How many photographers did it take to make this wedding happen? Let’s count…

Last year I received one of the kindest emails that has ever graced my inbox. Kari, a student at Mt. Hood Community College and wonderful photographer (photog#1), needed to do an internship to receive credit for her degree program. I was honored that Kari wanted to do her internship with our business, which in turn meant that she’d be driving over from Portland nearly every week to fulfill her credits. Kari was such a blessing for us to have around, especially because Tiffany (my right hand of awesomeness) was in New Zealand for several weeks (not even remotely fair.)

In Tiffany’s absence, I needed a talented second shooter for Kari’s epic wedding. I happen to have a few past wedding clients who’ve turned into wedding photographers (weird and cool), and in this case Maria Lamb (photog#2) was a perfect fit. For better or worse,  when a spouse starts a small business the other spouse can naturally get sucked in as well. In Maria’s case, her husband Jordan (photog#3) enjoys the occasional second shooting position and was a perfect assistant for the day.

Zach and Kari’s wedding was held at the amazing Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon. Because this was a wedding we needed to travel to, and because of another shoot that required my family to be present the following day, I needed someone to watch my oldest boy while I photographed the wedding. Alycia White (photog#4) has an amazing eye and an equally amazing heart. She agreed to hang with my kiddo until Lauren could arrive the next day with Poet.

While for me, the counting stops at 4 photographers, I have no doubt there were other photo enthusiasts enjoying the visual candy Zach and Kari worked so hard to produce for their family and friends.

I have felt honored to be a part of Zach and Kari’s life from day one, I continue to be honored to know them.

Kari’s pre-wedding bridal session…

And their beautiful wedding…

We were approached by Oregon Bride Magazine to have a wedding of ours featured on their popular wedding blog. (Brides, Oregon Bride is a great resource for you in 2012, visit them on-line or get their magazine in print at your favorite book store.)

While we’ve never thought of being a “secret weapon” for a bride on her wedding day, we feel blessed and humbly thank them.

Insert Karate kick here…

In the months and days leading up to Drea and Michael’s wedding, we knew we would witness a very special day. Drea, an interior designer, had a plan from the beginning as to what she wanted her wedding to look like and now it’s clear; Drea’s income could be based on designing weddings alone. From the moment of our arrival at the House On the Metolius our eyes were met with a visual feast of detail and warm hearts (like Orlando’s!).

Having been a bit tired from a long summer of shooting weddings and commercial work, I felt like a little boy at the fair; visually overloaded (a good thing) and excited to see what was around the next corner. Design and detail are but a shell if not filled with passion, and Drea’s passion for life and her man were very apparent.

To our dear friends Drea and Michael, God bless you in your new season of life. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of “you.”

Assisted by: Tiffany Lausen, Kari Rae Lewis

Venue: House On The Metolius

Rentals: O’Brien Events

DJ: Flip Flop Sounds

Floral: Florabunda, Portland, Oregon

I’ve know Matt for a while.  In fact, Matt and I have been through some difficult, hilarious and incredible times as we’ve traveled the world together.

Matthew is an amazingly gifted writer and creative and we’ve been blessed to work together on several projects.

I believe we were en route to the Congo, or perhaps in the Congo (maybe it was an airport?) when I said, “hey Matty, what about that Jenah girl?”

What about her indeed…

After a few solid games of  ”across the world phone scrabble,” they were engaged…  Pretty much like that.

To be completely non-linear, we’ll start with the “post wedding” shoot…

Jenah is a US National Team boxer and avid lover of photography.  She’s tough, buff and hilarious.  Jenah also has a cool coach who offered to set up the competition boxing ring, just about wherever we wanted to put it.  Epic#1.

I also wanted to team up with my BFF and creative partner Kevin Kubota for this shoot for a potential (top secret) upcoming project… Epic#2.

With a crew of amazing friends and collaborators we set out Smith Rock State Park (thank you Alycia for helping secure the permit) to assemble the fighting ring…

A few of our favorite things…

(Note 1:  The last image in this set was a “play” on a set-up Kevin had where he envisioned the “Knockout Bride” delivering a brutal blow to her groom, and loving it….)

(Note 2:  A few of these images have an interesting crop, recognize it?  2.35:1 is the aspect ratio you’re used to seeing in the theater…  Super easy to do in Lightroom)

Like cigars? Pipes?  It wasn’t supposed to be the overall theme from Matt and Jenah’s Esession, but by the time we were finished the studio had a good deal of smoke in it, and we walked away with some fun images…

A few of our favorite…

And, the wedding…  I can honestly say, I don’t think I’ve seen two people smile so much in one day.  Beautiful people, hearts and details all in one place.  Truly a celebration of family and friends.

