Category Archives: Portraits

A Big Welcome to Adelaide

Hello friends,

As many of you know, we lost our doggie last year. Bowen was a great pet and dog for our family and we miss him greatly. You can read more about him here: https://chrismckennaphotography.com/2022/04/goodbye-to-my-sweet-doggy/ . His death left a huge hole in our lives.

Having said that, we decided that we were not going to immediately get another furbaby. We thought it would be best to wait about 2 years and reevaluate at that time. Doing that, we thought, would give us the ability to travel more freely and without having to worry about pet care for a while.

Fast-forward about 5 months and thousands of Instagram post feeds of puppies and awesome dogs and we arrive into late September/early October and a decision to start looking at getting a puppy in the new year. So I went looking for a local breeder of our favorite Australian Shepherds and found one that was less than an hour drive from us. We visited and fell in love with their expecting couple (“Longshadow on the Meadow” & “Longshadow’s Simply Simon”) and decided to adopt one of their offspring.

Adelaide was born a week later and we brought her home to live with us in early December.

It’s been 15 years since we had a puppy in the house and it was nice to have another to help fill the void. But with only the two of us to share the duties (versus 4 last time we had a pup) it demands a lot of our time and certainly a lot of patience (I think that God helps us forget the amount needed to raise a puppy otherwise one would never get a new one). Her training is going well, when she decides to listen, and the potential for her into her adult life is great. But she’s been a huge blessing so far and we’re grateful that she is part of our family.

I’ll try and post pics of her here periodically but you can always follow along on her Instagram social media account (click the link).

Blessings,

Chris.

Also posted in Family Portraits Tagged , , , , , |

Audrey at SAMI

Well, looks like we are officially out of our fantastic summer weather and full on into fall. This time of year has its challenges for we photographers who really like to shoot outside in our beautiful PNW, but also gives us some really creative ways to get those coveted senior photos and still not drench our models:)

I’d like to introduce you to my newest and most favorite senior model, Audrey. What an amazing lady! And look at that smile!!

Audrey was accepted and is attending SAMI (Science and Math Institute) which is part of the Tacoma Public School system. It is quite an honor to be chosen as a SAMI student, and Audrey loves it there!! She chose to have her senior photo session at the Environmental Learning Center which is inside of Pt Defiance Park…right next to the Zoo! Really cool building! We had some great backdrops to work with. They even have a whale skeleton!

We had a fantastic time, Audrey and I, and I am so honored that she chose me to be her photographer and help her celebrate this senior year.

Please enjoy a few of my favorite pics of this beautiful girl and her sweet smile.

Also posted in Senior Portraits

Watch Him Sk8

Hey Y’all. Thanks for tuning in…

Today I would like to introduce you all to Connor. This is Connor’s senior year, and he wanted to document his favorite sport during his senior photo sesh. Who am I to deny??;)

Connor and I met up at the Allen York Skate Park in Bonney Lake just this past Friday. I was really excited to see what he could do…and Connor did not disappoint! He is a thrasher! And showed me all of his tricks. It was awesome!!

Take a look at some of what Connor can do..and take notice of the sweat on his face…He was all-in!!

Thanks, Connor, for giving me a great show! I wish you the best senior year ever!!

~Lynette

Also posted in Senior Portraits, Sports Photography Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Family is Everything

Last weekend I was blessed to shoot a family photo session. If you remember the weekend weather…it wasn’t great. We even arranged to reschedule if, by 8:00 Saturday morning, the rain had not let up. Wow! Not only did it not rain, but the sky was just about perfect! As a photographer, I live for mornings like that; when I don’t have to worry about harsh light, shadows or squinty eyes. For me , it was a dream:)

This was our first time meeting (at least the extended family) and knowing what I know about family gatherings…you just never know what you’re gonna get (haha). Well, I am happy to say, I got it good;) What I observed in this family dynamic was an abundance of joy. They were genuinely having fun with each other and truly loved spending time together. And, this day was a special birthday celebration, as well. Rarely do I find this much harmony within a family.

What an honor it was for me to photograph this gorgeous family and document this precious time in their lives!

