Ashley Montoro Photography: Blog

Cherry Blossom Senior Session

(Ashley Montoro Photography) — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 01:09:46 GMT

We booked this senior session at the end of Fall and then we watched the beautiful cherry blossoms in

downtown Bremerton all spring until they were just perfect. The weather was a little bit chilly on the day

of our shoot, and the sun was playing peek-a-boo with us, but I love the beautiful, dreamy images we got.

We also took a stroll in downtown Bremerton, including down at the picturesque marina- and we were able to get

some lifestyle, urban senior pictures.

This session had some eye rolls, lots of sass, a traffic jam, lost glasses, and some fun memories.

I love being able to take my time with my talented seniors on the day of their session-

we laugh and we become friends by the end of our time together.

This pretty girl was really working the camera by the end of our time together!

I am now accepting Class of 2019 seniors- Summer is the best time to book as we can

take advantage of the lovely weather, summer tans, and everything being in full bloom...all while making

yearbook deadlines and having it crossed off your list of to-do's once busy graduation season comes around.

Bremerton Snow Day

(Ashley Montoro Photography) — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 21:04:47 GMT

My New York heart gets happy when we get a little bit of snow here in the PNW. So as soon as my kids woke up this morning, we bundled up and headed out- because there is not much prettier than snow AND sun AND cute kids. It was cold, but the snow was perfect for throwing around and the promise of hot chocolate and donuts made the wind and cold bearable. Our Goldendoodle, Magic, loves snow- he gets the "zoomies" when he's out in it, so he was continually photo bombing us and making sure that no snow was left without tracks going every which way. He is super overdue for a haircut, but I am glad I didn't do it yet because he would be freezing his butt off right about now.

Of course, we have to eat it...mmmmm. I love this saying- a twist on a well-known children's song that my kids love to sing.

I will chase snow wherever I need to for a snow session, but it's especially fun when it's in our own backyard! We got snow on the Kitsap Peninsula for Christmas Eve, and I was starting to think that may have been our only snowfall this year. But, after this week...I will have my snow and cold weather fix and I will be SO ready for the tulip festival and cherry blossoms and warm weather.

Snow Maternity pictures in the Olympics

(Ashley Montoro Photography) — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 04:03:51 GMT

You probably won't believe me if I tell you that this Momma was about to become a mommy to 9! She was the MOST awesome sport as we drove all the way from Bremerton and Seabeck to go up to the Olympic Mountains to find snow to capture this beautiful time in her life. As we drove up, I was getting nervous because the sun was out and looked SO beautiful...but we weren't coming across much snow.

We passed through Sequim, and still no snow...but as we got closer to Port Angeles, we started seeing vehicles with snow on them and I got super excited! It didn't take us long as we headed up towards Hurricane Ridge for us to find the MOST magical snow-covered spot. It took some climbing and slipping and sliding- me with all of my gear and the chair I brought, and her with her big, beautiful 8 month pregnant belly...but she was an absolute trooper and we made MAGIC with the sun and snow.

Some photographers do really cool poses with blanket scarfs, and we tried...but as hard as I tried to direct and as hard as she tried to follow, most of what we ended up with was hysterical laughter!

I am so thankful for Sarah's adventurous spirit and willingness to travel to the mountains even when we weren't absolutely confident we would find the snow we were looking for- I know she will cherish these maternity portraits forever- they are so PNW in feel and look and I smile every time I look through them.

Mommy and Me Session

(Ashley Montoro Photography) — Wed, 10 May 2017 03:52:10 GMT

Mommy and Me Session in Bremerton, WA Mother's Day is coming up, and that means that all of us are seeing a lot of beautiful portraits of Moms with their children, sometimes multiple generations, which is awesome! It's a great time of year to get updated photos, because we will never have children in quite this exact stage again. I noticed this morning that my 3 year old's pants seemed to be getting shorter, so I measured him on our growth ruler and he has grown almost 2 inches in 2 months! They change SO fast..that is one of the reasons I am so passionate about what I get to do as a photographer.

This stunning Navy family got their portraits done today on the sunniest, warmest day of the year so far for all of us in the Puget Sound. I was eager to use my new white couch as a prop, so they were troopers and helped me lug it in and out of the vehicle and I am so glad we did- because it worked perfectly for this Mommy and Me session. Mommy and Me Session in Bremerton, WA It's hard to believe this gorgeous lady could be a day over 25...and it was fun to discover that the day of her shoot was actually her birthday also! Such a perfect gift to celebrate by getting all dressed up and making memories that will last forever! Her two little girls are spitting images of their lovely Mama! Mommy and Me Session in Bremerton, WA Mommy and Me Session in Bremerton, WA Mommy and Me Session in Bremerton, WA It is such a joy to get to know this family better- they are some of the most generous, kindest people I have met, and lots of FUN too. Some families have such love for each other that it makes my job of directing them so easy because they just know how to enjoy each other's company naturally. Mommy and Me Session in Bremerton, WA I have a thing for spunky little girls, because I was one, and it seems I am set to raise one, also. So this little fire-ball did not disappoint! She is adorable and so mischievous. She adores her big sister- you can just tell they have the sweetest relationship! Mommy and Me Session in Bremerton, WA Happy Mother's Day!

