It's the first look. That very first peek at the person that you are about to marry. It's a time to be alone to share your excitement for this huge step in your lives. And it's one of my most favorite moments to capture. I love the emotion that can come from that split second look.
We understand that a you might like the idea of seeing each for the first time while walking down the aisle, but we always recommend doing a first look instead. Why? One...it saves you so much time to be able to do photos prior to the wedding that it relieves tons of stress and allows you to relax and have fun with the photos instead of feeling panicked. Two...the first look is so much more intimate than seeing each other in front of a large crowd. When it's just the two of you it's an intimate moment where you can whisper in her ear just how gorgeous she is or kiss him on the cheek and tell him how excited you are to marry him. When you are at the alter you can't talked to each other, you are separated and dying to just be together. It's all about how you envision seeing your fiance for the first time. It's something you should talk about together and way the options. You may still choose to see each other at the altar and that's okay. Either way, it's a huge part of your wedding day and it doesn't hurt to get a few opinions to help you out.

We captured Marie + Greg's wedding a short while ago and loved the first look photos we captured. The lighting was amazing and I am so thankful that we had this time to quietly capture them together. More pictures to come!

Her little fingers were so tiny they could barely grasp her daddy's finger. She was so pink and abslutely soft to the touch. She hadn't dared to open her eyes to see her new world, but she was getting there. As I peered over her with my giant camera and probing lens she tried to pull her lids apart to let the slightest bit of light in. It was too bright for her little eyes.
Her name is Chara. Beautiful, beautiful Chara. She entered the world with a story of a dramatic labor all staged at home calmly in bathroom somewhere in Beaverton. Chara's little fingers will come to know thousands of hands as she prays with friends, holds a boy's hand or nestles in close with her daddy. Her pink little skin will soon turn red when she blushes and her sweet little eyes will be the key to her whole world. Chara is the newest member of our church and I know that she will be such a blessing in all of our lives. Congratulations Mike and Catherine! Your little girl is absolutely beautiful. I am so glad that we had an opportunity to see her at her littlest and can't wait to watch her grow up...though I know that you are hoping that will be long time from now. I love you guys!

Franklin High School is right in the burbs of Seattle. It towers over the little cottages that surround it like a fortress of learning. Not too long ago a story was unfolding inside that towering school that is now history and the start of something so beautiful. Their story started just like any other high school love. He was the funny, super outgoing athlete who played football and loved to be the center of attention. She was the gorgeous cheerleader who was super kind hearted and loved to just have fun with the girls. After years of growing up and growing closer they are now engaged.
Tanesha and Donte are like ying and yang. In a moment Donte will bust up laughing after saying something totally goofy while Tanesha tries to make him focus. Then she starts laughing and the banter starts all over again. At times I felt like I was planted in front of a hilarious TV show. They are best friends and they act like it.

They will be getting married in July and we can't wait to see how it all unfolds. We are so excited to be a part of their wedding day!!

I love to capture moments like these.



Donte, you are such a riot.











I love profile shots.





They completely forgot we were there and that's when we captured some of my favorites.





Secret handshake.

I think it's safe to say that everyone has had a time in their life where they just had to say, "not now." You take a bit of time to focus on one thing that you really really care about and put everything else on hold. For me, I had to finally say...not now. We have officially hit our busy season and I wanted to get everything super tidy for those days when it seems like our heads will never hit the pillow. Besides that, we had to move on short notice. So I took a week or so...which is an understatement, to get life back in order before I began to blog again. I am so sorry to all of you that have been patiently waiting, but I am back. Thank you for standing by!

Here is a shot from Tanesha + Donte's engagements. More to come tomorrow!

