Inspired Photo Blog

A wedding on the lawn with family and friends. That would describe Meagen and Troy’s wedding on August 19th at her parent’s home in Vancouver, Washington. Their home easily accommodated the 200 guests that arrived and were greeted with sparkling wine on that hot summer day.

Honestly, I was a bit apprehensive about meeting Troy because I’d never met him before the wedding day. Within minutes, he and I were talking like old friends. Meagen and Troy were so nervous before they saw each other for the first time, but quickly settled down once they were together.

Meagen hiding away in the cool house as she nervously watches all the guests arriving moments before the ceremony is about to begin.

In case you were wondering what 200 guests looks like on your lawn.

Meagen’s face says it all as Troy declares his love and devotion.

A favorite of Meagans father during the reception. This is one reason I enjoy photographing natural light, outdoor weddings so much.

Laugh if you will at my continued reference to the three degrees of separation summer. This is Angie and Brian, who’s wedding I photographed last summer at Cannon Beach. The harpist at the wedding is good friends with another couple, Rebecca and Thomas, who’s wedding I photographed in January of this year. Coincidence?

I thought this was funny. Get it?

Meagen and Troy ready for their limo ride to the airport for their honeymoon in Hawaii. It was hot, but the evening brought a refreshing coolness in the air. Everyone drank and danced until the limo left. A celebration of the love between Meagen and Troy.

Congratulations to the family and friends of Meagen and Troy. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your wedding day story. Best wishes to Meagen and Troy and a lifetime of happiness together. Next time, bring your photographer with you to Hawaii!

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Last week I photographed an engagement session with Stephanie and Damon as we walked around downtown Portland. They wanted more of an urban feel for their session. It was a fun creative exercise for me and an opportunity to walk around with them and explain how I work. They are getting married in October of this year.

I’m always talking about finding the right light. I prefer natural light that when you find it and enhance it with a simple reflector can be quite stunning. It’s all about seeing light. I have to laugh because when I photographed Stephanie for the first time and had Kristen holding a simple reflector, Stephanie remarked that now she knows my secret! I think by the end of our session she knew it was more than that…at least I hope! Here are a few of my favorites from our session.

I absolutely love this image. When you find the right light, the whole image comes together. Of course, having a great couple helps! Congratulations Stephanie and Damon on your engagement. I’ll see you in October for your wedding day fleur de lise extravaganza.

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My engagement session with Shannon and Isaiah was literally a walk in the park. They’re getting married on October 21st of this year and are good friends of Stacy and Kasey, whose wedding I photographed a couple of years ago. Shannon is also friends with another bride of mine, Jessica, who’s getting married in November. I’m telling you…three degrees of separation.

Here are a few of my favorites that I hope you enjoy.

Have you ever heard the phrase “it’s all about the bride?” Shannon takes this to heart…

Congratulations on your engagement. It was fun getting to know you and I’m really looking forward to working with you and your families on your wedding day!

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Imagine a wedding on a clear sunny day at a vineyard in McMinnville, Oregon. A picturesque vineyard located in the foothills of the oldest county in Oregon. A wine region that is often compared to France and Germany. This was the setting for Tracy and Jeff’s wedding at the Youngberg Hill Vineyards and Inn where they celebrated their wedding on August 13th.

Tracy was all smiles from the moment she arrived. You’d be hard pressed to find a happier or more radiant bride on her wedding day.

Tracy pausing for a moment as she prepares to see Jeff for the first time. Her mother and father taking in the memory of their daughter on her wedding day.

Shooting in direct sunlight is a very difficult challenge, but we managed to find a shady oak tree for our bridal portraits in the vineyard.

The wedding begins with the Inn as a beautiful backdrop.

Ladies and gentlemen…it is my honor to present for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs…

A panoramic background of the rolling valley below was the perfect setting for their first dance together.

A fun moment between father and daughter captured by Kristen. It looks like they are balancing on air, like Cirque Du Soleil performers.

The day was hot, the bees were relentless, but in the end everyone had a great time eating, drinking wine and dancing to the live music of The Stoodups.

Congratulations to the family and friends of Tracy and Jeff. Thank you for your warm hospitality, the laughs and letting me be a part of your wedding story. Best wishes to the newly married couple, may you enjoy a lifetime of happiness together!

