Essential Stuff

Update:  Voting is over. The polls have closed. And we have a winner. Congratulations to Joelle and Brad!

March isn’t the busiest month for weddings, so how about a contest?

I’ve chosen 10 bride and groom portraits from last year, completely subjectively; they are my favorites (at the moment) and not necessarily the best or the couples’ favorites.  But I like them.  Now, your task is easy; just vote on your favorite (just one). Awesome!  (And if you haven’t seen all the pictures from the wedding, just click on the picture to go to their wedding galleries.)

And here’s the cool thing: the couple whose image gets the most votes gets a free Standout Print of the winning image for their wall.  So you vote, it’s fun, and you’re spreading the love at the same time.  Then go tell your friends and have them vote too.  And while you’re at it, I’d love it if you liked my facebook page.  Awesome.

Voting ends on Friday the 18th at 7:00 pm PDST.  7:01 votes won’t count.

And please, just vote once.  It’s the kind and friendly and fair thing to do.  I can track IP addresses, so I’ll see any suspicious voting patterns, but I doubt I’ll need it.  After all, I did say please. (And if you got married last year and there is no picture up, don’t fret, because more contests are a-comin’).

So here are the ten photos, in alphabetical order by the bride’s name.  Let the voting commence.

Awesome.

My wedding photography is driven by the personality of the couples, so the sometimes images by themselves are missing context. Here, then, are little descriptions about these people, as I know them (which is sometimes in very limited ways), and some of the reasons I like these pictures.  In several cases, I also provide links directly to their portrait sessions galleries, so you can check out the rest, if you’re interested.

Beth & Ben are as comfortable in their own skin as just about any couple I’ve worked with. They were both very authentic and natural and relaxed, not the sort of people to get upset by things they couldn’t control. And I think all that comes through in this image. This portrait sessions was between the wedding and reception, but they were in no rush. Nothing could bother them. I think people who are really self-possessed have a calmness and openness about them, and this image seems to capture some of that: comfortable, natural, elegant, and in-the-moment.

Danielle and Ryan are creative, bright, whimsical people. Their attention to fun details (like creating the sign) was evident everywhere. Like many bright, creative people, they weren’t necessarily in their element being the center of attention, but it was clear that they delighted in each other’s company, all the time.  This image from a sequence of pictures that really captured their delight in each other, and I absolutely love Ryan’s boyish smile here.  : )

Put beautiful people in a beautiful setting, and it’s hard to take a bad picture. Debby really wanted to sneak away from the reception to get some portraits done in this garden. Justin liked the idea, but was a bit worried about time, and the portrait session did probably take 45 minutes in all.  But in the end, we were all glad we did it. The gardens were spectacular, Debby and Justin were relaxed as we just walked around, and then the sun started to set. And to luck out on those clouds and colors?  Perfect.

I’ve had second thoughts about Heather & John’s portrait. I’m not sure I picked the best one. We did several out in the street, and some were more fun (him dipping her, or them kissing, or one where they spontaneously threw their arms up in victorious celebration). I like this one because of the clarity of lines–how the low angle lets them (both very tall) soar above the tree-line and Spokane arena in the back. But check out their other portraits. The whole session was great.

Joelle and Brad scheduled lots of time for their portraits. LOTS.  When I arrived at the church, I noticed this abandoned greenhouse. I totally would have understood if they hadn’t wanted to shoot at the greenhouse.  It was hazardous with old boards and nails and weedy with thistles, and they might have worried about getting dirty (this was pre-wedding). They were not only willing, but joyful, excited, and leisurely (as were their wedding party).  If I recall, the dancing was their idea.

