The furry bookends on the bed are Science and Literature and Fiona is the cutie in the jumper. We started this conversation about a year ago when Alexis was 31 weeks pregnant… she and Kim were so excited! They asked if I might consider coming to Seattle to do baby pictures and I was thrilled to say yes. We decided to wait until she was about 6 months old. Newborns are beautiful but I really like it when babies are a little more able to sit up and connect… anywhere between 5 and 12 months is a great time to get them in front of the camera. Fiona was a trooper… we spent a little over two hours before she got tired of the whole thing.
One of the best things about a home portrait session is that it gives you a way, as parents, to share the early history of your lives together. When I look through the pictures of my childhood, I can see where I grew up… and in a few of them, I can see my parents younger than I ever remember them. That’s what I want my clients to have… that full sense of history with the most important people they will know.
Marriage almost always goes forward into family… don’t ever stop making pictures.
I was expecting to find Ty and Lamar enjoying a gorgeous Sunday afternoon like most people do… relaxing on the patio, maybe making plans for dinner… when I got to their house, Lamar was ready but Ty wasn’t home yet. Small wonder… Ty Stober has thrown his hat into the ring for a City Council seat in Vancouver. Even though the wedding is less than two weeks away, he is working long, stressful hours and probably will right up to the day.
This description from his web site pretty much sums up one of the key issues: “Last year, Ty served as Board Chair for Equal Rights Washington, one of the key organizations that drove the passage of Washington’s freedom to marry law. In that role Ty interacted with legislative, civic and business leaders to build a coalition in order to advance the strategy. He was also one of the founders of Equality Southwest Washington which advocates for the LGBT residents in the local community.”
Now, he and his perfect partner of 10 years are free to marry in the city they love… I won’t spoil the secrets of the wedding day but I will share once we get to that day. I know for sure that this is going to be a very special wedding!
Johanna and Jeff didn’t want to see each other before their wedding ceremony… they figured they would just endure the nerves. I asked if they had anything special in mind and Johanna mentioned a picture on one of my Pinterest boards where the couple stood on either side of a door to read handwritten letters from each other. She allowed as how she would never survive reading anything but thought she might like to hold hands with him… that was all I needed to know. ;0)
A wedding should be about what makes you happy, right?
I met Maggie as a young bride in 1994… this is a no-nonsense woman I have come to count as a sister over the years. Babies, barbecues, occasional dinners out and a marvelous extended family right up the street from me. When she grew out of that first marriage, I was experiencing the same thing… we had some long conversations about that.
A few years went by and I started hearing about this man… we didn’t get to talk much but the smile in her voice was unmistakeable. ;0) There is something astounding about finding a love later in your life at a time when you really know yourself… a time when you can both bring a truer self to the mix.
Maggie and Deren got married in the rain last week… so much rain… so much love!
Standing and clapping, my friend!!
If you have been to many weddings you know the crowd can get a little loud when that first piece of cake is cut. The guests suddenly revert to Roman spectators at the Coliseum flashing thumbs up and down and hoping for a cake smearing spectacle. Sometimes they get it, too… can’t you just hear them behind me in this shot? Jen and Todd look happily alarmed.
I am just happy to have a chance to watch what happens and catch it for later… so far, no one has come after me with the sticky aftermath. ;0)
I love my job!
He had his work cut out for him with the tiny buckles and the wiggly feet but he got her ready for her first stint as a flower girl. It was a lovely June day at Abbey Road Farms in Yamhill… a large and quiet property on the top of a hill in Oregon’s own wine country. Plenty of space for a sweet wedding and there are even goats to fascinate the kids… what more could you ask?
Oregon is a great place to start a marriage! ;0)
Mary Beth very gingerly stepped into Natarajasana, aware that a tumble would stain her dress… but, considering the slope and the shoes, she did a nice Lord of the Dance Pose as a gift for her yoga teacher. I love the range of requests I get… it’s rarely the same thing twice. ;0)
Bring your whole self to your wedding day. You don’t have to be particularly public or silly… these little glimpses will save parts of you for later. Flexibility is a marvelous thing in every sense of the word… go be it.
Pay attention or you will likely trip over three photographers rushing to get to the “Best Spot” first… luckily there are at least seven “Best Spots” in the Pearl District of Portland that are trendy these days. ;0)
Alice and Jeremy had a very sweet, family oriented wedding on the roof of the Ecotrust Building one hot August day last summer. Located on the edge of the Pearl, it is surrounded by some of the most popular places for the camera crowd to shoot cool urban portraiture. For us, this bench was a shaded place for a little bit of privacy and it was right next to their wedding venue… far enough from the crowd to play gently in the afternoon light.
Abbey and Jesse had a sweet backyard wedding… she grew up on this pocket farm in Wilsonville, trading vows under an apple tree planted by her parents when she was very young.
The thing about a backyard wedding is the comfort factor… there is something about sitting to table in the yard where your family has played for so many years… there is a soft, familiar air over all of it. Take your shoes off… walk in the cool grass… have a piece of cake. ;0)
You can’t say no to a bride… you just can’t. So when my young wedding party asked me to do a jumping picture I did my level best to make it a good one. It’s not in my professional nature to request silly shots or overly posed pictures… my usual approach is much more editorial. I imagine, though, that this crowd of friends will remember many parts of this day and wonder how they ever jumped so high! ;0)
