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.

Jacqueline & Josh love to throw parties & were engaged so they figured there’d be no better time to have a wedding than to make it a New Year’s Eve wedding/party. The festivities took place at the Doubletree Hotel overlooking Riverfront Park next to the Spokane River while the ceremony took place at the gorgeous St. Aloysius on Gonzaga’s campus.

We were blessed with an incredibly beautifully day. The Skies were clear, while all of the trees were flocked with white snow. The downside—it was COLD. For most of the day it was at the low end of the teens, then as we walked outside to watch the New Year’s fireworks show, one final check of the iPhone showed a brisk 3 degrees. Needless to say, our ventures outside for portraits only lasted a few minutes each time.

It’s always wonderful to be a part of a wedding where the bride & groom are so purely happy being with one another. Jacqueline & Josh were a perfect example of that.

Thanks for letting me party with you guys!

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.

Whereas the previous post of favorite moments involved a lot of luck, the portraits usually come about by more of a process. There’s more of an element of control in the portraits. Sometimes there’s a little posing. Sometimes there’s a flash or light added somewhere. Sometimes it’s just a matter of seeing the light & using the surroundings to as best as possible.

One of my favorite things about photographing real couples is that it takes much less direction from me than it would were it a couple of models on a set. The emotions are real, maybe amplified for the camera, but definitely real. I love that.

For future brides, the biggest thing you can do to make sure you get wedding day portraits you’ll love is set aside the time for them on your day. The photos in this set range from spur of the moment to shots that took a half hour to get right. In every shot, there’s some element of time playing on my mind. There’s a little more of me in these shots than in the documentary photos from a wedding. I love that. I love working with couples that allow me to pursue my vision. I think it’s a pretty good trade since they end up with some great photos—if I do say so myself.

As an aside, all of these photos (except for the B & W photo of the couple by the water with the bird flying over) were taken on wedding day. Also, like all of my other photos, there’s no photoshop trickery in these shots.

Now, for a few of my favorite wedding party photos…