Kalen and Jameson are really, really nice people. I don’t mean that in a trite way, but as a high complement. They are very kind and open and generous. We took this picture as they were getting ready to leave, the wedding and reception over. They indulged me putting a giant light in their car (you can see the diffuser above the dashboard) and let me try several shots. If I had thought it out more carefully, I might have used a smaller diffuser, but as it is, the light caught the Spokane Falls Community College parking pass, and I really like that detail. I think you can see their kindness in their faces. : )

I’ve also had second thoughts about Kayla and Corey’s portrait selection. It was a rainy day on Priest Lake, and Kayla had the foresight to bring along these awesome matching umbrellas. And they didn’t mind traipsing out on the wet grass and out on the dock for pictures.  We got a lot of fun shots, and some might be more dramatic with more breath-taking views. I included this one over the others because there is something so striking about those giant umbrellas.

Kim and Colin married way out on the Olympic Peninsula, near the northwestern-most point of the continental US. The ceremony was on the beach, with the ocean expanse behind them. All day, a wind blew these small wispy clouds through the sky. We did just a few pictures as the sun was going down, and the sky was all ablaze with color and the dynamic little clouds. They both did a great job of pretending not to be freezing.  : )

I didn’t meet Maryam nor Alex in person until they walked into the ceremony together. I only shot for only two hours. Then I didn’t get the chance to say more than a few words to them in person before I left.  But here’s what I saw: Maryam is elegance and grace. Her dancing was absolutely fluid, and she carried herself with great poise. They were finishing graduate degrees (doctorate degrees, if I remember correctly), and they were just about to move. They are both well-traveled, bright, sophisticated. Given all that, I thought it would be cool to get some pictures that had as much sophistication and big-city feel as the first block of West Main in Spokane has to offer. You know, bright lights, small city. You can see there was heaps of snow around, and it was cold. I appreciated that they were willing to step out into the cold for a few quick shots.

I talk a lot about these leisurely portrait sessions, but sometimes they are quick and painless. With a roomful of guests waiting just upstairs, Rochelle and Jeffrey wanted fast, easy portraits. But the Masonic Temple affords a lot of great settings within a very small area, so we dashed from here to there and tried out different spots. I really liked this chair at the back of the Blue Room ballroom. It looked very regal. With Rochelle’s sparkling, sassy personality (and herprincess-dress and spacious pose) and Jeffrey’s confident, strong demeanor, I think they look like royalty.  I call this The King and Queen  Portrait (and I like the way the lights to the side cast a shadow on the wall).

All the photographs here, I hope, can stand alone on their own merits. But for me, what really makes them special are knowing the people within the frame, and getting the opportunity to capture a bit of their personalities that make each image unique. So thank-you, thank–you and thank-you again to all “my” brides and grooms. You are the ones that make my job so much fun, and infuse my photography with meaning.

Over three years ago, I arranged to do a photoshoot with Kate, whom I had never met. But the was canceled at the last minute when she had to go out of town for a family emergency. Recently, I found her again on facebook, through which I also saw pictures of Josh. And when I found out that they were getting married, I wondered if they had a photographer yet.

And that’s how it started. It was a very small service, held at Josh’s childhood home outside of Deer Park. There were some last minute details and it wasn’t entirely sure that the wedding would be on which day until a couple days before hand. The timing was good; my new camera was delivered to me that very day. And then, through most of the day, it snowed.

Still, Kate and Josh were undeterred, and I thought the snow was great, as long as they wouldn’t freeze. I drove out to Deer Park just before sunset, hoping we might get a few decent clouds. It was hard to tell. But then, the time came, and Kate was rockin’ a black and red dress, and Josh was debonair in his vest and rolled up sleeves, and the two of them were really excited and connected, and the snow looked great on the field and we did, in fact, get some dynamic clouds.  Almost like it was all meant to be.  : )

No, spring hasn’t sprung in Spokane.  Still snow on the ground.  I’m just going trough all my old files from the summer and came across Amanda and Dayln’s engagement portrait session, and I thought I’d post a few here.  It was a great session, mostly because of Amanda and Dayln.  They wanted something outdoorsy, not too formal, casual, warm, comfortable.  Much like they are themselves.  So we chose Plante’s Ferry Park in Spokane Valley.

