Inspired Photo Blog

The 6 degrees of separation theme that I write about so often continues when I was commissioned to photograph the wedding of Reagen and Trevor on August 10th, 2007 at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse. They are related to Jennie and Cameron, who commissioned me last year to photograph their wedding.

We photographed their engagement session along a wall mural painted by local high school artists. This used to be one of my favorite places to photograph couples. The light is extraordinary, soft and indirect. On sunny days, the wall would block the sun and glance over the top hitting the yellow building across from the wall. This provided a beautiful, natural fill light for my portraits with the perfect touch of warmth. Recently, the whole block was leveled as Vancouver builds a new complex in the downtown corridor. I’ve lost my special place, but we took advantage of it while it lasted for our session.

Reagen and Trevor were a blast to work with that day. Reagen is a natural beauty and Trevor was ready to do anything I asked him to do. We had a lot of fun that day and I’m really looking forward to their wedding day. Here are a few of my favorites from that session and a location that’s been lost to progress. Congratulations Reagen and Trevor on your engagement!

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One might argue that you’d never find love with your head in the clouds. For Dan, nothing was further from the truth, as he discovered the love of his life standing right next to him sharing a telescope. Katy and Dan met in Astronomy club at the college where Dan graduated as an astrophysicist. Katy is an accomplished flautist and is currently working on her Masters as a linguist. A powerful mix of love, art and passion.

Their wedding will be held at the beautiful Columbia Gorge Hotel on August 4th, 2007. The reception will feature musical toasts from friends of Katy and Dan. What exactly is a musical toast? Come back to find out after the wedding, how’s that for a teaser?

I met them for their engagement session along the waterfront in Vancouver. We walked around getting to know each other and talked about their plans for the wedding. It was a beautiful day for photographs, with a nice blanket of clouds to soften the sun. Here are a few of my favorites from their session. Congratulations Katy and Dan on your engagement, I’m looking forward to sharing in your wedding day story.

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Joanna and Ken will be married on the most popular wedding date of the summer, July 7th or 070707 as it’s commonly referred. I can’t tell you how many couples I turned away for this date. Joanna, however, commissioned my services long in advance of the hype surrounding this date. Every photographer I know is shooting on this date. That’s a lot of weddings.

Joanna and Ken journeyed across the Columbia River to Vancouver where we photographed their engagement session. All of these images were captured in the same area, around an old building. We worked in areas that featured beautiful, natural light.

Joanna is an advanced amateur photographer and photographs weddings and portraits. It was great working with a couple who understood my passion and appreciated the crafting of light and capturing of real moments. Ken was very nervous and hesitant about what he should be doing when we first started, but I think he was ready to become a professional model when we finished.

These images are a few of my favorites. Looking forward to working with both of you at the Oregon Golf Club on what promises to be the most popular and memorable day of the summer.

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It’s hard to believe that the weather can change so much in one week. The past few days have been downright chilly. Yet last weekend, when Karra and Paul were married, everyone was feeling the record-breaking heat. The ceremony and reception venues both lacked air conditioning, but even that could not take away from the celebration of the day.

The ceremony was held at The Old Laurelhurst Church, a beautiful Mission style church in Portland. As the groomsmen took their positions before the ceremony, in passing they gave each other low fives. I’m not sure what that was all about, but I’m sure someone will fill me in shortly. The ceremony was a quick, candlelit service but filled with heartfelt emotion and lots of tears.

The reception was held at McMenamins Crystal Ballroom off Burnside Avenue in downtown Portland. Unfortunately, this was also the location for the annual Portland Rose Festival Starlight Parade. People were lining Burnside for blocks and they were planning to shut down the street as we raced to the reception. I’m surprised that everyone arrived. They must have been putting up the barricades as we drove past. I’ve never seen so many people in downtown Portland.

This wedding is the first of many this summer and I’m proud to showcase the work of my associate Kristen Koester who will be shooting alongside me this summer. I’d like to include at least one of her images from every wedding. Kristen’s work is amazing and while she is learning a great deal by working with me, I can’t take credit for the talent and vision and voice that comes through in her images. She’s inspiring. Her goal this summer is to put together a collection of killer shoe images. This one caught my eye as a favorite.

Karra was radiant on her wedding day. Beautiful, poised, calm and happy. I dare you not to smile when you look at this picture. You’re smiling aren’t you?

Paul anxiously awaits his bride in a stolen moment of solitude.

Their first moments together as a couple on their wedding day. Tearful, passionate and tender are all words that come to mind.

This image illustrates how wonderfully two photographers can work together. In the top image, I was photographing a formal of Mom and Dad. The image below is a storytelling image of Karra and Paul sneaking a kiss that Kristen captured while everyone was distracted.

Having two professional photographers at your wedding is a luxury, but it really helps to capture those elusive and fleeting moments. If you are a couple that’s commissioned my services this summer, you will be treated to a two photographer coverage at no additional cost. I’m training Kristen to be a paid second shooter by the end of this summer. She’s put in two years of training with me. As a side note, if you are a bride looking at photographers, be sure to check out the portfolio of any second shooters and ask lots of questions. Many photographers drag along spouses, neighbors or any able body they can find and call them a photographer.

I’ve only seen one of these stretch Hummers and that was in Los Angeles. This thing was as big as the church. The whole wedding party fit into this monster.

