Jared Birt Photography

This is our very good friend and soon to be momma Selena Borne. For the most part I rarely take maternity photos except for close friends & family as gifts to them. Selena comes from one relaxed and artistic family that we have had the privilege of getting to know this summer at their home over great beer and BBQs...not to mention swimming and a chicken fight or two in their pool. They are some of the most hospitable and welcoming people we have ever met. Selena and her husband Nate are expecting their baby this fall and that is going to be one beautiful day. I am so happy and excited for them to see this blessing enter the world and enter into the Borne family. Blessings to you guys, we love you.

Happy wedding day Jon & Brianna.  Thank you so much for a great time together and that I could be apart of your day.  I wish you both many blessings in your new life together. 

~ Jared

Joe & Lindsay and their really cool dog, Dublin, are our fellow SE Portlanders and they will be married in March of next year. Their photo shoot was so awesome and it had the summer love that only the Gorge lighting can bring.  One of the things I love most about my job is meeting incredible people and hearing their stories. Joe and Lindsay have a pretty amazing one. Life can have some unexpected moments that are downright scary. But even in those dark moments, as uncertain as they can be, there is also an opportunity to experience real love, hope and kindness. This is their story. I really enjoyed my time with the two of them talking about marriage and how beautiful Christ designed it, great Portland restaurants and coffee shops and the diversity you find on the East Side of Portland. It's so important for us to live here and experience that. Thanks for a great night you guys...I am so stoked for your wedding next year.

I brought a SARAH SEVEN gown with me to Italy to photograph somewhere and sometime during our trip. I knew that time would go by very fast there so the last day we were in Malcesine we walked around and found Anna to model the gown. Anna works at a clothing store there and does not speak any English. So what I had to do was have a note translated for me saying we are photographers from the USA and we were wondering if you would like to wear this dress for a photo shoot. After she understood everything she met us with her good friend who does speak English for the shoot. It was so much fun and we had the town buzzing about what we were doing which was so funny to us. Anyways this was Anna's first time to have her portrait taken and did a great job. Thank you Anna for such a wonderful time.
 
 

It was interesting...everyone we asked that had been to Italy all said Rome was their favorite. Upon arriving there, it wasn't hard to see why. It had the feel of New York City but had the history and art of another world gone by. We went to the Vatican City, experienced Michangelo, throw coins into the Treve Fountain, climbed the Spanish steps and filled ourselves silly with pizza. What was so cool about Rome is that you would be walking down a street filled with modern shops and then turn the corner to find an ancient landmark like the Parthenon. The history is sprinkled like that throughout Rome. We waited until our last day to go visit the Forum and Coliseum. Of course, it was the one day where it rained and had a thunder and lightening storm, but it just made it that more raw and beautiful. It was so neat to think that I was walking in the same steps as gladiators, Cesar and countless other people centuries before me. When I found out we were going to Italy, I knew the one shot I wanted was of the Coliseum at night so on our last night in Italy we went back there just as the sun was setting. It's true what they say about the Coliseum...depending on what time of day it is and the way the light hits it almost turns the stone different colors. We watched it go from gray to lavender and then almost take on a bluish cast in the night as it lit up with lights within the arches. We had the most amazing time there and Rebekah and I feel so fortunate to experience the places my job takes me. I love my job, the places I see and the people I meet. It makes for a very full life and one I am so grateful for.

Venezia. Wow, this place was pure magic. Nothing could prepare me for the sight of Venice as we made our way by boat from the mainland to our hotel in the heart of this city, near St. Marks' square. I've seen Venice portrayed many times in movies but to see this beautifully fragile city in person was such an amazing thing. I don't know why it surprised me but they are absolutely no roads, no cars in Venice. None. Everything is done by boat...taxis, taking out the garbage, the morning's produce delivery...everything goes in and out by boat. Rebekah and I were so fascinated by this way of life. True, it was very crowded with tourists but once you lost yourself in the maze of bridges and alleys further from the Grand Canal, Venice was almost eerily quiet and you found yourself in a completely different world. It was the same feeling when we woke up at dawn on our last morning there to go take photos in St. Mark's square. Except for the pigeons, and the gondola captain's getting their boats ready for the day, the square was deserted. This is pretty cool since during the day, St. Mark's square is packed with thousands of people. But now, this early in the morning, we basically had the place to ourselves. Magic. That's not something a lot of people can say ; ). We finished off that last morning in Venice by enjoying coffee and tea at Café Florian, one of the oldest coffee shops in Italy. True, it cost more than the last night's dinner but to sit there in the red velvet chairs, listening to a string quartet overlooking the Basilica was priceless.

Malcesine

A couple of weeks ago, we were flown to Italy for John and Megan's wedding in Malecesine. It was such a great experience and because I took so many photos, I'm going to break them down into segments.

Malcesine was probably the most perfect introduction to Italy that anyone could ever have. Nestled in the Alps at Lago di Guardo, it was a quaint and picturesque Italian village with enough color, character and friendly people to make it a traveler's dream. We ate gelato, sipped wine by candlelight on the lake's shore with great new friends and explored the winding cobbled streets. The best food we had was in Malcesine. The tomatoes, cheese, wine, gnocchi and prosciutto were beyond amazing. We also loved the local people. Since Malcesine isn't well known to Americans, we had a great time trying our best to speak Italian and slide into the local culture as much as possible. One of my favorite memories (besides creating new friendships with John, Megan and their families) was meeting Luciano and his wife. Luciano is an internationally acclaimed photographer who operates a gallery in Malcesine during the summer months. We stumbled upon his gallery our first night there and Luciano and I instantly clicked through a shared appreciation of artistic photography. One night him and his wife closed their gallery early and invited us to enjoy a glass of their local region wines in an outdoor courtyard near the castle. It was such a perfect way to spend an evening. Luciano and his wife were a perfect example of what we would sum up Malcesine to be: warm, hospitable and an appreciation for living a simple but very full life.