Inspired Photo Blog

It’s the height of summer wedding season and as much as I love all my wedding clients, I have to admit that I’ve been looking forward to Jessica and Cyle’s wedding. It all started with a killer engagement session and was kicked up a notch with a killer engagement album, so how could the wedding be anything but amazing?

The wedding took place on July 28th at the Lewis River Golf Course, nestled along the Lewis River in Woodland, Washington. The day was sunny and very warm, but the breeze coming off the river kept everyone happy. The spectacular flower arrangements by Lillypilly arrived and covered the entire length of the van. One by one, all 22 members of the wedding party and significant others and family members started arriving and you could feel the energy and excitement grow. Jessica and Cyle were getting ready to see each other for the first time and the band, 5 Guys Named Moe, were setting up in the background.

After their first moments together, we started with portraits of Jessica. Cyle, the hopeless romantic that he is, walked away as I was photographing her. He wanted to experience them for the first time when he looked at the photographs after the wedding. Jessica is the only girl in her family with 4 brothers. I asked them how Cyle made it through the gauntlet and they all started laughing and replied that it’s only started and he hasn’t made it through anything yet! Jessica’s dad was visibly emotional throughout the day as his beloved daughter’s wedding came together like a dream. From the flower petals on the aisle to the 12 piece band scheduled to play later that night, the stage was set for a spectacular wedding.

Weddings are a lot like riding on a roller coaster. You think you know how it’s going to be, but you never really know until it’s all over. Once it starts, you just hang on and enjoy the ride. That’s exactly what Jessica and Cyle did. I think at times they were a little overwhelmed and wished they would have planned a simple wedding in Hawaii, but that’s the way it goes when you come from a huge family that loves you and wants to share in the celebration of your special day. Once the band started playing, the party kicked into high gear. If you ever get to see 5 Guys Name Moe play live, don’t miss it. These guys really know how to put on a show and there’s nothing like live music at a wedding.

Enjoy some of my favorites from their wedding day. It was hard picking out these images, there were so many great moments. Congratulations to Jessica and Cyle and both your families. I hope you had a great honeymoon and are ready to start out on the journey of a lifetime. What a wonderful wedding day and a great experience being a part of your lives this year. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to step into your lives and share in your passion for each other. It’s easy to see how much you care for each other. Enjoy the support of a huge family, I’m sure they will be pressuring you to add to the collective soon. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

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Eric and Addie…Congratulations!
Grandma Hazel has a message for you!

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The wedding gallery for Amber and Michael’s wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming has been posted. If you’d like to see a slideshow with selected favorites from their wedding, then look no further.

A heartfelt thanks to Judd Grossman for graciously allowing me to use his song for my slideshow. His music was woven in the fabric of the day, so it’s only fitting that it become the foundation of the slideshow.

I have 6 more weddings to post from the past couple of weeks, so check back often. I’m off to Bend, Oregon this weekend and will return with even more photos and stories. Enjoy the last days of summer!

Edited to add a photo of the inimitable Judd Grossman doing his magic. Thanks to my dear friend Cory Ann Ellis, who called to tell me that a blog post is completely worthless and anemic without a photo!

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When Johnny Cash and June Carter recorded their song, they had no idea that it would become a theme for Amber and Michael.

“We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout,
We’ve been talkin’ ’bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out.
I’m goin’ to Jackson, I’m gonna mess around,
Yeah, I’m goin’ to Jackson,
Look out Jackson town.”

Somehow, it just fits and all summer it’s been their song as they made plans for a wedding at Crescent H Ranchin Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Destination weddings are special events. Unlike weddings at a church or hotel, there is no sense of urgency. Guests have come from far and wide to share the day and party into the night. There is a relaxed sense of intimacy that lends a special feel to the wedding.

For me, this was a rekindling of friendships. Amber’s brother is Dan, who’s wedding I photographed a few years ago. Dan and Elizabeth are one of my favorite couples and we’ve stayed in touch since their wedding. It was very easy and natural to step back into their lives and become a part of the day. They welcomed me with open arms and treated me like family.

From the rehearsal dinner to the wedding celebration, the spirit of Jackson Hole permeated the day’s events. The Tetons were obscured by a forest fire burning nearby, but it gave the light a unique quality as the day settled into night. There are a lot of great memories from that day, but for me one of the best was the live music of Judd Grossman. A very talented local musician who played all day with his band. The afternoon became very warm and after dinner was served and the dishes cleared away, most of the guest wandered into the cool air outside the lodge. Not to be deterred, Judd and his band took their instruments outside and performed an uplugged version of their set. This is the magic of a destination wedding.

There are a lot of great images from their wedding and I’ve shared just a small handful of my favorites. Amber’s grandfather is one of the last authentic Western cowboys. There are stories written in his face and his smile is warm and inviting. A true grit kind of guy, I could have photographed him all day long. The mischievous twins, Amber and her horse, Michael and his cowboy hat and all the other great moments from their day.

Congratulations Amber and Michael! Thank you for thinking outside the box and commissioning a photographer to fly out to Jackson to photograph your wedding. It was truly an honor to be a part of your day and share in the joy of your friends and family. Jackson Hole is a special place and the perfect location for your wedding. It was great to meet all your friends from all over the country. Everyone was so warm and friendly. You both are truly blessed. Best wishes for a lifetime of happiness.

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Long before I was a professional photographer, I was a musician. Hard to believe from looking at me now, but I used to rock out with the best of them. All through school I played flute and saxophone. The fingerings are nearly identical, so it was easy to transition from one to the other. For most of those years, I either sat first or second chair. As a boy playing the flute in high school, that meant you were either very good or you put up with a lot of crap.

