No, a wediversary isn’t a Norwegian tradition or anything. It just seemed to fit this one. Tove is one of my favorite people in the world. We spent many hours in design class together & working as interns at Pierce Transit. One thing is absolutely true. If you spend time with Tove, you will laugh.

I was thrilled when Tove called & told me she was going to have a wedding ceremony for the family & friends who couldn’t attend the North Carolina version that happened before Jason went off to serve our country on their actual anniversary. There was a little change when the couple found out they were expecting a little one & the wedding changed to more of a party to introduce the Washington friends & family to her amazing husband & his family.

We also used it as a chance to take some maternity pictures of the super-couple & soon to be, super-family.

I spent most of last week away in Las Vegas for a photography convention called WPPI (where I caught a flu bug that I’m still trying to recover from). There’s a massive tradeshow, lots of speakers, parties, & great food. This year was a little different for me, in that those things weren’t what I was looking forward to the most. The biggest part of WPPI this year was that it was finally a chance to meet up with so many photographers from around the world with whom I’ve become friends with via Flickr, Facebook, & twitter. Let’s just say I was not let down. It’s hard to imagine such a collection of friendly, successful, & talented people all descending to one place to share & better each other.

One of the highlights of it was an impromptu photo shoot we had the day before most of us shipped out. 14 of us packed in to a few cars & headed to one of Las Vegas’ dried lake beds & took turns shooting each other in the massive winds until the sun went down. I had a blast with the others. So much so, that our group immediately started planning for a much bigger & more organized get together next year in New Orleans. I can’t wait.

My Southern Californian roommate for the trip, Luis, on the left. Yours truly posing (tongue in cheek) on the right.

One of the most inspiring photographers I’ve ever met, Aussie, Len. Seriously, I didn’t even want to post her link because I don’t want to draw comparisons between her photos & mine. I was incredibly moved by her series from the same shoot. She convinced me that mine were pretty good too which is the only reason you’re seeing any of mine posted. She’s also a pretty amazing designer as well. It’s not fair how much talent some people have.

As hard as it is to believe, Elyse isn’t just a model, but she’s a photographer as well. Equally talented on either side of the lens. Some of us are definitely meant for being behind the lens. She’s not one of them.

Austinite, Ben Godkin (along with girlfriend Caroline) was there as well. In addition to being incredibly talented with the camera, they could not have been nicer. Not only that, but Ben took this shot of me, which makes me look kinda awesome. BTW, there was no photoshop trickery in the creation of that photo. Just awesomeness taking a photo of awesomeness.

On the left is sir Leo. The man just plain gets things done. Also, despite his powerlifting physique & intimidating facial hair (& lack thereof on his head) a nicer person doesn’t exist.

I had the pleasure of spending some time shooting Katie as well. She was a great subject & was a trooper even though the dust, wind, & cold were not exactly friendly. She could not have been sweeter. The black & white photo is also a great example of why simply turning down the saturation on a photo or clicking a button in photoshop doesn’t necessarily make a good b&w. This was converted in LightRoom especially to get the dramatic contrast. Nothing else was really done to it.

Vancouverite Amber Hughes was also there. So much fun to finally meet her. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to spend more time shooting with her. Especially after seeing some of the photos the others got of her.

Southern California shooter, Tommy, took the final group photo before we all headed back to the MGM to wrap up the convention.

A huge thanks to everybody for making this such a great week. Can’t wait to do it again—next time in NOLA!

A couple of weeks back I had the opportunity to photograph a very sweet surprise birthday party. As the party was winding down, we headed out in to the lobby area and had a quick portrait session. Tons of fun & lots of people who care about the birthday girl! Here are a few shots from that night.