Porch Portraits

As our studio is closed until the Governor’s stay-at-home order ends in early May, we find ourselves, like so many, going a little stir crazy and asking ourselves how can we give something back to the community. This question led us to jump on the porch portrait bandwagon.

Starting with a post on the Battle Ground community Facebook page we offered a safe and fun way for our Battle Ground neighbors to get a professional family photo taken at no cost. Typically we set up on the sidewalk with a tripod and telephoto lens keeping our “clients” a safe distance away. Some photos were fun and silly while others were a bit more traditional, but everyone got to have a little fun in otherwise challenging times.

We are so looking forward to re-opening the studio, getting back to a regular routine, and not having to shoot everything with a telephoto lens!

Used with permission, here are a few of our favorites from the past week.

NYC comes to Hey Love PDX

Two of our favorite musicians, Julia Haltigan and Kendra Morris hit Portland on the final leg of their West Coast tour this past Saturday and we were fortunate enough to be there and take in every moment. After a last minute venue change, Julia, Kendra, and their band played Hey Love PDX, in what turned out to be an amazing, intimate performance. While we normally shoot large venues and festivals, who knew that in the midst of a swanky PDX hotel bar you could be transported back a decade or two in what felt like a performance in a gritty NYC haunt 20 years ago! That feeling led me to edit these images with that earthy, soulful vibe that makes you feel the music as if you were there, and the heart and soul that goes into making it…

Thank you all for a wonderful experience!

D. Leonidas Photography Goes Hollywood!

In February of this year we found out that film maker Lance Madzey, and friend and former Portland, OR alternative model, Rhiannon Deidre Mary Harrigan, wanted to use a photo we shot of Rhiannon in 2015 as the basis for the movie poster for their film “The Woman with Centipede Eyes”, an indie horror film Rhiannon shot over the summer in Casper, Wyoming.

We of course were honored and exited to be a part of this project!

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Here’s an excerpt from recent press the film received in the Oil City News:

CASPER, Wyo. — A new short horror film project shot in Casper brought local talent together with Hollywood power and contributions from people around the country.

It’s called the “The Woman with Centipede Eyes” and director Lance Madzey says that with a few final finishing touches, it should be ready in July.

The script was written by Madzey’s old college roommate Dick Grunert who has worked on shows like “Adventure Time.”

Michael Champion of “Total Recall” fame and Charles Conkin of the film “Red Sky” act alongside Casper’s Rhiannon Harrigan, who says this was her first time acting.

“It’s not common that you can find such unique people from all parts of the country to come together in such a small place like Casper, Wyoming and make such a cool little film,” Harrigan said on Thursday, June 27.

The film is crafted in the Italian “giallo” (meaning yellow) style, in celebration of some of Grunert and Madzey’s favorite horror films.

You can read the entire article here: Casper and Hollywood talent join forces for new Italian-style horror


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Phantom of the Opera, a birthday gift for Jenna

About a year ago we were asked to do something special for Jenna’s 17th birthday. Her mother Mackenna thought a photoshoot styled after a favorite movie of theirs, “The Phantom of the Opera”, would be just that. Hoping and praying that the renovations to the chapel in The Providence Academy would be completed in time, we set the date and planned the shoot. We were fortunate to be able to work with Christopher Lee Hall, who so wonderfully embodied the spirit of our “Phantom” and Riley RW, who graciously signed on to take care of Jenna’s styling and makeup. All the pieces fell into place! The chapel was indeed finished and made for a spectacular backdrop for many of our photos. Those chapel shots combined with images made in other locations throughout our building as well as a quick trip up to Rocky Butte tied it all together.

This is our “Phantom of the Opera”…

Mom’s parting words taken from a Facebook post: I highly recommend D. Leonidas Photography. He creates the vision and story you dream of. Riley RW is the best makeup artist ever. Jenna's makeup was fresh and gorgeous for over 13 hours. I cannot wait to get our family photos done. (Yes, this is going to be another themed shoot!) We want to thank you all again for coming together to make this happen!

The House of Providence School and Orphanage

In September of 1873 the House of Providence School and Orphanage was dedicated.

In 2016 we moved our studios into a wonderful space on the third floor of the old building. Besides working in our studio and shooting on the Academy grounds, one of our favorite place to shoot is the abandoned attic directly above us.

We’re told that trapped spirits of former students and educators still reside in the attic space above and appear from time to time. This is our conceptualization…

Portrayed by: Davina Garcia of the Vixens of Horror Alternative Models

Styled by: Makeup Artistry by Amanda McGahey

Exploring the New Vancouver Waterfront with Jenna Ask

Not only does Vancouver’s new waterfront development on the north shore of the Columbia River bring much needed growth to Vancouver’s downtown, it also provides us with some wonderful new places to shoot with amazing backdrops and all within minutes from our studio located in the historic Providence Academy building. While much is still under construction we explored the areas open to the public with aspiring teen model and future firefighter, Jenna Ask last week. Here are a few of the images we made together… we even got to play on a firetruck!


New Year! New Studio! New Special!

We're please to announce that while we're still located in the historic Providence Academy building in downtown Vancouver, we've moved our studio into a bigger space on the third floor that will afford far more creative freedom and allow us to comfortably photograph larger groups and families!

To kick off our move we're please to offer our New Year special...

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In studio with Marcela Bercovici

We were blessed to shoot with the lovely, charming, and extremely flexible Marcela Bercovici recently. Marcela is a circus level contortionist with aspirations to perform with Cirque du Soleil one day. This was a collaborative effort with Marcela and Sara Koethe (Makeup by Sara) who did the amazing floral body paint. The shoot took place over two weeks in our Vancouver, WA studio. We ended up shooting this in two parts as Marcela's Valentine's gift of the red cat suit hadn't arrived in time, and we just had to capture that look as well. Stay tuned for big things to come from both of these creative women!

We've Moved

We've moved our studio from a co-op space in SE Portland to the Historic Providence Academy Building in Downtown Vancouver, WA. The location affords us not only two indoor studios, but amazing outdoor photo opportunities on the Academy grounds.

400 SE Evergreen Blvd. Suite #318
Vancouver, WA 98660

Bu-Kai Design

We had the pleasure of working with the Bu-Kai Design team recently, photographing one of their latest projects in Canby, Oregon. Truly amazing work! The water features are spectacular and the metal work imaginative! I'd encourage anyone desiring unique landscape design to get in touch with them by clicking on the link above or visiting their Facebook page.

Proud Sponsor of Team Beer Pressure

D. Leonidas Photography is proud to sponsor one of the legs of the Hood to Coast Relay for Fun Employment Radio!'s team Beer Pressure. We picked up the sponsorship for Greg's 3rd and final leg, which should be the most grueling.

Hood to Coast will be run this coming weekend and is a 36 "Leg" relay that starts on Mt. Hood and proceeds 198 miles to the Coast, finishing in Seaside, Oregon.  There are 12 people per team, which means each team member runs 3 legs total.  The length of each leg varies, as does the terrain, elevation, etc.  This year Sarah is running "Leg 1", which means Legs 1, 13 & 25 for a total distance of 13.38 miles.  Greg is running "Leg 2" which means Legs 2, 14 & 26 for a total of 17.76 miles!

Good Luck Greg and Sarah!

Summer Portrait Special only $69!

Just in time for summer. This portrait special is perfect for getting a jump on senior portraits for 2016 graduates, family photos you've been putting off, headshots for networking and social media, portfolio building, or if you're just looking for an artistic portrait of yourself or someone you love... Limited availability, contact us soon to reserve your session!

Click on the flyer to contact us for booking!