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.

I always enjoy the relaxed nature of engagement sessions. This one was no exception. Sometimes I feel like we spend more time chatting than actually taking pictures. I kind of like it that way. It lets me get to know the couple which helps me take better photos & capture their personalities & how the interact with each other.

Thanks for hanging out with me Erica & Nathan!

**For the best viewing experience, open up the first photo & use the left & right arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate through the photos.**

Not only did they not stop laughing the whole time we were shooting, they were both very easy to photograph & patient while I set up some of the more creative photos.

I can’t wait to shoot their wedding at the Hayden Lake Country Club.

**For the best viewing experience, open up the first photo & use the left & right arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate through the photos.**

So a nice little addition to the normal engagement session, I got to take a few photos their little boy, William. What are the chances he’d be that cute? Take a look at his parents, I’d say the number is approaching 100%. The great thing is, as natural as they were as photo subjects, I enjoyed just hanging out with them for a while even more.

For the best viewing experience, open up the photos & use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate through the photos.

On the way to the park we got rained on, but luckily by the time we got out of the car, the rain was gone & we had some beautiful weather in which to shoot.

It’s pretty obvious that these are just two incredibly happy people who deserve nothing less than the joy they have when they’re together—which makes my life easy as the photographer—I just get to capture it.

I love ya Chris, but I have to agree with the rest of your family, you lucked out with this one. And to BriAnna, welcome to the family.

For the best viewing, open up the photos and use your arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate through the photos.

p.s. The injury of the shoot was face slivers. Yup, I laid my face (as well as the rest of me) down in a bunch of beauty bark for the shots in front of the waterfall.

Before the session Josh called me and told me he finally had the ring and wanted to officially propose during our session. We worked out a game plan where I got a ‘phone call’  and had to walk away for a minute which was his chance to catch Emily off guard with the ring. I’m pretty sure she knew it was coming anyway, but at least now have these photos of this special moment—how cool is that.

Attention guys: If you want ’spy’ photos of your proposal get in contact with me & I’ll make it happen—By the way, there’s veeeery special pricing for that kind of session.

FYI one of these photos is actually a mixture of 41 different images.

The injury of the day was my crashing on a rock (during the proposal—embarrassing!) and gashing my hand. The camera got some scratches as well, but fortunately it’s built like a rock so no problem there.

Can’t wait for these guys’ wedding next month!

Many thanks to Eric Strate for his help holding the light & getting some additional shots of the proposal from a far off bridge as well as some shots of me working.

For the best viewing, open up the photos and use your arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate through the photos.

For this session we drove up to Boulevard Park in Bellingham and were able to get a few shots before the rain started. We warmed up for a few minutes in Woods Coffee (An outstanding place that was packed with people. The hot chocolate was great & I understand the coffee is as well). When it became clear the rain wasn’t stopping we decided to head over to Sara & Matt’s wedding venue, The Bellingham Cruise Terminal to check it out. It’s a very cool space with an amazing view of Puget Sound.

Matt & Sara were so laid back and a pleasure to work with (not surprised at all) and so at ease with each other and me. I think/hope that comes across in the photos.

Click to see…

Getting to take relaxed portraits of these couples in love has been a joy. Heather & Steven were no exception. These two were so comfortable around each other that I had no choice to be as well during the session. I think the photos show that pretty clearly. We wandered around downtown Spokane for a while & I was happy to get these photos with very little difficulty on my end. How could we not get along, Heather & Steven are both fans of the greatest TV show of all time—Arrested Development.

Plus, now I know that there are two different Rocket Bakeries in downtown Spokane.

The result: a relaxed couple, a better story, & better photos.

This time it’s Sara & Trevor. We had a really abbreviated session & spent most of it in the upstairs of Trevor’s parent’s barn. The light was stunning, a light breeze blew around, & of course the two of them do just fine in front of the camera, as you can see. I could have stayed in that one room for hours playing around with the light & textures that were there.

Since Sara is a photographer herself, after we were done I handed her my camera & had her take a shot of me. That’s the photo that’s currently my Facebook, Twitter, & Flickr avatar. Thanks Sara! I love the photo.

Click the thumbnails to see the photos.

One of the best parts of an engagement session is getting to know the couples whom I ‘ll be photographing on their wedding day & to get those “in front of the camera” jitters out of the way. As you can probably tell, there weren’t too many jitters and we went straight away in to getting great photos. It seemed like we were buds instantly.

I had a blast with these guys. I don’t think we stopped laughing for the entire session. In fact I’d say the only time they weren’t cracking up was when I was forcing them to show their more romantic side (of course, I didn’t have to force them too much).

I can’t wait to shoot their wedding day. I have no doubt it will be an outstanding & beautiful wedding.

Many, many thanks to H + L for trusting me with their special day.

Click the thumbnails to see the photos…

These two photos really need to be seen large to be appreciated.

Owing to that was the fact that they are such great friends in addition to being engaged. For example, when getting down from the tall rocks (and jumping the partially frozen water) Jamie didn’t just jump—she leaped in to her man’s arms. Not the kind of leap where you hope somebody helps you land. The type of leap where if you’re not caught, you’re landing in the hospital with a broken tailbone. All without so much as one single word of warning to Regy. Of course he caught her perfectly and I got it all on film (or the compact flash card). And now you all get to see their love in action. They were even happy to let me take a little extra time on the first photo (which is using a completely new to me technique) which gives it a unique, but great, look.

Repeatedly I say I have the best clients. To the point where it’s easy to assume I’m just saying that because I should. I can tell you I’m not. I hope whatever luck that brings me these great clients stays. It makes my life so much easier. Jamie and Regy are perfect examples of why I always repeat it.

Many thanks to Eric Strate for braving the temps and helping me with my gear.

On with the pics. Which shots are your favorite?