Josh is currently deployed in the Armed Forces, so finding a weekend he was available was challenging. Stephanie is a full time student, so this beloved session was all the more special. Josh has the most amazing blue eyes and Stephanie has an infectious smile and easy-going personality. To say we never felt the chill in the air is not a stretch of the truth.

Rumor has it that Josh recently returned just long enough for the two of them to be married this past week. Congratulations to the newly married couple! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. And a special thanks to Josh for your service to our country. It was an honor to meet both of you and share in this moment of your life. Congratulations!

Amy and JP, aka, the Prutches are a husband and wife team of photographers. They literally reside 4 blocks from me. We met 10 years ago, after being introduced by our FedEx driver. Our kids go to the same schools and we celebrate most of our holidays together. The most famous of which is our annual 4th of July block party. JP is one of the few people I know with as as much technical knowledge as I have and we talk nearly every day. I call him the other half of my brain. Amy calls me his boyfriend. Needless to say, they’re family.

Lately, I’ve been wanting to explore a new direction in my work. My current style is cinematic, accomplished with the compression and environmental isolation of my beloved 70-200 telephoto lens. I like the storytelling aspect of wide angle lenses, but they have an inherent depth of field, meaning everything is in focus even wide open. Canon has a couple of wide angle lenses which have a very wide aperture. This would give me a shallow depth of field. In short, this means I could control my plane of focus and make things in the background dreamy and soft as I do with my longer lenses. I contacted Canon and had them send me two lenses for evaluation. The Canon 24mm f1.4 and the 35mm f1.4.

It just happened that the Prutches invited our family to Long Beach, Washington for a weekend getaway. We have endeared this coming together of our families as “KepPrutch” time. I asked if they were willing to let me photograph their family and they graciously agreed. Our mutual friend, David Williams from Australia, has made it his mission to encourage photographers to document each other’s families. Pay it forward. I know it’s hard for Amy and JP to get family portraits done since they are BOTH photographers. The hard part for me is that if there’s one thing I know by now about the Prutches, it’s that they are anything but normal. That was the challenge.

I mean, come on. Anyone who names their blog “The Shutter Monkey” has got to be somewhat irreverent. Posing on the beach is not something that authentically captures who they are as a family. Not to lessen their affection for each other, but they are not the type to hold hands and gaze into each other’s eyes. They’d be laughing before I could release the shutter. They were the perfect family to challenge myself with a new style of shooting portraits that are different than what you’d expect to see from a family portrait session at the beach.

My Facebook friends challenged me to illustrate how a wide angle lens could be used effectively in environmental portraiture. I also brought along my beloved Lensbaby for something even more distinctly different. At the end of the day, we had great fun with the Prutches. I was nervous shooting for two other professionals, but pushed myself to do it regardless of the outcome. Long Beach is one of the few beaches in Washington where you can actually drive on the beach. We threw the kids in the back of the Dodge Ram pickup and took off for a day of adventure. The kids never stopped smiling and we all left with more KepPrutch memories.

So tell me. What do you think of this new direction? What do you like or dislike about these images? Do they tell a story? Is this something you’d want for your own family? Does this capture a moment that will be remembered when our kids are parents themselves?

Mark and Laura were married 15 years ago and guess who photographed their wedding? Mark’s a blues musician and one of the best singer/songwriter/harmonica players out there. He’s won numerous awards and his four-octave voice helped grab a Grammy nomination for Roomful of Blues. This man is the real deal.

Since their wedding day, we’ve become close friends and discovered we share many things in common. We both grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and share a deep love of all things barbecue. Our passion for music and blues music has it’s roots in Kansas City, a city well known for it’s music history.

I’ve worked with Mark on various projects, including his album There’s a Song in There. Recorded in Los Angeles, featuring the amazing talents of Kid Ramos on guitar and legendary producer Lynnwood Slim. Easily my favorite album by Mark. It has everything you’d want in a blues album. Like a vintage black and white photo, this album is timeless.