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As part of an ongoing series of weddings with three degrees of separation, I photographed the wedding of Lindsay and Tim on August 12th. They are friends of Jennifer and Jason and were married at Cedar Mills Bible Church, quite possibly one of the largest churches I’ve seen.

Lindsay and all her girlfriends getting ready for the wedding. Things were a bit crowded, but that didn’t stop the girls from smiling or the mascara from flying!

Scott was an usher in the wedding and found out that his tuxedo shirt had sleeves that were 6 inches too long, and he has long arms! What a character…using safety pins to shorten his sleeves, it looked as if his shirt had been stapled to his arms. He was very good natured about it and never missed a beat to make fun of himself.

This is what I love about my couples. They listen to what I say about beautiful light and put the effort into making great images happen. We decided that the dark sanctuary would not be suitable for family and bridal party portraits, so all of us journeyed over to the Pittock Mansion. What a beautiful backdrop for our wedding story. This is also where Tim proposed to Lindsay.

A flowergirl with loads of personality…also known as Racheal.

Mike, also an usher, is a writer. He had his black moleskin journal close at hand to record thoughts and impressions of Lindsay and Tim’s ceremony.

Mike was not the only one writing down thoughts during the ceremony.

This is one of the groomsmen Brandon, as captured by Kristen. I challenged her to create intersting and unique images of the bridal party as I was photographing the groups. This one in particular caught my eye for it’s unique composition. Well done Kristen!

Did I mention what a character Scott was? Tim is passionate about his Mustang and the bridal party decided to decorate the car before they made their getaway. Scott decided to test out the monofilament line to ensure that it would hold up to dragging the cans.

Lindsay and Tim were joined by hundreds of their close friends and family at the church for their reception. A family friend, who recently graduated from culinary school asked to prepare the finger foods for the reception. Fantastic does not begin to describe the creative variety of the food. Toasts were made and the cake was cut.

Congratulations to the family and friends of Lindsay and Tim. It was great meeting the parents and ironically enough, both fathers look very much alike! Thank you for the warmth and love that I enjoyed and shared with all of you. Best wishes to Lindsay and Tim and a lifetime of happiness. It was an honor to be a part of your wedding day story.

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Love was in the air, literally, when Dara and Shaun met on the Los Angeles to Medford run of a Horizon Air flight. Shaun was returning home after serving in the Marine Corps and Dara was a flight attendant (Shaun calls her his stewardess) for Horizon Air. Everyone joked that Dara has a thing for a man in uniform, but when you meet Shaun, you’ll know why Dara fell in love with him.

They were married on August 11th at the Fairgate Inn in Camas, Washington. Shaun is just moments away from seeing his beautiful bride on their wedding day for the first time.

A beautiful image captured by Kristen of Dara as she prepares to see Shaun for the first time. He’s just around the corner. Kristen and I have been talking a great deal about “seeing” light and I think this image is all about beautiful light.

This is Dara and her grandfather. Normally, I don’t show formal images on my blog, but I met with a bride this past week who is getting married at the Fairgate Inn next summer. She asked about formals. The Fairgate Inn is a beautiful venue to have your wedding, but there is limited shade on hot summer days. It can be tricky finding beautiful light for formals. I don’t need much, but if I can find a small space with beautiful light, I’m going to use it.

Shaun’s groomsmen were a blast. We had a great time, even during the formals and here they are, working it for the camera.

Brian, the best man, has a nickname that I’ll talk about later. From this image I can only surmise that he was steeling himself mentally for the party that was to ensue later that night.

The exchange of rings…

One of my favorite sequences of images from the wedding. Dara had a long veil, which was beautiful. Later in the evening, during the reception, the wind picked up a bit. Shaun is wrapping her in his coat. There are 6 images in this sequence as the wind wraps her veil around her head. It was funny and beautiful all at the same time.

Love is in the air…

Brian’s nickname is “dance whore”… and once you see him on the dance floor you’d understand. It’s nice to see a guy out there cutting it up with the best of them. He has a vibrant personality and is fun to watch. I wish I had moves like Brian.

A beautiful moment stolen in the fading light of the day. There are a lot of great memories from this wedding and I’m still smiling thinking of their friends and family. Great light in the cool, late afternoon on the lawn as everyone shared in the love of Dara and Shaun.

