Inspired Photo Blog

Brooke and Andy were married on July 22nd, the day after the record breaking heat. The forecast called for a repeat of the previous day’s heat, yet the sky threatened to rain. An hour before we started pictures, humidity disguised as rain drops fell from the sky. Fortunately, the clouds departed and the sun broke through, but this brought the heat back in full force and a new friend joined the party…humidity!

Everyone had sweat running down their faces and it was hard to talk about anything else despite the fact that a beautiful wedding was about to take place. I don’t know how Brooke found the location for her wedding, but this private residence nestled in Vancouver, overlooking the Columbia River was a garden paradise. There were plants and manicured vignettes everywhere. It was fun to walk around all the different, connected gardens and explore.

Andy and Brooke taking a private moment in one of the gardens after their first look. I think Andy is wanting to take his jacket off before he melts.

This is a beautiful image of the flower girls, Keegan and Bentley, taken by my wonderful assistant Kristen. She just purchased a new digital camera and I’ve been encouraging her to shoot at our weddings. If your wedding is coming up later this summer, you’ll get to meet Kristen.

Andy and the guys enjoying some ice cold beer during the formals. Did I mention how hot and humid it was? There were friends from Louisiana who said it felt like home to them, but the rest of us who live here wished for cooler days.

Brooke and Andy, along with their pastor Matt were enduring the full force of the sun and humidity during the wedding ceremony. I was wearing black and walking around during the ceremony. There were times I couldn’t see through my viewfinder for all the sweat running down my face. Everyone was reaching for their handkerchiefs.

I love this shot. It reminds me of That 70’s Show.

Despite a second day of record heat that weekend, Brooke managed to maintain her beauty and grace throughout the day. Andy was awesome and very accommodating. We had a lot of fun and everyone kept a sense of humor about the heat. What a beautiful setting for a wedding. There was so much attention to every little detail. Congratulations to Brooke and Andy! Thanks for allowing us to share in the warmth of your family (literally) and making us a part of your wedding day. Best wishes for a lifetime of happiness and much cooler days! What a day to remember.

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Darcy and Emil were married on July 21st at East Fork Country Estate, nestled at the base of Mt. Hood. It was easily the hottest day of the summer. The temperature that day soared to a sweltering 110 degrees and there were no breezes to cool us down. The tents afforded little relief from the heat. The only air conditioning was in the main house where the dressing rooms were located and even that was put to the test.

Darcy braves the heat as she walks up to Emil for their first moment together on their wedding day.

The sun eventually gave way to an approaching storm. This softened the light for beautiful portraits, but did nothing to assuage the oppressive heat.

Emil succumbs to the pressure of family and friends urging him to smash the cake in Darcy’s face.

Darcy quickly teaches Emil the meaning of equality in marriage.

Darcy and Emil enjoying their first dance together as husband and wife. At this point the heat was so intense that everyone was glistening with beads of sweat.

Surprisingly, there were more guys out on the dance floor than women at any given time. That was a first for me. Despite the heat, there were smiles on everyone’s faces and lots of hugs and love being shared. Emil’s family shared authentic Romanian food and everyone had a great time. Congratulations to Darcy and Emil and their families for grace under pressure and for surviving the hottest day of the summer. It was a pleasure to be a part of your wedding day, aside from the drenched clothes! Best wishes to the new couple for a lifetime of happiness!

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This year is one of the best in my career. I’ve worked hard since starting on this path in 1989 and it’s really come together for me as an artist and a business. In all honestly, I owe it to my amazing clients. They support me and encourage me to do my very best. I love my couples and sharing my passion with them is a blessing.

Andrew and Donna, one of my couples from April, sent me an unsolicited letter this afternoon. It totally made my day and put a huge smile on my face. I wanted to share it with you because it comes from the heart and this is why I work so hard photographing weddings.

The man knows his game.

