Israel and Carolina's E-session

Yesterday, Gabriel joined me in photographing a couple who are very special to us. We've known Israel for nearly seven years, and when he announced his engagement to Carolina, I knew I wanted to photograph this important time in their lives. We started off at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. Nothing beats good window light for portraits!

This location provided such a cool variety of spots to be creative. I'm so glad the staff at the hotel was accomodating (well, at least they didn't kick us out!). It was fun to try new ideas...


It's not even a question anymore - when Gabriel comes with me, he gets our favorite zoom lens to use. That's okay, I don't mind sharing! The next two are a few of his images...

Carolina told me she wanted to show that she and Israel enjoyed having fun together and getting a little crazy. What better way to show this off than to have a silly string "fight"? I have to admit, I've never used the stuff before, and wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn out, but we had a lot of laughs and some good images as a result!
Last image of the day - one of my favorites.
Israel and Carolina, thanks for giving us your time and letting us hang out with you. I'm pretty sure we both got what we were after in the photo shoot - I'm looking forward to sharing them all with you!

Rachel and Richard's e-session

Saturday's engagement session with Richard and Rachel was especially poignant, as I've known Rachel and her family since she was a senior in high school...and now she's on the verge of getting married. Wow! It took a very special man to not only win over Rachel's heart, but also the affections of her close-knit family and friends. Richard and Rachel are strongly drawn to the urban lifestyle, and wanted their engagement pictures taken in Columbia City, an urban area of Seattle nicknamed "The Neigborhood of Nations". One of our first stops was their favorite bookstore...






Rachel and Richard, I hope you enjoyed getting the first look at your engagement pictures...I'm excited to share the rest with you!

For my friends...

We're blessed to be a part of a community of friends that continues to grow...and grow...and grow! We love being with the little ones, and have such a blast watching them develop right before our eyes. So for my friends, here are my favorite images taken this weekend. I had to hand over my camera to Ashley, so that I could have some baby time. This picture and the last are her creations. Here is Livia, already nearly two months old...


I love how toddlers are drawn to young babies, and with Gabriella, that attraction is especially strong. She's going to be a fantastic mother someday...



Nate re-creating his look of anger for his dad...didn't quite get there, but it sure was fun watching him try...


Be blessed!

Melina's 16th B-day pictures

While in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my niece, Melina, and capture some images for her upcoming 16th birthday. We had a lot of fun (Melina, I hope you'll agree!) as we toured around the Bellagio, looking for just the right spots for her photos. Melina is quite natural in front of the camera, and I loved the way her pictures turned out. Here are a few of my favorites...

WPPI Accolade of Excellence

Every year, a professional photographers association called WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) hosts a print competition for their members. Not only is it a valuable tool to receive feedback from your peers regarding the quality of one's work, but the competition continues to raise the bar for everyone who participates and elevates the standard of photography year after year.

So with that in mind, I entered the competition for the first time this year with an image I've posted before - Ashley and Dean standing on the dock in the early morning light. With many thanks to my lab that did a superb job in printing this image, my print scored well and I was able to receive an Accolade of Excellence (Honorable Mention). It's very exciting to do well, knowing the strict judging standards that are in place. I'm looking forward to next year!