Chris + Brit // Kansas City Weddings-Sneak Peek

Congratulations to Chris & Britany, my cousin....who had their marriage formally blessed by the church on their 1st civil wedding anniversary, this past Saturday, March 13th in Kansas City, KS! Chris & Britany were married last year in the courthouse as Chris awaited a bone marrow transplant for leukemia...both of them have this old soul quality about them...I definitely see why each of them loves the other which is a wonderful side effect of pursuing my art...

...getting to focus on love and relationships definitely keeps me happy...and getting to know families and friends totally speaks to the part of me that almost applied to graduate school for Marriage & Family Therapy back at PLU. But fate had other plans so I became a married stay at home mom at 22 and my high school BW film photography days were reawakened as I took "electronic imaging" to fulfill my elective requirements in 1999. And yes I was totally afraid of Y2k and that I spent all this time in school just for the world to end RIGHT when I get my bachelor's degree in psychology, JUST because of some zeros and ones! haha

Don't worry though...I will be booking weddings beyond 2012!!

Shall I wrap up the point of this post by saying, we often lose sight of the negativity around us, if it's always been there. But others can see the effect it has on us, and we can too if we just make a point to watch out for it. We can insist on more peace in our lives. We can change up the routine. Turn off the TV. Do anything else. Life is too precious to waste a minute feeling bad about anything that isn't worth it. What in your life isn't going according to plan? What things, big or small, could you do about it to bring you more peace?

How do you recharge?

Hi Everybody!

I'm about to fly out to Kansas City to photograph a truly special wedding tomorrow...and as I look at my desk and see the lists of things I wanted to get done before I left (which didn't!), I am centering myself instead of wasting too much energy judging my performance in the office this week! I had over one thousand pictures to cull from the Miss Pierce County Pageant on March 6th, in addition to regular office tasks and shoots!

I learned from my business coach, Karen Buckley, about how different people recharge, and it's been really helpful and I thought I'd share that nugget with you all. The basic idea is that some people recharge by being alone, going away, in the quiet and silence of themselves. Other people recharge by going "out", gathering around people, around bustling activity and getting pumped up by the collective energy surrounding them.

Well pretty much instantly, I could make a list of my friends and family and who recharges how. For me, it's a no brainer. I LOVE being alone "lost in her own thoughts" like the Pemco Insurance commercials say on the radio up here about the "bookstore waif"' you'll find so easily here in the Pacific Northwest. Though with a full-time business and full-time family, I'm not waifing around the bookstore a lot...I have realized HOW critical it really is for us to keep an eye on your energy level and mood, and recognize when a little recharge is necessary.

So I'm truly looking forward to the time in the airport and the time in the air today...ipod, pen and a pad and I'm one happy recharging camper.

Hi Everybody!

So much has happened so far this year... I am so glad! This can be a cold, dark, soggy time of the year, so I'm glad excitement is in the air. I have two international trips scheduled this year and some really open and fun brides and grooms that I'm excited to get to know better. First though, remember back in 2008 and Christine & Travis' Surprise Engagement "Portrait" Shoot?

I wanted to show you a few of my favorite images from Christine & Travis' WEDDING last September, because they are some of my favorite images ever...

It was a beautiful September Saturday in Puyallup, and Christine's dad just saw her as a bride for the first time. As he started to get a little emotionally overwhelmed, Christine responded by leading her pops in a few, deep breathes. It was absolutely beautiful to have watched this unfold. Yes, I live for getting the epic gorgeous shots of my brides and grooms, the kind of picture I wished I'd had of me as a bride, but THIS stuff below? These spontaneous moments of connection have grabbed my attention my whole life and this is one of those images I could look at over and over and not get bored of it.

There's so much expression in body language.

That's what you are really asking for when you ask me if I shoot a lot of candids, I think."Will there be spontaneous moments captured where our natural body language shows our deep connection?" That's what I hear when you ask me that.

Seconds after a totally inappropriate moment between brothers. ;)

I actually have another Photoshopped version of the one above of Christine where I filled in her hair between her bangs and her temple. But I thought it would be neat to see the original before any PS.

There's a HUGE bigtoy right behind Christine above!!