However, as a true pro, he knows he can always learn more…and he does…forever learning, training to perfect his art form - though knows perfection in his art is like grasping a sun mote - impossible.

Ever had the perfect moment but your photographer failed to really BE IN IT and Live and CAPTURE THE MOMENT!

Randy BECOMES the moment with no artificiality, no distractions - he becomes the scene, he becomes your loved one’s/your family/the church/the kids…

He has a pan-determined view, i.e., is able to see everything clearly and from both sides so as he gets it all!

THIS GUY IS NO IVORY TOWER INDIVIDUAL - he has lived a full and active life with the up’s and down’s and thus appreciates what living and life is all about and he completely captures life through his camera.

Most of all, because his attitude, life and spirit are on an upward path - it shows in his work - call it positive, caring, loving, inspirational…

The spirit behind the man behind the camera makes the determination of what shots will be snapped:

I SAY GO WITH A BIG, CREATIVE, LOVING ARTIST ON YOUR BIG DAY!

That be Randy Kepple

Those are very hard words to live up to, but I’m thankful they felt strongly enough to take the time and write to me. I am truly blessed to be a part of their lives. Thank you Andrew and Donna, continued best wishes in your new life together!

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Megan and Alex were married on July 8th. It wasn’t the hottest day of the year, that would come later, but at the time it sure felt that way. You may remember them from their engagement session in April. We started the day by photographing formals with Alex and the guys at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Megan and Alex decided to keep with old-fashioned wedding tradition and not see each other before the ceremony. Later, Megan arrived with the bridesmaids and her family for a photography session at the University before leaving for the church.

This summer, I’ve been trying to wean my couples off of the “grandma” poses that we’ve all come to expect and dread at weddings. Now this doesn’t mean that I don’t photograph formals, I just try to add a bit of storytelling and depth to make it more interesting.

This is Natalia, the flowergirl. She was a sweetheart and loved the camera. During the ceremony, she made sure to catch my eye for a quick moment.

Megan and Alex sharing a moment during their Mass. They were married at Sacred Heart Parish in Gervais, Oregon. I’d like to thank the Priest for not restricting my access during the ceremony. Too many churches have very restrictive rules about where photographers can be due to disrespectful and overzealous photographers. Being discreet and unobtrusive is very important to me, as well as respecting the ceremony and the church.

Another example of how I’m trying to step away from the traditional alter poses of the wedding party. I did photograph the formals at the alter as requested by my bride, but threw this in at the end to mix things up a bit.

There were two Best Men and two Maids of Honor at this wedding. This is Steve’s toast to Megan and Alex. It was hilarious. I won’t spill the beans, but you may catch a glimpse if you look closely at the picture. Hint… “A couple of things you should know about my brother.”

The wedding reception was at the Reed Opera House. A very nice location right in the heart of downtown Salem. Lots of natural light and a beautiful alleyway right next to the building.

Best wishes to Megan and Alex and their families. As you begin this new journey in life together I wish you both the very best life has to offer. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your story!

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Let’s get this party started! That would be Melissa and Trevor’s wedding, who were married June 29th at McMenamins Edgefield. You always hear that a wedding is a celebration of family and friends, but this wedding truly embodied that spirit of celebration. From the moment I walked in the door of the Administrator’s House where everyone was getting ready, I was a part of the family.

Their wedding was a bit unusual in the sense that it was held on a Thursday afternoon. Since everyone was coming in from out of town and staying at the Edgefield, it didn’t matter if it was on the weekend. For the three days prior to their wedding, I was attending a photography seminar with Australian photographer David Williams. What a great wedding to implement my newfound inspiration.

I’m always looking for natural light and a way to set up portraits that don’t look like the “grandma” portraits of yesteryear’s wedding photography. Melissa stops for a moment at the ceremony site with her sister and best friend vamping in the background.

Melissa showing me their wedding rings.

In the grooms dressing room was this nice little vignette with the nude doodle pad. Everyone should have one of these!