The wedding party was a blast. These guys were a lot of fun and never stopped having fun all night long. Poor Karra…the Crystal Ballroom was going through a seismic upgrade and the whole building was covered in scaffolding draped with black fabric. Our choices for downtown photos of the wedding party came to a screeching halt, especially with the parade about to start. So, like any good rowdy wedding party, they decided to kick off the celebration with a shot at Ringler’s Bar underneath the Crystal Ballroom. I’m not sure what they were drinking, but almost everyone has a sour look on their face.

They lined up on the sidewalk across the street from the Crystal Ballroom and got crazy. Some people walked on by and pretended not to notice. Others honked their horns or shouted congratulations to the couple. One of the bridesmaids even mooned me!

Once they came upstairs into the very hot reception room, the food was served, the cake was cut and the dancing started. By the end of the night, the little ones were just worn out. I’m still amazed that they were sleeping so soundly. The music was really blaring at this point.

Karra and Paul are somewhere in Greece for their honeymoon. Their wedding day was the beginning of a lifetime together and they were surrounded by family and friends. Many of their friends have been photographed by me and it was great seeing familiar faces. It may have been that famous McMenamins beer talking, but Karra and Paul are truly loved by their friends. They were hanging on them and around them all night long. It was everything you’d want a wedding reception to be—a great memory.

Congratulations to Karra and Paul and your families. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your wedding and capturing the story of your day.

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There was excitement in the air as preparations were made to welcome General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His plane was fighting a strong headwind as it flew to Portland, delaying his arrival by an hour. The General was coming to Vancouver, Washington to speak at the General Marshall Lecture. This is a yearly event that features distinguished speakers lecturing about current world events and the principles embraced by General Marshall.

The General arrived by motorcade, escorted by Vancouver and Portland motorcycle police, at the Marshall House on Officer’s Row for a private reception of politicians and local business people. There were Secret Service agents and SWAT members maintaining a high level of security for our nation’s highest ranking military adviser to the President. The private reception, which was cut short, was followed by a lecture at a local high school which was open to the public. In attendance were local politicians:

Congressman Brian Baird
Governor of Washington, Chris Gregoire
U.S. Senator Patty Murray
Vancouver Mayor, Royce Pollard

Funny story. When I first arrived at the Marshall House, I was stopped by Secret Service agents. As they were confirming I was on the list, the SWAT commander walked up and said he’d vouch for me. As it turns out, the commander was the father of a bride I photographed a couple of years ago. For those of you following along with my 6 degrees of separation concept, his daughter was in Stacy and Kasey’s wedding and Stacy was a bridesmaid in her wedding.

Another funny story. On this shoot, I was working with photographer Brian Shumaker. He was at the airport waiting for the General’s plane to arrive and I was waiting at the Marshall House. Since the General was delayed, I ended up talking to the Secret Service commander and the SWAT commander on the front porch as we waited for the plane to land. As we were talking, I received a phone call from Brian that the General’s plane had landed and I should get ready for things to start happening very quickly. I hung up and informed both commanders that the General’s plane had landed. The both looked at each other, smiled and the Secret Service commander said “Thanks for the update”. It was at that moment that I noticed the radio ear piece and realized who I was talking to and knew that long before my phone call, they knew the General was on his way. My father and brother will never let me live that one down.

After the General’s lecture at the high school, he visited a local grade school and received questions from the students. These kids really put the General on the spot and asked some very hard hitting questions. I was very impressed with their preparation. They obviously did their homework and the General never flinched.

The Mayor of Vancouver, probably glad that he wasn’t fielding those questions.

I wanted to capture the General’s passion as he spoke. Like a true Italian, he uses his hands to make his point. I’m very familiar with this form of communication as it’s the same way my wife talks to me.

Same vantage point, but I changed my point of view to focus on his wife as he talked to the students. Personally, I feel this is a much stronger, more compelling image about the woman behind the man.

When I was in high school, I wanted to attend the Naval Academy. They sent me a poster and I’ll never forget the words. Some leaders you’d follow through fire, others you’d like to push in. Having met the General and watched him navigate the myriad of politicians and voters and veterans and students, I can honestly say that I was moved. His passion and dedication to our country is unquestionable. My heart swelled with pride and I saw him as a leader I’d follow through fire.

What impressed me most was his attention to the regular people. He didn’t spend much time shaking hands with the dignitaries. He focused on the students and the veterans and on the families who had lost a loved one in the war, the ultimate sacrifice for our country. He paid his respect and gave them his full attention. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard the song America the Beautiful. As the high school band played, I fought hard to choke back the tears. On that day, more than ever, I was proud to be an American and to have met the General when he came to town. As my father said, that is one snappy salute. OoRah!

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There is no question that truth is stranger than fiction. As I get to know my couples and discover their stories, I find connections with other couples I’ve photographed. Many times they are connected and have no idea that their paths have crossed. A perfect example of this 6 degrees of separation is Karra and Paul.

I’m photographing their wedding this afternoon and in going over all the final details before the wedding, I discovered that Karra is connected with at least 5 other couples I’ve photographed. You can’t make this stuff up.

Jon’s mom and Karra’s mom have been friends since high school. Stephanie and Karra have been friends since grade school and will be in each other’s wedding. Stephanie used to date Dan in high school. Courtney, Justin and Karra went to the same high school and Stacy used to work with Karra. It’s hard to believe that all of these couples have crossed paths and are interconnected and yet unaware of each other.

Karra and Paul chose the Crystal Springs Rhododendrun Gardens as the location for their engagement session. Here are a few of my favorites from their shoot.

Congratulations Karra and Paul! Your wedding day is beautiful, sunny and warm with no clouds in sight. I’m looking forward to making new friends and meeting old ones. This is the first wedding of a busy summer season. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to share in your lives as you begin your journey together.

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