It was an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of their wedding day. I met some new friends and ran into old ones from previous weddings. I appreciate the warmth and kindness from everyone that I met. Congratulations to both your families and best wishes to the new couple. Thanks for letting me be a part of your story and I’ll think of you every time I fly…love is in the air!

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Michelle and Michael will be married September 23rd of this year at Gray Gables Estate. They both live in Seattle and seem to be driving down to Portland almost every weekend as their wedding day approaches. Taking advantage of their time in Portland and the nice weather, we decided to meet at Cathedral Park, under the St. John’s bridge for an engagement session.

A friend of mine, photographer Nicole Wickens, recommended Cathedral Park to me. It’s easy to keep repeating yourself and one of the ways I like to challenge myself is to find new locations and explore them with fresh eyes. Not knowing what everyone else has done before me, I had to find spaces that worked with the existing natural light and structures. What an amazing bridge. It’s hard not to stand there and imagine what life might have been like in the 1930’s when this bridge was built. It’s truly an engineering marvel and a local landmark.

Michael, besides working full time and planning a wedding in Portland with Michelle, is also a photographer in Seattle. He photographs bands, concerts and weddings in his spare time. I know it was hard for him to be on the other side of the camera, as it would be for me, but I think they both did a wonderful job of relaxing and having a good time.

Congratulations on your engagement Michelle and Michael. I’m looking forward to being a part of your wedding day in September. If you see them as they travel up and down I-5, be sure to wave and send them your best wishes!

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Six degrees of separation is the hypothesis that anyone on Earth can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances with no more than five intermediaries. This summer it would seem that three degrees of separation would be more appropriate. All my couples seem to know each other.

Kaylin and Bradley were married on August 6th at the Greater Gresham Baptist Church and their reception was held at Persimmon Country Club. Why Persimmons you ask? A) it’s a beautiful location. B) they both used to work there. C) they met there and it’s where Bradley proposed to Kaylin.

The church was a large suburban mega-church. The stage was large and lit with spotlights. This is Bradley waiting for Kaylin, anticipating the first time they see each other on their wedding day.

He’s got the whole world in his hands. I couldn’t resist when I saw this photo opportunity.

Another installment of my ongoing series of captures by Kristen. I think this a very humorous moment. During the time that Kaylin and Bradley were seeing each other for the first time, we kept everyone else out of the sanctuary. This didn’t stop anyone from peeking in and watching.

Kaylin peeking in to watch the slideshow just moments before walking down the aisle to marry Bradley.

Can you tell these two are happy? Newly married, they are being chauffeured to their wedding reception.

We photographed all the formal photographs at the church. Once we arrived at the country club, we took the wedding party down to the putting green for more casual portraits. Another example of using the bridal party in the background to add more depth and interest as opposed to the line ‘em up and shoot ‘em grandma formals.

Kaylin and Bradley made their getaway in a classic muscle car who’s original owner was a family member.

If the theme from my prior weekend seemed to be old churches, then the theme from this weekend would have been panoramic vistas of Mt. Hood. This is the green at Persimmons Country Club where Bradley proposed to Kaylin. One of my favorite images from their wedding, the soft evening light was absolutely gorgeous.

If you follow my posts, you will find that I’m having a great time this year. Being blessed with such amazing couples keeps me looking forward to every wedding. Kaylin and Bradley’s wedding was no exception. They were surrounded by loved ones, both family and friends. Everyone welcomed us as part of their family and allowed us to step in and share in their joy as they celebrated together.

Best wishes to Kaylin and Bradley. Congratulations to both your families. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your wedding story.

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What if you’d spent most of your life on or around Mt. Hood and wanted to incorporate that theme into your wedding? You could host your wedding at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, as many couples do or take it one step further. Christen and Ryan chose Mt. Hood Organic Farms as the backdrop for their wedding on August 5th.

Located outside Hood River, Oregon, this working organic farm is a new wedding venue and boasts one of the best views of Mt. Hood in the area. Flowers everywhere, clean air, cute little buildings and orchards all nestled in a picturesque valley with the mountain so close you can almost reach out and touch it.

Ryan and the groomsmen. Continuing my theme of informal formals, these are “not your grandma’s formals!”

It wouldn’t be a working farm without cats and there were a number of them walking around, each with their own personalities. This one was the friendliest and wanted to be a part of the bridal party.