They were absolutely delightful.  There was no awkwardness in front of the camera, no nervousness, nothing uncomfortable about their expression of delight in each other.  They laughed, joked, hugged, kissed, carried each other around on their backs, and laughed some more.  I really didn’t have to give any instructions at all.  I just stayed back and shot away.

Eventually, around sunset, we headed out for some train tracks.  We don’t think we broke any laws getting there (we jumped no fences and it wasn’t a BNSF rail  road).  And we lucked into a spectacular sunset.  Delightful redheads, these two are.  And their engagement session was one of the highlights of last summer.  There are a few more photographs for the engagement session in this gallery.

Jack met Shannon when (shhh, don’t tell anyone) he was her supervisor at the casino.  They both work there as card dealers.  So it was pretty cool that they incorporated playing cards in their wedding, with black, white and red as their colors, cards at each table, and the minister speaking of marriage being a situation where the players had to go “all in.”

And if it sounds like Shannon and Jack are fun people to be around, then you are absolutely right. There was a lot of laughing at their wedding, a lot of jokes and drinks and kisses and celebrating.

They were also brave enough to go out into the cold and do some outdoor portraits, which I always love.  The groomsmen, with their jackets, never seem to mind very much, but I always feel sorry for the bridesmaids.  Eventually, the groomsmen handed over their coats.  Then Shannon sent everyone in except the three of us, for more portraits, and a passer-by at the right time might have seen the photographer in a warm fuzzy coat (I don’t know if it was fur or faux fur), and the bride in a sleeveless dress, saying “No, no, I’m actually quite warm.”

Generous, fun-loving, and completely in love: that’s how I’d describe Shannon and Jack.  Click here are some photographs from their wedding day.

Okay, so obviously I’m doing a little back-blogging here.  The shorts and sunshine is a dead give-away that I didn’t take these pictures this winter.  But I thought it was high-time to post from Sara and Ben’s engagement session.  Even though they now live in Spokane, they wanted to have their pictures taken at the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, since that was where they had met and started dating.

So on a toasty summer day, we drove down.  They were hoping to get some pictures near the stadium to show the degree of their WSU fandom.  They even had some festive WSU apparel.  But we did NOT expect to find the stadium doors open.  And what should one do, when given an opportunity like that?  I mean, there was no one there saying we couldn’t go inside and shoot.  Needless to say, we were all pretty excited about the session.  You can check out the photographs here.

Maryam and Alexander’s wedding was unique for several reasons.  First, it was on the weekend of the Thanksgiving break, which also meant that it was held during the Great November Blizzards of 2010.  But more significantly, it had an Aghd, the traditional Persion wedding ceremony, including a Sofreye Aghd, the traditional spread of food and decorations, each representing something for the marriage.

There was traditional Iranian music, as well, though their first dance was to something decidedly more Latin.  While the weather outside was frightful, it was warm inside with music and dancing and fellowship.  They each had family and friends there, as well a contingent of their graduate professors from Washington State University.  And it wasn’t so frightful outside that we didn’t sneak out for a few quick pictures.  Photographs from the ceremony can be found here.

The whole week leading up to Saturday, the weather had held.  Cloudy at times, but no rain.  Even the day before, the last I checked, it was saying 40% rain.  Well, it rained.  It rained and rained and rained.  It rained all day long.  But that wasn’t the kind of thing to keep Kayla and Corey from getting married.  In fact, as you can see, they were well-equipped with some pretty snazzy umbrellas.

In fact, I think it’s safe to say that they stayed drier than I did during the portrait session, which was fine by me, because they looked so great, with Priest Lake as their backdrop.  Fabulous.

Fortunately for their guests, the ceremony was inside the lodge at Elkins Resort, where it was warm and toasty, and elegant besides.  And the windows provided great views.  Unfortunately, the no-dogs-allowed kept Kayla and Corey’s four attendants from being able to participate (they slept through the ceremony back in the cabin), though they were acknowledged on the wedding cake.  But dogs or not, rain or no, there was nothing that would keep Kayla and Corey from enjoying their wedding celebration.  A full gallery of photographs from the wedding can be seen here.