This is the moment when Melissa is presented to Trevor and he will see her for the first time, called the First Look.

Sharing a moment (and a flask) before the formals.

In the most perfect light, in the most perfect moment, Trevor makes his move to start the wedding night early.

Trevor is a man’s man, a true gentleman. He seems like the kind of man that would be friends with Jason Statham (from the Transporter movies).

Melissa and Trevor are avid kickball players, in fact the whole team was there for the wedding. Someone had a kickball on hand and Melissa couldn’t resist.

Before the wedding ceremony, I asked Trevor how he was doing. He said that as long as everyone was having fun, he would be happy. He said, “in fact, the only thing that would make it perfect is if someone tripped coming down the aisle!” Guess what? Melissa’s sister tripped coming down the aisle. She was upset and crying thinking that she ruined a perfect wedding, when in fact, what she did was actually help make it the perfect wedding.

Congratulations to Melissa and Trevor, I wish you both a lifetime of happiness! You two have a unique relationship that is fun loving and full of love. Thank you for letting me be a part of your wedding day.

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Andrea and Christopher were married June 24th at Studio 1050 in downtown Portland. Their wedding was my second at Studio 1050 and one of the last as they close their doors this summer. Politics and changes in zoning have made it impossible for them to remain in their current location. What a shame as it’s a great space for a small intimate wedding. Which is exactly what Andrea and Christopher threw for their friends and family. A classy, intimate celebration in the heart of downtown Portland.

Next door to Studio 1050 and accessible from the bride’s dressing room is a novelty store filled with great props. Andrea takes a moment to pose with a very large flower.

They both decided that they did not want to see each other before the ceremony. So, before the wedding, I took Christopher outside along the waterfront for some natural light portraits. I love finding beautiful, magical light. There is simply nothing like it.

After the ceremony, we left immediately to take portraits of the newly married couple along the Esplanade while their guests enjoyed cocktails. Andrea had a beautiful, radiant look to her. I kept telling her that she looked Spanish and she kept telling me that she was Filipino. Did I mention how windy it was?

At every shoot, there is a moment when it all comes together. The hero shot. The moment when light, composition and the decisive moment all come together and you hear the angels singing. This is something that I try very hard to give every one of my couples. As we were walking along the Esplanade, we rounded a corner and it all came together for me. Trying to convince Andrea to brave the brisk wind in her wedding dress was another story. In the end, she put her trust in my inspiration and passion. These shots were easily the best images of the day. I hope they agree when they see them. When they told me that the bridges had special significance to both of them, I knew my intuition was right.

I’m always looking to break free of the tyranny of the ring shot with the hands over the bouquet. Who came up with that idea and why must every couple have that image? This is a moment that happened naturally and when I saw Christopher’s hand placed lovingly on his wife, I knew it was the image I was looking for of their rings.

Congratulations Andrea and Christopher! Your wedding day was beautiful and your friends and family were very gracious, kind and fun. Thanks for sharing your intimate day with me, I hope your friends from out of town enjoyed their time in Portland. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

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While dining at a Chinese restaurant, I received the following quote with my fortune cookie..“Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.” This perfectly describes Jennifer and Jason and their approach to living life. One of the things I enjoy most about engagement sessions is getting to know my couples. And belive me when I say that I have some of the best couples this year. I truly feel blessed to be a part of every couples wedding day. It’s a story of the heart, from the heart.

Jennifer and Jason will be married this month on July 28th and their reception will be at one of my favorite places, the Governor Hotel. Their wedding ceremony will be at a small chapel that I’ve never been to before, so I’m excited to see what unfolds on their wedding day. We decided to walk along the waterfront, under the bridges, stopping at Riverfront Park. It was a beautiful day for an engagement session.

Congratulations Jennifer and Jason on your engagement! I’m looking forward to being a part of your wedding day and sharing in the celebration of your love with your family and friends.

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