A simple portrait for a simple day.

Hello and welcome to the McBlog of Brielle McClain Photography! I'm Brielle and I love laughing, epic adventures and freezing a moment in time with my camera. I photograph weddings, high schools seniors, families and everything in between. This McBlog is my journal in this big internet world where I post professional work, personal images and other random adventures. You can use the navigation bar at the top to find categories or archives to narrow down posts, as well as some info about me and links to my Facebook page, Twitter and the old McBlog 1.0. Click on the "subscribe" button on the menu to subscribe to my RSS feed and stay updated on all the new McBlog happenings!
Thanks for visiting!
p.s. a big thank you to Thistledown Photography for the bio images
p.s.s. I now officially dub you a McBlogger
When a group of super awesome ladies ask if you’d be up for a shoot revolving around some super fly kicks, you say yes.
And when on the day of the shoot, your computer breaks down and you are an absolute mess and have NO interest in creating digital files of any kind, you break out your trusty ol’ Minolta and do the whole thing on film.








Minolta X-700. Fujifilm X-TRA 400.
p.s. there’s a part two to this session that involves something very colorful…so stay tuned!
Breanne and Bobby hold a special place in my heart. These two are so amazing — kind, warmhearted and completely in sync with each other. From the first time I met Breanne and heard the excitement in her voice when she described Bobby I knew they had something special. This wedding was truly a labor of love — Breanne and Bobby with their family and friends worked so hard on every detail. It was truly magical to watch all of their hard work turn into a beautiful wedding.
Breanne and Bobby, thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your day. Thank you for the coffee dates and the friendship. And Breanne, I’m holding you to that coffee date.





These next one is from my second shooter, Nathan Worden, and it just kills me. I love that “all hands on deck” kind of moment as Bobby’s father and best man make the final adjustments.

Bobby forgot his black socks…so his father switched with him.








This next one that Nathan captured just cracks me up.







Let’s pretend this is a Self Portrait Friday.
Really, they’re just a couple family photos from a day trip to Crate Lake.








Minolta X700. Fuji Pro 160S Expired.
I love love love me some sisterly love. As one of five siblings, I can’t help but gush over sibling relationships — the laughter, the teasing, the connections. I had a great time photographing the Cleland sisters on their own, as well as with their parents (more of those later).










Lately I’ve been obsessed with film all over again. There is just an inexplicable excitement that comes with waiting to see a roll of film developed, a tangible magic to holding a print. These past few weeks film has been the perfect yin to my computer screen’s yang.
I couldn’t resist pulling out my Minolta X700 for a bit of fun at Bobby + Breanne’s wedding. These are all from the first few hours of the day amidst preparation for the wedding. I cannot wait to share my other images from their beautiful day.




Confession: I can never take just one detail shot of the shoes. Hand me a pair and I just can’t help myself!







More images from Breanne + Bobby’s wedding day soon.
I have been dying to post these! And so, on this fine Thursday morning, I decided it was time.
Taona’s deluxe senior session was wonderful from the very beginning. I joined her at her home to help her choose her wardrobe for the shoot and got to see her ridiculously cool style from the vintage Vogue covers to her modern art paintings. Then Caylan Wagar rocked out Taona’s makeup! For those of you out there who are deciding between a regular session and a deluxe session (with styling help + makeup), I have to say that Caylan’s makeup work takes the session to a whole new level.
Perhaps it was the incredible light that day, the inspiring locations, Taona’s beauty or the fact that she made me a mix CD (!!!)…but something just clicked and I have to say I think this was one of my favorite senior sessions. I hope you see why.








There was an incredible moment driving home…we had already wrapped up and taken the final images for the shoot. We were losing light quickly. But driving along the highway, the sunset was so gorgeous mixed with the landscape that we just HAD to stop again and take a few more. One more picture turned into ten more…ten more turned into a hundred. So worth it.





Thank you Taona for trusting in my creativity and making one of the best mix CDs I have ever heard!
One of the best parts of my job? Sometimes I get to photograph one of my favorite people. Carmella and I head out of town landing on a beautiful location I had never even noticed before, worked the street like it was a runway and, of course, danced to a lil’ Ke$ha.











Life is crazy. Photography is crazy. And sometimes I think there are SO many possibilities for my camera and I that I am overwhelmed with deciding what to do next. Angles, composition, subject, moments…Sometimes when I’m taking a photograph I feel like I could go in any direction. So it’s nice every once in a while to be given something specific and headshots could not get any more direct. It was wonderful to hop around downtown with Melissa, trying to capture her within the guidelines of a vertical portrait. Good luck, Melissa, with all of your future adventures!




I’ve been second shooting a lot for other photographers lately and it’s been an incredible experience. I love working with other photographers and, of course, any excuse to be around the magic of a wedding day. I’ve also been loving have the time to spend with the groom and his groomsmen. I’m used to sticking with the bride for the beginning part of the day so lately I’ve been able to answer my own question of “What do the guys even DO for all that time?”. The answer: a lil’ bit of alcohol, figuring out the best way to tie a tie and doing push-ups to get pumped up. Totally my scene.
OJ + Kendra’s beautiful wedding was held at the Rock Creek Country Club and was filled with lots of love and impromptu singing















A huge thank you to the fabulous Ashley Forette for bringing me along
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