One of these days, I’ll dig up some of my old band photos and share them with you. You will be shocked and I’m sure you’ll be laughing. My last year in high school, 6 of my 7 classes were music related. Jazz band, symphony, music theory, stage band, pep band—those were the days when the arts were funded in the public school system. Once I graduated from high school, I expanded my skills by learning guitar and piano. It was all I dreamed of, being a professional musician. I played in a number of bands across Missouri and Kansas. I even played in Seattle with Duffy Bishop and the Rhythm Dogs.

So, how did I end up being a professional photographer? The drummer started dating this girl who nearly divided the band. Eventually that band broke up. After spending my entire life chasing a dream of being a musician, I realized that my success was entirely dependent on other musicians who may not be as serious as I was with my music. Photography was my day job, it was how I paid for my music addiction, so it was a natural progression to go back to school and learn how to do it professionally.

All of this simply to share with you a fun widget that I found today from Apple. I like to think I have a pretty eclectic taste in music. I love it all—from classical, rock, rap and pop to the blues. I will spend time hunting down an obscure song that I heard in a movie or a radio show. I have lots of stories for all the songs in my library. Much like photos, they are a touchstone to the memories of my life.

Many of my couples are musicians. The most recent was the wedding of Katy and Dan (which is coming soon to the blog) where they had musical toasts during the reception. A groom I photographed almost a decade ago in Seattle has become a very dear friend. Mark DuFresne — one of the most talented blues musicians I’ve ever known. I’ve worked with him on 2 of his albums providing photography and getting to hang out with some of the best blues musicians in the world. He’s played at the Portland Blues Festival and for a number of recent years, he was the front man for Roomful of Blues. Music is an integral thread in my life and I have a soft spot in my heart for musicians.

This widget simply displays some of the music I’ve purchased from the iTunes store and marked as favorites. If you stare at it long enough, you may raise an eyebrow the next time you see me. I’m always excited to find new music, so if you have a favorite band or song, share it with me. I’d love to hear it. Not that I’ll be able to find it on iTunes, but that’s another story. (the widget is interactive, by the way. Click on any artist to get more information) And now you know a little bit more about the man behind the music behind the camera.

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It was the most anticipated day of the year. July 7th of the year 2007. For many people, the number 7 has special significance and all over the world events were held celebrating the number 7. The new 7 wonders of the world were announced, it was the day of the Live Earth concerts and gamblers tested their luck in record numbers. For Joanna and Ken it was simply the day they chose to be married. Not even their first choice. It just worked out to be the most popular day of the year.

The wedding took place at the Oregon Golf Club just outside Portland. The day dawned without a cloud in the sky. It was beautiful, sunny and warm. For a summer wedding so close to the end of the rainy season in the Northwest, it was everything a bride could ask for on her wedding day. When I arrived, a local news crew was just leaving after interviewing both of them for a special segment to be featured on the news about seven-seven-oh-seven weddings.

Ken was nervous and excited to see Joanna for the first time on their wedding day.

Joanna was radiant and glowing all day long.

One of my favorite images from the ceremony. Pure emotion, Ken’s face says it all. Photographing a wedding in full sun is a particular challenge, but it’s even harder to stand in full sun wearing a black tux. So much so that one of the groomsmen passed out from the heat. Fortunately there were a number of doctors attending the wedding who quickly rushed to his aide. The wedding ceremony was temporarily halted and much to everyone’s relief the groomsman was pronounced fine aside from a large bump on the back of his head. It certainly added to the story of the wedding day.

Joanna and Ken rushing to find a cool place out of the sun and enjoying a surreal moment together for the first time as husband and wife.

The wedding program doubled as a fan to keep the guests cool.

A beautiful image of their wedding rings captured by my associate Kristen.

As the sun began to slip in the sky and the heat was replaced by a warm breeze, I snuck the two of them out onto the golf course for a few artistic shots. Joanna had a gorgeous veil and with a little help from the wind a beautiful moment was created.

This image was captured by Kristen as she quietly slipped behind Joanna as I was working with her for the previous photo. There is a quiet beauty to this image that really speaks to me. Being a second shooter is one of the best positions to be in as a photographer at a wedding. People are focused on the main photographer and you can capture them completely natural and beautifully unrehearsed.

This is Kristen’s second wedding season with me and her intuition and instincts are spot on. She has really grown over the past two summers. Personally, I think having two photographers at your wedding is not just an added expense or a luxury. Two photographers, who are seasoned shooters each with a unique point of view, can offer a level of artistry that simply can’t be accomplished by one photographer. There is so much happening at weddings these days, that it’s almost becoming a necessity to have two photographers. I’m hoping that Kristen will join me next year as a seasoned associate. We’ll see if the market will support that vision. It’s been a real pleasure having her point of view at these weddings and the couples getting married this summer have been given a real gift.

I love clouds and will include them whenever I can in my images. There is a wistful quality to the clouds that matches her veil. My approach to wedding photography is a cinematic vision. This year, I’ve expanded that to include a very wide angle lens to help capture the feel and mood of my locations.

Shooting directly into the sun helps impart a wonderful feeling of light to this image as Joanna and Ken make their way back to the reception.

It was a beautiful day and we met some wonderful people. One of my favorite moments was the speech given by Joanna’s father. He mentioned how his thoughts came together during the time he spent behind the mower. This made me think of all the problems and business decisions I’ve resolved in my head behind my mower and made me smile. Been there, done that.

Congratulations to both families for a beautiful wedding day. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of your story. To Joanna and Ken— congratulations for surviving the media storm and pulling off a beautiful wedding day. At least we know you’ll never forget your anniversary date. Best wishes for a lifetime of happiness!

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