Amanda Jae Photography

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Amanda Jae Photography

Unposed, Imperfect, Naturally Cinematic & Nostalgic

My documentary/journalistic vibe allows you to

10/21/2026

All of these wedding photos are from my family archive and they make me so happy 🤩 and I think they can teach us so many lessons.

Some look professional, others like somebody handed a camera to a reasonably sober relative and hoped for the best.

They’re not all technically great. I remain, shockingly, obsessed and hella inspired.

It’s my family. I love their fashion, the hairstyles, and the silent intricacies between people. The questionable church carpeting is just a bonus. I would care about these people regardless of how beautifully someone photographed them or how “aesthetic” their wedding was.

And someone took these pictures, developed them, printed them, and kept them safe. Decades later, I get to meet versions of people I never knew, or only knew as old people. How cool is that?

Lately it feels like the internet is trying to convince us that every wedding needs to be the most interesting event anyone’s ever attended. Everyone’s running around trying to reinvent the wheel. Couples are overwhelmed (and broke), vendors are trying to outdo each other, and I think we’ve collectively lost the plot a little.

And listen, I LOVE what we’re capable of creating now. The freedom to document a wedding in a hundred different ways. It’s a hell of a thing to do for a living. We are LUCKY!

But sometimes I think this industry needs to go touch grass. Myself included. 👀

Looking at these photos, I’m reminded that weddings were already full of stories before we started trying so damn hard to tell them.

People were just getting married and living their lives, and someone happened to be there with a camera, paid or not. Nobody was thinking about how these photos would look on the interwebz 50–80 years later. They were just making memories, and thankfully somebody kept the evidence.

I want to make beautiful and meaningful work. I always will. But I also want to be real with myself about what’s driving me and remember that someday, somebody might look straight past my very impressive composition of a perfectly styled reception, because they spotted their grandma in the background. And I am really ok with that. I think that’s what it’s all about in the end 🙂

10/20/2026

Would love to be back in the redwoods, feeling wildly insignificant next to a tree again. Very good for the brain. Terrible place to develop a god complex.

Olivia and Cody flew from the South to elope on the West Coast with a Hoa Hoa Twilight vision in mind. October gave us sunshine and warmth instead, which would have been a logistical nightmare for Edward.

But, we had so much fun.

There’s something pretty special about getting married somewhere that leaves you speechless, with freedom to wander and time to do whatever the hell you want.

Ask people who’ve eloped...See how many regret it 😏

Anyway. Who wants to go stand under some enormous trees with me?

10/17/2026

Scarlett requested two more “picture nights,” which is frankly the best performance review I could ask for.

The words on these slides came from the contact form Val filled out on my website and the messages we exchanged after their session. She gave me a glimpse into their lives and invited me over to see for myself. Her openness in sharing about them right away showed me I was the right person to capture them. I knew she wanted to see her family through my eyes, and I had no doubt I could create something special for them.

Inviting a stranger into your home takes vulnerability and a unique openness. It’s intimate to let someone new into the space where you can be fully you. It’s not always easy, but I hope my energy and words always make people feel comfortable.

This night was perfect for me and the way I work. I felt welcomed right away and ready to really see them, with an open mind and unique curiosity.

It started with a smoothie and scooter tricks. Then came a Scarlett-led house tour while Mom and Dad finished dinner on the BBQ. A bedroom walk-through while I learned the extensive personal histories of many stuffies. Next, a lovely garden tour through a pumpkin tunnel. I kicked off my shoes, lay in the grass, and accepted approximately 400 dog kisses. I walked all over their property and found two different pairs of reading glasses lying in the yard that belonged to Brad. When I found the first pair, he said, “Oh! I always lose those damn things.” Then, about 15 minutes later, I found another pair across the yard, in another hiding spot. We all giggled.

What makes me really happy is that Mom got to be in the photos. In the garden she’s grown. With the people she feeds. Inside the home she’s put so much of herself into. She gets to be remembered here, too.

Seeing what she shared beforehand show up in these photographs, then reading what they meant to her afterward? It comes full circle for me.

I f*cking love what I do. I want to do 100 more sessions like this.

Invite me in. Let me show you what I see.

Oregon family photography, oregon film family photos, central oregon family photographer, oregon coast family photos, portland family photographer

10/02/2026

Apparently, “Well—we’re done” was my mom’s official review of my 1992 egg hunt 😂 I know her handwriting immediately, and her little commentary makes that photo even better.

Going through my family archive, I keep finding things like this. Names, dates, somebody’s take on what was happening.

Whoever wrote it probably wasn’t thinking about how much I’d appreciate it decades later. They knew who everyone was. They were just leaving a note. And I’m so glad that they did!

