrings
Shoes - Frye
 Groom's suit - Filson vest, carhartt pants
 Groom's shoes - Russell moccasin 
Stationery - all invitations designed by bride and groom
Rentals: Skyline tents, Something vintage furniture rentals, Classic party rentals dishware 

Sleeklens Lightroom Presets Review | Strike a Pose Portrait Workflow

Hey everyone!

I was contacted recently by Sleeklens to try out their Strike A Pose Portrait Workflow. They offer a selection of Lightroom and Photoshop workflows for various types of photography from landscape to newborns. I've been using VSCO presets for years so it was exciting to try out something new. I actually don't spend a great deal of time editing, I prefer to spend the time in the studio or on location making sure the lighting and camera settings are as close to perfect as I can get. Most of the time I just end up creating my own preset for each photo shoot that I do, since every lighting situation varies and I find that each set of photos needs something different in terms of exposure and color. Then I'll just copy and paste and make minor adjustments for each photo. However, it's definitely always helpful to skip a few steps if you find a preset you like. :)

I've included a few samples below so you can get a feel for the kinds of presets the Portrait workflow includes. I found a few presets that I liked, but for the most part the All-in-One presets were a little too contrasty and extreme for me. I used Love Bug and Crisp Dawn the most. I did like the base and exposure presets, however, as they were more minimal changes such as color correct, greyscale and highlight/shadow adjustments. 

Original Image

Edited Image

(Edited image uses the Love Bug All-in-One filter, two skin softening brushes and a contrast and highlight adjustment)

Original

Edited

(Edited image uses the Base Studio Headshot preset and the darken shadows preset, plus an increase in contrast and exposure and skin softening brushes)

My favorite part about the Sleeklens workflow were the brushes. I can tell I'm going to use these fairly often in the future. There are brushes for eye brightening, skin smoothing, adding shine to lips, whitening teeth and defining hair. I'm not one to spend hours adjusting one photo, but I think for a lot of photographers, these brushes would prove to be very useful (and help you avoid using Photoshop if you're a Lightroom fan like me). Honestly, for $39 you really can't go wrong. Personally, I'd avoid the All-in-One presets, but if you want a quick fix for highlights, shadows and skin adjustments then this workflow could be useful for you. 

The presets and brushes were super easy to install too if you just watch the videos on the Sleeklens site. 

I hope this review was helpful for you! Feel free to ask questions, leave comments about the before/after photos or tell me what you think about the Sleeklens Workflows if you use them. :)

Model: Ashley McPhail
Designer: Holly Stalder of Haunt and Diamond Sea Bridal
Hair and makeup: Sheri Mendes
Location: Hollywood Theatre in NE Portland

-Myles Katherine

Original

Edited

(Another example of the All-in-One Love Bug preset)

Original

Edited

(Edited image uses the All-in-One Sparkle Sparkle filter and increase in exposure and contrast)

Original

Edited

(Edited image uses the Base Greyscale Matte preset and the Polish - High Contrast preset, along with the skin softening brush)

Original

Edited

(Edited image uses the All-in-One Crisp Dawn preset with the Hair Shine brush)