Of course a wedding comes to mind, but special birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, graduations, and retirements are all occasions that ought to be marked with professional photos.  When you are looking for someone to do your photography in Portland, you will want to make sure they take the kinds of photos that you want to have.For instance, you wouldn't want to select a landscape photographer to take baby pictures. You want someone who is experienced in dealing with small children and helping them to feel comfortable.  They should also be able to be gentle when adjusting poses and get along well with both you and the baby.  If your special occasion is a wedding, you will want someone doing your photography Portland who has an ample portfolio of wedding photos to look at so that you are sure his style coincides with your desires.  Graduation portraits may best be done in a studio, while family group pictures may be best be taken out of doors with natural lighting.You may want to get recommendations from friends or neighbors about who they have used for photography in Portland.   Be sure to look at their pictures to see if you like them.  You can also search the internet for local photographers and look at their portfolios online.  When you have found a few that you think might work for you, go and visit them to see how you feel about them in person.  Getting along well with the personality of your photographer can really make the photo shoot go much better than otherwise.  Especially if you are looking for a wedding photographer, you want to feel comfortable with them since they will be spending quite a bit of time with you on your very special day.Look at prices, but remember that quality is more important than cost.  You don't want to look at these photographs in ten years and wonder what you were thinking when you hired that amateur for your important photography in Portland.  By doing a little research, either online or in person or both, you will be able to find a portfolio that you like as far as style and quality are concerned.  By comparing estimates, you should also be able to find a cost that you can live with.  Simply select the highest quality photographer who charges the most reasonable price, and you will have great photos to reminisce over for years to come.