Recently, Mark made the journey down to Portland so I could update his headshot—a much needed update. He brought his friend, legendary musician Lloyd Jones along for the photo shoot. If you love the blues, you’ll love their music. Support their passion and journey and become a fan.

E-sessions are relaxed and fun. It’s an opportunity for me to show you how the whole process works. Explain about how I see light and use it to make you look your best. It’s a chance to creatively play, have fun and experience first hand how natural it can be. It takes away the anxiety about being photographed. On your wedding day, it’s one less thing to worry about. You’ll be a pro.

I recently caught up with a former bride and she commented on how much they enjoyed their e-session. She remarked that the whole period of time surrounding her wedding was a joyful memory. That the e-session captured the essence of their love for each other at the prime of their lives. A memory she will always treasure.

Molly and Myron are engaged to be married this year. They selected Newport, Oregon on the Central Oregon Coast for their e-session. Why? Because they live there and it’s Newport! Aside from the amazing seafood, it was an exciting new location to creatively play.

Occasionally, couples will ask me if I’ve ever been to their wedding location. I always educate them to the fact that seeing something for the first time, as a visual artist, can be very refreshing. It’s the challenge that goes with my profession and one that I enjoy. Finding the right light is more important and that changes constantly. It’s one of the reasons that I enjoy destination weddings so much.

Their wedding will be at the Portland Art Museum and my second shooter will be the inimitable Mark Kegans from Des Moines, Iowa. Congratulations Molly and Myron! We look forward to capturing the story of your day. Be sure to visit the blog in June to see their amazing wedding!

Her personality is definitely an urban type, so I wanted to incorporate that into the session. Since I was driving to Seattle for this session, I decided to take a chance and see if my good friend Mat Hayward was available. It just happened that even with his crazy schedule, he had the afternoon off and was more than happy to come along, lend a hand a shoot few pics along the way. I picked him up and we scouted out some nice locations in downtown Everett and then Mat looked at me and said “Don’t think I’m crazy, but there is this very cool location about an hour North of here. It’s an abandoned dairy farm, mental institution and is now a park”. Sounds cool, huh?

Mat Hayward

We didn’t have a chance to scout it out—I had to rely on Mat’s vision. I asked Kara what she wanted to do. She raised an eyebrow when I mentioned “mental institution” and said “sure…sounds cool”. Chasing the light nearly to the Canadian border, we were not disappointed when we got there. The buildings were in various states of decay and that’s what gave it such a unique feel. There also happened to be a film crew there shooting a horror movie. How cool is that?

Yes it’s true that Kara has spent a great deal of her life being a model for her father. And it’s true that when she was two years old, I set her on a stool, ran back to my camera and somehow before I got there, she fell off the stool, landing on her head. Yes there are moments you will always feel guilty about the rest of your life. We laugh about it now and as tramatic as it was, it didn’t seem to deter her from sitting for her father.

Congratulations Kara for making it this far. Your father is very proud of you (straight A student) not only for your academic achievments, but for the woman you’ve become. Strong, driven and a wonderful sense of humor and sarcasm. Mat…it was wonderful to shoot with you my friend. It’s about time we finally made that happen. I hope we have a chance to do it again this Fall.

Photographing seniors is one of my favorite things to do. They are willing to try anything, open to having fun and sharing in the creative process. It’s an opportunity to push myself creatively and try new things that just don’t work at a wedding.

Sonja was an absolute delight to work with. As we moved from location to location and Sonja relaxed and got into the shoot, the images kept getting better and better. We found an old trailer sitting in a parking lot that was the perfect backdrop for a Quentin Tarantino inspired idea floating in my head. There was a fire burning nearby, so the direct sunlight was diffused with a nice, warm softness. I don’t like shooting in direct sunlight, but challenged myself to make this work.

Congratulations Sonja! Enjoy that last year of high school as your life is about to change forever. Here are a few of my favorite images from our session. Thanks again JP for lending a helping hand!

Seven notes. Every song that’s ever been written is a variation of those seven notes. You’d think by now every possibility of a new song would be exhausted. Yet new music continues to thrive and change. Love is a lot like music. As long as there are two people in love, there is the possibility of something exciting and new. A love that will stand the test of time.

