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.

**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.