Stacy and Nick | Kelley Farm Wedding 8/11/17

Having the opportunity to work with couples like Stacy and Nick is what makes wedding photography worthwhile and fulfilling in the chaos of the summer season. Their day was full to the brim with color, culture, life, and love. A mariachi band played throughout the ceremony in honor of Stacy's heritage, and a number of traditional Samoan dances were performed during the reception in honor of Nick's. August 11th was vibrant and laughter rang across the Kelley Farm. Thank you, Stacy and Nick, for trusting me to capture your beautiful and glorious wedding. Cheers to the rest of your lives together! 

Kendal and Ben | Georgetown, Seattle Wedding 8/12/17

I met Kendal months ago on Queen Anne hill, where we grabbed a cup of coffee at El Diablo and talked photography, tattooing, and the importance of art in our lives. From our first interaction, I knew that capturing her wedding was going to be nothing but ease and fun. From the quirk of their Oxbow Park ceremony, filled with laughter and tears, to dancing kicked off with the "Chicken Dance," Kendal and Ben's day of celebration and commitment was full of color and whimsy. Thank you, you wonderful humans, for the opportunity and trust to document your wedding day. Cheers!

emmz || unapologetic, overturning

"To die is not a bad thing. Cells die every day. Paradoxically, it is how the body lives. Casings shed. Coverings fall away. New growth appears. It is how we stay vital. Likewise, ways of thinking die like cells, and we suffer greatly when we refuse to let what's growing underneath make its way as the new skin of our lives. It is the stubbornness with which we we refuse to let what's growing underneath come through that pains us. It is the fear that nothing is growing underneath that feeds our despair. It is the moment that we cease growing in any direction that is truly deadly...

...When resisting this process, we become a troubled guest, moaning like a human crow. We double the pain of living when we try to stop the emergence that all life goes through. Imagine if trees never shed their leaves, or if waves never turned over, or if clouds never dumped their rain and disappeared...

...I say this as much to remind myself as you: Little deaths prevent big deaths. What matters most is waiting its turn underneath all that is expending itself to prepare the way." - Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening: August 9th

Kennedy Grace | Seattle Senior Portrait Session

I have only seen the sweet peas at Discovery Park bloom once before, but they are absolutely spectacular. When Kennedy and I spotted them glowing beneath the smoky sun that Seattle has been sweating beneath for the last week, I knew we were going to create some incredible images together. Thank you, Kennedy! You are so vibrant and beautiful, and it was a joy to frolic through the flowers with you. Cheers!

Krista and Christopher | Jardin del Sol Wedding 7/23/17

The sky was grey when my apprentice and I pulled up to Jardin del Sol on the morning of Krista and Christopher's wedding. We briefly discussed using diffusers and playing around with the soft light, but the moment that Krista arrived to the venue, the clouds parted and the sun burst through. All across Jardin del Sol, the flowers seemed to awaken and exude vibrancy for the sacred commitment that would be made that day.

Krista and Christopher, I am deeply honored and thankful that you trusted me to document your wedding day. Thank you for the good dancing, tasty mac n cheese, and most of all, for letting me into your relationship to capture your full and robust love for one another. Cheers to the rest of your lives, dears!

little fun thing, krista and christopher's wedding was the 25th wedding i've shot! wow!

Diana and Lukasz | Bainbridge Island Engagement Shoot

When I met Diana and Lukasz a few months ago, I immediately knew that the two of them would be a joy to work with and photograph. From the beginning, I sensed Diana's kindness and groundedness, her depth of soul and experience; Lukasz's silliness and observance and steadfastness; both of them intelligent and attentive and completely in love.

Engagement sessions are a funny thing; compared to weddings, where there is a calculated schedule and expected images to deliver, engagements are free form and whimsical. Sometimes posing and guidance is necessary, but sometimes, like with Diana and Lukasz, simply saying, "Pretend I'm not here," does the trick. We took the ferry from Downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island, trotted around the park where they got engaged, made friends with some flowers, laughed in golden hour, and basked in a windswept dusk back to the city. Below are images that represent a love that is intimate and full within itself, unafraid of outside eyes, willing and ready to exist and flourish with ferry wind in their faces and pink flooding the sky.

Kat and Aaron | Lake Wilderness Lodge Wedding 7/16/17

I drove up from Portland on the morning of Kat and Aaron’s wedding. The air was crisp and warm and full of mid-July whimsy; as I wound my way through Maple Valley to Lake Wilderness Lodge, my fingers dancing above asphalt with the windows rolled down, I was thankful and settled and glad. It was a sacred day. And when I arrived at the venue, meeting my apprentice Kayley at the front of the lodge, we all immediately jumped into Kat and Aaron’s first look. And the rest of the day was swept away with laughter, deep love, greens and blues of the lake reaching towards the sky, and Mount Rainier emerging from a veil of cloud.

Thank you, dears Kat and Aaron, for trusting me to document your day. You have a love that is everlasting, and it was a joy to craft these images that represent your commitment to one another Cheers!

Hannah and Ben | Magness Tree Farm Wedding 7/15/17

It was a very warm 85 degrees on the day Hannah and Ben committed their lives to one another; summer light slid through the trees around their venue, dappling the forest floor with emerald pools and the promise of life ahead. We drank Moscow Mules and sat in the shade of cabins, and we laughed, and we rejoiced. Cheers, Hannah and Ben. It is an honor to have documented your wedding day. Thank you for letting me in and trusting me to capture your essence. I'm so thrilled for all that life has in store for you as a married couple!

video by austin harris of rowboat films

Zack and Brenna | Seattle Proposal 6/20/17

On their three year anniversary, Zack proposed to Brenna on a chilly Seattle morning, complete with power tools romantically buzzing in the background. We celebrated with a wild salmon brunch and rosé brut in the dining room of his uncle's beautiful Queen Anne home. Thank you, dears, for allowing Austin and me to be part of the start of this exciting new season!

Kate and Jacob | Laurel Creek Manor Wedding 5/27/17

Kate and Jacob's wedding day glowed. The warm, end of May sun beckoned in their commitment and the evening glittered with the dancing of young children and bright petals. It was a joy to document their wedding day after six years of movement and love and long distance - thank you, Kate and Jacob. Cheers!