Mandi McDougall Lifestyle Photography | Children, Family, Maternity, Senior and Newborn Portraits | Centralia and Olympia Washington

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...here you will find my life. I have found that the wonderful thing about a blog is that it has become a place for me to document my own life, while I document your's.

My name is Mandi, and it is my passion to capture life's moments. From the cry of a newly born baby, to the happy tears of an adoption story, all the way to senior portraits that won't go out of style. Behind the camera, I prefer to capture the moments and not create them. I will offer suggestions and be available to you along the way so that you get the most out of your custom portrait experience. On the other side of the lens, I simply love life. I have an amazing family, wonderful friends, and can often be seen reading or crocheting (yep, I have a little old lady down deep in my soul!)

Take a few minutes to check out my blogsite, catch up on the goings-on of a photographer from little ol' Centralia, and look at some pictures. If you are interested in a portrait session, all the necessary information can be found at the top or the bottom of the page. Contact me via the form, at info@mandimcdougallphotography.com, or at 360.827.1609.

Real. Life. Captivating.

My Top 10 of 2014 {#1}

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

{I have decided to show and tell my favorite shots from 2014….often the pictures that grip me are not the picture-perfect poses, but the images that tell a story…}

This sweet little spitfire sure has changed our lives these past 8 months! I can’t hardly even type that she is 8 months old today without getting misty-eyed. It goes by so fast, even now I hardly remember the teeny little dark haired beauty I gave birth to – she’s quickly been replaced by an ever-moving fesity little peanut who has us all undoubtedly wrapped around her finger. I cannot wait to recreate the basket shot when she’s a year old, AND take another picture of her on her brother (sidenote: during that shot she peed on him and while he was disgusted at the time he tells her the story all the time now and laughs laughs laughs). Take it from this mama; these days don’t crawl by, they fly by. You blink, and your little sweet pea is nearly five years old and has attitude for days… lets just say I know first hand how thankful I will be for these pictures in a few years!

Posted in Newborn, Top 10

by mandirae

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Christall Murphy - She can’t be 8 months old… Looking at these pictures, and our photos from yesterday, I am reminded once again how quickly our time with these precious beings flies by. It was only last week that Grace was as time as Delaney… yet she just reminded me that she’s 14 now. These photos are a gift!January 13, 2015 – 1:00 pm

My Top 10 of 2014 {#2}

Monday, January 12, 2015

{I have decided to show and tell my favorite shots from 2014….often the pictures that grip me are not the picture-perfect poses, but the images that tell a story…}

One picture just wasn’t going to do this post justice. There is so dang much about this session and this family that I love, and that speaks so clearly to my heart about why I do this job. Life is funny; it’s awesome and hard and messy and wonderful – often all at the same time. I remember the first email from Christall (which was now over 5 years ago) like it was last week. She was looking for a photographer, and totally freaked my freak because she was a former client of MY favorite photographer ever, Tara Whitney, and here she was emailing me. Since that email, my how life has taken us on a crazy ride. We’ve had some pretty epic portrait sessions (apple orchard, Deception Pass State Park and mini marshmallow s’mores roasted over a match, faux ‘staches) but this one is going to be pretty hard to top. A sunset session on a gorgeous night on a gorgeous beach with gorgeous people – but more than that – real people with a hard and amazing story of loss and redemption – and these crazy sweet and ornery horses that kept us laughing most of the evening. After the sun set, and they loaded up the horses I sat in the parking lot feeding my sweet girl and I had the chance to soak it all in. Magical.

Posted in beach, Family, Top 10

by mandirae

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Christall Murphy - So many good memories with you! SO many – every picture from this year is my absolute favorite – every one of them is like a healing balm for my heart, and I’m thankful for that gift.January 12, 2015 – 11:58 am

Lucy page - this was one of my favorites too. I love the beach and the horses. Add an obviously sweet/loving family and you have a pretty special showing. Nicely done, Mandi!January 12, 2015 – 2:17 pm

My Top 10 of 2014 {#3}

Sunday, January 11, 2015

{I have decided to show and tell my favorite shots from 2014….often the pictures that grip me are not the picture-perfect poses, but the images that tell a story…}

If there were ever a picture I waited incredibly not-so patiently to post, it was this one! I am over-the-moon excited for my best friend and her husband to welcome their little one this spring, right around Delaney’s birthday! Their baby is going to be the definition of spoiled if this Auntie has anything to say about it!

Posted in Family, Maternity, Top 10

by mandirae

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Dannicka - This is one of my favorites from 2014! So precious!January 12, 2015 – 11:59 am

Christall Murphy - What an adorable photo!January 12, 2015 – 12:23 pm

My Top 10 of 2014 {#4}

Saturday, January 10, 2015

{I have decided to show and tell my favorite shots from 2014….often the pictures that grip me are not the picture-perfect poses, but the images that tell a story…}

I feel like these two need no introduction – I photograph them and talk about them enough that everyone around here should feel like they know them by now! I can’t even say how wonderful it has been to have two amazing friends to go through the journey of pregnancy and motherhood with! It is amazing enough watching one little one grow, but being able to see how three little people with distinct personalities and abilities go from teeny and curly newborns to independent and fun sitting up and crawling babies has been incredible.

Really, there is almost nothing I love more than capturing the newness of life – maternity, birth and newborn sessions are the passion that drives so much of what I do. And being able to collaborate on those sessions with people who are near and dear to me is just about as perfect as this job gets!

Posted in Newborn, studio, Top 10

by mandirae

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My Top 10 of 2014 {#5}

Friday, January 9, 2015

{I have decided to show and tell my favorite shots from 2014….often the pictures that grip me are not the picture-perfect poses, but the images that tell a story…}

Photographing this family wasn’t just one of my Top 10 sessions of 2014 – it might have been one of my Top 10 of all time! Photographing people who can be genuine in front of a camera is just a joy – real laughs, mom and dad being as goofy and excited as the kids – so much enthusiasm for just hanging out together.