How about another engagement session blog post. This time it’s Katie & Justin.

By Spokane’s bravest, it’s obvious that it’s a play on Justin’s occupation as a firefighter (we shot most of these at his station) but that could apply to Katie too since she’s reading this while on a medical mission in Guatemala. In the short time I got to hang out with these two it was obvious that the world will be a much better place with these two together. Watch out.

In case it’s not obvious, I had an outstanding time photographing these two who are both complete naturals in front of the camera. It’s not every day you get to use the fire station as a backdrop.

I figured I should blog a couple of engagement sessions since I still shoot them in between all of the weddings. I’ve had to stop blogging everything I shoot out of sheer lack of time, but as a consolation, I’m still blogging every wedding.

I met up with Patsy & Kevin on Kevin’s boyhood friend’s amazing property & we wandered around taking pictures as the light went from great to amazing. How happy do you thing I was when I saw the pond & row boat? I’m thinking with a little work, this place would be a great venue for weddings (I’ve certainly seen worse). I’m thinking ceremonies in front of the barn or in the field & receptions in the barn. What do you think?

I had a great time taking engagement pictures for Michelle & Jeff. They’re a rarity because they’re one of the couples who’s wedding I’m not actually shooting. Too bad I wasn’t available, because they were so easy to work with & I know their wedding is going to be gorgeous.

We lucked out & got one of the rare beautiful days we’ve had during our especially horrid spring. I like looking for good light—much more than I like looking for shelter from rain.

I had a blast hanging out with Katie & Dan around downtown Spokane & taking some engagement photos while we dodged raindrops & sought out the good light. It was obvious from the beginning of shooting that these two just like hanging out with each other which makes my job way too easy. Can’t wait to shoot their wedding at the Glover Mansion which is coming up soon!

I’ve already covered my affinity for Point Defiance in previous posts. It really is an amazing place. So many places to explore. That’s why I’m excited to present another engagement session that took place at Tacoma’s crown jewel. This time it’s Kortney & Aaron’s turn. All I can say is it was one of the easiest sessions I’ve had & I had such a great time hanging out with these two for a while. I think the photos show that pretty well, or at least I hope they do.

I love Point Defiance. There’s a strong possibility that if you live outside the South Puget Sound, you’ve never heard of it (other than maybe the zoo). There’s a reason Steve Prefontaine called it “The most beautiful place I’ve ever run.” It’s just plain gorgeous. I have much the same feelings for the place as Pre, since it was running through the forest there during my first Sound to Narrows race that I fell in love with running. It’s a place where, as a kid, my friends & I ran up & down “G.I. Joe Hill” along the water while playing army. It’s a place that was the location of a number of school field trips where we explored the tide pools. It’s a place that is so full of beauty that you never run out of places to explore. If you live anywhere close, you need to go visit.

That’s why I take every opportunity to shoot there when given the option. I was thrilled when Aaron & Alicia agreed to come down to Tacoma for their engagement photos. It was a blast hanging out during the first sunshine of the year (even though it was still colder than it should have been) with these two & making some photos that I really love. I hope you do too.

Some sessions are perfect from the beginning, and some aren’t. This one wasn’t. I started the session by locking my keys in the car—along with my camera gear. The only thing I had in my hand was a Diana F+ camera with 5 shots of Polaroid film in it & a flash (the last shot in this series is from that camera). So we had some time to just hang out while waiting for someone to arrive to break in to my car. I had a great time just hanging out sans camera with these two. And to be honest, I think it actually helped the final product be what it is—stellar. So good, in fact, that I still don’t believe that these two don’t have extensive modeling backgrounds—regardless of what they tell me.

This session is also a great example of how I like to work, a nice mix of natural light & lighting with flashes. Basically doing what ever’s necessary to get the best photo.

I had a blast hanging out with Sammie & Darrin at Riverfront Park in Spokane while carrying my camera around & snapping photos while we laughed. I dare you to look through these photos & not smile. Sammie’s laugh is absolutely contagious. While the temperatures dropped & the winds picked up (enough to hit us with a blast of river spray every once in a while) this couple’s happiness kept on shining. We discussed kids, growing up in south Tacoma (Sammie grew up minutes from where I did) & playing baseball (these two are both coaches) I got to take some photographs of two people unquestionably in love.

So excited to post this engagement session. I had a blast spending some time with Tiffany & Nate on a rainy & windy day that cleared up just as we left The Rocket Bakery. I guess my magical weather controlling powers work during engagement sessions as well as wedding days. Of course, now that I say that, I’m guaranteed rain for my next 10 sessions.

One of the things I enjoy is being able to really get an idea of each couple’s relationship as I spend time behind the camera. It was plainly obvious that Tiff & Nate just really enjoy being around each other—which makes my job much easier. You’ll see…

I recently had the pleasure to hang out with Sarah & Nate and take some pictures of them in preparation for their upcoming wedding. I can’t tell you how easy they were to photograph. They were just so at ease with each other (& with me for that matter). It’s pretty obvious from the photos that they just look at each other in a special way. That’s not something a photographer can coach. Sometimes it’s just better to get out of the way & let the magic happen.

By the way, Sarah‘s an amazing hair stylist & make up artist. You should absolutely get ahold of her for your hair & make up needs.

These last photos are a little special. They represent the first time shooting a client on film. I think it’s something I’m really going to enjoy doing from time to time. They were shot with a Hasselblad 503cm (thanks Rick!) & Kodak c-41 film with either a 50mm f/4 or 100mm f/3.5 lens. I do love the square format the Hassie produces for portraits as well as some personal art projects I hope to find time for. Thanks to the great folks at R&R Custom Color for processing & scanning the film.

