Sunshine. Hiking. Mountain. Pond. Love. Laughing. Plants. Ducks. Rain. Fast hiking. Soaking. Kiss. Awesome.

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 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.