I was sitting under the blankets listening to the rain fall outside our bedroom window. My mind was wondering and scanning over all sorts of thoughts, but one thing kept sticking in my mind. Where would I be right now if I was not a photographer. What if I was doing marketing again and Eddie was back at his wide assortment of heinous jobs? One, we wouldn't know each other quite the way we do now. Two, I wouldn't be NEARLY as happy as I am now. Three, I wouldn't be as alive as I am now. It got me thinking about how long I have searched for that one perfect job. How long I have fought through hard jobs thinking that it would get me to a goal that was far beyond my reach. I realize that when you find the right thing in your life it becomes all about the journey. We have major dreams for our careers, but I realize that I am most happy with the day to day stuff. The time spent behind a camera, in front of a computer or out with the amazing people that make up our work.
So, I guess this is a shout out to everyone who is stuck doing something they don't want to do. Sometimes it's not about the end result and more about being happy while on the journey to that end result. Search for what makes you happy, surround yourself with people who believe in your dream and then just dive in.

By the way....We LOVE Love LOVE to help people who are passionate about photography. If you are trying to get started or just a hobbyist and got a question don't even hesitate for a second to ask us. For some reason we just love to help people who are chasing dreams. We were there once and we were blessed with some fine people who had some pretty fine advice.

Here is the first photo I edited from Tenisha + Dante's Engagement Session.

Sometimes you just have those days where the stress seams thicker than Jello. Today is one of those days. We are moving in two days and oi!....the boxes are taking over. So, I am going to cuddle up with a blanket, snuggle with my Lucy until Eddie is ready to go to bed, and clear my head. Ah, sweet serenity.
The one thing that always keeps me glued together and holding tight is Eddie. So tonight before I snuggle, let me say thank you to my hubby, my rock and my life!!! I love you!!!!

We tried to hang onto every little moment since we knew that our week of freedom was coming to an end. We wanted to take this trip to enjoy a week of freedom before wedding season began. We wanted to be refreshed before we jumped in with both feet. So as the last hours counted down on our clocks we lingered a little longer at every stop than we normally would. We took an extreme deep breath of fresh air at every photo stop and made sure to record every memory mile by mile.
The last major thing we did was to visit the lava beds in Northern California. It was completely amazing. 100's of lava tubes run under the ground from all the volcano eruptions in the area. What's left? Caves! Eddie and I grabbed our flashlights, Lucy and our cameras and headed deep into the underground. If you haven't been in a cave then it's hard to explain what it's like. Every cave I have ever been in has a very distinct kind of air. It seems cold, but very thick and almost moist...no matter how dry the cave actually is. The darkness soaks up every ounce of light and swallows it. The flashlight that would normally give you confidence now seems like a small match compared to the infinity of black. It's a very serene and completely humbling experience.
We traveled through the caves like kids set out on the loose. It was the perfect ending to an amazing trip. We left as a family and came back as a family who felt like they could conquer anything. It was completely great.
We are now ready to start a very busy season with fresh ideas and a relaxed perspective.





This is such a strange picture. Eddie and I were starving, so we pulled over to eat a bit of crackers and brie. We took some photos of the city and then turned the camera on ourselves. With our shutter set to 30 seconds we had to sit perfectly still. So there we were in the 30 degree weather and Eddie is snickering in my ear while trying not to laugh. We have this horrible habit of busting up laughing whenever things get awkward. This was one of those moments. We later saw the photos and realized that we look like we are sitting on mars. So strange!







These were the sweetest horses on the planet. They wanted to cuddle with Eddie so bad. We had to stop and have a chat with them. We had to.





It helped that the sun was working it that morning too. They were hard to resist.





This is inside one of the lava caves. The entire cave is all lava, so what you see in this photo is exactly what it looked like as it cooled.



Our adventures were so different that day. We went from desert caves to snow?!



Inside the cave there were these mounds of ice that formed from the dripping water. We stuck a flashlight behind them to illuminate them.



The sky was super fierce that day so Eddie shot hundreds of photos trying to capture the amazing movement.











Lava chunkage.



I love this photo.



I have always wanted to see petroglyphs....and now I have. I just fell in love with this site.