Sometimes the light is ‘good enough.’ Sometimes it’s decent. Sometimes it’s terrible—which means I’m using my own lighting. In all of those situations, I’m limited by the light in some way.

And sometimes it’s ridiculously amazing. Case in point, Rachiah & Andy’s ‘save the date’ photos. It seemed like no matter where I turned my camera, the light was perfect. Take a look for yourself.

It doesn’t hurt that Rachiah & Andy are so sweet together & didn’t stop smiling at each other the entire time. Basically, this was about the easiest time I’ve ever had taking pictures.

Just had to add, just like usual, I didn’t use ANY Photoshop in editing these photos.

These next 2 photos are an example of what perfect light is capable of. I’ve seen photographers use all kinds of Photoshop tricks to make eyes & skin look this amazing. Perfectly soft skin & eyes that explode off the page—all done in camera. Believe me, you can ask Andy & Rachiah, it stopped me mid shoot to focus on Rachiah’s beautiful eyes.

Rather than publish one giant post with all of my favorite photos of the year, I’m going to break them up in to several more easily digestible posts.

So first up is the engagement photos. I tried to keep it around 30. Wow, that was tough. It could have easily been 200—you’re welcome:).

Later I’ll add my favorite getting ready photos, wedding portraits, ceremony shots, details, reception photos, & most importantly, favorite moments. Maybe I could even be talked in to a few favorite non-wedding photos, but we’ll see.

Also this is my inaugural photo-heavy post with the new blog layout. You’ll have to let me know if you like the in line photos better than the pop-up photo window.

And now for my Top 5 of the whole year…

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While we were in Hawaii for Sarah & Matt’s wedding we were able to meet up with a couple of our brides who live on the island. First up is Nikki & Clayton. They’re actually getting married in Spokane but Clayton is stationed in Hawaii so we didn’t think we’d have an engagement session, but we were thrilled when it worked out to go take pictures while we were there. We rushed to the beach after getting back to Oahu from Kauai & by the time we got there, it was dark. Not, “oh there’s still some light left-dark.” It was black. So dark I had to give my iPhone to Nikki to hold to her face so I could focus the camera. They were both troopers as we waited for the waves to crash & splash.

Then after shooting some shots in the back of Clayton’s truck on the beach, we headed straight for the put-put course. I’m guessing there’s usually a little competitiveness to their competitions, but this time they were on their best behavior. It was a blast watching them interact with each other as we moved from hole to hole. Even though the light at the course was about as bad as I’ve ever shot in, it’s easy to see the sweetness that exists between the two of them. One of the highlights was that right after the session Nikki & Clayton took Gina & I out to dinner. It was awesome just getting to hang out for a while (the pulled pork BBQ wasn’t too bad either).

We get to go back in May for Chelsey & Barry’s wedding (yes, I have the best job in the world) so maybe we’ll have to get some more traditional ‘Hawaii’ photos of the two of them—maybe with a couple of bulldogs—then.

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

Here’s a recent engagement session with a twist. Kailin & Bret brought their puppies (yup, those are puppies) aka camera hogs along. We had a blast watching them play in the park. Believe me, that’s a lot of still-clumsy great dane flying around. After that we cleaned them up & put them away, we went back to the park for a few childless pictures. Not quite as fun, but a little easier. Can’t wait for their winter wonderland wedding next month at Schweitzer Mountain!

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While I was over in Seattle, one of the couples I was able to meet with was Melissa & Jared. They were beyond awesome & treated me to breakfast at The Señor Moose Café in Ballard. That was the first time I had Mexican for breakfast, but I know it won’t be the last. After breakfast we headed out in to the streets of Ballard to take pictures. We had a great time shooting. It was especially nice because Jared is pretty skilled with a camera so we got to talk shop while shooting.

As soon as Jared sat down to get shot a pup came & squatted down right next to him for some *ahem* relief. Fortunately it wasn’t a foretelling of the whole shoot. Maybe it was even good luck because the weather couldn’t have been better & the owner of Ocho even brought them a couple of drinks while we were borrowing their cafe tables for photos. We had a blast as we wandered around the huge Ballard Farmers Market & walked by a number of places that were important to the relationship of the happy couple.

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Is there anything better than the fall in the northwest? Nope. A dual post this time—a couple of engagement sessions utilizing the great fall colors of the Finch Arboretum. Since they share a common theme I figured I’d post them together. First up are Ashley & Mike’s photos, then after that, Rachelle & Steven’s. What a great blessing it is to have a park like the Finch. If you’ve never been, go now. Don’t relegate yourself to the front of the park either. Make sure you go explore the rest of it as well.

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Here’s Lindsey & David’s engagement session we shot in downtown Spokane. We had a blast getting these shots. At least I did, & they said they did. That’s good enough for me.

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2 things happen when you spend time with Alyson & Dylan. First, you laugh. Because they laugh—nonstop. The second thing is you’ll feel left out, because nearly every laugh is the result of some inside joke that has some crazy back story. Fortunately for me, they let me in on the jokes & explained all of their unexplained laughs to me. It’s so easy to be at ease around Alyson & Dylan since they’re so at ease with each other. I think that comes across in their photos.

Also, I have to add that Alyson has been keeping a website journal of her wedding preparations that could be of some benefit to all the brides out there. Check it out.

Thanks to the girls at The Rocket Bakery for letting us invade their space for a while & thanks to the Gonzaga Crew for acting as a great background for the shots on the river.