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)

His arms full of his new granddaughter, Tom takes a few minutes to reflect in the basement of the church. He is about to walk his youngest daughter down the aisle …smiling faces tinted pink by the sun through the stained glass. There will be many things that go by this day, shoes and cakes and tears but the best thing that will happen is the people; babes in arms all the way to happy great-grandparents. Generations all together for the big day… how often does that happen?
My job is to bring all of it back for you.

Let’s talk about real photography.

With any luck, this week will be the turning point in a long overdue balance. The idea that anyone in our country is considered less than equal should have been corrected a long time ago. Let’s hope that the Supreme Court gets it right… it’s time for marriage equality.

Elizabeth Taylor said it pretty well… “There is no gay agenda – it’s a human agenda. All of us should be treated the same… Long live love.”

Ryan and Angela have crappy work schedules… their time off together is scarce. We tried for four Thursdays in February and March to have the urban engagement session that they wanted and the weatherman kept on smacking us down. So I said buy an umbrella and off we went! I loved that they were game for things like this and I am very sure that their vineyard wedding in August will find them just as willing to play. ;0)

As always, the best work is a collaboration between the couple and the professional photographer… you can’t beat the combination.

Getting married soon? Want to talk?

In that quiet space between the family photos and the marriage ceremony, Jennifer and Paul had a chance to let their currents run together… holding hands and gently realizing that this was the new beginning in their lives.

Last week, on Facebook, she remarked on their anniversary:
“4 years ago tonight I married my loving husband. They say opposites attract and it’s true, a liberal atheist vegetarian and a conservative Catholic hunter have come together to live in peace and harmony. Somehow we share a common vision for our lives and future and don’t ask me how but it works! Truly I do not know a better man… I’m one lucky woman.”

And I was the lucky photographer!