Amy and Dustin met at a concert where Dustin was playing. Amy is a PK (preacher’s kid). We have that in common. Her father preaches at New Heights Church in Vancouver. Dustin is a singer, songwriter for the band Ruth. They are currently touring and promoting their third album, so it was amazing he found time for the engagement session. But if you saw him around Amy, you’d understand that he would do anything for her. Being a former musician in another life, I also have that in common with Dustin. Suffice it to say, we had a lot to talk about during the shoot.

Dustin is very comfortable in front of the camera. He’s done many photo shoots and Amy was a natural. She couldn’t quit smiling, clearly happy to be near Dustin. I love working with other creatives as they are usually up for anything and never look at me strangely when I talk out loud about an idea for an image. I have a feeling their wedding photos will be amazing. Check back and find out for yourself.

Last year, I photographed a wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I met a musician, Judd Grossman, who kindly allowed me to use one of his songs for their slideshow. He and his band entertained us at the wedding and having his music on the slideshow was a special memory.

I asked Dustin if he had any music he could share with me for their e-session slideshow and he graciously sent me an unplugged version of Miracle Photo from their upcoming album. Be sure to watch their engagement session slideshow.

Congratulations Amy and Dustin!

Alicia and Jared are a wonderful couple and I’m really looking forward to their wedding. Both come from large families and Jared is the brother of a bride I photographed last summer. If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, then you surely remember Jessica and Cyle. Their engagement session was amazing and the wedding was a party!

With Jared’s sense of humor and Alicia’s fiesty personality, these guys are a combination that works. My face still hurts from smiling so much at their engagement session.

Tonight’s band is 5 Guys Named Moe. The last time they played, there were more men on the dance floor than women. That rarely happens, but it may have had something to do with the lead singers and their little black party dresses. These guys know how to work a crowd and get the place hopping. Large families and hundreds of friends— you know a party is happening tonight!

Congratulations guys! Best wishes for a wedding day to remember!

The weather is sunny and cool and I know the wedding will be a beautiful event. Heather and Dominic met me at Cathedral Park two weeks ago for their engagement session. Here are a few of my favorite images from that session. Congratulations guys! See you in a few hours…

I’ve known Sarah and Patrick for years. They are one of those couples that everyone knows are meant to be together. Every year, I’d ask Sarah if Patrick had proposed yet. When he did propose, she was elated to say the least.

Sarah works with many photographers and they made it clear that making the best choice involved doing their homework. I was humbled and honored to be selected as their wedding photographer. Sarah is very familiar with my work. She gets my vision and wanted my style of creativity on their wedding day. So, for their engagement session, she asked that I do all the things that she sees in my work that she loves. I jumped in and while I know the resulting images may not be for everyone, the work is honest.

As you know, I like to offer insight into the creative process as I take this journey with you. It’s definitely a process. In my personal work, you can see how those ideas and style choices influence my professional work. Being honest with the process results in art that is truthful to the artist.

“One difference between creating something you believe in and creating something that’s popular is that popularity seekers follow established steps. Do this, do that, do the other thing… lots of traffic. Do this, do that, do the other thing, a quick boost in Google. DT, DT DTOT and get a standing ovation…

The problem with this, that and the other thing is that you end up with a career filled with it. Instead of creating long-lasting art, ideas that matter and things that spread organically, you end up with a bunch of calculated mini-hits.” — Seth Godin

On to the images! This remarkable tree is where Patrick proposed to Sarah. I’ve dubbed it the Marriage Tree, as it shall be known from this time forward.

As an artist, it’s important to find inspiration in classic art. You never know how this will show up in your work. After creating this off-the-wall image, I later recognized it as a direct influence of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

We had a great time during this engagement session. Sarah and Patrick have set up creative vignettes for their wedding day and I know it will be spectacular. I’m looking forward to traveling to Vermont (where I’ve never been), meeting new friends and being inspired by a new part of the country. Congratulations Sarah and Patrick on your engagement! See you in a few weeks!