Essential Stuff

This is Beth and Ben (and their attendants).  They look really happy.  That’s pretty much how they looked the entire day of their wedding.  Which made my job really easy.  When they saw each other for the first time, Beth kissed Ben on the back of the head, and nuzzled him a little, and they both just soaked in the moment, before Ben turned to see his bride.  They had that kind of awareness of each other, and connection with each other, and that kind of amazing poise, the whole day.

I loved how Beth’s dad got emotional when he walked her down the aisle (and when he danced with her), and I loved how Ben and Beth wanted time alone to wander off in the meadow.  And I loved how Ben gave his brother an extra annual hug.  I loved seeing how loving they were to each other, all day, and how happy they were.  Photographs from the wedding day can be seen here.

This is Adriane and Brian, or, maybe you know them by their “slot names”, Buzz and Vernice.  They got married ten years ago, in a small backyard wedding, with Brian in shorts and Adriane without a white dress.  Very few friends were there.  So for their tenth wedding anniversary, they decided to throw a party for their friends and family–for the few that had been at the original wedding, but even more so for those who couldn’t, and for all the new friends they have made of the last ten years.

The arranged for their celebration to be in the Fox Theater in Spokane, which was cool for me, because I shot the very last wedding in the Fox before it was closed for its restoration, and this was the first time for me to shoot there again (verdict?  Much cleaner).  I was under explicit instruction to shoot lots of their friends and family, because while they were celebrating their marriage, they also wanted this to be a celebration of those who were most important to them.  You can see some of the photographs from their anniversary celebration here.

Kim and Colin are outdoorsy people.  Hiking, camping, campfires at the beach, surfing.  They scouted several locations on the Olympic Peninsula for their wedding, a location that would reflect that aspect of themselves.  They found it at Hobuck Beach, just a few miles from Cape Flattery, the most northwestern point in the continental United States.  And the location was spectacular.

From their cabins, there was a small meadowy spot for the reception, and beyond that, tall wild grasses and dunes, and then past that, a flat expanse of sand where they held the wedding ceremony, and beyond that, the ocean itself, pale blue on this day, with a bleached sky with wispy clouds swept in on the Pacific wind.

It wasn’t just the location that reflected their personalities, but the whole day, with personal touches like their dog walking down the aisle, flip flops on the feet, an exchange of leis, and lots of good coffee.  The day ended with a spectacular sunset, which seemed fitting after such a gorgeous and joyful day.  A gallery of their wedding photographs can be seen here.

My photography is personality-driven; so it’s always especially fun to photograph a couple made of two free spirits.  A couple who does their own thing and makes it their own.  Danielle and Ryan fit that description.  They put their stamp, and their own personal style, on everything, from Danielle’s TWO pair of rockin’ wedding shoes, to the home-made “just married” signs at the reception, from the accordion player,  to insisting on portraits with goats.

Better still, they were completely connected on the wedding day:  always touching each other, always looking at each other, experiencing it all together.  They held hands in the back seat on the way to the church.  They watched closely as the other signed the marriage certificate, they delighted in each other’s company.  It was hard for that delight not to be just a little bit contagious, and I had a delightful time.  There are some photographs from their wedding day here.

This is Natalie and Jake.  We made arrangements to do engagement pictures via email, because they currently live in Hanoi.  But they came back for a short trip to visit family and friends and do some wedding arrangements, and we had the chance to do a session together.

In Vietnam, Natalie teaches second grade, and Jake teaches middle school science (so it makes perfect sense that, when coming across a small, shallow pond, he would want to get down on his hands and knees and look for small things).  He is from Colorado, and she is from Washington, though Jake went to school in Washington and Natalie went to graduate school in Colorado.  Of course, they wouldn’t meet until they were both teachers, in Norway.

I loved wandering around the park with them, enjoying the fresh air and the sunset and the sounds of the river.  I’m already looking forward to June 2011 when I’ll be able to watch them get married.  In the meantime, here are a few photographs from their engagement session.

Kalen and Jameson were introduced by a one of Kalen’s friends, her maid of honor at her wedding.  She wasn’t trying to play matchmaker.  She told me, if she had known Jameson had would end up marrying her, she would have vetted him a little more carefully.  But in the end, she didn’t have anything to worry about.

It’s so easy to photograph a wedding like Kalen and Jameson’s.  Both are photogenic, with quick smiles and good looks.  Both are open and generous and gracious that by the end of the day, I felt as if I had been welcomed into their circle of friends.  And above, all they are connected to each other, and completely in the moment.  All I have to do, as the photographer, is watch.  Here is a gallery of photographs of some of what I saw at Kalen and Jameson’s wedding.

Allison and Douglas were married on a beautiful (if a bit chilly) day in March.  The ceremony was at the Chapel at Mukagawa / Fort Wright, which was about as full as I have ever seen it.

The reception was at Dance Street Ballroom, one of my favorite places to shoot.  The highlight for me might have been watching Allison’s and Douglas’ reactions during the slide shows of their growing up, and then growing together.  It was very sweet and tender.  Photographs from the wedding can be viewed here.

This is Lydia.  She was born January 28, 2010.  These pictures were taken six days later.

She was a cooperative model, even though we had tried to arrange a meeting when she was asleep (no such luck).  No complaining.  No crying.  No fussiness in the least.  She mostly looked into the direction of the light.  Just wide-eyed wonder at the world.

I received another Wedding Photojournalists Association award.  This was for the last quarter of 2009 and in the “Emotion” category.  It was from Kendra and Rhett’s wedding, a wedding that was gorgeous, elegant and indeed full of emotion.  The image is from the daughter-father dance:

The judges had kind things to say:  “Being there and not taking away from that intimacy of the moment would be a strong factor in the success of that photograph; the photographer and the family know about that.”  It speaks to one of my goals:  to capture the moments, without being intrusive.  Thank you so much to Kendra and Rhett for letting me be a part of their day.

I’ve posted a video of the highlights from the weddings from 2009 on facebook.  Click here to access the video.

When I look at the pictures, I feel great fondness for these people. Some of my friends tease me when I talk about “my brides and grooms.”

But I really appreciate the people who invite me to share in their wedding day. I am grateful to be able to witness these moments, to visit these locations, to watch these couples celebrate with family and friends, and above all, to get to know these people, if only for a day.

I aim to capture moments that people will want to remember, but I am enriched in the process as well: I create memories of my own, and I am privileged to share in the joy and generosity of the people in these images. To them, I am truly thankful.