It’s made me think about all the details we assume we’ll remember about our own pictures. Who was there? Whose house was that? What someone said right before we took it. The stuff a photo can’t tell us by itself.

So here’s a small assignment, from someone who spends an unreasonable amount of time looking through old photographs: Print your photos! Put the names and dates somewhere. Include the dumb little story.

Someone will love finding them someday.

09/16/2026

36 today. Are we sure? Can someone check the paperwork?

Annual birthday self-portrait, featuring a woman who now understands the importance of purse tweezers and has recently discovered how emotionally attached she is to her knee.

I wanted to be a grown-up so damn bad. Now I’m here and would like to speak to the manager. I still feel 17 inside. Except now I willingly get up early to eat my probiotic yogurt, and choosing a new pillow feels like hiring someone who could ruin my life.

This birthday feels a little weird. Getting older feels especially rude when I finally like being here. I love my life. I like who I’ve become. Can I have a minute to enjoy it before something else changes?

I sat down to type out a few birthday thoughts and apparently had a LOT to say 😂 A little slander, some crying, some things I didn’t realize I needed to get out until I did. Too much to fit here, so I put the whole thing on Substack. Something totally new for me, but I needed somewhere to put all these feelings.

If you want to have a read, it’s called “The Great Uncomfortableness.” If you want to read, here is the link 🤍

https://autusofficia505542.substack.com/p/25b4b582-56a3-4917-8108-dffc840b7176?postPreview=free&updated=2026-09-16T00%3A41%3A39.983Z&audience=everyone&free_preview=false&freemail=true

07/29/2026

When I’m looking through old pictures, I always think about the person behind the camera. I mean really, what were they feeling when they took this? What made them stop and think, “This is worth a picture”? Were they smiling? Did they think it was funny? Did they take it because they wanted to show someone later? Or was there no reason at all?

Something about these moments made someone pause long enough to grab their camera and spend one of only 24 or 36 frames on this exact scene, knowing they’d have to wait days or weeks to even find out if the photo turned out!

I love that.

With no context, it’s a mystery I’ll never have an answer to, and somehow that’s what makes these photos even more interesting to me. It gives me space to invent a story about what was happening and what led them here.

If you really think about it, these have existed in multiple timelines now. First, as a passing moment that made someone stop what they were doing and say, “I want to remember this.” And now, decades later, as evidence that whatever they were feeling was worth coming back to.

I don’t know why they took these, but I’m really glad they did!

All pictures from my family archive 🎞️

07/23/2026

What I'm wondering is who is going to let me shoot their whole wedding in black and white film? 👀👀 I promise you wouldn’t be disappointed. Obsessed with all of these candid black and white moments from Sarah and Josh’s wedding ✨

07/18/2026

When Hallie first reached out about flying in to Oregon for pregnancy photos, I was immediately in. I loved that they were turning the trip into a little baby moon, too.

She told me she wanted big views and dramatic cliffs. I knew exactly where to take them.

This place has a way of making you stop talking for a minute and take it all in. The cliffs are massive, the ocean feels endless, and it’s one of those places that reminds you how small you are, in the best possible way. It’s breathtaking... but it also demands a little respect and bravery 😅

As I was editing these photos, I was kinda struck by how the anticipation of becoming a parent must feel a little like standing in a place like this. 💫

We had the best time exploring and making cool photos of their last trip before they become something totally new together.

07/16/2026

It’s kind of up to us to recognize that.
They’re not oblivious, they’re just busy being kids.

They don’t know that one day they’ll miss their grandparents’ house, the sound of the screen door slamming shut, the fat dog that was always laying in the same spot and the weird little routines that happened every single day without anyone thinking twice about them.

They don’t realized that they’ll probably spend years trying to remember the things that feel so ordinary right now.

It feels like we take pictures of kids for us, but really we’re photographing their world for them.

And honestly, I don’t think I want them to know yet.

07/01/2026

Hi. I still exist 👋🏻

I realized the other day that I spend so much time posting other people that I've accidentally disappeared from my own page.

So here's a little introduction... or reintroduction... depending on how long you've been here.

I recently watched the documentary “André Is an Idiot” (which was great!), and this quote has been rattling around in my brain ever since:

“We paint the portraits of ourselves that we want people to see, but the most beautiful portraits are the ones that show the flaws within us."— André Ricciardi

I liked that because I think it's really easy to make your job a highlight reel, especially on social media.

Photography is a huge part of my life, but it's definitely not the only thing.

So here are a few little pieces of my life outside of work.

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Lebanon, OR
97355

Website

http://www.amandajae.com/

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