I’m not exactly sure how to preface this post. All I can really say is that I tried my hardest to get the photos down to a manageable number. I really tried. In fact, there are lots of photos I love that didn’t make the cut—like more than double the number that did. So with that I offer this…

WARNING: Massively long blog post (but I promise you won’t get bored).

Gracie & Chris are two incredible personalities—they should be, Gracie is a TV meteorologist & Chris is a TV sportscaster (if you want to see them in action, check them out at KREM.com). Let’s face it, this is about as close as Spokane gets to a celebrity wedding. They were married on a scorching summer day at Spokane’s amazing Beacon Hill. This post is long enough without me rambling on about it, so to the photos we go…

The day started at Last Looks Makeup Studio

I love it when I get to hang out with past or future brides (as in this case, Hey Adriana!) at my weddings.

The amazing flowers were created by Special Touch Florist.

Prom.

This might be one of my favorite bride & groom (yes, groom) portraits I’ve ever made.

The “Love is…” signage that lined the aisle was created by students visited by Gracie during one of her school weather trips.

First dance guitar solo.

Best. Cake. Ever. Tres leches cake from Sangria Grille in Moscow, Idaho.

From the next day’s newscast…

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

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.