Christen pausing for a moment to take in the day at the bride’s cottage.

Christen’s mother putting on a pearl necklace before the ceremony. This was all natural light in the doorway of the cottage. No artificial fillers or ingredients were used, keeping with the organic theme.

Kristen captured Ryan writing a letter to Christen before the wedding ceremony. This is a reflection in the mirror of the groom’s cottage. Nice image Kristen!

Christen and Ryan both wrote their own vows to each other. They were both practicing the whole time leading up to the ceremony. Christen wrapped her vows around her bouquet in case she forgot them. Despite being nervous, as they both were, they spoke their vows perfectly.

Mt. Hood made a beautiful backdrop for the wedding ceremony. Despite the intense heat in the sun, it was a spectacular wedding ceremony.

Colby and Sadna. I photographed their wedding last year. It was wonderful to connect with them again and catch up on life. They travel the world as do Christen and Ryan and have lots of great stories to tell of their travels. Colby was the best man in Ryan’s wedding. They were married in Mt. Hood last year and referred Portland’s best kept secret (me) to their friends! That means the world to me…thank you Colby and Sadna!

Christen and Ryan in front of beautiful Mt. Hood. What a spectacular vista!

All day long Ryan and Christen kept asking me if they could have their picture taken in front of Mt. Hood. All day long I kept telling them that the light was too harsh. We needed to wait for the beautiful light. Finally it happened. Whisked away from their wedding reception, we captured some beautiful images with the alpine glow on Mt. Hood. Half the wedding guests walked down to the vista with one of the best views of Mt. Hood in the valley.

It was a beautiful day for family and guests. Christen and Ryan are an amazing couple. Very attentive to their guests and incredibly laid back. Pepe and the Bottle Blonds provided live music for the wedding reception and it was fantastic! To say that Pepe is charismatic is an understatement. Everyone was dancing under the near full moon and enjoying the cool night air. Best wishes to the newly married couple and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your story.

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Apparently, the theme for the weekend was old churches. Jennie and Cameron were married on July 30th at The Old Church in downtown Portland. Literally an old church that’s nestled amongst new construction on all sides. The day was sunny and warm with a chance of sprinkles. Sounds like a typical weather forecast or a new Krispy Kreme doughnut.

Given my love of natural light, I encouraged the couple to let me photograph all the formals outside in front of the church. Nothing says “grandma’s wedding photographs” than the dark alter of a church that grandma literally may have been married at herself! After asking the coordinator to move her parked car from the front driveway of the church, the stage was set for beautiful photographs.

Jennie and Cameron’s first moment together on their wedding day…

The Northwest has the most beautiful blue skies and billowing clouds outside of New Mexico. What a great backdrop for their first moment together.

Jennie’s father provided the beautifully restored ‘67 Pontiac GTO for the wedding day, complete with a back window “Just Married” stencil.

Part 3 of my Captured by Kristen series. I warned her that I was going to post one of her images from every wedding we shoot together. I think she’s doing a terrific job and all my couples have benefited from her being there. She is a great asset to my company this year.

After the wedding ceremony, Jennie and Cameron joined me on the Portland waterfront for a relaxed session. These two are amazing together. They are so much in love and it shows in every picture. They model so well together, that I joked they should give tips to couples getting married. Very natural in front of the camera, all I had to do was find the perfect light and the magic happened.

A personal favorite, there is a timeless quality to this image. A serene, calm intensity that draws you into their faces.

Jerry’s (Jennie’s father) pride and joy, his ‘67 Pontiac GTO. This is when working in commercial advertising all those years paid off, knowing how to photograph a muscle car and make it look hot! You should have heard this car idling. They just don’t make cars like this anymore.

A beautifully spontaneous capture of Jennie and Cameron collapsing into a set of chairs at the Benson hotel. I think they were both still in awe that they were actually married and it was all over.

The next day I received an unsolicited email and I wanted to share some of the comments with you. This is exactly why I photograph weddings and why I do it with such passion.

Just wanted to get in touch with you and say a great big THANK YOU to you and your assistant, Kristen. You guys were great and I am so thankful we chose you to be our photographer.

Sincerely… Naomi (mother of the bride)

Best wishes to the newly married couple and their families. It was wonderful meeting all of you and I appreciate that you let me into your lives for a brief moment to share Jennie and Cameron’s wedding day!

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