“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”— Unknown Mommy and Me Session in Bremerton, WA

Gender Reveal breaks tie of 3-3

(Ashley Montoro Photography) — Thu, 04 May 2017 05:18:46 GMT

It was so fun to plan and shoot this gender reveal for this sweet family. This is baby number 5, and a tie breaker for the family of 3 girls and 3 guys. This baby is being welcomed to one of our finest- a Navy family. Unfortunately, this means that baby will be born when Daddy is deployed this Fall so it was especially important to find out what the gender would be. It worked out perfectly that Dad happened to be home for a few weeks before he leaves and got to be here for the day they found out who would be the majority in the family...blue or pink.

finished-1 We played a little game to find out who was guessing Team Pink or Team Blue. It was just about split down the middle- Mom and the girls thought PINK and Daddy and his parents guessed BLUE. finished-4 These confetti poppers were loaded with the color ahead of time, and only I knew. That was a fun secret to keep!

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Even Baby Si guessed- he picked team PINK!

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Team Pink is feeling pretty confident! finished-15 Thumbs up from Team Blue finished-18

Which will it be...the countdown has begun.

3...2...1.....

It's a....

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BOY!! Team BLUE wins!! And Daddy is pretty happy about it! finished-24 finished-27 finished-31 finished-38 finished-41 finished-43 Face-timing family that lives far away to tell them the news! finished-47 Grandma and Grandpa got to be in town for the reveal- that was a fun addition!! finished-50 Mommy was still feeling pretty surprised here- she was pretty positive team PINK was going to win.

finished-51 finished-54 Definitely team BLUE :-) finished-56 What do you mean I'm not going to be the baby anymore?!!? He definitely thinks someone has some explaining to do! finished-59 finished-61

So glad this family trusted me to capture such unique memories for them as they found out what this little one's gender would be.

Family Photos at the Bremerton Airport

(Ashley Montoro Photography) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 01:43:05 GMT

finished-28 I love crossing photo shoots off of my bucket list- I have SO many ideas for sessions for this coming year, so so many. When my client called me and asked if I would do a family session for them with their plane at the Bremerton National Airport, I was thrilled to say YES!

I have always wanted to do a shoot involving a plane...and would love to do more in the future!

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They had an adorable little boy, and 2 super cute beagles that made the shoot even more awesome! At least I knew the plane would stay right where we put it, as we chased the young guy around and worked to get those puppies looking.

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What a great shoot this was, and I look forward to even more fun on-location sessions like this in the future. finished-14

Family Session in Pikes Place Market

(Ashley Montoro Photography) — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 16:18:52 GMT

Flying Fish, Golden Pigs, the Original Starbucks...all of this made the perfect backdrop for this Seattle family photo session. This family of 6 is originally from Oklahoma, but Dad's job brought him out to this area and they have grown to love the PNW. When the Mom reached out to me to schedule a session I was SO excited to hear their location idea- it was on my bucket list to do a family photo shoot at the famous pikes place market. Thankfully there was no rain, but the wind was crazy the day of our shoot- it made for a great feel to the photos and didn't stop these sweeties from all giving their best smiles! I loved the poses we did with the market theater in the background- such a fun, urban feel!

Surprise Valentines Day Mini Session

(Ashley Montoro Photography) — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 17:53:46 GMT

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It's not all the time that we have snow here in Bremerton, Washington. In fact the first year we lived here we only got one inch accumulation the whole winter. I have been thrilled to get a few nice snow falls here this Winter. One of them was last week, and we got over 7 inches in the course of one day. I took advantage of the white winter wonderland and did one of my favorite ever maternity sessions. When it started snowing again the next day it was just TOO pretty so I bundled up my kids and decided to do a surprise Valentines day photo shoot for Daddy.

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Well by the time I changed their clothes and did their hair, grabbed some props and cute seating, and had my camera and lighting ready it had actually started to rain. We didn't let it stop us, and I shamelessly used candy as a bribe and my two sweethearts were troopers in the deep snow and chilly rain. It may be the fastest session I have ever shot, but I know Daddy will be SO surprised and will feel loved when we surprise him today with the beautiful prints we made for him from our valentines day snow session.

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These two are so sweet together...just this morning my son asked my one year old daughter to be his best friend. I am so blessed that they play so well together and seem to truly enjoy each other's company. finished-11 finished-3 finished-14 finished-7

Hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day!