Alli's Senior Session at Bothell Landing Park

I love the story that Alli told me today of how she ended up choosing me to be her photographer. A few months ago she was surfing "MySpace", and happened upon some images from another senior session that I had taken in the fall. She contacted that senior for my name and as a result, we had the pleasure of taking Alli's senior pictures today. I went home with the goal in mind to start my own "MySpace" page, just for high school seniors.

We began at a place that had a lost of nostalgic memories for Alli, a dance studio that she has trained at for many years. What I loved about the space was the great natural light thanks to huge garage doors that opened from the studio to the parking lot, and a fan to give Alli the "wind-blown" look (as you can see in the photo above). I wasn't the only one with a camera today - both Ashley and Alyssa joined me as my second-shooters. This image is from Ashley...

Alli has the most amazing eyes...


This image was taken by Alyssa. All I can say is..."wow!"



Alli, it was fun to hang out with you today and get to explore a new space for shooting. I hope you liked the images I posted above, and look forward to sharing the rest with you...just as soon as I can. Blessings to you!

Morgan's Senior Session in Duvall

I was so excited that Morgan chose to have her senior session in downtown Duvall...not only because it's been my home community for nearly twenty years, but because it's actually a very cool place. For you seniors who are still thinking about scheduling your photo session, check this out!

This was taken on the banks of the Snoqualmie River in downtown Duvall. Would you believe we lived her for 15 years before I even knew this fantastic park existed? How crazy is that! I love the sand, the river and the grassy banks in the early morning light. These shots were some of my favorites...

My girls used to have fun on this rope swing that the kids use to jump into the river. I think it made a pretty cool prop.

A contribution from Alyssa, my second-shooter today and lighting assistant. She has such a good eye!

I love experimenting with motion. I jumped on the merry-go-round with Morgan, and had her mom spin us around. Using a slower shutter speed, I was able to capture the motion while still keeping Morgan in focus - somewhat! In any case, I thought it was a fun experiment. No photoshop necessary here - it's the real thing!

Morgan was so easy to photograph, and I loved how her beautiful blue eyes seemed to come alive in each and every image. See what I mean?


We ended up in a barn that the owner had given me permission to use for photo sessions. The light is so soft, and we ended up with some excellent images.

Morgan, I hope you had as much fun with us this morning as we did in photographing you. You have made my job very difficult, as I'm going to have a hard time choosing the best images from your session. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek. I'll be seeing you soon!

Ashley's Senior Session at Pike's Place Market

Alyssa and I met up with Ashley to take her senior pictures at Pike's Place Market, the location her cousin Nichole had chosen a few months ago when we took her senior pictures. I love that we can go back to the same place, and each time come away with images that are different from ones taken before. Of course, I can't help but place people in the spots that I know will give beautiful light to illuminate them, so if a few images look familiar, now you'll know why!




I love this spot in the parking garage to the Olympic Sculpture Park. During the late afternoon, the light is just perfect...who would've thought a parking garage could provide such a great location for photos?

We ended our session at the Olympic Sculpture Park which is so beautiful and tranquil on these gorgeous late afternoons in summer. I could have kept going, but I needed to make sure that I didn't wear out Ashley...I know it's easy for me to do!



Ashley, your pictures turned out great and I'm looking forward to sharing them all with you. My task of choosing the best to present to you is going to be a tough one! Thanks for keeping up with us and making it look so easy. We'll be in touch...blessings to you!

Richelle at the Downtown Bellevue Park

I first met Richelle nearly seven years ago through her very large extended family. If I remember correctly, her aunt (& my friend, Brenda - hi, Brenda!) wanted to have a photo of all the cousins together, so it was my idea to get the kids to walk across the street to the local school yard and all find a place on the jungle gym. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!

Richelle is now quite a bit more grown up, and it was a pleasure to take her senior pictures last night. Richelle is a beautiful young lady with stunning eyes and a gorgeous smile (still can't get over that she never needed braces!). Here are a few of my favorites from her shoot:






Richelle, thanks for coming out last night, even though your days are so full and busy. We had a great time with you, and hope that you've enjoyed this sneak peak. We'll be seeing you soon...blessings to you!

At Home with the Lovett Family

Gabriel and I were invited to share the afternoon with the Lovett family this past weekend, to catch up on some long-due family pictures. I can relate to that, especially since we just had our own family pictures taken this month after years of wanting to get it done. Even though the day started out questionable with a lot of rain (where is our summer this year?), the skies parted in the afternoon to give us beautiful light for some outdoor shots. This wooded area is just a few minutes walk from their home, and was a great place to explore.

All boys in the family means lots of active entertainment - in this case, not one but two large trampolines! Samuel was here demonstrating how this trampoline was preferred due to its bounciness.

David showing us his favorite sport...soccer!

Yes, that is an air gun, and yes, Samuel did hit his target with that shot!

Zach has so many interests, it's hard to keep up! But this is one I can totally relate to - a love for photography. I think he has a picture of me that looks quite like this one.

Chris is an accomplished musician, and made sure to get out his new trumpet while we were there...


Heidi and Chris, thanks for opening up your home and allowing us to capture a slice of your lives. We hope these images will be a blessing to your family for a long time to come.

Katie's Senior Session at Pike's Place Market

Alyssa and I had the fun of going out yesterday afternoon with Katie and her mom Karen for Katie's senior pictures. And it really was fun! I could have kept going on and on, but I didn't want to wear Katie out. Katie has such expressive eyes and gorgeous hair...we had to be sure to get some motion shots to show off her great cut.




As the sun was setting, we left for the nearby Olympic Sculpture Park for some late afternoon shots. Katie's mom Karen was especially helpful by holding a scrim to block the light on Katie's face, while giving us these natural light shots....usually Alyssa's job, but she was busy behind the camera. Thanks, Karen!


I've often told people that Alyssa's shots are some of the best I've seen. She's already a very talented artist, and photography is just another medium for her to use to express her creativity. The following two images are Alyssa's creations...

There was an incredible group of sailboats on the Puget Sound as we were leaving. It was absolutely stunning. I loved Alyssa's interpretation of the scene with Katie.

Thanks Katie, for a memorable summer afternoon. We look forward to seeing you again soon to view your session. Blessings to you!

Matthew and Lea's Wedding Day

Gabriel and I were approached by Matthew and Lea to not only be their wedding photographers, but to also walk alongside them as they prepared for marriage by mentoring them in pre-marital counseling sessions. We were very honored to be asked for both of these roles, and looked forward with them to their very special day.

Matt and Lea have been blessed by a circle of loving family and friends, including Steve and Kristy Roberts who generously opened their lovely home for the outdoor wedding celebration. Those of us who live in Washington take weather very seriously, and we were so pleased when Saturday appeared with beautiful skies and comfortable summer temperatures. Everything was perfect!













A young gentleman in training...



Lea's mom Jean as she watches the father-daughter dance...



Matt and Lea were generous to give me some of their time to take a few fun pictures in the Mini-convertible they borrowed from a friend as their getaway car. I had heard about a photographic technique that was made for this set-up: while I sat on the trunk with my camera and a fish-eye lens, Matt and Lea drove off down the road at speeds up to 30 mph. I used a slow shutter speed to get motion blur on the sides of the car. I think it turned out great, and no one was harmed in the making of these images. :-)



It seems that the longer I do this, the harder it is to limit the number of images I post from weddings...so family and friends of Matt and Lea, stay tuned, and I'll have a new slideshow for you soon.

Matt and Lea, congratulations! May you find much love, laughter, peace and joy in the journey you've just begun. Blessings to you!