And sometimes images are 99% perfect but that last 1% happened to be front and center...oops!

Alright sometimes I'm writing the captions underneath the images and sometimes above. I think in spirals and have to fight that sometimes!!

Congratulations Christine & Travis! To see their slideshow, click here!

Exciting Developments!

Hi Everybody!

I wanted to show you the latest issue of South Sound Wedding & Event Magazine since you might see some familiar faces. . .

Here's the issue to look for on newsstands; cover photo which was taken by the incomparable Ms. Heather Gilson of One Love Photo!


I captured this shot on the left of a DARLING little trooper (the bride's neice) at the wedding of Megan & DJ Davis. . .haven't we all felt this way before?!?



And here we have Erin & Brad's Botanical Garden wedding I shot for them last August! But that's not all. . .


Yes, that's a full page ad for Julie Watts Photo! The text reads,

"Ryan and Celeste of Seattle, WA were married August 23, 2008 in Butte, MT. We ran over and took this shot in about 60 seconds as the limo and caravan of family and friends watched on. The crazy time limitations and lack of control in wedding photography will either drive a photographer nuts, or inspire them to no end. As for me? I can't help but be inspired. . ."

Congratulations everyone on being in print!!

The fun doesn't stop there. . . within the next two weeks I'll be unveiling an addition to my website that is going to allow you to see what it's like to be on an actual shoot with me!

Ryan & Celeste Funky Montana Wedding!

This is Celeste, at her parents' place in Butte...

Celeste's wedding colors were "pink and leopard".

She removed the sleeves from her dress and made gloves, and it looked divine.

This is Ryan.

Well, actually, this is more like Ryan.

Look at his awesome side of the wedding party! They are way too cool for you. Just kidding!

Celeste wore these leopard print stilettos. A really long time. And never complained. I just love that about her!

Ahh, the ceremony...just look at grampa's hat dad is wearing!

The ceremony had some tough light (full sun, facing the bride) but the officiant (Ryan's Dad) was so cute (he was so emotional in the beginning he laughed about hoping he could make it through the ceremony), and the vows so personal and absolutely perfect that the sun was the last thing on anyones mind...

Oh yeah! I love this shot of Ryan seeing Celeste (for the first time) on her way...

Everyone in the wedding party was talented, creative, and full of life...see that suit? Joe sewed it himself ;) Here are some favorite shots.....

Philana wrote and performed the most incredible song personalized for Celeste and Ryan. OMG.

I feel like I've left so much out! To see the entire slideshow, click here!

The Groom, Beach Ceremony, Reception Lighting tricks!

This is Brian the Best Man & Greg the Groom. You don't need me to tell you they are brothers, do you?! I just absolutely love this shot of them. They are so adorable, aren't they?

I'm a sucker for camera tricks, so I thought it was hilarious when Greg (or was it Brian) says, "Oh! We should do 'big head, little head'!"

As guests arrived on the beach for the ceremony, the sea breeze danced by and made the California sunshine comfortable...acoustic guitar filled the air...

A union was made official. . .

I am convinced that this image wouldn't be half as good if the little boy's foot wasn't trailing off like it is...reminds me of a Norman Rockwell moment!

Recipe for Great Group Shots:

1. Spread the word! Let EVERYONE know ahead of time, several times, that they will be needed for a group shot.

2. Let them know exactly WHEN and WHERE.

3. Take several shots but not too many. I never take more than 5.

4. Show your enthusiasm and appreciation for their participation!

I've learned to embrace wind, whether it's during formals or a senior photoshoot...Predictable? No. If you respect it and work with it, it can be so dreamy. . .this is Monica's favorite shot.

But this is one of my faves. . .

And I love the tropical feel of this one. Palm trees!!

Just this summer, I began shooting receptions with an external flash mounted on a stand with an umbrella. Add a remote trigger and voila! Dramatic lighting that you just can't get if you are using the flash on your camera. . . .


Here we have it in color which is just as striking...



I'm so lucky to have had the opportunity to photograph such a wonderful group of people. Monica and Greg are truly meant to be together. They are so thoughtful. . .so tender. . . so funny. . .There are so many other awesome moments from Greg & Monica's wedding. . .to see their entire wedding slideshow, click here!