Written by Matt S. on August 29th, 2010
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Disclosure: In the photography industry there’s been some recent controversy about photographers hiring models & staging weddings then posting them as actual weddings. So I feel like I have to explicitly say: These are real people, not models. I know you’ll look at them & think otherwise, but I assure you Tiana & Matt are an actual couple who are absolutely in love & hired me to shoot their wedding. 
I’m thrilled to finally be able to post photos from this wedding that took place a mile down the road from my house in the backyard of Tiana’s mom’s Spokane Valley home. I spent an entire day being surrounded by some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. The day went off without a hitch & everything about the day was amazing. Thank you Tiana & Matt for the opportunity to photograph your wedding.
In addition to being one of the most beautiful brides ever & a total sweetie, Tiana’s an amazing hairstylist. She just gave new back-to-school haircuts to all the female members of the family & they all LOVE them. You should call her if you need something new.
Posted in Weddings, spokane | 16 Responses »
Tags: backyard wedding, beauty, grass field, Portraits, Spokane Valley, washington
Written by Matt S. on August 26th, 2010
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I’m thrilled to post photos from Andrea & Brice’s wedding that took place on Brice’s parents property in Spokane Valley, Washington. It was a beautiful day & there were only a few threats of unfriendly weather (which delayed the ceremony a few minutes). It was so much fun to photograph every part of the day. I’m still convinced Brice’s dad met with photographers while designing the house because it had so many interesting angles & features that were a blast for me to play with.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt the bride & I both share appreciation for the world’s greatest band, Radiohead.
Everyone was so pleasant. Not that I was surprised about that since we’ve known Brice’s family for a while now. Even still, it always amazes me when everybody involved with a wedding is so gracious even when their stress levels may be peaking, & they have every reason not to. Yet another reason why I love being a wedding photographer.
Thanks Andrea & Brice for letting me hang out with you guys on your wedding day & letting me take some great—hopefully—photos.
Posted in Portraits, Weddings, spokane | 9 Responses »
Tags: backyard wedding, bride & groom, grassy field, love
Written by Matt S. on August 18th, 2010
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Amber & Alex got to participate in one of my favorite activities recently for their engagement photos. I call it the “jump in the car & drive in that direction” photo shoot. To be honest we knew we were heading in the direction of Liberty Lake, but beyond that, we didn’t know where we were going. I really love the excitement of looking for a spot to shoot when it’s somewhere I’ve never been before. Fortunately we found some incredible locations that I’m sure I’ll be going back to regularly.
First off, I have the best clients. I don’t know why I’m so lucky. I love hanging out with these couples & getting to know them. Amber & Alex were no exception. We were laughing the whole time & I can’t wait to shoot their wedding!
This photo shoot had it’s share of wildlife. First there were some deer running around us while I took the photo on the walking bridge. Then we got to watch the osprey hunt over the lake. Then a dragonfly landed on Amber’s shoulder. Then we made our way to the ‘forest’ & there were bats, owls, & mosquitoes. I didn’t do so well with the mosquitoes—not sure where the bats were on that one. Then while editing photos I saw an eyeball of something reflecting back at me. Not sure what it was, but it was some kind of animal watching us (you can see the orange dot in the last photo about 150 pixels to the right of Alex’s shoulder). Creepy.
For photographers: The forest shots were shot with 2 lights, an AB800 8′ up at camera right & a Nikon SB600 at 3′ about 25′ behind A & A pointing at the trees. Some adjustments made in LR. None in Photoshop. The best thing is that the final photos look exactly how they looked in my head. 
Posted in Creativity, Engagement, For Photographers, Portraits, spokane | 20 Responses »
Tags: animals, awesomeness, Creativity, engagement photos, forest, lake, love, reflection, shadow, strobist
Written by Matt S. on August 17th, 2010
Challenge? What challenge?
A family session with 9 kids? How tough could that be?
As it turns out, not so tough at all. Especially when it’s the Fullmer family. We had a great session down by the Spokane River & everybody was about as well behaved as can be—except for maybe me. As a dad of 3 really (well, mostly) well behaved girls I don’t see any way to square that number & stay sane. But not only were they sane, they were a pleasure & it was very inspiring for me to see how they interacted with each other. Truly a happy family.
Thanks to my own Reagan for going along & helping to entertain the younger ones while I was taking pictures.
For photographers: The first photo is a composite of 5 different photos so I could get a wide shot with a shallow depth of field since we had to be closer to the tree line than I wanted to.
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Posted in Families, For Photographers, Portraits, spokane | 2 Responses »
Tags: 45mm pc-e, composite, D3, family, kids, nikon, Spokane River
Written by Matt S. on August 13th, 2010
Weddings are always great, but it’s something different every time.
This one was special because I’ve known the groom since he was just a little guy playing at my house with my youngest brother. So I was excited when he asked me to photograph his wedding because I hadn’t seen him for so long. It’s always great to see when someone grows up to be such a great person who’s loved by so many people—especially when one of those people is his sweet, sweet wife-to-be.
They were married at Heather’s uncle’s property in Kirkland, Washington overlooking a vast valley of green in a special ceremony that included Heather’s son. After which, the party started & went until it couldn’t go any more. I had a blast the whole day.
Thanks Heather & Michael for trusting me to capture your special day—I’m honored.
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Posted in Portraits, Weddings | 13 Responses »
Tags: 45mm pc-e, bride, dancing, groom, kirkland, nikon, outdoor, party, reception, Seattle, wedding
Written by Matt S. on August 9th, 2010
I had the pleasure of being able to photograph Betsy & Chad’s wedding at the amazing Red Barn Farms in Colton, WA.
The weather was beautiful. The bride was beautiful. The groom was beautiful handsome. The venue was perfect. What else could I ask for?
Not only was the bride gorgeous & terribly sweet, she basically designed most of the wedding. She has a future in wedding planning/designing. The table tops, hand made chandelier, candy, blue-dyed slip—all her doing. Also, what better place would there be to celebrate grandma’s birthday than a wedding with everybody in attendance.
I had an absolute blast (of which there’s evidence in these photos) & everybody else did too!
Big thanks to Ana Hopkins for lending me her photography skills for the day.
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Posted in Portraits, Weddings, spokane | 18 Responses »