A few of our favorite things…

The beginning…

We love taking our brides out a few days before the wedding, assuming they are willing to take a small risk with their dress…

Not only is this fun for the bride, in that they get to wear their gown twice (for the same wedding of course), but it builds what we like to call a “shooting relationship” with them.

The more time I can spend with them before the wedding, the more comfortable they’ll be on their wedding day.  It’s all about trust and coffee…

Below, a few of our favorite things…

Weddings, for the most part, are filled with love and passion.  After the vows are said, on occasion I’m left wondering, “uh oh,” and on other occasions I’m left with a renewed sense of what it is to be in love, to be married and to begin to share life together.

Our time with Dean and Cassie was one of those times where I left completely filled, rather than drained.  I can’t pretend I know how to see into one’s heart, but if the eyes are a window to the soul (and perhaps the heart and soul are connected) then I’m left with no doubt that Dean and Cassie were meant for each other.

To know that your gifts and personality align so perfectly with your spouse is a gift in and of itself.  Speaking of alignment, I’ve never seen a bride align a piece of cake into her groom’s face with such ferocity… I had a feeling it was coming.

On a side note, in looking through the images from the day, I’m very proud of my second shooter and friend Tiffany Lausen who saw and captured this wedding in a beautiful way…

God bless the Goossen family as they begin this new season of life…  Here are a few of our favorite things…

I love it when a bride lets nothing get in the way of her happiness on her wedding day.  Makaila was one of those brides.  Despite cooler than normal temperatures and a few downpours, including one during the ceremony, love “reigned” supreme.

Please enjoy just a few of our favorite things from our time with Justin and Makaila…

This last weekend, we took a little (okay, loooong) trip to photograph Chad and Olivia’s beautiful Tahoe wedding at Chambers Landing.

Chad and Olivia were, and no doubt continue to be, a stunning couple…

We started the day with a quick little shoot of Olivia and her dress, then picked up Chad for a hike to an epic rock outcropping that overlooked the lake.

From there we headed to Chambers Landing which is a wonderful place to have a ceremony and reception.   We ended the day with a little evening light portrait session down by Chad’s vintage ski boat…

Please enjoy a few of our favorite things…

A few months ago we teamed up with our friends at Lace and Likes, Bridal Hood, Marigold Vintage Rentals, and the very talented designer Claire La Faye to create Champagne and Plumes, a fun “inspired creation” shoot for Elizabeth Anne Designs.

Our shoot has been included in the top ten selections, and I’d like to encourage you to go and vote for your favorite!  Of course, your favorite creation doesn’t have to be ours, you’ll likely be inspired by them all.

To vote, simply leave a comment in the comment thread found at the end of each post (creation.)   Hit this LINK and you’re there!

We were blessed to be approached by one of the top 100 wedding blogs to feature one of our favorite weddings from this past Summer, Jordan and Maria.

Please check out Bridalhood here.

Jordan and Maria chose the beautiful Columbia River Gorge Hotel for their wedding.  Brides, don’t miss Maria’s QandA on the blog, she’s a genuis…

Thanks Bridalhood!  Rock on…

I met Elisabeth while she was a student in a photography class I team taught through Kilns College and I was honored to be asked to photograph her wedding this late Fall.

I met Dave during our fun Esession where I sat on his lap.  Yes.   I’m fairly sure that he was a bit shocked, but here’s the thing…

You need to be close with your wedding photographer.  Okay, maybe not sit on the lap close but it’s important to be able to laugh, have fun and trust.  Sitting on Dave’s lap was a way to open him up a bit, have some fun and get him to not worry about the camera as much…

Elisabeth and Dave were married at the beautiful Aspen Lakes Golf Course just outside of Sisters, Oregon.  The weather was cold but we made the best of it and enjoyed some great portrait time outside.

A brief tangent…

In order for us to deliver our style to our clients, we need three things:

First, time with the bride and groom, usually about an hour total, just them and us.

Two, for them to be themselves and be caught up in each other–not whether or not the best man is drunk or the cake got a taste test by little Billy who has the raging flu.  Things like that are circumstantial and a part of life–don’t let circumstances ruin your day!

Three, the bride needs to be less concerned about her dress.  Now, I know dresses are potentially expensive and you only wear them once (hopefully) but without some flexibility in the area of where the dress can go and what it can do, our hands are tied, especially while shooting in Central Oregon.

Tangent over…

Elisabeth and Dave were epic, full of trust and an absolute joy to photograph.  We’re so thankful to have been a part of their wedding.

A few of our favorite things…

Taken by our second shooter Tiffany (Red Owl Photography) who is an awesome up and coming shooter. I can't tell you what a blessing she's been to our business during Lauren's needed time off with the baby and more importantly to our family.