Family is EVERYTHING!!

~Lynette

Also posted in Family Portratis Tagged , , , , , , , |

Paige is Graduating!!!

It was such a privilege to meet up with Paige for her Senior Photo Session. And extra special because Chris and I are friends with her folks. In fact, we shot their wedding a few years ago…and now it’s time for their oldest to graduate!! We were blessed to have had some amazing weather on one of the only dry days these past couple of weeks.

Paige is an amazing young woman who is an honor student and plays water polo for Rogers High School. As you will see from the pics, she LOVES sunflowers!! We had a great time on the waterfront and in downtown Tacoma…and she was awesome!!

Congratulations, Paige! You will do great things!

Blessings,

~Lynette

Also posted in Senior Portraits Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Peeps of 2021

It’s the end of 2021, and even though this has been a tough year all around, some pretty amazing photography was done at Chris McKenna Photography! These are just a few of my favs from each of my photo shoots this year. I did have to cancel a few due to weather and Covid, but will be rescheduling for sometime this spring. And, I can’t wait to share those with you when they happen!

Please enjoy a few of my pics from this past year. And, Happy New Year to you all!! See you in 2022!!

~Lynette

P.S. you can see more of our senior photos by clicking on this link: https://chrismckennaphotography.com/portfolio/seniors/ and more of our family portraits at this link: https://chrismckennaphotography.com/portfolio/portraits/

And don’t forget to visit us on SmugMug.

Also posted in Baby and Children Portraits, Family Portraits, Senior Portraits Tagged , , , , , , , , , |

Sunflowers, Sunshine and Family Fun!

What a beautiful family and a beautiful sunny day!

I was blessed to photograph the Welton family last weekend at Maris Farms in Buckley.  I loved watching this family interact with each other as they made their way through the farm. The children were so adorable as they ran through the rows of sunflowers (followed by mom and dad, of course). Chris and Linnea are amazing parents and never missed an opportunity to teach their children about the wonders of nature that surrounded them. Tons of great candids! A fantastic and fun documentation of this time in their lives…one they will cherish forever ?

Please enjoy these pics…

Blessings,

~Lynette

Also posted in Baby and Children Portraits, Family Portraits Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Lindstrom Family

What a great honor it was to be asked to photograph the Lindstrom Family. Patti hired me 8 years ago to photograph her twins, Ashley and Brittney, for their high school senior portraits. On this particular occasion, their family was joined by Mike’s parents, his brother and family. It was the first time they had all been together in quite a while. What a blessing for me to be part of this day.

Lynette

Also posted in Family Portraits Tagged , , , , |

Missing you George

I’ve been spending a good portion of this week restoring my tools (fixing this blog and transferring photo’s to a new computer) and I have been running across a lot of pictures of my friend George.

George was another business owner that crossed our path many years ago in a networking group. He was a DJ by trade and great friend by nature. We ended up working a lot of weddings and other events with him over the following years. George even DJ’d at my 40th birthday-an 80’s music festival in my backyard with other friends and family .

Anyway, George unexpectedly passed away a few years back. I miss talking with him on the phone as we always did. We never did connect for that beer, but I know that he’s keeping the stool warm for me in heaven.

Rest in peace, George. We miss you.

Chris

Also posted in Event Photography, Shot of the Day, Wedding Photography Tagged , , |

Julia’s Senior Year

I can hardly believe that school is back in session…well, kind of….

I am excited to introduce to you my first senior of 2021!! Meet Julia. She is a senior at Rogers High School in Puyallup WA (my alma mater). Julia is a beautifully energetic and dramatic young woman, as you will see from her photos. We had a fantastic time together! She was a dream to photograph! So willing to try every pose I threw at her. I love that!! She even threw in some dance team moves:) Love it!!

I wish you all of the best for your senior year, Julia! It will be amazing, even if it is starting at home. You are a true beauty and a joy to be around. Shine that light of yours everywhere you go, girl. I can’t wait to see where God takes you:)

Blessings,

~Lynette

Also posted in Senior Portraits Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |